Best Books About Zombies

I accidentally stumbled upon numerous explicit videos on my husband's computer while tidying up his desk. The videos showed him in bed with my unmarried best friend. The relationship between my husband and me had been platonic ever since I gave birth 40 years ago. His reason was that he was no longer capable of physical intimacy. Now, it felt like my entire life had been a sham, despite all my efforts for my family.

The night I have my bonding ceremony with the Alpha, Walter Zimmer, he gets drunk even though he usually never touches any alcohol. Just as I'm at a loss for what to do, my best friend, Rose Larson, sends me a message detailing how to take care of a drunken werewolf. Despite feeling doubtful, I do as she suggests, and Walter truly does fall asleep peacefully. Just as I'm about to thank Rose, Walter suddenly hugs me from behind. His hot breath brushes against my neck as he murmurs a sentence that utterly breaks my heart. "Rose, you're the one I wanted to mark…" My world crumbles around me, but that's not all. His shirt slips down his shoulder when he moves, revealing the rose tattooed right over his heart. My mind goes blank, and all I can do is stare at the tattoo. I refuse to believe what I'm seeing. I've known Rose for 20 years, and she's my closest friend. As it turns out, Walter didn't get drunk because he was overjoyed about becoming my mate. He simply used the alcohol to drown his sorrows over not being able to take the she-wolf he wanted as his Luna. In that moment, our newly formed mate bond seems like nothing but a joke. Since that's the case, I decide to give up my position as the Luna and let them be together. However, after I leave, Walter loses control and shifts into his wolf. He then claws the rose tattoo to shreds. "Lily, I was mistaken. You're the Luna I truly love. Please, give me another chance to love you again…"

On my wedding day, my best friend, Beatrice Hopper, buys a lottery ticket from a convenience store and gives it to me as a wedding gift. I initially believe that she's joking, but when I see the unmistakable disdain in her eyes, I know something is off. "They say it's the thought that counts. This gift is precisely how I show that I care. Besides, I'm pregnant and need money for everything right now. I don't want you to feel bad about taking my money," she says. Honestly, I'm disappointed. But since it's my wedding, I can only stand there and watch as my best friend drags her entire family to the reception for free food and drinks. As expected, the wedding ends on a sour note. The two of us part ways unhappily. What I don't see coming, though, is winning 50 million dollars in the lottery that night. Elated, I tell my husband the news, and we head to the lottery office first thing in the morning to claim the prize. The news quickly spreads among our friends and family. But by the afternoon, Beatrice pounds on my door, demanding I return the lottery ticket. "I should've been the winner!" she screamed. "I was the one who bought it, so why should you take away my prize?" I keep backing away from her, panic flooding my entire body, so much so that I don't even notice she's holding a knife. The last thing I expect is for her to swing it at me in the middle of our struggle. By the time I realize what's happening, the blade is already buried in my husband's chest. I try to call the police, but Beatrice yanks me back. We grapple, stumble, and crash through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Eventually, we fall to our deaths in the courtyard below. The universe must've had mercy on me because when I open my eyes again, I'm back at the moment she hands me that lottery ticket. Here comes my second chance.

J'étais une Oméga, et pourtant mon compagnon était un Alpha. Même si je n'avais pas de louve à moi, je pouvais entendre la voix du sien. À travers lui, j'ai découvert beaucoup de ses petits secrets. Par exemple, il préparait en secret une grande cérémonie d'union. Dans trois jours, il comptait me demander en lien, et je faisais semblant de ne rien savoir. Mais cette nuit-là, Henri Tarrington a ramené son amour d'enfance à la maison. J'étais sur le point de lui demander ce qui se passait quand j'ai entendu son loup gronder avec fureur : « La cérémonie dans trois jours, elle n'est pas censée être pour Liane ? Pourquoi est-elle maintenant pour Chloé ? » Alors, la cérémonie que je n'étais pas censée connaître… n'avait jamais été destinée à moi. J'ai continué à faire semblant de ne rien savoir. En silence, j'ai abandonné ma chambre, mes biens les plus précieux, et même Henri lui-même. Puis, j'ai acheté un billet pour le Sud. En portant les jumeaux dans mon ventre, j'ai quitté la meute des Crocs pour toujours, le jour même où ils célébraient leur cérémonie d'union.

Mon petit ami Jacques m'avait promis une grande cérémonie de marquage pour mes 20 ans. Pourtant, le jour de mon anniversaire, c'est devant tout le monde qu'il a solennellement demandé à ma demi-sœur Lydia de devenir son âme sœur. Sous les acclamations générales, je suis restée là, telle une pitre abandonnée, le cœur brisé. Alors que la douleur de la trahison m'engloutissait, Samuel, l'héritier Alpha de la Meute du Fantôme Noir, a surgi pour déclarer sa flamme : « Annie, je t'aime en secret depuis longtemps. Deviens ma Luna, veux-tu ? » Je l'ai accepté, et pendant cinq ans de mariage, il m'a chérie, gâtée, se souvenant de chacun de mes goûts. Jusqu'au jour où j'ai surpris sa conversation avec un Bêta et mon bonheur s'est brisé : « Samuel, Lydia est enfin devenue la Luna de le Meute de Rose Blanche. Vas-tu continuer à jouer un mari modèle devant Annie ? » « Puisque je ne peux avoir Lydia, peu importe qui partage ma vie. Au moins, comme ça, Annie ne viendra pas gâcher son bonheur. » Dans le coffre de son bureau, il conservait précieusement chaque cadeau de Lydia : pendentifs en crocs de loup, lettres marquées de ses empreintes... Même sur sa précieuse armure d'écailles, chaque plaque portait gravé le nom de Lydia. « Lydia, mon unique amour. Mes griffes trancheront tous les obstacles pour ton bonheur. » « Je t'offrirai mon cœur de loup battant, si tu le désires. » « Je te volerais même la lune, s'il le fallait ! » Ce que je croyais être cinq années de mariage heureux n'étaient qu'un mirage, et une fois la vérité révélée, tout s'est dissipé comme une brume. J'ai demandé à quitter la meute. Et dans deux jours, j'aurais disparu de la vie de Samuel pour toujours...

Mon amour, Éric Valmont. Il m'aimait à la folie. Tout le monde disait qu'il était le mari idéal. Mais il m'a trahie. Trois fois. La première fois, c'était il y a trois ans. Son ami, Lucien Caron, est mort en le sauvant. Éric m'a caché qu'il avait épousé Margaux Lefèvre, la fiancée de Lucien, pour « la protéger ». Le jour où je l'ai découvert, j'ai voulu partir. Mais il a fait partir Margaux à l'étranger dans la nuit et s'est agenouillé devant moi, suppliant : « Claire, Lucien est mort à cause de moi… Je dois prendre soin de sa fiancée. Ce mariage n'est qu'une protection pour elle, rien de plus. Dès que j'aurai vengé Lucien, je divorcerai. Je t'aime, toi, et seulement toi. » Cette fois-là, je l'ai pardonné. Un an plus tard, lors d'une conférence de presse, Éric a publiquement présenté Margaux comme « l'épouse du chef ». Il m'a encore expliqué : « Margaux est la fille unique de la famille Lefèvre, puissante dans le milieu. Notre alliance n'a qu'un but : venger Lucien. Nous avons déjà convenu qu'après, je divorcerai… et je t'épouserai aussitôt. » Et, encore une fois, je l'ai cru. Puis, il y a un an, lors d'un gala, on lui a tendu un piège. Drogué, il a passé la nuit avec Margaux. Il a tout caché… jusqu'à ce que, quinze jours plus tôt, je le surprenne à l'hôpital, accompagnant Margaux à une échographie. Quand j'ai compris, il a baissé les yeux, incapable de me regarder, et a murmuré : « Claire… ce n'était qu'un accident. Quand l'enfant naîtra, je l'enverrai loin. Mes parents s'en occuperont. Jamais ni elle ni l'enfant ne croiseront ta route. » Sous couvert d'amour, Éric m'a poussée, pas à pas, à tout accepter. Mais aujourd'hui, je le sais : il n'y aura plus jamais de « nous ». Il est temps pour moi de partir.

At our college graduation, my fiance suddenly proposed to Lillie Stewart, my best friend, in front of everyone. I became a joke in front of everyone. Right after Lillie accepted my fiance’s proposal, Lloyd Becker, heir to the biggest mafia family on the West Coast, publicly said he loved me. Lloyd was known in the mafia world for being serious and never getting involved with women. So, when he showed an interest in an orphan like me, it made the news. We got married, and for five years, he was so sweet and treated me like a princess. But one day, I accidentally overheard him talking to his friend. “Lillie is already set to become the future lady of the Gacira family. Are you really going to keep the act up with Nelly?” “If I can’t have Lillie, it doesn’t matter who I marry. As long as I’m with Nelly, Lillie can live peacefully.” He even gave Lillie the symbol of the Becker family’s lady. He helped Lillie build her career while letting me fade into the background. After five years of marriage, I finally understood. On our fifth anniversary, I pretended to die in a shooting so he could be with the woman he truly loved. But instead of being happy, Lloyd completely broke down.

My best friend's brother and I have been dating for half a year, and she has no clue. My best friend drags me out on Christmas for a singles' night out. Unexpectedly, we see her brother, Chris Lambert, holding hands and kissing a girl under the fireworks. "Damn, Chris finally got the school belle!" She looks thrilled and pulls me forward to say hi. Chris awkwardly rubs his nose and introduces me to his girlfriend, "This is my sister, and the one beside her is… sort of like my sister too." I smile silently. We have held hands and kissed, yet now, I am just sort of like his sister.

I had cancer. And Carl—my boyfriend of seven years—ditched me at the hospital to play fake boyfriend for his so-called best friend, just so she could dodge her parents' marriage pressure. When the results came in, I broke down. Clutching the report, I sobbed as I called him. "Carl, I... I..." My voice cracked. I didn't even know how to say it. I thought he'd comfort me. Instead, his voice came sharp through the phone. "Can you not? Mia's just a friend. What's so wrong about me helping her?—do you have to be so dramatic? I already promised to marry you this month. What more do you want?"

After being reborn, the first thing my cousin and I did was switch grooms. In our previous lives, we had gotten married on the same day. She, gentle and composed by nature, became the wife of Blake Malcolm, the aloof naval commander. On their wedding anniversary, Blake skipped the occasion to celebrate his childhood friend's birthday. My cousin had only wanted an explanation, but Blake claimed his conscience was clear. They fell into a silence that lasted fifty years. And me? With my temper—quick to fight, never one for patience—I had married an accountant from the machinery plant's compound. The accountant was soft-spoken, forever complaining about how loud I was, and how little I cared about appearances. We fought every three days, major arguments every five. Eventually, he stopped coming home. Less than a year into the marriage, we divorced. Then one day, my cousin and I opened our eyes and found ourselves young again—and it was the day we were to marry. Again.