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- Herausgeber: Pearl Tate
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
Jalen:
It’s because of my competitiveness the large fish swallowed me!
If I hadn’t let Vinker goad me into the Challenge…. but the prize of a flying craft? I just couldn’t control myself.
After all, forbidden spacecrafts have never crashed into the water in front of us before. As Alpha leaders, Vinker and I only gather our Encampments together briefly on an annual cycle. One of us had to win the rights of salvage.
Imagine my surprise when I finally open the egg-shaped machine and discover an alien female!
While I’m hiding the outlawed spacecraft from the Low Dwellers, Vinker leaves when he spots another streaking across the sky. I’m left caring for the injured female and hoping she’ll survive.
And I want her to live. After all, I’ve never felt such a powerful compulsion to claim and keep a female. She’s mine.
But why is she here? I still can’t communicate with her, and I wonder if Vinker learned more. Is he hiding and hoarding his claim like I am?
Tessa:
Someone abducted me from Earth, operated on my head, and then dumped me on a purple planet!
I don’t remember getting abducted… or sent here. I just wake up from an amazing dream about my grandmother—and I’m here.
Was the dream prophetic? Is this purple alien really mine?
But why here? And just where is here?
Jalen’s Challenge is part of a science fiction alien romance series. All the story lines run consecutively, so this 18,000 word short story can be read as a standalone with its own HFN. The main characters all appear in other books.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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Jalen's Challenge - A Sci-Fi Alien Romance
Omega Mates Prequel
Pearl Tate
JALEN'S CHALLENGECopyright © 2022 Pearl Tate
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Book Cover Design by Alena Marie:Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/alenamarieartistry/
This book is dedicated to my fellow authors who are such a great support system.
About Jalen's Challenge
Jalen: It’s because of my competitiveness the large fish swallowed me!
If I hadn’t let Vinker goad me into the Challenge…. but the prize of a flying craft? I just couldn’t control myself.
After all, forbidden spacecrafts have never crashed into the water in front of us before. As Alpha leaders, Vinker and I only gather our Encampments together briefly on an annual cycle. One of us had to win the rights of salvage.
Imagine my surprise when I finally open the egg-shaped machine and discover an alien female!
While I’m hiding the outlawed spacecraft from the Low Dwellers, Vinker leaves when he spots another streaking across the sky. I’m left caring for the injured female and hoping she’ll survive.
And I want her to live. After all, I’ve never felt such a powerful compulsion to claim and keep a female. She’s mine.
But why is she here? I still can’t communicate with her, and I wonder if Vinker learned more. Is he hiding and hoarding his claim like I am?
Tessa:Someone abducted me from Earth, operated on my head, and then dumped me on a purple planet!
I don’t remember getting abducted… or sent here. I just wake up from an amazing dream about my grandmother—and I’m here.
Was the dream prophetic? Is this purple alien really mine?
But why here? And just where is here?
Contents
Jalen
Vinker and I stare out over the churning water, watching as the occasional morna pops above the surface. This inlet of the Great Lake borders the Salty Sea, and it's home to many of the giant morna. Just like every animal on Alta right now, they're entering their breeding season. Over the next twenty-five days, we can expect to see hundreds more join their numbers.
"Are they still talking?" Vinker’s facing the couple, but I have my back to them. They wandered down the shoreline together when we told them they were free to go. I smile at Vinker when his eyes widen.
I didn't tell Salu why I was bringing him as my right-hand Beta for this trip. Normally, I'd bring Damar. Despite the encampments’ casual atmosphere, we do maintain a strict hierarchical society.
Vinker shifts slightly to the right, easily peering over my shoulder at the couple. "They look like they're doing a little more than just talking now." Knowing they're busy, I turn to stare at them too.
Last year at our gathering, Salu and Tana had almost been a sure thing—until Salu tripped during one of the challenges, losing his claim on Tana. And I'm pretty sure he was tripped on purpose. This year, I'm sure he'll be more ruthless and cunning than ever before.
Salu has already pulled Tana into his embrace, lowering her slowly to the ground. Just before he hides them both from view behind some large rocks, he looks up, locks eyes with me, and smirks.
That's fine… That wasn't anything I needed to see, anyway. It’s been a long time since I’ve even wanted a female that much. For the occasional sex, sure. But not with the dedicated and focused fervor that Salu has expressed for Tana. Isn’t it abnormal to want only one female? I certainly think so.
With both of them occupied, Vinker and I shake off the formality we always pretend in the presence of others. We clasp forearms, and I pull him in for a hug. "It's good to see you, old friend. How have things been in your part of the territory?"
As I let go of him, I sink to a crouch next to the water, dropping on my butt as Vinker follows my lead. "Pretty much the same. Although, my Priest has concerns about the accelerating siege. It's become such a regular occurrence—”
"I know!" It's taken a day and a half to meet up with Vinker. He traveled the same distance from his own group, still located high in the Pierce Mountains. Our encampments will be following shortly behind us. Mine are making their way to an agreed-upon Hub where we'll regroup before making their way here.
Using last-minute decisions as an excuse to meet, Vinker and I do this annually. "I don't like how vulnerable we all are when they occur. Remember when we were young, and the siege was rare?"
Vinker nods, scrubbing his hand across his face as he looks back toward the mountain pass he came through. "Yeah... I still remember the first one that happened to me."
Only a few years older than me, Vinker may actually remember that. The siege comes over our body at irregular intervals, dropping us to the ground and rendering us incapable of speech or even thought. The elders frequently urinate themselves during the process. As we age, it takes longer to recover, become mobile, and recognize those around us.
"Well, there hasn't been any additional information from the Low Dwellers. Just the same old sporadic rations and ineffective drugs. Nothing about anything stronger... or a potential cure."
"Not shocking. When's the last time they actually followed through with something?" I can hear the disgust, borderlining treason in Vinker's tone. I'd never betray him, though. Very few people know how close we actually are.
Even though Vinker is a few years older, he sheltered me from the more aggressive Betas. It's not uncommon for them to group their larger numbers together and prey on younger Alphas.
More and more, it seems that the Low Dwellers intentionally lie to us. Despite their lofty promises and limitless resources, nothing changes. They never complete anything unless it's in their best interest.
Why did they even put us on the surface? Are we an experiment to them? Something put into place and then forgotten, like Alta's defense system?
"I ran into Caiden during my trip over." Vinker gestures to the mountain pass he cut through on his way here.
"Alone?" It's unusual for anyone to travel alone. Usually at least two males stay together, although Vinker’s large enough to fend for himself—there's not much he fears. Even the enormous sak give him a wide berth. I've never met a larger Alpha.
Kicking out his feet, Vinker sinks back onto his elbows. He shifts the small purple pebbles that make up the beach along this stretch of the Great Lake. "Yeah. He's been recalled."
"Lucky bastard." I've yet to be recalled by the Low Dwellers to procreate with one of the fertile females they hoard. All the females sent above ground to live in the encampments are sterile. Not that I necessarily want children… but it's more the idea.
Vinker rolls his eyes as he snorts. "Not really."
That's right. I forgot they’ve recalled Vinker more times than he can count. They're enamoured by his size.
Isn’t that what their carefully orchestrated breeding plan is all about? Putting viable couples together and breeding for perfection? They want larger Alphas. And I can only assume they’re trying for Omegas. I've never seen one of the mythical creatures.
Alphas are generally almost a head taller than their Beta counterparts. Although, they aren't necessarily respected as such. In fact, I'm surprised that there hasn't been more pushback by the Alphas living with the Low Dwellers. Our numbers have declined exponentially over the last hundred years. Between the lack of fertile females and Alphas born, we're on a path to totally disappearing—just like the Omegas.
"Anyway… he won't be coming to the gathering."
Nodding, I let myself drop onto my back next to Vinker. It feels nice to relax. It's difficult living above ground, no matter how much preparation and education goes into it. Once you get past the first annual rotation, it's not so bad. But there's quite an adjustment at the beginning.
We go from living in an almost sterile environment to here. Our Alpha studies are supposed to prepare us for the surface, leading a group of Betas on the planet. The reality is much different.
"Is his encampment staying in their territory?" They'll all be disappointed.
"Yes. I told him they didn't need to. That we'd watch out for them. But we’ve been given direct orders from the Low Dwellers, along with an assignment. Consequently, he'll be leaving them there indefinitely. He thought they might just be late."
Maybe. It depends on how long his assigned female’s heat lasts. He'll undoubtably fall into a rut from the pheromones her body emits. I don't have anything to compare it to. I've been told a fertile female's heat is much stronger than any of the females on the surface here with us. After all, it's unusual to get any females on the surface who'd even be able to breed, considering their age. But sex is still sex. Everyone looks forward to this time of year.
We're just starting the hottest season. Already, the muggy temperature has me shrugging off my vest and laying it next to me. "Do you want to start with swimming challenges?"
They're the hardest. Because of the way our encampments rotate on a fixed schedule set by the Low Dwellers, none of us spends much time honing our recreational swimming. Even if we learned to swim when we were younger in the controlled environment of Low Terlain, few males will brave the Great Lake in front of us.
"Sure. I didn't bring my—"
