Death of an alpha

I use books to escape, too. My therapist even said that I do it so much that it's becoming unhealthy. However I need the book to be fairly realistic. Yes, killing everyone is stupid. But with Nalini it's too much. The people are too good, and we always know that everything's going to be fine.

When I read something I want to feel good in the end, yes. But I can't if the book's completely unrealistic. Then it's just make-believe and 100%fiction. No challenge. Nothing. Now, if Nalini'd kill someone or at least let something bad happen to someone we already know - miscarriage for example. That'd hurt, but it'd be progress. There are no real challenges anymore. Yes, to mate they all had to face some things, but everything turned out to be just fine.

I want them to be happy. But I also want them to be unhappy sometimes. I want them to hurt, I want them to fight, I wan't them to be selfish and foolish. They have to appear human, because otherwise there is no reason for me to read the books. If I can't relate to them - And yes, till now I can, but it's probably getting boring if nothings going to change there - I don't need to read the books.

I read books with characters I can't relate to, to learn something. Books with antiheros, books with heros that are so damn complex that you think you have a real person there, a person that you can't understand just yet. And while you read the book you discover more and more, learn to understand them. It's like.. unwrapping them. Or books like, hm.. Faust. Dante, Wasted. And then there is paranormal romance, which I just want to enjoy and feel.

Btw: If characters annoy me - And oh my god, I just want to kill Sascha - it's not a good sign.

To kill off an Alpha we already know might be a bit too harsh, but could he at least be comatose? For like.. 2 years? If it's Sascha, she could still feel he's alive and she could even know that he's going to come back to her. Possible scenario is that he got some virus or blah and it takes some time to recover. Blah, blah, blah. Till then DR needs another Alpha. And when Lucas'd come back there would be new conflicts. Who'd be the Alpha then? What had changed? How does he cope with that? With the world changing, with all the things that probably happened then? And so on.

We'd still have our happy ending. But between now and then..

In short, when there is light, there is (should be!) also darkness.

I like the thought of a coma...................that would work with me, the pack learning to cope without him etc but I would prefer a scenario where Lucas was in a coma and the trauma made Sascha realise her powers and become awesome and take over as alpha FEMALE until he work up - I would love that!!!!

Alpha female! I'm SO with you on that!

Oh, how I miss the Faythe Sanders books..

I, too, would really like to see a "real" female alpha; I'm little ticked off, that the whole time Nalini says that alphas can be female, too, but all the main alphas are male (wolf, leopard, rat, hawk) and only Mercy's gran is a female alpha... I think the pairing of a female alpha maybe with an Arrow would be cool...

Monadh, I totally agree - but who can the female alpha be? I would have said Sienna but of course she is now Hawkienna! Nalini could introduce a new pack with a female taking over the role of alpha plot!!! and then to mate with an arrow...........................phwoar!!! xx (gets my vote)

Slenka Drew is the female Alpha of the wolf pack in Kaleb's territory

tabitha wrote:Slenka Drew is the female Alpha of the wolf pack in Kaleb's territory

oooooh!!! Which book is she mentioned in Tabitha?, I must go check out the reference!!

Imagine how hard it must be for an Alpha-woman to mate. Hah, Drew, Indigo, Mercy and Riley thought they had problems? Mwuaha, nope.

By the way: I'd also like to see a weak woman. I mean, the women we met weren't that different from eachother. They were mostly strongwilled and so on (plus they all were do-gooders). And as the story progressed they didn't really change. They might have had to break with Silence or make some decisions, but in the end they were the same. They were what they always had been (or would have been without Silence).

So: I'd like to see a WEAK woman and I'd like to see her becoming a strong one. Without her mate or something. Just because she has to to survive. And I'd like to read at least 50-100 pages of her being weak before we see her developing some strenght. Or of her being selfish or ungrateful. Without any excuses. She should be cold or weak or selfish because she IS, not because she was made to be that way, not because there is some decease or Silence.

.. Oh, and her sister could be the female Alpha, if you'd like her to be. lol

Patricia wrote:Imagine how hard it must be for an Alpha-woman to mate. Hah, Drew, Indigo, Mercy and Riley thought they had problems? Mwuaha, nope.

By the way: I'd also like to see a weak woman. I mean, the women we met weren't that different from eachother. They were mostly strongwilled and so on (plus they all were do-gooders). And as the story progressed they didn't really change. They might have had to break with Silence or make some decisions, but in the end they were the same. They were what they always had been (or would have been without Silence).

So: I'd like to see a WEAK woman and I'd like to see her becoming a strong one. Without her mate or something. Just because she has to to survive. And I'd like to read at least 50-100 pages of her being weak before we see her developing some strenght. Or of her being selfish or ungrateful. Without any excuses. She should be cold or weak or selfish because she IS, not because she was made to be that way, not because there is some decease or Silence.

.. Oh, and her sister could be the female Alpha, if you'd like her to be. lol

I like that idea...
But I´m not willing to imagine Sascha as some kind of Alpha. She´s already like freakin´ Superwoman and being Alpha while Lucas is in his coma-state - no, absolutely NO!

Btw, if Hawke gets killed, Sienna´s going to kill everyone by getting all X *BOOM, that´s all folks*

Sarah, yep, I can't stand Sascha anymore and no way do I want her to be the Alpha female xD Why not Noor? *lol*

About Sienna. Yes, I thought so, too. But I had this weird thought just now.. Going to email you. So confusing..

Was Sascha too goody-two-shoes in KoS? She's always bordered on it but (at least in my opinion) she hasn't been insufferable.

Now all those I-lurrvv-me-some-kids/watch-me-protect-my-woman/always-good-looking incorruptible changelings... they get on my nerves. Hence my love of Judd... and Walker... and Anthony...... and Kaleb... *drool*

I, too, would really like to see a "real" female alpha

So: I'd like to see a WEAK woman and I'd like to see her becoming a strong one. Without her mate or something. Just because she has to to survive. And I'd like to read at least 50-100 pages of her being weak before we see her developing some strenght. Or of her being selfish or ungrateful. Without any excuses. She should be cold or weak or selfish because she IS, not because she was made to be that way, not because there is some decease or Silence.

I think these would be really interesting and would prevent the series from stagnating but... do you think Nalini Singh could pull it off? The "strong, dominant" women she's introduced (Mercy & Indigo) haven't been as strong/interesting a character as (once again, IMO) say, Sophia. As for a weak main character, making her likable would be very tricky.

Nina: I'm answering you here: https://nalini.forumotion.com/t201-future-books

The Black Edge wolf pack who Selenka Durev is the alpha of controls the greater Moscow area from a changeling point of view and although she doesn't like Kaleb she works with him to keep the city peaceful and also has a truce with the StoneWater bear Clan. This is mentioned on the last page of chapter 44 in Branded by Fire.
I'd love to see her feature in a future book
This kind of sounds like what happened at the start of the series between SD, DR and Nikita and could make for interesting future books

Yes, they seem to have the same agreement. It's mentioned that Kaleb is also hesitant to mess with the BlackEdge pack. If that's because of Kaleb's arrogance ( I mean, he's really really strong... and they are just not important enough) or because Selenka has something to ensure to be left alone remains to be seen. I hope for the last possibility. That would make for a good book

I have a been writing some fanfic about Kaleb and a wolf girl so I have my own ideas about why they work together and why Selenka doesn't like him.

I'm sorry guys, I am bloodthirsty and I would like Lucas to die! I love him and StoS is one of my favourite books in the series. He just seems like the only one alpha whose story can be closed whilst creating a brand new scenario AND giving NS a special brave author award!!! I am so sorry................I'll get my coat...................I'm leaving the building..........................

Catikins no need to leave just yet, I think your point is valid but at the same time too cruel. Does he fit the profile, yes. Will the pack survive without him..in my opinion, No. If Lucas was to die at the current state of pack health...the pack will die too.

Yes, I agree with you Rageane - not yet.......however I think it could happen say another 3 books down the line?? I think it's interesting that Nalini has introduced Kit as 'alpha in waiting' - it implies that she has already considered the 'removal' of Lucas in the future. Although I do want the escapism of a really good story I don't want a fairytale - I want the wonderful characters individual stories to be based on firm foundations. The alphas are always so alpha because of their horrendous, often unbearably violent upbringings and it always comes back to the fight of good against evil. So, I'm just saying that all this lovely good needs some very not lovely evil to counterbalance it.

The other consideration in killing off Lucas, is that all of the sentinals are linked to Lucas, and that's how the psy mates get the feedback they need, since all of them are linked that way. Unless Kit were right there when Lucas died and all of the sentinals gave their blood oath to him right away, wouldn't the psy mates (Sascha, Faith, Ashaya and Tally to a small extent) end up dying too? Unless something changes in KoS.

Of course, since it's Nalini's world, she can change anything around that she wants, so I suppose she could come up with some type of explanation, like they've been a web for so long that other bonds have formed that they couldn't see because Lucas was so strong or something like that....

losellers wrote:The other consideration in killing off Lucas, is that all of the sentinals are linked to Lucas, and that's how the psy mates get the feedback they need, since all of them are linked that way. Unless Kit were right there when Lucas died and all of the sentinals gave their blood oath to him right away, wouldn't the psy mates (Sascha, Faith, Ashaya and Tally to a small extent) end up dying too? Unless something changes in KoS.

Of course, since it's Nalini's world, she can change anything around that she wants, so I suppose she could come up with some type of explanation, like they've been a web for so long that other bonds have formed that they couldn't see because Lucas was so strong or something like that....

Hi losellers, I think that the feedback is a blood bond feedback with the sentinels. I would hope that the net would be able to continue provided there were enough of them in it otherwise no-one would ever be able to die!!! Also, there is now links between the nets which I am sure will strengthen the changelings nets in general.

i've never understood this need to have "realism" in my fiction.

personally, i don't need people i've come to love (even if they are fictional) die just because. in fact, that sort of plot device interferes with my wanting to reread a book or a series.

i refuse to watch reruns of Forever Knight for that reason.

just my opinion