Novels by Sakakibara9300

After school I went straight to my mom's salon like usual. She'd texted me earlier, thanking Anne for agreeing to the photos. Ever since she posted Anne's makeover on the salon's website, the floodgates had opened. In two weeks, we were booked six months out. My mom had to hire help just to keep up with the demand. Everyone wanted to be "transformed." They wanted the Anne Treatment. Honestly? I didn't regret becoming friends with her—not like Jackie and Lara swore I would. Anne wasn't creepy or weird like people used to whisper. She was just disinterested in the fake shit. Smart, dry-humored, observant. One of the first people who didn't treat me like I was an airhead. Helping her glow up felt good. Like I'd made up for all the crap I'd been part of with my old friends. But there was still one thing in Anne's life I couldn't stomach: Victor. Sure, he was attractive in that 90s teen idol way, and he checked literally every box on the "perfect boyfriend" list. Always pulled ou

The thing Anne wanted to talk to me about last night was space.She said it so casually. Like she was asking for a glass of water, not trying to change everything."Maintaining a healthy distance. This isn't a breakup or anything. I just need some real time to think."I nodded slowly. Didn't flinch. Didn't grab her arm. Didn't scream.Because I understood. Or I had to pretend to.She wanted space? Fine. She could have her illusion of it.But I'm part of her space. I always have been.So I let her walk away with Katy, acting unbothered, like I wasn't calculating every inch of the distance between us.I had to do something—anything—to calm my head. So I made myself useful.First stop, the nurse's office."Hey, I think Anne left something here. I told her I'd check."The nurse smiled, distracted. "Go ahead, I'll be right back."Perfect.I slipped behind the desk, took photos of the appointment logs, then reached into the emergency contact binder. One simple swap: I replaced Yesenia's num

I didn't even go inside the house before calling him. Victor was definitely somewhere nearby—I could feel that eerie heaviness again. He always made sure to keep just far enough away that I couldn't hear his thoughts unless I called out to him. Which meant now was the perfect time to test something new. The phone rang once. "Hello?" Victor answered like he'd been expecting it all day. "Want to come over?" I asked casually, stepping toward the door but glancing around just in case I caught a shadow or movement. Nothing. There was a pause. "Well, I was just around the neighborhood, so sure." Of course you were. I still didn't see him, but the feeling didn't lie. He had to be within seven feet—maybe eight. Out of view. Behind the bushes or the dumpster near the neighbor's fence, maybe. Always hiding. Always waiting. "Cool," I said. "I just got home." "Be there before you know it," he promised, sounding too eager. 'So good that she called me first. Mine. Mine. Mine.' T

I blinked awake to the low hum of the weak-ass air conditioner and the whir of the ceiling fan rotating lazily above me. I thought a nap would help, give me some clarity—maybe even shake off the heavy fog of dread that had been thick in my head all day.But then I saw him.Victor. Sitting across from me.Not scrolling his phone like a normal person. Not reading or even pretending to be distracted.Just... watching me.His elbows rested on his knees, eyes locked on my face like he'd been studying me the entire time I slept.His eyes lit up the second I stirred.‘She's so quiet when she sleeps and so calm," his thoughts whispered. "She's safest when she's like this, with just me. I should be the one to take care of her when she's tired. I'll make sure she never needs anyone but me again.’My palms broke out in a cold sweat.I forced myself to sit up, wiping them discreetly on my pants. "How long have you been waiting there?""Not long at all," he said with a smile, that smile. "I just w

This school was literally a shit show. I didn't know exactly what happened, but Katy and I saw Craig being wheeled away on a stretcher, his face blue. Everyone saw it happen. Word was spreading that he collapsed in the weight room, and I would bet all the money I had that it was because of his steroids. And I wasn't the only one thinking that either. If anything, people sounded relieved. The halls even seemed brighter, like the school itself was breathing easier without him. I almost felt bad for him. Almost. "Ay, you!" Aaron's voice cut through the air. Katy and I turned as he and Walter stomped toward us. Aaron looked puffed up and furious. Walter, as usual, was just following along with a vaguely confused look on his face. "You think you're real funny, don't you?" Aaron growled. "I've been told I know my way around a joke. Glad it's finally being noticed," I said dryly. "Shut up, bitch! Craig's in the hospital and I know you did something to him!" "What the fuck are

How could anyone hate my sweet Anne? How could anyone even think about bullying her? She was the kindest soul I'd ever met—gentle, thoughtful, never once saying something she didn't mean. Anne was everything the rest of this rotting school lacked. And yet, they dared to treat her like she didn't matter. They talked behind her back, threw words like stones. I thought saying we were dating would be enough to protect her. It wasn't. I should've known that wasn't enough. I promised myself: anyone who hurts her, anyone who dares to block her path, I'll take care of them. One by one. The only reason Katy was still around was because she'd cut off everyone who turned against Anne. And she was useful—she kept tabs on Anne when I couldn't. But even then, I couldn't stand how much of Anne's time she took. She was lucky Anne was too soft to leave her behind. Lucky. With Lara finally out of the picture—permanently—I turned my attention to Craig. I didn't think he'd try to pick up wher

The second I got the call from the police station, I grabbed Canon—who was still playing on his blanket—and rushed out the door. I didn't even ask questions. Just headed straight to the police station like it was muscle memory. I didn't need to guess what kind of dumb shit Alex had pulled. I just knew he needed me to get him out of jail before his sister could find out. Canon babbled happily in the sling as I peddled my bike as fast as I could, like this was some kind of adventure. Meanwhile, I was trying not to imagine how many charges Alex might've racked up in a single afternoon. Hopefully it was just the effects of alcohol. By the time I got there, Canon had fallen asleep with his fist wrapped around my shirt on my back. At least this was going to be an easy in and out. "Alex Thompson?" I asked the officer behind the desk. "Yep. You're here to post bail?" "Yes," I said, already reaching for Levi's card. "Right away if possible." He gave me a once-over, paused at the sight

I woke feeling like I wanted to just fucking die. My head was pounding and the direct sunlight made it worse. "Uhhhh...." I groaned sitting up and looking around. Whose fucking room is this? "You alive?" I heard someone ask. Did I sleep with a fucking guy? I wiped my eyes a bit and was relieved to see Conan standing there with Canon in his sling holding some water out for me. That's right. I'm in the pack leaders house. When I was invited to stay, I was as shocked as the day Conan told me about his escape plans. I wonder how those were going by the way. It's been so long since he's brought it up. "I'm not sure," I took the water and drank it. "I looked up how to make hangover soup. Come have some," Conan said in a low voice. He helped me out of bed and assisted me to the dining table. That's right alcohol was great high quality shit but I didn't expect to feel this much like shit. I saw that monster sitting at the table already eating. He drank at least one more bottle than i

"I'm back, Gorgeous!" I called as I stepped through the front door, juggling two paper bags from the errands I ran that morning. It was supposed to be a peaceful day. Just me, Conan, and Canon. A little more family time. But the moment I walked into the living room, I was disappointed. There he was. The human. Mid-toast. Holding a wine glass like he belonged here. "Uhhhh," Conan blinked, caught red-handed. "Oh, your friend came over?" I tried to keep my tone neutral, but it came out clipped. Annoyed. I couldn't help it. This was supposed to be our day off. Not another day of babysitting egos. "Yeah, I thought it'd take longer for you to finish those errands," Conan said, clearly nervous. I sighed. "I can come back later, if I ruined the mood, you know." "No!" Conan jumped to his feet, rushed over and grabbed my arm. "Be nice and say hi to Alex!" I remembered Charlie's lecture. Make an effort, Levi. You're the alpha. Be the bigger person. Ugh. Fine. "First time I've seen you

I had to admit—having Levi take over the baby stuff while I took a break was the best fucking thing to ever happen. I'd slept in for three days straight without anyone trying to guilt-trip me into waking up. My back didn't ache. My head wasn't pounding. I didn't even have to bargain with a six-month-old over nap time. What a nice, boring little life I was living right now. I sat up stiffly from the couch, my neck cracking from laying on my side all day with Levi and Canon watching the third goddamn Disney movie in a row. The room was a soft mess of thrown pillows, snack crumbs, and Canon's discarded socks. "Aren't we being productive today," I muttered, glancing around the mess and at Levi, half-asleep and looking pleased about it. "Mhmm," he hummed lazily, reaching over to pull me back down beside him. Canon squealed and kicked as I lay down again. "When's the next time we get to have a proper day off?" Levi asked, eyes closed like he was already dreaming. "What's a day off?" I

Originally, I just wanted the day to be about me, Conan, and Canon—my family. A quiet, private moment to finally be together without council duties, rogue threats, or last-minute emergencies. But of course, peace had to be interrupted by one person. Aunt Mabel. For some reason, she had decided to revert back to her usual bullshit—acting like Conan was beneath her. After months of radio silence, she suddenly called me, demanding we pick her up and have a meal together like we owed her a ceremonial feast. "I really don't want to see her," Conan said flatly when I told him. "Same," I replied. "I can tell her to kick rocks if you want." "That'll only cause more trouble," he sighed. "Bring her here or something. We'll fight fire with fire, then." That made me pause. Fire with fire? What the hell did that mean? The way he said it so calmly... had he been handling my aunt behind my back this entire time? Maybe he was the reason she stayed away so long. ⸻ I drove to her house, alone,

I stood at the head of the long council chamber table, my fingers spread wide against the polished wood as I laid out the evidence like a blade at a throat. The room was cold, but the heat radiating off me could've set fire to the walls. They were all watching—every single one of them. Elder Miranda, lips tight. Elder Tom, eyes flickering with interest. Charlie sitting beside him, hands folded but tense. And Raff. Elder Raff looked bored. Good. That wouldn't last long. I let the silence build, controlled, intentional. I'd rehearsed this. Played it out in my mind a dozen times since I'd left the prison. I wanted this to feel like Law & Order, and I was the motherfucking closer. "These are the altered plans the council agreed on last week," I said, voice even. "The version we shared internally was edited—slightly. But enough that if someone leaked it, we'd know for sure we had a mole." I lifted the rogue-stamped message, crisp and damning. "This was intercepted three days ago. And

Dating Damien hadn't exactly been easy. At first, Jared went full petty sabotage mode—planting fake pictures in my bag, giving Damien's number out to random strangers, doing anything he could to wedge something between us. But after about two weeks, he got bored, or maybe just tired of seeing it wasn't working, and backed off. Now he was too busy working with his mom at HUG and trying to keep Cormac from laundering too much money through McIntyre. Thankfully, we'd reached a point where we could all hang out again without drama... well, except for Jared and Damien's usual bitch-fest back and forth. Meanwhile, Jason had flown back to Italy with his dad after a tearful goodbye with my mom. He was finally starting the whole "heir to Ferrari" thing now that his dad had apparently given up on chasing women. After he left, I made a quiet visit to his mother's memorial. I apologized to her for everything and promised I'd never let Jason get hurt again. It was all I could offer. On the bus

I looked around the bright space, blinking through the haze of gold and white. The floor didn't feel real beneath my feet—it was too soft, too quiet. The kind of silence that wraps around you like cotton, comforting and terrifying all at once. "What the hell is this?" I muttered, spinning as the door behind me clicked shut. "So you're back," a woman's voice echoed across the space. I turned, and there she stood—a figure that looked more divine than human. Her presence glowed with a radiant gold that shimmered like sunlight caught in glass. Her hair flowed like liquid fire, and her eyes were endless, filled with stars. No wings, no halo—yet she was the most godlike thing I had ever seen. "Looks like you've accomplished your goal of getting revenge on Elijah Roth," she said, her voice calm and echoing like it came from inside my own head. "How was it? Are you satisfied?" I exhaled slowly. "Yeah... thanks to you, System." But even as I said it, the words felt hollow. Like I'd said t

The fire started spreading faster than I expected. The gasoline-soaked couch lit up with a fury, the flames crackling and leaping like they'd been starved too long and finally given their feast. Eli's face twisted when he realized what I'd done—pure disbelief smeared with rage. "Until the end..." he muttered, eyes flaring. "Fuck, alright. Let's end this fucked-up relationship. You prepared so much, I'm fucking cornered." "Shut the fuck up," I said, raising my fists again. The room was already growing hot, but we ignored the fire swallowing everything around us. We clashed like animals, swinging, grappling, gasping—two beasts caged in a burning tomb. His body slammed into mine and we hit the ground hard. Eli climbed on top, hands around my neck, squeezing with everything he had. I choked, vision dimming at the edges—but my hand found the broomstick nearby. I grabbed it and broke it clean across his head. Before he could reel back, I jabbed a jagged end right into his open eye. "Fu

{TW: violence} Eli jumped to his feet, his face twisted with desperation and rage as he lunged forward again. "FUCK!!! YOU'RE DOING ALL THIS BECAUSE OF ONE LITTLE BOUNTY ON YOUR HEAD?! JUST BECAUSE I CALLED YOU A FAG?!!!" He swung wildly, fists flying in every direction. He was panicking. Even still, one of his punches landed hard on my cheek. "FINE THEN!!! I APOLOGIZE!!! JUST LET THIS SHIT GO NOW!" Eli snapped. I kicked his knee, making him stumble. "I'M BEING FUCKING SINCERE!!!" he yelled, breathless, spit flying from his mouth as the fight devolved into something brutal and ugly. Then, with a sharp upper swing, I felt something slice from my cheek to my forehead—blood immediately clouded one of my eyes. I staggered back, vision blurry. Another blow slammed into my face. Then another. My ribs caught a few good hits before I dropped to a knee, trying to gather myself, focus. "What's wrong, Jack?" Eli sneered, looming over me. "After all that effort you put into living like a

{TW: Violence} The entire passenger side of the car was crushed, and all the airbags on my side had deployed. It felt like I had been tossed violently against something soft yet hard at the same time. I let out the breath I'd been holding and kicked my door open, staggering out of the wreckage. A few gags followed, but fortunately, I hadn't eaten anything all day, so nothing came up. Holy shit, I almost killed myself! I made a mental note—never again. I wasn't cut out for driving in situations like this. I glanced into the backseat. Eli was knocked out cold, blood dripping from his forehead where he'd slammed into the window. Too bad for him, he was still breathing. I wasn't done with him yet. I pried open the passenger door and dragged him out by the back of his shirt, pulling him into the forest. The eerie darkness around me gave me the jitters, but I ignored it. I had bigger things to focus on right now. "Stupid asshole," I muttered, dragging him further. "I fucking got you. F

A week had passed, and no one had found Declan's body. Things were moving fast, and without speaking to my dad first, I took the initiative and bought everything related to McIntyre Corporations. It was a massive undertaking. We had to fire the entire board and replace them with our own people. The financial webs were deep, tracing money from offshore accounts, and the intel I'd gathered? It was a goldmine of blackmail material, exposing nearly every business owner, politician, and high-ranking official in the city. My dad didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately used this treasure trove to his advantage. He worked quickly, killing the news of Declan Sr.'s disappearance so that no one outside our circle would know what happened. My mom, of course, was confused. The official story was that Declan had fled to avoid the scandal, but I later realized something: My dad hadn't lied to her—he just didn't want to ruin her newfound peace. She had taken a liking to Jason, and Dad didn't wa