Short Stories & Novels

“Who the hell changed the screw tolerance by 0.007 mm?” “I did. Is there a problem?” Kimmy Zabel, our department’s “good-luck charm” and full-time slacktivist, did not even look up from her compact mirror, where she was carefully applying lip gloss. “It just didn’t look right, so I tweaked it. Do you really have to yell at me?” The production line had been running on the wrong spec for twenty-four hours. I hit the emergency stop. Keeping my voice steady took some effort. “These parts no longer meet export standards. If we miss tomorrow’s shipment, even a month of overtime wouldn’t cover the penalties.” “It’s one tiny number. You’re being so dramatic!” Kimmy snapped her makeup case shut. “Anyway, it’s New Year’s Eve. I’ve got a date. I’m not staying here to suffer with you people.” Before she even reached the door, I gestured to the staff to pull the shutters down. “For precision components like these, one number translates into a million-dollar loss. You can take these defective units and explain them to the regulators.”

I was eighteen when I got together with Sam Bennett. We were in love for two years—at least, that was what I thought—until I found out I was nothing more than a stand-in for someone else. After a huge fight, we broke up. Not long after, Paxton Gibson, the warm and caring senior who had always looked out for me, began pursuing me passionately. He was persistent, unwavering, and so sincere that I finally let down my guard and accepted him. Just when I thought I had finally found true happiness, I overheard a phone call between Paxton and Sam. “Don’t worry, Leah trusts me completely. Take good care of Georgina. The surgery will happen soon.” In the end, when I really did disappear, they changed their minds. “Leah, come home with me, please?” I smiled, at peace with myself. “But I haven’t had a home for a long time.”

My sister-in-law, Denise Snyder, sends a 60-second voice message in the family group chat with all my relatives in it. Through tears, she accuses me of being a bitch who destroyed her daughter's future. She claims I abused my power at work, deliberately kicking her daughter, Erica Cortez, off the final list of new hires and replacing her with someone else closer to me. All my aunts and uncles in the group chat gather like vultures, lashing out at me and calling me names. They flood the group chat with hundreds of messages. Even my elder brother, Simon Cortez, who has always been a man of few words, tags me and demands an explanation. I look at the insults constantly pouring in and feel all the blood drain from me. Firstly, I'm not working in the HR Department in charge of recruiting the new hires. Secondly, and most laughably of all, Erica never even made it past the first round of interviews.

My sister poisoned me. All because her mate was a pale shadow next to mine. Now, I'm back where it all began. The Mating Ceremony, five years ago. In my last life, Sarah and I chose our mates at the Pack Alliance gala. She chose the most powerful Alpha, the future Alliance leader, Damon. But she could never bear him a pup. Damon despised her. He abused her. He even went feral during his curse and nearly killed her. She shoved me toward Liam, the Alpha of a failing pack. She never guessed Liam’s power would explode, that he’d one day tear the title of High Alpha from Damon’s grasp. Then, on the day of Liam's coronation, Sarah poisoned me out of jealousy. I opened my eyes again. We were back at the mate selection ceremony. Sarah announced to everyone she was choosing Liam, and I was shoved toward her ex-mate, Damon. But I suddenly heard her inner scream: [Die, Elena. Just die! You and that rabid wolf Damon can go to hell together. Liam will still be High Alpha, and I will be the ultimate Luna!] But I just smirked as I stumbled into Damon’s arms. Sarah had no idea. The “perfect mate” she’d chosen was already plotting to consume her very soul.

Every year on the day the SAT results are released, I spend the entire day kneeling at my mother's grave. Three years ago, I fell for a phone scam and transferred all of the tuition money she had saved through years of diligently saving up to the scammers. Unable to take the sudden blow, Mom suffered a fatal heart attack. After she passed away, debt collectors began showing up at our door. Only then did I learn how much money she had borrowed just to keep us afloat. I have no choice but to give up my admission offer from Jaloria College. Working five jobs a day, I finally repay every last debt today. On the subway ride to the cemetery, I suddenly come across a streamer whose voice sounds strangely familiar. She blabs, "How do you teach kids the value of earning money? In my experience, extreme circumstances work the best. I deliberately created a scenario for my daughter where both her parents are supposedly dead, and she inherited a million dollars of my debt. "She's almost finished paying it off now. Tell me, can your kids do that?" Someone in the comments section questions her methods, saying it is too insane. She only grows more smug as she gloats, "So what? She's the one who was stupid enough to get scammed. I was just teaching her a lesson. As a reward for doing so well, I'll tell her the truth on her birthday five days from now. Any sensible child will understand their parents' good intentions." As she gestures animatedly, a crescent-shaped birthmark on her wrist comes into view. It's identical to my mom's. My hands tremble as I create a new account. I switch the profile picture to a man in a suit and change the background to luxury cars and mansions. Then, I send her an expensive virtual gift. While she excitedly thanks me, I leave a comment. "You're absolutely right, ma'am. If only I had a smart woman like you around to help me raise my children."

Adrian Moretti’s adopted sister—She knew perfectly well that I suffered from severe asthma and could not be exposed to smoke or strong scents. Yet during the yacht reception, she deliberately dragged me onto the open deck, where cigars burned nonstop and the wind howled. Within seconds, my chest tightened. When I reached for my inhaler, my blood ran cold. It was empty. I collapsed against the railing, gasping violently, my lungs burning as if they were collapsing in on themselves. She crouched beside me and smiled. “You’re always so dramatic. It’s just a little smoke. You don’t need to act like you’re dying,” she said softly. “You’re too weak. You need to build some tolerance.” I looked toward Adrian, my vision already blurring. “Adrian,” I choked. “Give me my inhaler. If I don’t use it right now, I’m going to suffocate.” He frowned slightly. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting?” he said coldly. “I’ve never heard of anyone dying from a bit of smoke. She’s right—you’re always seeking attention. We finally gathered tonight, and you’re ruining it.” My heart dropped. I fumbled for my phone and called my mother. “Mom,” I sobbed, barely able to breathe. “I’m being bullied… and I can’t breathe.” My voice shook violently.

At the full-moon celebration for Leah Rosen, the family's adopted daughter, my three brothers chained me to the judgment pillar in the pack square. My fiancé, Kyle Mercer, drew a silver blade and plunged it into my chest himself, collecting a smal l cup of heart's blood to feed the moon moth larva Leah had bought on the black market. The larva, which had been stiff and lifeless, drank its fill of blood, and its translucent wings began to flutter. "It's alive. You win again, Leah." Leah threw herself into his arms, "You lost, Kyle. "I'll take Leah into town first. I've already sent someone to brew a clotting draught. I'll be right back." I tried to call out to him, but my eldest brother Darian stepped on my ankle. Darian was the war chief of Silver Ridge Pack, second in strength only to our father. He pressed down just slightly, and I heard a dull pop as the bones shifted out of place. "We didn't bring you back to Silver Ridge so you could compete with Leah." He looked down at me. "Know your place." My second brother, Victor, stood before the elders' dais, still draped in the black ceremonial robe of the pack council. "Wipe that pitiful look off your face. If you embarrass us in front of tonight's guests one more time, I'll strip your clan marks myself and dump you on the northern slope with the rogues." My third brother Ryan toyed with the silver claws at his waist, "You should be grateful Leah finds you entertaining. Stay put, or I'll cripple your other foot too." Kyle was the youngest healer in Moon Valley and one of the few in the North who could repair injuries to a wolf spirit. But this time, Kyle was in such a hurry to accompany Leah to Redstone that he didn't even double-check the prescription. When the attendant brought in the medicine, the System's cold voice echoed in my mind. [Warning: Ingesting this medicine will cause irreversible wolf core failure. Upon the host's death, return to the original world will be initiated. Proceed?] "Give it to me."

Four years of loving Marchello Enzo taught me one thing— it was finally time to let him go. He was the Don of the Marchello mafia empire. And I was supposed to become his Donna—his partner, his equal, the woman who stood at his side. But the moment his childhood sweetheart returned, radiant and adored, I understood something painfully simple: The title of Donna was never meant for me. It belonged to her. So before I walked away, I made three quiet decisions— First, I tossed the wedding ring he believed I treasured, and altered my million-dollar wedding dress to the measurements of the woman who had always held his heart. Second, I packed every extravagant gift he had ever given me—and donated them all to charity. They had once felt like proof of love; now they were nothing but proof of my foolishness. Third,I reclaimed a position I once abandoned for him—one I had turned down twice because he wanted me at his side. This time, I chose myself. My work. My life. A path that did not depend on his promises. On the day of his wedding, when he lifted the bride’s veil and realized it wasn’t me… the ruler of a billion-dollar underworld empire shattered. He tore the city apart looking for me— But he never found me. Because by then, I was already thousands of miles away, buried in my work, building the life he never believed I’d choose. I held the one secret he never imagined he’d lose: our child.

In the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, a sudden power outage occurred. As the doctor on night duty, I remained calm and didn't panic, nor did I call for help. I calmly waited as the temperatures of the incubators where the babies lay slowly dropped... In my previous life, when the pediatric department lost power, I immediately switched to the backup power sources to ensure the children's safety. After doing everything I was supposed to do, I sat down to take a breather and took a sip of water. Suddenly, my coworkers rushed in, waking me up. "Dr. Luther, you're a healthcare staff, how could you kill those children?!" "You froze them to death! How vicious! You'll pay for this!" Only then did I realize that all the children had died, without exception. The police took me away. They said I was the only one in the room and they found my fingerprints on the thermostat. My son then produced a video to assist in the investigation. "She often complained about the patients being a bother and hoped they would all die." Enraged family members cornered me in an alley and tortured me for ten hours until I died. But until my last breath, I couldn't understand how the children could have frozen to death in a thermostatically-controlled environment. And why did my own son provide a fake video to frame me? Suddenly, I jolted awake. I found myself waking up on the day of the power outage.

On our wedding night, my fiancé's best friend barged into our room for the third time, claiming a wedding prank. Having had enough, I warned Sam Whitman that if we didn't consummate our marriage that night, it was as good as over. He glanced at my half-unbuttoned dress and dismissed my words as a tantrum. Then Candace Lombard stormed in for the ninth time, ripped off the covers, and livestreamed our intimate moments. Sam merely pushed me aside and told me to be understanding. She climbed into our bed, smirking as she claimed the spot between us. "Wedding night prank? I get it," I grinned, leaning into her livestream camera. "Alright, everyone, fire up those donations! I'm about to let my husband take a mistress live. Let's make it a show!"

Three years after my death, Samuel Terrason came to visit my grave. When he saw the lilies blooming around it, his expression darkened. "What is this?" "If the stories are true, then these lilies mean she has found her partner in the afterlife." "Pull them out," Samuel said coldly. "Pull what out, sir?" "The lilies! All of them!" Then, Samuel bought the entire graveyard and ordered that every male be relocated. Yes, males. Even the dogs. "You're not seeing anyone else, even in death, Rachel!" he swore. "And if you try, I'll come find you when I'm dead, too! Not even death can separate us. Just wait for me!"

On the day my older brother, Noctis, and I get reborn to the timeframe of us becoming the demons' consorts, our wives, Nerissa Loden and Aurelia Ignis, rush over to save us. But we've unanimously decided to give up on getting rescued by Nerissa and Aurelia. Instead, we willingly devote ourselves to the demons. In our previous lifetime, after Noctis and I got saved by the goddesses, the demons kidnapped Nerissa's student, Halric Morledge, as our replacement. Poor Halric died a terrible death soon after. Thanks to that, Nerissa and Aurelia hated me and Noctis to the core. They spread rumors about us being the apocalyptic twins. As a result, our bodies and souls were annihilated. When we open our eyes again, we've returned to the day we get kidnapped by the demons. After exchanging glances with each other, we announce, "We're willing to become the consorts of Isolde Brimstone and Sylvara Eldritch. Please take us with you." Nerissa and Aurelia are able to whisk Halric to safety. They are relieved and happy, seeing as they finally get to protect the man they love the most. But later on, both of them end up losing their minds.

My sister-in-law, Esmerelda Black, hates that her mother, Ruth Jennings, favors me. To make things worse, she has the ability to hear Ruth's thoughts. And she uses that gift against me. When I tell Ruth to have more vegetables to stay healthy, Esmerelda says, "Clara is such a cheapskate not to buy you meat. She doesn't ask her own mom to eat more vegetables." When I encourage Ruth to exercise more to build strength, she says, "Mom, you're already old. You should be taking it easy. Clara wants you to work yourself to death." Slowly, Ruth grows to hate me. In the end, Esmerelda acquires the family business, seizes the fortune, and trafficks me to North Maldia to die. However, when I open my eyes again, I have her gift too—I can also hear Ruth's thoughts.

When the bells for our bonding ceremony tolled, my mate, Alpha Killian, was nowhere to be found. Before I could question his absence, a video from my mother appeared in the family group chat. In the video, Killian was on one knee in the banquet hall next door, slipping the Celestine Ring, the ultimate symbol of a Luna's status, onto my twin sister Daisy's finger. The Pack cheered, and my father stood beside them with a proud expression. Daisy leaned on Killian's shoulder, sobbing, while he gently patted her back as if she were his bride. I gathered the hem of my gown, about to rush over and demand an explanation, but my mother's Mind-link slammed into my thoughts. "Freya, Daisy is your sister. She's always been frail; she could never keep up with you. Just give her your place this time." With a trembling voice, I demanded, "Why did you all hide this from me?" "Because you've always fought with Daisy. If we had told you, you would have made a scene. What if her wolfsbane poisoning flared up again?" "Your wolf is strong. You can always have another ceremony." "We're all family. Don't make this ugly over something so trivial." My head spun, and I could not utter a single word. It turned out my mate and the Luna title were not the only things they could casually give away. They could just as easily discard me without a second thought. If that was how it was going to be, then so be it. From this moment on, I was done with this pack.

I had not asked my mother for money in three months. She thought I had finally learned to be a good, obedient son and, in a rare act of mercy, sent me a message. "I already had Calvin pay the registration fee. Learn to be more sensible from now on. Stop thinking about scamming money from the family. "I know your dad is having a hard time right now, but since you chose to stay with me, you need to be on the same side as me." When she said this, she did not yet know that I had already transferred my in-state residency out. No one believed that I, Miles Hart, who appeared on the surface to be the young master of a wealthy family, had a closet filled entirely with clothes bought before my parents’ divorce. For three full years, there was not a single new piece of clothing. Every dollar I spent privately had to be submitted through an internal approval system, with a written application and justification. Even fees for school activities required screenshots of official notices and formal quotations. All expenses had to pass the review of my stepfather, Calvin Pierce. Just because my mother constantly suspected I was siding with my father and was afraid I would secretly funnel money to him. A month ago, I needed $500 for a math competition registration fee. Calvin rejected the request again and again. "There isn't enough justification. "Why do you have to participate in this competition? "Wait until the end of the month for unified approval." By the time approval finally came through, the registration window had already closed. Mom did not know that I had endured these three years for only one reason: an in-state residency, which would make college admissions easier. Now, I was officially recommended for admission to a top university. This family was no longer a place I needed to stay in.

In the eighth year after breaking up with Tyler Goff, we bump into each other at an international airport. Tyler is in a hurry to fly overseas just to see his wife. I, on the other hand, need to go on an international business trip. After a moment of silence, he gives me a polite nod. "How's life after you're back in the country?" I reply politely that everything is fine on my end. When we're about to board our respective flights, Tyler suddenly turns to look at me. "Rosemary, the truth is, back when you flew thousands of miles just to see me, I was…" The blaring announcement in the airport drowns out what Tyler has to say to me. I don't bother listening to him. Instead, I turn on my heel and walk away. Back then, when I lost contact with my home country for eight hours, Tyler came clean about the life he had shared with another woman. I'm so glad that the thousands of miles stretching between two different cities have given me a chance to see through Tyler's actual colors as well as the nature of this wretched relationship.

On my eighteenth birthday, Alpha Alex Seinfeld placed photos of his two sons in front of me and told me to choose one to be my mate. Without hesitation, I chose his eldest son, Eric Seinfeld. Every werewolf in the room stared in disbelief. After all, everyone thought I was hopelessly obsessed with his younger son, Wayne Seinfeld. I had long decided that I would become his mate. In the past life, I got exactly what I wanted and completed the marking ceremony with Wayne. Because of that, he successfully inherited the Alpha position. But not long after the ceremony, I discovered he had been secretly seeing my younger sister, Nala Graham. My father flew into a rage and married Nala off to the Greywind Pack in the south. Wayne believed I was the one behind it. From that day forward, he hated me. He surrounded himself with countless shewolves. Every one of them looked similar to Nala. I knew he was trying to punish me. On the day my sister Nala gave birth to the Greywind Pack Alpha's pup, Wayne secretly replaced my pregnancy medicine with slow-acting wolfsbane. I died with resentment while pregnant with my unborn pup. Thanks to the Moon Goddess, I was given a second chance at life. This time, I decided to let them be with each other. What I never expected was that the Moon Goddess had also given Wayne a second life. He had been reborn too.

When my parents call to tell me they are taking me to my childhood friend, Oliver Holland's house to meet his blind date, he is still asleep beside me. I think they are joking and whisper, "Oliver, they said they've found you someone to date." He gives a lazy hum and pulls me into his arms. "Gerry, help me pick out something to wear later. And fix my hair, too." When I freeze, Oliver opens his eyes and lets out a short, mocking laugh. "What's wrong with you? We're just sleeping together. You don't actually think I'm going to marry you, do you?"

"...don't... stop..." The vibrator would not turn off. I wrapped myself in a throw, clamped my thighs around the thing still going inside me, and hobbled to the door to let the delivery guy in. Begging him, in my head, to please just help me.

In my previous life, I stood by Robert's side as he grew from the Alpha of a weak, remote pack into the undisputed king of the werewolf world. We raised a child together, and I thought I'd finally found a home that could shelter me from all storms. But when I was bedridden with illness, he couldn't wait to take the child and go find his one true love: my little sister, Bellis. And then came the moment that shattered everything — the child I had treasured with my whole heart calling Bellis "Mom" without a second's hesitation. That was when I finally understood. All those years, I had been living inside a lie — a total, elaborate lie. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn, right back to my marking ceremony with Robert. This time, standing at that crossroads, under the gaze of all those guests with their warm, oblivious smiles, I would make a very different choice. What I didn't know yet was that the truth sometimes hides in the small, ordinary moments of life — not in what other people tell you.