From Useless Dud To The Alpha's Queen

is decaying planet and enter the vast, elite sea of stars. And Alana, the only 'Dud' co

tatus. Men existed to serve-as warriors, laborers, or consorts. A woman without an Eidolon was a disgrace; a man without a squad

ted processor struggled to render the terrain of the upcoming Ascension Trials. She pressed the h

f the underground tact

eavy combat boots thudding against the grated floor. He didn't say a word. He just rais

Alana's throat. She coughed, her chest ti

het Wolfe, the heir to one of the most ruthless corporate conglomerates in Zenith City. Belo

ipped to the

e 4: Full-time private companionship and physiological com

r pupils dilated. The words blurred, replaced by the memory of Chet's greasy, lingering stares and his sweaty hands. Chet already had th

d at Cash, her fingers trembling s

this?" she asked, h

He lit a cigarette, took a slow drag, and blew

tone flat, as if he were a

hit Cash square in the chest and scatter

she

eavy step forward, closing the distance between them. He used his six-foot-two fra

woman. But Alana had lost her status. She was a Dud-and Duds, regardless

Trials next month, we lose our funding. You know what happens to a Conduit without a squad? They strip your r

ding centers were the ultimate punishment-a female reduced to a passive vessel, stripped of her r

rd a sharp pain shot up into her skull. She dug her f

ee years," Alana fired back, her voice shaking with pure rage. "

leaned in closer, the smell of stale t

ic Tier-F Eidolon. You're just window dressing, Alana. A liabilit

a physical ache, a knife twisting in her ribs. She thought of Chet's eyes. Sh

d her chin up, forcing herself to mee

left her lips sh

ed by explosive rage. He spun around and slamme

the room into shadows. Sparks hissed and popped from the severed c

thick finger at the door. "You are offi

mechanical. She walked to her narrow metal locker, pulled the handle, and grabbed her worn, leather-bound ta

hing for the notebook. "T

torso, dodging h

warned, her voice droppin

, the sheer intensity in her eyes para

eel and walked toward the exit. Her combat boots stepped

the month!" Cash sc

ght against the heavy metal door and stepp

g shadows on the linoleum floor. She gripped her notebook

from her wrist. Her

tion: Squad pri

s didn't come. Instead, a freezing, ab