The Bighead

A wolf howls. The forest stills… for a moment. Then, all wildlife burst into motion. Every living thing, from the smallest lizards and toads to the great brown bears and powerful mountain lions, flee. Spiders scurry to the top of their webs. Birds take flight. Squirrels leap from branch to branch. Wide-eyed deer and elk jump over brush and fallen logs. A lone wolf pauses, but tucks his tail and turns to join the escape. The wind whips through the forest, causing leaves to fall and tall pines to groan. Thundering hooves and paws make the forest floor shake. Finally, the forest stills. The wind gusts slow to a gentle and warm breeze. The wildlife seem calm once more and return to their foraging, napping, or grazing. The wolf howls again. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Amerie moved to a small town in Montana for a fresh start and to follow her dreams. Things are starting to look up and feel right again. Then, the town seems to turn upside down when someone goes missing in the forest. Some locals fear the legend of the Wolf Man may be real and claim the beast is to blame, claiming it wants revenge for mistreatment of the forest. Amerie rolls her eyes and joins the search parties, but an unfortunate fall leads her to discover more than she signed up for as she comes face to face with a large, white wolf. The secrets of the forest have been waiting to reveal themselves to her.

Few days to the term closure, something spread throughout the school like wildfire. The Janitor's body had been found behind the seniors' classroom. That Friday evening when a junior found the Janitor's body, Jason Joe, the only different kid in Baronville highschool, had been around the crime scene before other students arrived. Everyone has a suspect. They know the suspect is watching even though they think it's not Jason Joe. It can never be Jason Joe. Jason Joe would never kill his guardian — the janitor. What if it was somebody else? What if it was some faceless being?

"Monster," I smirked to myself as I read the morning paper. If they only knew the truth. I sipped my coffee as I skimmed through the story. They had all the details wrong and the police were idiots. I heard the bell chime on the door to the coffee shop and saw her walk in. Her hair was down just the way I liked it. She was perfect I thought to myself as I eyed her and planned my next move. I think when she finally saw me she made the connection. Her eyes got wide. "Ethan?" Ethan Graves is a well-known man in the community with a dark secret. His darkness is so great that even he can't control it sometimes. He plays his role well during the day but at night he takes on a whole new persona. The newspapers call him a monster and the police are baffled. Then the new detective on the case walks in. The one that he let go. The one he was obsessed with. It was finally time to make her his. The game of cat and mouse had never been something he would ever consider, he usually likes the woman to be weak and defenseless against his charm and good looks. However, for this kill, he would play the game and Josephine Wells would be his trophy.

Human one day, wild beast the next. Maggie’s perfect life is turned into shambles when she is bitten by an injured wolf while hiking. Six months in a mental institution undergoing torturous treatments have left her bitter and out for blood. With a little aid, she escapes and finds herself indebted to her savior, who is after the wolf that changed her life, the elusive Ultima. After years of searching, she finally catches a break. The Alpha’s Freakshow is the key to her freedom, and she finally has a plan. Only one problem, the more time she spends with the Alpha, the more she seems to fall for him. And falling for the man she intends to betray might just be the death of her.  Axel has a checkered past of heartbreak and betrayal. After being exiled, he finds himself an outcast and an alpha with no pack, so he creates one of his own. Axel sought out the misfits within the shifter community and gave them hope again. Banding together, they created a show that brings magic to the humans and money to their pockets. Everything seems to be going well for Axel. That is until his mate shows up and she is picture-perfect, the stark opposite of him. Axel is torn between accepting her and telling her his darkest secret or rejecting her to spare her the pain of what he is.

At the age of ten, Charles loses everything—his memories, his family, and his identity. Found wandering alone after a mysterious incident, he is adopted by the compassionate Chris Lynch family, who raise him as their own. Gifted with extraordinary intelligence and determination, Charles rises from humble beginnings to become one of the youngest and most successful entrepreneurs in City A. Just as he prepares to enjoy the rewards of years of hard work, his world comes crashing down. Five years later, the global business landscape is dominated by a mysterious figure known only as The Alpha, an enigmatic billionaire whose influence extends across finance, technology, shipping, energy, and international politics. His true identity is unknown even to world leaders, yet his decisions shape markets and governments. Behind this carefully guarded persona is Charles, who transformed his greatest defeat into unimaginable power during the years everyone believed he had been broken. Amid the pursuit of justice, Charles finds himself torn between two women. Evelyn, the woman who first captured his heart and never truly stopped believing in his innocence, represents the life he lost. Amelia, the courageous woman who secretly gave birth to his son while he was imprisoned, represents the family and future he never knew he had. With powerful enemies closing in, hidden identities exposed, and a decades-old conspiracy threatening everyone he loves, Charles faces the greatest challenge of his life. To clear his name, protect his family, and uncover the truth about who he really is, he must risk losing everything once again. The Phantom Alpha is an epic tale of betrayal, resilience, redemption, love, and revenge, proving that while a person's identity can be stolen, their destiny can never truly be erased.

Barry Ocason, extreme sportsman and outdoor travel writer, receives a magazine in his mailbox and opens to an ad for an adventure in the Bavarian Alps. Initially dismissing the invitation, which seems to have been meant specifically for him, he soon finds himself involved in a larger plot and seeking answers to why an individual known only as the elephant man is terrorizing his family. Barry and his daughter Kristen, who survived a twin sister taken from the family at a young age, travel from Juneau, Alaska to the sinister Spider Festival in Rio Tago, Brazil, before he ultimately answers the call to Bavaria, where the puzzle begins to come together. Amid tribulation, death, madness, and institutionalization, a document emerges describing a scientist’s bloody bid to breed a theoretical “third twin,” which is believed to have the potential, through its connection with its siblings, to bridge the gulf between life and afterlife. The godlike creature that soon emerges turns out to be Barry’s own offspring, and she has dark plans for the world of her conception that neither her father nor any other mortal can stop. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing