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Dread

last update Last Updated: 2026-01-30 22:04:05

Aris

Soren leans against the thick charcoal gray cushions of the L-shaped couch in Blake’s atrocious modern living room. It’s… sunken. I nearly cracked my head open within seconds of appearing in his house twelve hours earlier than I told him I’d be here, but apparently Blake, Soren, and to my surprise, Logan have been expecting me. Or they were getting the party started early. We’ve wasted most of the day. I slept until the late afternoon. Logan cooked dinner, which was surprisingly good, and now?

Blake got the good whiskey out for the occasion, whatever that occasion is, because nothing about succession has been spoken about yet.

Logan, propped on the armrest on the far side of the couch, crosses his arms over his chest and looks down at where I’m sitting on the floor. My back is against the curved base of the wall-to-wall fireplace. Everything in this house–save for Skye’s scattered pink and purple toys–is smooth, curved or leaning at impossible angles–all dark glass, gray plaster,
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  • The Alpha King's Breeder   Dread

    ArisSoren leans against the thick charcoal gray cushions of the L-shaped couch in Blake’s atrocious modern living room. It’s… sunken. I nearly cracked my head open within seconds of appearing in his house twelve hours earlier than I told him I’d be here, but apparently Blake, Soren, and to my surprise, Logan have been expecting me. Or they were getting the party started early. We’ve wasted most of the day. I slept until the late afternoon. Logan cooked dinner, which was surprisingly good, and now?Blake got the good whiskey out for the occasion, whatever that occasion is, because nothing about succession has been spoken about yet.Logan, propped on the armrest on the far side of the couch, crosses his arms over his chest and looks down at where I’m sitting on the floor. My back is against the curved base of the wall-to-wall fireplace. Everything in this house–save for Skye’s scattered pink and purple toys–is smooth, curved or leaning at impossible angles–all dark glass, gray plaster,

  • The Alpha King's Breeder   Secrets of the Caves

    PoseyLuckily for Aris, I’m too busy trying desperately to keep my mind and heart away from the thought of him in general to disobey his direct orders. Unluckily for him, after a night of tossing and turning, with very little sleep, I wake up the next morning alone in the castle for the first time, staring at the mask, at my scattered, useless tools, and my mind wanders again.Trying to ignore my wanderlust, I get back to work, popping out the old jewels and busying myself by placing new ones, ones I made myself out of silver and melded until they shone like diamonds. The fawn bounces around my feet while I do my work. Silver is great for this–creating gems. Most alchemists can’t touch silver without a variety of specialized tools and a heavy duty forge, none of which I have, but it doesn’t affect me. Silver feels beautiful under my touch–like silky cream. Like pure, cold water. It makes me shiver as I press shards of silver into stainless steel molds, heating them until the silver wi

  • The Alpha King's Breeder   I'll Know If You Do

    Aris“I have to leave tomorrow morning.”Posey’s fingers are unnaturally warm as she carefully fits the mask to my face. She tilts my head back, then to the side, smoothing her thumbs over my cheek where the third prong should be. I can’t stop looking at her when she’s like this–hyper-focused, her green eyes sharp and unyielding. It’s the same side of her I got to witness this summer every time I barged into her room to harass her and waste her time while she tried to study into the later hours of the night. I feel like we’ve both lived an entire lifetime since then. “How does it feel?”“A little small.”Her brow furrows. She angles the mask upwards so the middle prong rests directly over my nose, which feels wrong, and judging by the frustration behind her eyes, she knows it, too. “It’s missing something. You’re sure this is all you found?”“Well, the third prong is missing.”She tsks and sets the mask down on her worktable, which is now covered by a slab of pure white granite. Yes

  • The Alpha King's Breeder   Get Out, Now!

    PoseyIt’s a silent hunt for any books related to alchemy, metal, and forges. I find a few texts about old methods of ironsmithing I’m sure will be useful. Most of the alchemy books are tarnished, faded, and damn near useless at this point. Back when the skill was openly taught to anyone who brandished the powers, a different language was used. I don’t know it. Aris is just as puzzled, but he gathers old books in his arms nonetheless, his original hesitation shifting to curiosity as we walk the stacks together. He lights the old lanterns with his shimmering powers, and his shadows stretch all around us, dancing in the grainy light. I’m sure, when he’s like this, drenched in his own magic, most people would find him intimidating. I think he’s glorious. “What are you going to do with the fawn?” I ask when the silence becomes too much. I slide another heavy book into his hands, this one about apothecary remedies, hopefully old enough to have something for the use of alchemists within it

  • The Alpha King's Breeder   Pleasure and Pain

    PoseyI don’t deserve this for what I’ve done. This room. This dream of mine coming to fruition. I run my fingers over every surface, count the steps from one side of the room to the other, and stare out of the trio of windows along the curve of the wall for a long time. The stars hang heavy when I finally ask the spirits of the house for help. The female is eager, pleased with the state of the room and the list I give her, which is quickly whisked away and disappears into the shadows of the highest rafters, where my footsteps echo as the male spirit moves things around and reorients the space for me. I only leave to change out of my pajamas in the adjoining bedroom, which is small but cozy and well furnished, when I realize there is no way I’m sleeping tonight, not with my thoughts so tangled and my heart wracked by guilt. I try to call Willow in the earliest hours of the morning, when the nearly full moon is high, and the sky turns a milky violet, but the call goes to voicemail, a

  • The Alpha King's Breeder   We Have to Go Together

    PoseyThe sun sets over the mountains when Aris returns. His shadows pierce the bright pink light of the alpine glow, his boots moving across the floor, disrupting the stillness that’s been enveloping me for hours. I've been sitting in the same position since he left, dressed in the same thin nightgown, holding the mask in my hands. I’ve been in a trance, letting my powers dance in a way they never have while inspecting and investigating every groove and divot, every master’s brush of hot iron and alloys to strengthen the mask. Whatever I do, I can’t think about my current situation. I’ll fall apart. Falling apart means losing my grip on reality, and if I lose that…“Posey.”I look up. My eyes feel dry and scratchy. I’m not sure I’ve blinked since he left… hours ago. The door is wide open. His shadows dance around the room–which is much emptier than I remember it being, like everything has been cleared out since this morning right from underneath my nose. We wordlessly weave throu

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