Alpha's Sacrifice (Fallen Alpha) by Rebecca Royce

didn’t have anything that she needed to make some kind of shake she insisted Chelsea had to drink. It took two trips to three different stores, but they eventually ended up back at Hayden’s kitchen counter using a newly purchased blender.
    Chelsea didn’t have any money, but Viola didn’t care one bit. She’d paid for everything without blinking at the cost. In fact, the other woman had stayed all but utterly silent the entire time they’d been out of the house. Not that Chelsea particularly wanted to chat, but the silent treatment was really, really off-putting.
    What was this woman’s deal?
    Viola threw the remainder of the groceries down on the counter before she rounded on Chelsea with her pointer finger wagging at her like some kind weapon. “I just don’t get it. What’s wrong with you? It’s hard enough on those of us with the Gift without you getting caught by the psycho scientists and dragging the Wolves into our business. Why couldn’t you take your herbs and keep quiet?”
    Enough was enough. “I don’t have a fucking idea what you’re talking about.” She pointed her own finger back at Viola. “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know about any herbs. I only know that I’ve been through hell—years of it—and I didn’t involve the Wolves. I happen to be mated to one of them, even though that shocked the hell out of me.”
    “Are you tell me that you have lived your whole life without taking the concoction? That’s not possible. They would have locked you away as a child.” Viola narrowed her gaze.
    “I didn’t have these problems as a child. I inherited them when my grandmother died. No money, no family, nowhere to live, but the ability to see many futures? That I got. So don’t talk to me about what should have been.” Who did this woman think she was?
    Viola threw her head back and laughed. “This isn’t like that. You always had it. If you got it when she died, it’s because you stopped eating correctly. There must have been something she fed you every day. Think.” The blonde bitch touched her own head like she pantomimed the act of using her brain.
    Chelsea wanted to punch her in the face. The only thing that stopped her was that, yes, in fact, there had been something her Gram had made her every day. The old family recipe. “Soup.” Her voice sounded small.
    “Well, there you go. That’s kind of old-school, but I guess it makes sense if it was your grandmother doing it. Shakes are easier. There aren’t many of us with the Gift, but those of us who have it handle it in two ways. First, we keep it secret. No one needs to end up in an institution. And the second is that we eat a combination of vitamins and minerals every day. It lets us remember our visions, control how many we get, and stay in good mental health.” Viola drummed her fingers on the counter. “You probably did have visions as a child, but you were being fed properly, and it felt like dreams or whatever. Puberty makes the whole thing less manageable, but we all get it under control as adults. Your grandmother never told you anything about this?”
    She shook her head. “We weren’t close. She kind of didn’t know what to do with me most of the time, and she died very suddenly.”
    “Right, well, I guess I’m going to show you what your grandmother should have. It’s rather simple. It’s all about what we put in our bodies. Ready?”
    For the next ten minutes, Chelsea listened to how she needed to combine gingko biloba, hawthorn, gotu kola, bacopin,rosemary, schisandra, DMAE, vitamin B6, and folic acid. She also needed to eat more fish, which finally explained her Gram’s preoccupation with fish bone soup. Viola put the whole thing in a juicer with kale and spinach. Five minutes later, Chelsea drank the whole thing down.
    She nearly gagged and had to grip the side of the counter. Viola drank that combination of stuff every day and didn’t throw up all the time?
    “There are ways to make it more