Unsevered Ties

Limited Run 10

A/N: Bro y'all have the funniest names for your book collections. Sometimes I'm laughing and sometimes I'm highly offended to the point of laughing 😂

10

“Guard duty is so boring, Riel. You just do this all day until your shift is over? I mean you are getting paid to stand still and look intimidating with only a small probability of ever having to actually use your skills… But it’s so damn boring!”

Riel gave a soft chuckle. Without Sega they hadn’t done search and rescue because they knew damn well they couldn’t rescue a Sha without Sega. They enjoyed a small but needed break. They could only enjoy the rest to a degree. Their fill in King was out there and it’d been no word for a week. Well, okay, they knew it’d be no word unless the word came in the form of Sega coming back or never returning. Still, they all felt worried.

Not going out to rescue also meant more days stuck as those creatures. For some, the struggle to remain a semblance of who they once were could cease any day.

“And now you’re thinking deeply. My boredom is ten folded.”

“Sega has you absolutely spoiled, Thorn. Just because you got to follow him around and do the funner things all the time.”

“He did spoil me and it felt so good to be spoiled. Getting his special treatment is like getting stroked by a cloud.”

Riel scratched his head. “What is the obsession? Even Aiden is such a simpering puppy!”

“You sound jealous,” Thorn cackled as he looked out over the mountains. “Did Sega steal all of King Aiden’s attention? He has that ability to just… encompass your mind and make you think about him endlessly.”

Riel gagged. “He’s alright. I mean, I did not like him at first. He was… terrible. This snobbish asshole who thought that the world should wipe his ass. He was not nice to Aiden and terrible to their joint mate, our Royal Beta Naki. I really wanted Aiden to give me the word so I could just Swiss cheese his ass.” Riel shrugged. “Or, okay, I thought I could Swiss cheese his ass, but then I saw his sword skills. Sadly, I’d not be the man for that job.”

Riel’s smile turned fonder. “You got here at a good time. Well, bad for Sega but good for a simp in love. We’ve gotten to see his sensitivity and vulnerability. I didn’t know he understood either of these things. Now I see he’s just…”

“A giant with a hard heart that needs the shell pulled off so we can see the delicate thing inside?”

“Okay, well, not that fucking flowery, but yeah, something like that…”

“If he never finds your King, do you think he’ll be able to heal? I’d love to pick up those pieces and put them back together.”

“You’re not the worst competition,” Riel laughed. “You match the, give him anything he desires energy. But I’ll have to burst that bubble. Aiden is my best friend. He’s like a brother to me. I’d follow him in life adventures beyond my duty. He’s not dead, I refuse it. Since he’s alive, I’ll let you know this. Aiden loves that man. He’s obsessed with him. Aiden is this giant softy who can be fretful and anxious but who loves taking care of people.”

Riel’s eyes peered up at the sky. It almost seemed brighter today. “But for his mates, he’s someone else. He’s this impassive fortress that protects but can also kill at will. For them, he’s everything. Aiden and Sega’s love, particularly, it’s not just love. It’s soul consuming and unhinged and it has to be them that take it all and balance each other. Despite having so much, Aiden never seemed happy or whole. But then he found love and I know I’d never see him look so listless again.”