Page 3 of Dearest Alpha Brothers 1: Vampire Prince

My apartment building loomed ahead, a tired five-story walk-up that had probably been stylish back when dinosaurs roamed Manhattan. The elevator had been “under maintenance” since before I moved in, which meant four flights of stairs with bags that felt heavier with each step. Nothing says “living the dream” quite like climbing stairs at midnight while trying not to drop your emotional support kimchi.

“Luca? Is that you, dear?”

Mrs. Liu’s door creaked open as I wrestled with my stubborn lock. Her silver hair was perfectly coiffed even at this ungodly hour, because apparently some people actually had their life together.

“Hi, Mrs. Liu.” I attempted a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. “Sorry if I was noisy.”

“Always working so late.” She clicked her tongue. “Not good for young man. Need rest, need family.”

A familiar white cloud of judgment sauntered out of her apartment. Mochi, that adorable traitor, had apparently been living his best life while I sold my soul to corporate America.

“He ate all his dinner.” Mrs. Liu beamed. “Such a good boy.”

My cat gave me a look that clearly said,herdumplings don’t come from a can.

“Thank you for watching him.” Again. Like every time I worked late. Which was… well, let’s not depress ourselves with statistics.

“Come for dinner this weekend,” she insisted. “My grandchildren visiting. So much noise, so much life! Good to have family.”

The word ‘family’ hit like a sucker punch to the heart, right in that tender spot where memories of my parents lived. Where Sunday morning pancake battles and Dad’s terrible puns used to be. Where Mom’s perfume and warm hugs should still exist.

“Maybe next time,” I managed, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue.

Inside my apartment—all four hundred square feet of carefully organized chaos—I slumped against the door. My small space was a testament to my determination to create comfort wherever I could find it. The walls were adorned with anime posters in sleek black frames (because I was at least pretending to be a grown-up), and my bookshelf overflowed with manga, carefully organized by genre.

Mochi followed me in, his expectations for premium cat treats written all over his squished face. “Yes, yes, I got your favorites.” I sighed, pulling out the small bag of treats I’d grabbed at Mr. Choi’s along with my manga splurge. At least one of us should have a good night.

The microwave hummed its sad song as it transformed my ramen from brick to barely edible. Not the real Chinese noodles Mom used to make, with hand-pulled dough and secret spices, but the kind of instant comfort food that came with being too tired to even boil dumplings.

With walls thin enough to hear a neighbor’s thoughts, the sounds of Mrs. Liu’s late-night drama filtered through—complete with what sounded like an entire extended family onvideo call. Their laughter felt like a personal attack on my cup noodle dinner for one.

After a shower that redefined the termlukewarm, I changed into my favorite oversized lavender sleep shirt and curled up in bed with my phone and my new manga. Mochi claimed his spot on my pillow, his purr a lonely duet with the city noise outside. Mr. Choi’s kimchi sat in my tiny fridge like a gesture of kindness I wasn’t sure I deserved, and Mr. Fluffles watched from my desk with his usual judgy button eyes.

I cracked openClaimed by the Vampire Prince: My Fated Alpha, the fresh pages carrying that perfect new manga smell. The omega protagonist, surrounded by his loving adopted supernatural family, was learning to control his newfound powers while juggling three impossibly gorgeous supernatural alpha suitors. His biggest problem was choosing between the brooding vampire prince, the playful wolf shifter, and the mysterious demon lord.

“Some people have all the luck,” I whispered to Mochi, who had the audacity to look content. My eyes grew heavy as exhaustion won its nightly battle with loneliness. “Having people who notice when you’re missing. Who wait up for you. Who…” A yawn interrupted my pity party. “Who love you…”

The manga slipped from my grasp as Mochi’s warmth against my cheek became my anchor to consciousness. The pages fell open to an illustration of the omega hero surrounded by his newfound family, their supernatural world glowing with possibilities.

I wish I could find somewhere I truly belong…was my last thought before sleep claimed me completely.

Chapter 2

Ineed to finish those slides…

The thought drifted through my semiconscious brain like a particularly annoying mosquito. The board meeting. The presentation. Ms. Rodriguez’s inevitable credit-stealing performance, followed by her equally inevitable blame-shifting if things went wrong.“Oh, Luca prepared these slides…”I could already hear her throwing me under the corporate bus.

I burrowed deeper into the softest blanket I’d ever felt, my brain taking a moment to process that last thought.Softest blanket?My clearance comforter had many qualities, but ‘soft’ wasn’t one of them. This felt like sleeping on a cloud made of kittens’ dreams.

I rolled over, trying to escape both reality and this weird sensation—and kept rolling. And rolling. The bed seemed endless, a sea of silk sheets and fluffy duvets. My eyes snapped open, then immediately squeezed shut against the assault of morning light streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows.

When I dared to look again, the world had transformed into a lavender fantasy. The room sprawled out before me, easily larger than my entire apartment. Walls painted in the softest shade of lilac faded into purple-tinted crown molding. Gauzy curtains inpale violet danced in a morning breeze, framing a view of the city that belonged in a luxury real estate magazine—all glittering skyscrapers and golden morning light, spread out far below like a toy set.

Far below?My stomach did a flip as I realized just how high up I was. Penthouse level at least. The kind of view that cost more per month than I made in a year.

“Okay,” I whispered, my voice sounding strange and melodic to my own ears. “This is fine. Just a dream. A very detailed, very purple dream.”

I sat up slowly, taking in more details with each passing second. The canopy bed I found myself in could have housed a small army, its pale-lavender silk drapes tied back with ribbons. An army of stuffed animals watched me with glassy eyes—not the dollar store rejects I’d collected, but handcrafted designer plushies. Crystal dragons, velvet wolves, silk-furred cats, and… was that a Dragon Prince plushie?

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