Hi! This season is almost over, but the next one will be coming in the fall, so get ready! Thank you for your support.
*Isla*The open air sitting room overlooking the beach shimmers like gold in the soft afternoon sunlight. I stare down at the newborn baby girl in my arms, my thumbs gently brushing back her dark hair. Goddess, she looks like Poppy. My heart squeezes in my chest as I peer over at my friend who is asleep on the couch across from mine, a sleeping baby Asher in her arms. Elijah and Emery are… somewhere. Emery is making the most of the last day here in Maatua, especially now that she can see it at its best. Elijah came into the castle this morning during breakfast, totally drenched and covered in sand. We’d only caught a glimpse of Emery as she sped toward her quarters, just as wet as Elijah. She’d swam out a little too far into the ocean, and he’d gone in to save her life, at least he thought. He hadn’t realized Emery was a very strong swimmer; she ended up having to rescue him instead. But that had been this morning. Now we are just… waiting around. Our boat will be here tomorrow, mi
*Isla* Poppy and I sit on the terrace, a pitcher of sweet hibiscus tea sitting between us on a small patio table as we balance the twins on our knees and let the sun warm our skin. Asher is resting on my thighs blissfully dreaming away. “I forgot how much Isaac used to sleep when he was a newborn,” Poppy smiles, looking down at Daphne. “Or how small he used to be. I was shocked when I saw the twins for the first time. I expected them to be much, much bigger based on how big my bell had been.” “This doesn’t last for long,” I laugh, sighing deeply. “Isaac learned to run before he could walk. Some days I miss when he was easy and small.” “I’m looking forward to being able to take them down to the beach so they can run on the sand and help me look for seashells,” she replies, laughing softly. “Antony can teach them how to swim, and I can sit on a towel and work on my tan.” “How’re you and Antony now?” I ask. “We’re working through it,” she admits, giving me a sad smile. “Taking it
Epilogue to Book 4... Two Years Later *Maddox* “Where is she?” I ask, looking over the strewn papers on my desk. I look down at the dark wells of ink splatter over everything and frown, shifting my gaze to the trail of ink that moves in a circle around my desk, then around the couch in the center of the room. Inky fingerprints cover the leather then disappear again before the ink spots disappear beyond the door and into the long corridor. Elijah shrugs, his mouth curved at the edges as he looks around the room. “Not here anymore, obviously. I’m sure if you follow the trail she left behind you’ll know exactly where she is.” I glance over at him as I gather the ink stained papers and stack them neatly before sighing and tossing them in the trash can beside my desk. “How’d she get in here, anyway?” “She just learned how to turn doorknobs,” I answer, shaking my head. I can’t help but smile despite the fact my entire office is covered in ink, and my best fountain pen is dismantled
Welcome to Season 5 of The Alpha King's Breeder. I hope you will enjoy Isaac's story as much as you have loved Isla and Maddox's story!*Isaac*“It’s not bad.” Mom smiles tightly as her hands smooth over the front of my dress suit, her slender fingers pale against the navy blue fabric. I twitch, reaching up to tug on my collar while I look at my reflection over the top of her head. For a moment, I think it’s my father staring back at me, but no. My father, Alpha King Maddox, and I have practically the same face. Strong jaw, high cheekbones, and the same sharp nose. But I’d been blond up until a few years ago, the glossy golden hair that favored my mom fading into a rich brown. I look even more like him now than I ever have before.Mom’s soft blue eyes, the same color and shape as mine, turn up to meet my gaze. “Where’s Dad?” I ask, trying to shrug the stiff fabric from my shoulders as Mom breaks from my gaze and walks in a circle around me to inspect the suit she’d had specially mad
Three Years Later…*Maddy*The floorboards have never been cleaner, and my hands have never been more raw. Soapy water soaks through my leggings as I kneel, wringing out my sponge in a bucket of water. The chalet needs work, at least my stepmother says so every chance she gets. The cracks in the ancient plaster and the stone chimneys blackened with soot were once clean and whole, and the chalet itself used to be regal and housed her family back when they had wealth and standing. Now, it’s a testament to her less-than-ideal situation. A situation, she says, is only exasperated by my being in the picture. I’m another mouth to feed. Another body to clothe. But I don’t eat anything but scraps left over from the main table and my clothes are nothing but tarnished rags after years and years of mending. Elodie eats like a queen, wears the hottest fashions, and is treated like a person, whereas I’m treated worse than dirt. Elodie is my stepsister, and she’s the apple of my stepmother Lou
*Maddy*I wriggle against the restraints. My wrists are raw and aching from the ropes. I don’t know what time it is or where I’m being taken, but I was carried from the chalet to a vehicle, then onto a train, and now I lay with my face pressed against a hardwood floor thick with the scent of fresh wax. Two achingly slow days have passed, and I have no idea where I am or why. Sold. That was what Lousia said. She’d sold me. It’s no wonder she had money to buy meat and wine and four new dresses for Elodie. I roll onto my side and curl into a ball. At least it’s warm wherever I am. Chill doesn’t bite my toes or waft through cracked windows. No, this place is nice. Well-furnished with thick velvet curtains and plush couches. Still, I’m on the floor, hog-tied and filthy after two days of rough travel. I turn to look out a window on the far side of the room. Soft daylight spills across the floor, illuminating obscure sculptures and art collecting dust. Midday, maybe? Afternoon? My stom
*Isaac*My office feels like it’s caving in on me as I tap my fingers on my desk and stare down at the profiles scattered across the wooden surface. The same desk I used to sit beneath as a child while my dad conducted pack business is now littered with pictures and essays written by women I don’t know.And I don’t really care to know them either.Dad is going to be livid when he finds out what I’m doing. Mom, too. Especially Mom, now that I think about it. They went through hell and back to be together and raised me and Ella to never have to worry about being in the position I’m willingly putting myself in. It’s not like I’m looking for a breeder. I’m looking for a wife. “For the love of the Goddess,” I breathe, pinching the bridge of my nose as my head begins to throb. “You still have time to back out,” Cassian grins from the red leather sofa across from my desk. His ankles are crossed over one of the arm rests as he lounges aimlessly, still in jeans and an old college T-shirt.
*Maddy*I need to run now. I can feel Reginald's fury starting to suffocate the room. He’s still arguing with one of the well-dressed men who is now shouting in his face. I understand nothing.A few of the women dressed in fine gowns start to walk out of the ballroom, their faces drawn in disappointment. I glance around quickly, trying to keep my battered face shielded from the Prince–no, the Alpha King. He’s the Alpha King now. I hadn’t realized until I saw him, but the crest he wears on his lapel confirms it.He hasn’t recognized me. I didn’t expect him to. It’s been three years, after all. And I look nothing like the rosy cheeked teenager I’d been when he’d asked me to dance at his birthday ball. He’s as handsome as ever with the same dark hair as his father and his mother’s bright blue eyes. I remember them well from the ball. The scent of bergamot and leather waft off of him, making my lower abdomen tighten, but I’m not here to throw myself at the king. It seems clear we’re not
RyanThree Days LaterTarsian is gone. That’s the only way to describe it. The cities, the packs… it’s nothing but endless, blood-stained desert now. Even the sea lapping against the shores of Serpentia is stained a dark red, but I watch it fade as I stand on what’s left of a deck overlooking the ocean. Behind me, the incessant chatter of the injured and healing overwhelm the sound of the waves. A few people walk along the sand–warriors of different ranks and alliances. A young man in tattered Arcane Umbra armor talks to a group of men in armor from the Roguelands, reunited with old friends. The curse is gone. The soldiers the Umbra Mortis turned into his puppets, his monsters, well… so far, they have no memory of the war, which is a blessing. The rest of us remember, though. How could we ever forget what happened here? How are we possibly going to move on? “Ryan?”I turn toward Kenna’s voice as she steps toward me, edging around a group of nurses from Moonrise here to help treat
ColeI choke myself awake. Smoke fills my lungs, smothering my senses for precious seconds I quickly realize I don’t have. Muffled voices fill my ears–a few shouts of pain, of surprise. People are calling out for friends and comrades.I’m not in the afterlife. I know that immediately. Pain echoes through my body like waves, driven by the tide of my heartbeat as my body claws back to life, my chest wounds knitting together in real time. But my hand is freezing. I squeeze the fingers tangled in mine and jolt back to reality, rolling with effort to curl my body around Misty. “No,” I breathe into her hair. “Come–Come back.” I can’t feel her anymore. My hand slides up to her neck, my fingers trembling as I feel for her pulse. It’s there, but barely. A weak thump that pauses for several heartbreaking seconds. “H-Help!” I try to shout the word into existence, but my voice cracks painfully, turning into a scream. “HELP!”Figures rush toward us in a blur. The battlefield erupts into view, sh
MistyI land on my feet in a sea of mist. Silver fog snakes around my ankles, around my glimmering armour made of pure light. For a moment, I think I’m… lost within the aether–in the misty, shadowed undercurrent that separates our realm from the Goddess’s kingdom. But wet grass squishes beneath my boots as I stumble forward, breathless, damn near in pieces. Rain pelts the top of my head as I grope for anything to grab onto before I careen toward the ground. I yelp as my body lands with a thud. Thunder booms, followed by its rolling echo as it bounces toward me. The rain fizzles to a gentle whisper as the mist begins to part. A great stone wall comes into view, and then two voices carry toward me, lifted in alarm. I sit up with great effort, kneeling as I gasp for breath that won’t fill my lungs. I slowly lift my head and see two women–one young and… stunning, with long, blonde hair and ocean blue eyes that seem to glow as she holds my gaze, her lips parted in surprise. The seco
Cole“Undo it,” I tell him. “Take the curse back and reinstate order.”He purses his lips to a thin line, confused. “But, Cole, I can’t. It’s not something you can just… stop. Think about it. Use that big brain of yours. Do you see this place? Tarsian is so much bigger than the rest of Eastonia. Riches beyond belief lay below the sand. There used to be mines and forges here, mines that pulled silver and moonstone from the ground and forges that turned that into magic. Yet, in our time, the magic is hoarded by the royals–the Allied Kings.” He sweeps his hand toward the battle. “But not anymore. Once I open the gate, it’s over. This world will be no more. You can come with me, Cole. Be a god instead of a king.”“You can’t, Richard. You failed. Misty is safe, with her family. You needed her to do this.”He smiles a bit sadly, but his eyes flare with mischief. “Yes, she is. Such a shame, really. It would have been easier to do it with her help. Quicker, less leg work for me.” He opens the
Misty“Forgive me, please,” I say to Mom as we walk side by side to the war room, which is really just a massive training area at the very base of the castle. “I know I just got back…hours ago….”“Bring them back for me,” she replies sadly, her hand ghosting down my back. She stops at the staircase leading to the furthest depths of the castle. I turn to face her, and she tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “I’m okay here. I’ll keep the kids happy and comfortable.”That’s my mom’s power. Being the leader of this family. She has a knack for bringing everyone together, keeping everyone loved and… whole. I pull her into a hug and squeeze. “I’ll come home again, I promise. I’ll be bringing my mate home with me in time for Solstice, I promise.”Her tears fall into my hair. I reluctantly let her go and turn for the stairs, refusing to look back. I have to look forward–only forward–if I’m going to get through this. Ella’s already in the armory, sorting weapons, her eyes locked on her tas
MistyEverything else is a blur. Aviva’s screamed words. Ella’s rushed explanations. Grandma taking me by the shoulders and leading me away, tucking me in a sitting room somewhere in the depths of the castle. I barely feel her arm on my shoulder. I barely register sitting down in a chair, holding the bloody pages in my lap and watching the firelight dance over the untidy scrawl I know so well. I sit there for what could be hours. Eventually, I’m joined by Sarah and Kenna… and then Aviva. Still, I haven’t read the letter. I’ve read my name, addressed at the top of the first page, over and over again. This is his final goodbye, and I’m not ready to accept that. “What are we supposed to do?” Kenna grinds out. “The reports coming out of Tarsian are–”“I don’t fucking care what they are!” Sarah’s voice pitches with fury. “The father of my sons is fighting for his fucking life right now, Kenna.”“My mate, too!” Kenna shouts. “But we’ve been told to stay, to be prepared to defend Moonrise
MistyI wait in the hallway for Luke, not believing he’s actually here, in Moonrise, in the same place I currently am. Eventually, he’s escorted around a corner by two of Ella’s royal guards. His eyes go wide when he sees me, his cheeks flushing. “Misty–”“Luke,” I whisper, trying to smile at him, but my heart is skittering out of my chest. He glances at the guards before taking several swift steps ahead of them to reach my side. I pull him across the hallway to a set of windows and benches overlooking the city of Moonrise, now bathed in afternoon light. “You got out,” he says in disbelief. “I heard that you had, but I didn’t believe it–”“Is Georgia safe?” “Yes, she’s with her family. Her father’s fighting, but she and her mother went to Crescent Falls–”“What did Cole have you working on in the castle?” I rush out. “I was supposed to help you with it but never got the chance.”He pulls a small, oval object out of his jacket pocket and hands it to me. “It’s a cryptex. He said it wa
MistyBefore my body even catches up to itself, Mom has her arms around me, pulling me into the tightest hug possible as Sarah’s powers shudder away, falling like ash that covers the ornate red carpet in one of the upper wings of Aunt Ella’s palace in Moonrise. Golden finishes blur my vision. My senses go haywire for a fraction of a second before familiar scents and voices bring me back to reality. I slowly fold my arms around Mom’s back and squeeze. Neither of us says anything for a long, long time. I stand on my tiptoes and rest my chin on her shoulder, closing my eyes and breathing in her sweet, floral scent. She’s been wearing the same perfume for decades. She always smells the same–the smell of my childhood. “Mama,” I whisper into her strawberry scented hair. She trembles with silent sobs, cupping the back of my head as she pulls away. Her big, dark blue eyes–eyes she shares with Sydney and Ryan–sweep over my face, over the new lines of exhaustion and heartbreak. I feel a p
MistyIt’s morning. Early morning–still too early for the sun to breach the mountains and send light spilling over the village of Silverhide. I roll over on the couch, wrapped in a thick blanket, and stare at the dying embers in the stone fireplace across the room. I haven’t slept. Pain echoes through my body, settling deep in my bones. It’s not a sharp, bright pain. It’s the kind that aches and throbs–a dull thrum of noise that makes it impossible to focus, let alone close my eyes and rest. I feel empty. Empty, and alone. ‘Why did you do this to me?’ I ask through the sliver of bond I still share with Cole… I hope. I hung on so tight when he rejected me, refusing to let him do it. But his voice is no longer in my head. My eyes are dry and rimmed red as I watch the embers flicker like stars against a sea of darkness. I have no tears left to cry. I used them up. They’re gone. Ryan and Aviva’s bedroom door opens nearby, a shadowed figure ducking as Ryan steps out of his room and