From Useless Dud To The Alpha's Queen

e squad who couldn't summon an Eidolon, was bearing all the crushing pressure. Alana stared at the holographic tactical board. The blue light flickered, stuttering as the outdated proce

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

, pulling her organs down with a sickening lurch. Her pupils dilated. The words blur

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

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

ots stepped directly onto the scattered pages of the Wolfe contract. Her fingers brushed against the i

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