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Swallowed by the Black River
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Alpha King's Breeder Attacked in the Night
*Isla*I open my eyes to the feeling of… suffocating. I grip my throat, fighting for breath as an icy blast of water shoots from my toes all the way to my fingertips, my hair standing on end as a crush pressure drags me down, and down, and down. My eyes attempt to focus through the utter swirling darkness, not a single shred of light to be seen. I’m stuck. I’m thrashing. My head cracks against something hard and rough, and then I’m being pulled upwards towards the surface. “Isla,” Poppy whispers in my ear, and I jolt back to reality, sucking in a desperate breath, and opening my eyes to Maddox’s bedroom. “I heard you crying out, Isla. Are you all right?”“A nightmare,” I reply thickly, smoothing the hair away from my face. It takes me a moment to come to terms with the fact that I am in the bedroom, my body warm and tangled in the quilt. I turn to look at the bassinet near my bedside. “I have him,” Poppy says quietly as I turn to her, seeing the tiny bundle in her arms. “He was cr
The Alpha King's Breeder A Vision of Blood
*Isla*It’s not even 5:00 in the morning when my toes touch the floor, cool to the touch. A day had passed since my nightmare of ice cold water, and tonight I dreamed of much more violent things. I was restless, unable to fully shut my eyes, and when I could, Isaac would wake. I’d eventually taken him to the nursery across the hall to be tended to by one of the nursemaids so I could try to get some rest. I’d felt guilty, and found it hard to sleep, but eventually I’d drifted back into my fitful dreams. More nightmares just like the first one. Soundless shadows wove through gnashing teeth and tearing claws until I woke again, sweating, and feeling like something was very, very wrong. Was it only in my dream that I tasted and smelled blood? Or was my house, my very room, now thick with a metallic scent that hadn’t been there before? I walk to the door as I pull my robe over my shoulders. It’s silent, so quiet I can hear my heart beating in my chest as I slowly turn the knob and ope
The Alpha King's Breeder She Gave Her Life for the Prince
*Isla*Mystica’s eyes are hollow as she ties a ribbon around a bundle of herbs–rosemary, lavender, and sage. The whole room smells like spice, and when I look up at the ceiling I see nothing but bundles of drying greenery and flowers. This is Mystica’s haven, a small room near the back of the castle connected to the kitchen garden. Most of the maids use this space to hang herbs and store vegetables. I look at the rows and rows of built-in shelving, cans of last summer’s tomatoes, apples, and peaches perfectly organized and shimmering in hazy gray light filtering through the windows. I look down at the tea in front of me, which is supposed to be calming, but I can’t find the nerve to even lift it to my lips. Not after what happened last night, and not now that we're facing a threat from inside the castle walls. Two warriors stand near the door as I turn to look over my shoulder, their eyes focused on the windows behind where Mystica is sitting. “Has anyone said whether or not you’r
The Alpha King's Breeder Can I Kill My Own Beta?
*Maddox*I lunge, colliding with Seth just as he swings the sword. The heavy metal slices through the air as I wrap my arms around his knees and send us both flying backward away from the blast of silver light now coming from the statue. I feel the sword graze my back, slicing through my shirt and scraping across my skin. It's enough to make me grit my teeth and growl as we roll and roll towards the far wall of the temple, the sword left in our wake. Seth’s fist smashes against the top of my head, and I momentarily see stars before I roll off of him and get onto my knees, panting. Only six feet separates us. “Don’t make me do this,” I say to him, my ears ringing sharply as I blink into the silver light now climbing in long ribbons up the walls. “Seth–”“I can’t let you leave this temple alive,” he says hoarsely, and I see blood trickling down his face from a wound he must have obtained when I slammed all of my weight into him and sent us to the ground. He takes an uneven step towa
The Alpha King's Breeder It's Not Over Yet
Poppy groans as I help her sit up in bed, her face twisting with discomfort. While my magic was about to heal the stab wounds across her belly, she is still recovering from the black and blue bruises that cover her entire abdomen. She looks terrible, but I do my best not to make a face as I lift up her shirt to look at the… carnage. That’s the only way I can describe it. “I’ll live, Isla,” she rasps, rolling her eyes as she playfully swats my hand away. “Pardon me for being worried about you, Poppy,” I tease, sitting down on the edge of her bed with a sigh. I glance at the warrior sitting on a stool by the door, his legs crossed and his head hanging as he sleeps. We made it through the day. No one else had been attacked. But I can’t help but feel like this is far from over. “Did Isaac make it safely?” she asks in a whisper, her eyes drifting to the warrior by the door. “Yes,” I reply, the word sticking to my throat. I fight back the rush of grief welling in my chest as I run a co
The Alpha King's Breeder Did You Touch My Mate?
*Isla*“Get–her–out–of–FUCK!” Antony takes the warrior by the shoulders, bending the man at the waist before driving his knee up into the man’s chin. “Get her out of here, Isla!”I’m scrambling to get Poppy off the bed. She’s hurt again, but actively fighting against me as I drag her by the waist across the room and away from where Antony is beating the warrior into a bloody pulp. “The knife is still in his chest!” Poppy howls, clawing my arms. “Stop fighting me!” I cry, but she kicks her legs, pressing all her weight into her heels to halt my progress. The warrior breaks free of Antony’s grasp and pushes him away at the same time he grabs the knife and twists. Antony shouts–and to my great surprise–slaps the warrior across the face. I freeze, obviously in shock, and fight the urge to laugh in disbelief as Antony shoves the warrior away and removes the knife from his chest himself, tossing it across the room. “Slap him again!” Poppy roars. I put my hand over her mouth and continu
The Alpha King's Breeder Not Ready to Say Goodbye
*Isla*“He’s on his way back,” Ben says hoarsely, running his fingers through his hair as he takes a seat in the dining room. I hold Isaac against my chest, patting his back as I pace along the far wall where the sunset is beaming through the windows. “I talked to him a few hours ago. He said he’d be here by morning.”I nod, glancing out a window as I pass, as if I can make Maddox just materialize out of nowhere. “How is Antony?” Ben asks as he reaches for a bottle of wine. He motions with his hand to offer me a glass but I shake my head. “Fine. Angry, but fine,” I sigh. I look down at Isaac, who is asleep with his chubby, perfect cheek squished on my shoulder. “He’s been holed up in Poppy’s room all day. He wants to skin that man alive, Ben.”“I understand why,” Ben says through gritted teeth as he pours himself some wine. “Has the man said anything?”“He won’t even give us his name. I interviewed some of the other warriors, and no one recognizes him. No one knows who he is or wher
The Alpha King's Breeder In Service of the King
*Isla*“It’s not even in the way she talks or handles business between the servants,” Poppy says as she winds a lock of my hair around a curling iron. “There’s just something strange about her.”“And Trinity hired her,” I add, dusting my cheeks with blush. “Yes, and that,” Poppy grimaces, starting on a new curl. “She probably just looks forward to the day I leave, Isla. If I leave. I don’t fall into the ‘be sweet and silent’ type of maid that she prefers, you know? And based on what you just told me, she thinks Trinity is dumb–”“She didn’t say dumb,” I laugh, smiling at Poppy through the reflection in the mirror. “But she did allude to Trinity being inexperienced and… well, I don’t really know how else to describe it. I want to like her because she’s done a great job in the role so far, but if Trinity is up to something… how can I trust her, or anyone in this house, for that matter?”“Well, Maddox will be home any minute now, and you won’t have to do all of this on your own anymore,
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The Alpha King's Breeder Arcana Umbra
MistyI flip a page in my journal, squinting at the terrible handwriting I’d scribbled down last night when I’d woken from my latest dream. I can’t comprehend what I’d been trying to say. Dark? Hurt? Silver? Those words look somewhat clear. I can’t even remember writing them down. I close the journal with a sigh and slip it back in my purse, hanging the bag over the back of my chair in the common room of my dormitory. It’s a massive building with a pitched roof, several towers, and spooky, darkened alcoves, but it’s home, and right now, I’m sure I’d be able to hear Georgia singing her heart out in the shower if the nagging, incessant voice in my head would shut up for a single, blissful second. I’ve come to the conclusion after two years of hearing what I can only describe as white noise and the occasional static screech, like I have a radio fixed inside my skull, that the voice isn’t my internal dialogue. No, that’s a separate entity in itself, and I’m constantly at odds with the u
The Alpha King's Breeder Bonus
MistyTwo white wolves in a clearing.Their bodies made of mist and aether, standing side by side.Mates. A marvel of second chances and extraordinary fate.Two white wolves turn toward the sunrise knowing what they must leave behind; what he sacrificed for those he loved and her refusal to let him go into death alone.Two white wolves stand over their earthly bodies. He, battered and still.She, going into death with eyes open, cupping her mate's face between her graceful hands, her eyes locked on his at the moment of her dying breath.Their last words had been simple. I love you.They always had.They’d promised this instance in stolen moments, in private corners, when there was nothing but the stars to light their way.I will not stay here without you.I will not leave you behind.And so, it was.Two
The Alpha King's Breeder Epilogue
AvivaThe first flakes of snow fall from the sky as I watch Ryan trying to herd everyone in position. Bundled against the cold in a wool coat Freya and I worked tirelessly on for the last three weeks, I step to the side, finding myself in the center of the crowd standing in the middle of the village of Silverhide. I watch my mate and his Beta, James, nudge families together and run back and forth toward a tripod where Ryan’s camera rests, facing us, to gauge whether all one-hundred and fifty people are in view of the lens.Ryan stands behind the camera with his hands up, his hair dusted with snow. “Okay. Nobody move!”A few excited giggles whisper through the front of the crowd where the numerous children are arranged. I glance around, watching as James joins Dahlia’s side, their baby on her hip. The baby girl finally has a name. Cosette, named after a friend of Dahlia, but they call her Cossie for short. Other babies
The Alpha King's Breeder Tattooed
Two months later…RyanThe Harvest Festival has been held at the festival grounds between Endova, Teshka, and Navvan for centuries. When we arrived two days ago, leaving only a few people behind in Silverhide to make sure the animals are tended to in our absence, the wide, open space had been nothing but rolling plains.Now, it’s a city of canvas tents and twinkling lights, the air spiced with smoke and the smells of meals being cooked at each fire. Songs mingle as I walk through the festival with Aviva on my arm. I’m wearing a normal outfit. Well, not normal, actually. Mom forced me into a suit and tie with the Crescent Falls royal banner and all of my metals from my years as a warrior draped over my shoulders. Aviva is wearing that white, fur-lined dress again and a pair of new sheep-skin boots Freya and Mercy made for her, but instead of freshwater clam shells and pearls decorating her hair, her curls are w
The Alpha King's Breeder The Gilded Bow
RyanAn hour earlier…I can’t scrub the image of Aviva dead in my arms out of my head. It’s been several days since the battle, since the moment I put her in my uncle's arms and turned back to the ravaged scene, not knowing whether or not she survived the journey all the way to Maatua.Three days. It was three entire days before Sydney arrived in Silverhide with news about my mate. I’d just arrived back at my territory, exhausted and in tatters, when he clapped a hand on my shoulder and used his powers to spirit us to Moonrise, then to Veiled Valley, then to Maatua. He’s not as strong as Ryatt. Jumping took a toll on us both, and when we finally arrived at my grandparents’ beach house, I collapsed before I even made it up their driveway.Everything since the battle is a blur. Navvan is just… gone. The few survivors were mostly women and children who’d left the villag
The Alpha King's Breeder Tides of Change
AvivaI wake with a start to bright, warm sunshine and the smell of salty air. I grope white sheets, blinking several times to clear my vision as an unfamiliar bedroom fades to life around me. Warm white walls. Pale wood finishes and sleek furniture in soft browns and creams. White curtains drift in a salty breeze coming through several open windows, and a glass door opens to a deck with a view of… a view of the ocean.I’ve never seen the ocean before. From where I lie, I can hear the waves crashing on a white sand beach. Music I don’t recognize drifts toward me, carrying two voices with it, one male, and one female.“Your parents worry about you endlessly, Misty.”“They have nothing to worry about. It’s not like I’m ten anymore, Grandpa. I can make my own way in the world now. Plus, where was their worry when they shipped me here four years ago, huh?”“You
The Alpha King's Breeder Angels of the Goddess
RyanI’ve been dreaming about tying Aviva to my bed, but I’m going to make it a reality for entirely different reasons. Now, I’ll be tying her to keep her there, forever. No more hunting. No more fighting. No more killing rogues barefoot in the woods.No more putting herself in situations like this. I will do her dirty work. I will gladly do it. I roll with Hardan in his… hellhound form? Whatever the fuck he is now. I wish, Goddess, I wish I could have faced him man to man instead of beast to beast. I would have loved to see the look on his face when I ripped out his heart for even thinking for a second he had some kind of claim to my mate, even before I found her. We roll down a decline. I sink my talons into his belly, ripping hard, but I already know hellhounds aren’t that easy to kill. We crash into an oak tree. Leaves shower over us as he tries to claw free of my grasp. He’s calling out, bellowing strange, high-pitched howls. The forest floor rumbles as I sink my claws into hi
The Alpha King's Breeder Rounding Up Rogues
AvivaI’m having the time of my life.I zigzag through the woods in my wolf form after three rogues who’ve decided they want nothing to do with me. In fact, the rogues have stopped hunting me over the past several hours and instead are trying to get as far away from me as possible. Their prey has become their biggest predator.I did my best to lead the horde away from Endova. That was my goal–the reason I made the snap decision to leave my mate behind and race into the jaws of death itself. Now, I have the horde moving away from the tribal packlands all together, herding them back into the open plains like a shepherd, and they’re my sheep–if a shepherd killed their sheep, that is.I’ve lost count of how many there are. My red fur is completely black with their blood. I catch my reflection in another small, burbling creek as I leap, seeing only my eyes shining like polished amber against a
The Alpha King's Breeder The Book of Whispers
Ryan“She’s not here, Ryan,” Mercy hisses as I run through the village. She’s hot on my heels, grabbing my fur to try to pull me to a stop but I’m not in my right mind.It’s been five hours since I last saw Aviva. Andrew and I have been scouring the forest and plains for any sign of her, but I lost her scent, and my desperate attempts to mind-link with her have come up empty and silent.I shift into my human form the second I cross into the pack house and immediately crash into one of the tables, tripping over the bench and landing on my side with a crunch. I’ve been in my wolf form since last night. Exhaustion sings through my bones as my vision spins. I hear Andrew similarly falling to the ground with a choked groan before hurried footsteps reach the pack house. Someone throws a blanket over me with a scoff, followed by Mercy’s sharp, soprano voice ripping through the air as she starts s
