Brain Lock

In an East London lock up, two film makers, Jimmy and Sam, are duct taped to chairs and forced to watch a snuff film by Ashkan, a loan shark to whom they owe a lot of money. If they don’t pay up, they’ll be starring in the next one. Before the film reaches its end, Ashkan and all his men are slaughtered by unknown assailants. Only Jimmy and Sam survive the massacre, leaving them with the sole copy of the snuff film. The film makers decide to build their next movie around the brutal film. While auditioning actors, they stumble upon Melissa, an enigmatic actress who seems perfect for the leading role, not least because she’s the spitting image of the snuff film’s main victim. Neither the film, nor Melissa, are entirely what they seem however. Jimmy and Sam find themselves pulled into a paranormal mystery that leads them through the shadowy streets of the city beneath the city and sees them re-enacting an ancient Mesopotamian myth cycle. As they play out the roles of long forgotten gods and goddesses, they’re drawn into the subtle web of a deadly heresy that stretches from the beginnings of civilization to the end of the world as we know it. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

His precious childhood sweetheart got drunk one night and ended up in a stranger’s bed. When she showed up again, she was pregnant—just like me. On the day I gave birth, Harold handed me the divorce papers. "Rachel’s about to return to acting," he said coldly. "She and the baby need a proper title. If a scandal breaks out, it’ll destroy her." Dragging my frail body, I calmly signed the papers. In my previous life, I refused to step aside. I went live, holding my daughter, and exposed the award-winning actress Rachel Underwood for knowingly becoming the other woman. The internet turned on her. She lost every endorsement and was driven to the edge by massive fines—eventually jumping off a building. Harold quietly took care of her funeral... and then stood by as her fans harassed me in the streets, even tried to burn my child and me alive. It was not until I saw him lock the door behind us that I realized—he had wanted us dead all along. Then I woke up. And it was the day he gave me the divorce agreement... again.

Sophia’s world shatters when her cheating boyfriend and backstabbing best friend smear her name across the city with vicious lies. Jobless, homeless, and desperate to vanish, she stumbles across a cryptic online ad: live-in tutor, remote estate, one thousand dollars an hour. She clicks apply before doubt can stop her. The mansion is breathtaking, the little girl heartbreakingly quiet, and the contract… written in blood. One crimson signature later, the gates lock behind her, and the truth claws its way out: wolves in tailored suits, monsters in the shadows, and a ruthless Alpha who orchestrated her arrival. Ethan Blackwell—billionaire, pack leader, and the stranger from her drunken one-night escape—claims her as his fated mate. He doesn’t want the bond; he’s too proud for a fragile human. But he’ll never let her leave. Worse? His two brothers circle closer, eyes glowing with the same primal hunger, ready to challenge tradition and tear the pack apart to possess her. Sophia came to hide. Now she’s the prize in a war of teeth, fate, and forbidden desire. One click. One drop of blood. No way out.

"Your father is the reason for my mother's suffering, her death." His red-speckled eyes were bright with fury as the tears streamed down her face. He leaned closer, "But somehow, even still, I'd rather die than give you up." •• She was without a wolf. He was born damned with one. Their bond was never meant to exist. Zorina Edgemont, the daughter of a very strict Alpha, has lived her life shadowed by shame. Her wolf never emerged, she had never been able to successfully shift, and the world branded her broken. When her father forces her into a marriage with a power-hungry brat, she makes a desperate escape, only to land herself in forbidden territory, a place where monsters hunt and no one ever comes back to relay the tales. She nearly doesn't. Until he finds her. Lux Argevent is everything she should withhold from, he is half-demon, half-werewolf, and wholly dangerous. He is a rogue, a supposed myth, and a threat. But when their eyes lock, everything changes. Now hunted by her own father and tangled in a bloodline war deeper than either of them envisaged, Zorina stands ready to be ruined by his passion.

"So just to destroy our upcoming union, you were willing to get pregnant for just anybody. Bad girl," he mocked as he poured the wine inside a glass. My eyes widened as he turned and my brain registered his face.    "Alpha Ace-"    Within seconds, he was at my side and his hand was wrapped around my throat. "Be careful, gattina. You're mine now. And nothing you do can change that." ******    In a reckless act of defiance, Natalie Robbie, the daughter of the Alpha of the red wood pack, gambled her future union on a forbidden night of passion. Little did she know that her impulsive encounter would lead to a shocking revelation—the stranger she yearned for was none other than Alpha Ace, the ruthless Alpha of Alphas—and her husband to be.  Bound by a twisted twist of fate, Natalie and Alpha Ace are forced into an arranged marriage for the peace of both packs. With lies, secrets, and dangerous threats lurking around, can they unravel the mysteries surrounding them and start a love that defies all odds? Or will the dangerous path they tread on tear them apart?

Ahava Deene Madden was a 16 years old girl with special needs, she’s a girl who loves butterflies and anything that is in vibrant color. She is the only heiress of their family so every servant in their house was calling her young lady. She’s studying in a prestigious school under special education when she met a guy in an accident, she steps on his brand new shoes with poop causing him to piss off. After a month they met again in their school event while she’s crying, that guy helps her to find her butler. That day she’s confused why that guy she pissed off before is always playing and spending time with her until she feels an unfamiliar feeling that she doesn’t know. But she doesn’t know that this guy was suffering from a serious stage of brain cancer and his days are counted. What does Deene feel? Is she allowed to fell in love with her condition? Who is that guy making her feel special? Can both of them be happy?

As the most eligible bachelor in Rivenhold, Alex Ye is engrossed in his work and shows no interest in women. One day, due to family pressure, Mr. Ye reluctantly went on a blind date. He had to convince himself, 'I might as well get married, have a child, and live a normal life.’ However, after the date, he was informed that he has a three-year-old daughter. Alex was shocked: “How can this be?!" ----------- One morning, Michelle Xia awoke to find a three-year-old child running a fever beside her, as well as a pile of messy overdue bills scattered around. Staring at her bank book, with a balance barely in double digits, Michelle realized she didn't even have enough to get the child to a doctor. Deep in thought, Michelle weighed her limited options. It didn't take her long to come to a decision. "To avoid the child's fever causing any brain damage," she mused with a hint of mischief, "perhaps I'll just have to interrupt the secondary male lead, who might be on a date with the heroine right now (^_^)."

"Let's be clear. While I stay here, no kissing, no hugging," Aiden Anderson said without breaking his gaze at Jessamine, his best friend since third grade. "You're my best friend... You're like a sister to me and my only family. I don't want to be reckless and lose you in the end." "I was only teasing you, Aiden. I'm not losing you as well. You're the only man I trust besides my father," Jessamine assured him. Jessamine turned her back on him, fighting the tears, unsure why her heart was disappointed. A part of her brain said she would rather die with heartache than admit to him that she wished there was more to their friendship, but her heart screamed something else. She wanted to be reckless with him and gave her heart the freedom to love him more than best friend, but how could she admit to him she loved him when Aiden assured her he would disappear from her forever if they crossed the boundary of their friendship?

Locked away her entire life, Eloise only craved one thing, freedom to run around in her shifted form like other werewolves. But when her 18th birthday came, she was told she was going to get married. The news triggered her wolf and she began to shift. She was taken by surprise when her family used their witch magic to lock her wolf inside her. The magic pushed into her was too much that she blacked out. When Eloise regained consciousness, she couldn't feel her wolf inside her anymore. But that became the least of her problems as she realized she was no longer among her kind, she was in the midst of dragons. Creatures who hunt her kind for fun. She was given one choice to escape execution. She must learn how to use her unstable magic to heal the dragon shifters of a terrible plague. Betrayed by her family and left with no other options, Eloise enrolled in Azehar academy, where she must survive deadly trials and hatred of the students surrounding her. A werewolf in the midst of ancient enemies. Will she survive and return safely to her kind, or will she succumb to the horrors of Varethin?

My fiance is the best Neuro Healer among the werewolves. His first love is his little stepsister, who once took a fatal silver arrow for him. Now, her old condition has flared up, and she has a fatal silver venom disease. She only has 21 days left to live. In order to stay with her in her final days, he pours his newly developed "Memory Lock Potion" into me to eliminate all my memories of him by force. He says, "It's just 21 days. Once she's gone, I'll feed you the antidote myself, and you'll remember me again." In those 21 days, he holds a grand bonding ceremony for his stepsister, dances with her during the Moon Goddess Festival, and makes an oath swearing that they will become mates again in their next life. Finally, he sends her off. After 21 days, the potion wears off, and he kneels in the rain with tears and blood all over his face. He asks hoarsely in an accusing tone, "The potion only lasts for 21 days… why have you forgotten me completely?" I just look up impassively at him. "Sorry, but who are you?"