Phobophobia

"I only want you, Theia. Always have always will and this shall never change. How could I ever want another when I possess the one I solely exist for?" "Phobos," I call his name fondly a need to hug him and breathe in his calming scent surfaces. "I do not wish to treat you like you are made of glass because you aren't. Your body was made for me and it can handle everything I choose to give it. And this I will prove it to you." "When?" I ask breathlessly as he ultimately turns around to meet my curious eyes. Golden rings outline his irises his beast announcing his presence and they stand as one before me. A wicked smile paints his face with a flash of canine displayed to me. A promise he gives that I will be ruthlessly devoured. "When I fuck you senseless." ~~~ After years of excruciating loneliness, Phobos approached me. A frightening beast, my soulmate who emerged from within the bounds of a ruthless storm. The male I yearned for. He caught me off guard and I was under the spell he cast through his ocean eyes. A spell I couldn't defeat and that very moment I knew I was in trouble. The second our eyes met I knew he would bring me endless heartache. We were childhood friends, him and I. Phobos the gentle juvenile I grew up with vanished and was replaced by a cold-hearted barbarian, he terrified me as he killed many with a blink of his eyes where his beast was often in control surging forward consuming his senses. They were equals. How can I connect with a beast like him? How could I make him call me his? How can I love my childhood friend who has become a monster?

I'm learning to swim when my childhood friend, Vivian Thorne, fakes a cramp. My boyfriend, Oliver Wilde, suddenly lets go of my hand and swims toward her. I'm left alone in the two-yard-deep pool, completely stunned. After Oliver carries Vivian ashore, he smiles as he watches me thrash around. "Vivian says you rely on me too much and need a push to learn, so just swim over here yourself." I choke on water and sink. At the sight of my struggle, Vivian laughs so hard she slaps her thigh. Oliver says something to her, then drapes a towel over her shoulders in resignation. Even though I can't hear what he says, I bet it must be, "Now that you've had your laugh, don't tease her the next time. Aria is already pitiful enough with her fear of water." It's true that I was born with a fear of water. I've known them for seven years. All this time, Oliver and Vivian have been tormenting me under the guise of helping me overcome my fear of water. In college, at the beach, Vivian deliberately pushes me off the speedboat. Oliver jumps in to shield her and watches me swallow a bellyful of seawater in the waves. On the graduation rafting trip, Vivian suddenly capsizes the kayak. Oliver swims over to pull her up and watches me slam into a rock, my leg bleeding nonstop. Last year at the water park, Vivian shoves me down the waterslide. Oliver slides down to catch her and leaves me in the pool, nearly suffocating with fear. Every time, my fear and despair are met with a burst of laughter from Vivian. Meanwhile, Oliver stands behind her, always saying the same thing. "No more next time." However, the next time always turns into Vivian's new way of having fun at my expense. Water floods into my mouth and nose, the suffocation shooting straight to the top of my skull. But suddenly, I realize that I can actually float on my own. I grab the safety rope and haul myself ashore. Two pairs of hands reach out to pull me up, but I push them away. "From now on, I don't need you two to help me build up my courage anymore."

Michael spent five years dealing with his disorder: haphephobia. Afraid to be touch. Afraid of stepping out of his home to enjoy a normal life. After moving to a new school, Michael has to challenge himself again from the beginning, but now with help from his new friend Elliot. Update: Monday Disclaimer: trigger warning. The novel goes through disorders that can be triggering and sensitive for viewers.

The story follows a group of six terrified passengers trapped on a speeding train driven by a greedy Shinigami who make an offer in exchange for their lives. He gave us six different rings that represent their irrational fears as they faced their painful confrontation of the past. If they can succeed to overcome it, the Shinigami will set them free but if their fears swallow them up he will collect each of the souls and deliver it to hell. The passengers are headed by Senior Team Captain of Men’s Volleyball; William followed by a geek guy named Travis, Stefanie a fragile genius student, newly-hired fashion stylist Belinda, Brendan a college professor, and Paris an ambitious and perfectionist Architect. Without any choice, they are forced to make a deal with the Shinigami and wore those rings for the rest of their journey. Driven by monstrous intention, the Shinigami took advantage of their fears to control each one of them to fight their own battle as they experienced hallucinations through going back to their memories. Each memory and close encounter gave them a near-death experience that cost much of their lives. As their journey twisted in different events, it gave them a shocking revelation of finding oneself and turning back to God to repent for their sins.

Phoebe traveled to the Firebricks Pack with her cousin Joana, who is newly mated to the Gamma there. Upon meeting Alpha Hudson, she realized that they are mates. He avoids her but she is defiant to know the reason. He ditches her for a month and never expected that she would be waiting for his return at his pack. When she finally is able to confront him, the secret he holds leaves her flabbergasted. What on earth could be keeping the Alpha from his mate? Will Phoebe be able to handle the secret he unfolds, or will she turn her back on him? He didn't give her a choice because he rejected her. The moon goddess interfered and now he has to chase after her, but she has no memories of him. Has she already moved on? If her memories return, will she be able to forgive him? Is there a happy ending for this fated couple? ****** I opened the door on my side and exited the vehicle as well. "Why are you so upset?" The back and forth pacing halted at the sound of my voice. The anger he was fuming hadn't dissolved yet. "You were whoring around with another man!" "Whoring?" I retorted, "Looks who talking?" "You have no right to be kissing anyone else," he came around to the other side of the car. "You are my mate, for fuck's sake!" "You mean the mate that you don't want!" I shouted at him, "All you do is neglect me, and I have needs. If you get to fuck someone else, then so do I." The growl he emitted echoed across the hills. He lifted the car and slammed it down. I gulped down my fears and observed the raging Alpha. ********************** All rights reserved

My mother-in-law is extremely frugal. She reuses paper others have discarded, carefully saving the unmarked portions. She even takes the black waste oil from the kitchen range hood and uses it to cook our meals. She says, "Frugality is a virtue—it brings blessings!" I try tirelessly to convince her otherwise, throwing out all her filthy items to protect my family's health. But while she praises me to my face, behind my back, she uses my baby's food scissors to clip her grimy toenails. My child eventually dies of a lung infection, leaving me heartbroken. My mother-in-law, however, points her finger at me, saying I'm unlucky and that I've brought misfortune to their family. Even my husband blames me. In the end, they use a knitting needle to pierce my throat and stab me to death. When I open my eyes again, I find myself back on the day I first see her picking up dirty paper. The first thing I do is hide all the high-quality tissue paper I had stocked up on before my pregnancy, pretending I knew nothing. She calls these blessings, right? Fine. The blessings of this miserly frugality—she can reap them all herself!