Burning Hall

On my 50th wedding anniversary, I took my worn, crumbling marriage certificate to City Hall to renew it. The clerk glanced at it—and froze. “This certificate is fake. Our records show you’ve never been married.” I stared. “Impossible. I’ve been married to Damien Slater for fifty years.” The clerk pulled up his file. “Well…Yes, Mr. Slater is married—but his wife’s name is Vanessa Grant.” Vanessa. His widowed sister-in-law. A military doctor who’d spent decades living among the troops. My hands shook as I returned home and confronted Damien. He didn’t even try to deny it. “I’ve treated you well all these years. Isn’t that enough? Vanessa is my true love. I only ever wanted her—our children, our life.” My son counseled me and said, “To spare your feelings, my parents kept it a secret their whole lives. You’re getting old now. What more do you want?” Only then did I learn the truth. The child I had raised with my own hands was never mine by blood. Decades ago, Vanessa and I gave birth on the same day. To ensure her child would grow up with intellect, privilege, and a future that I could provide, Damien switched our children. My own son? Damien drowned him in the pond the moment he drew breath. And I—fool that I was—raised Vanessa’s boy as my own. I even got him all the way to Claremont University. The truth broke me, and I collapsed. When I opened my eyes again—I was back. Back to the day I went into labor.

Being the only child to the Queen of Castle Grey, lost within the confines of mount Trenon, Kilvic is made to learn a number of things best suited to the heir to the Elzcrid bloodline at the hands of tutors handpicked by his mother. However, his fifteenth birthday sends him beyond the reaches of his mother’s domain. She has tasked him with the duty of learning more. Understanding greater things than she can teach him, greater things with which to cope with the curse upon his bloodline as she had been taught by her father and mother. Finding himself in a new kingdom, in an academy designed for only the most elite of mages, Kilvic is tasked to survive the new things he will come to learn, while struggling with the chaos of human association, as he comes to understand that while he may know a great deal about the world from the castle archives, it is a different thing to experience them. The association between people isn’t as easily deciphered as the books made them seem. As he struggles with the task of becoming a mage and a student along with surviving new friendships, failure threatens him at every turn and people prove pettier than the books would have him believe. Yet, despite all these, somewhere hidden in the shadows of the kingdom, a creature stirs, taking from the academy the one thing it values most. Kilvic must survive the trials of the academy, keep his friends, best his first enemy, and ensure that what stirs must not cause more damage than the kingdom can bear, lest the supremacy of Castle Grey be called into question in realms beyond that which most know. And all in time to attend the Winter Hall Fest.

C'est la quatre-vingt-dix-neuvième fois que mon compagnon Alpha a bloqué notre lien mental, j'étais en phase terminale de Dépérissement Spirituel de la Louve. J'ai traîné mon corps brisé jusqu'au Hall du Conseil. Les marches de marbre froid m'ont râpé la plante des pieds, et à chaque pas une douleur déchirante a labouré ma poitrine. « Je viens déposer une demande de quitter la meute. » Le conseiller a examiné ma silhouette pâle et maigre avec un regard compatissant et a demandé doucement : « En êtes-vous certaine, Mademoiselle ? Vous renonceriez à la protection de la meute. » Depuis l'enfance, ma louve a toujours été instable, me rendant fragile. Depuis que mon père a ramené ma sœur adoptive, Lydia, quand j'avais dix ans, mes parents m'ont traitée comme une honte pour la famille. Bien que j'aie été sa compagne marquée pendant des années, Collin ne m'a jamais promise une cérémonie de Luna. Il m'a rarement conduite aux rassemblements de la meute. Par conséquent, presque personne dans la meute n'a su qui j'étais. « Peu importe, » ai-je dit, ma voix calme malgré l'effort. « Je serai morte dans trois jours. »

I made my way directly to the library with the present I had for Asher all nicely wrapped up, ready to be torn open. I was so excited and nervous at the same time. When I arrived at the library, no one was there. I sat there for a whole 20 minutes waiting for Mr. no show. I felt stupid for thinking he would actually come. I got dolled up for no reason at all. Maybe I’ll still meet my mate today. Then it won’t be for no reason. I got up from the table seat and went into the hall, hearing a lot of whispers regarding my new appearance. Some asking if I’m a new girl, others saying I’m trying too hard and others saying I look drop dead gorgeous. I didn’t know how to feel about myself. As I was wandering around the halls waiting for school to start, a smell hit me like a truck. It filled my lungs and took over my mind. It was the smell of after the rain had fallen. Petrichor. "Mate", I growled. I let the scent lead my feet to where my mate was. I was so excited and my palms are sweaty. It led me to the janitor’s closet and before I opened it I heard a moan. I put my ear to the door and heard shuffling. “Hurry Saige, I smell my mate, I can’t let her meet me like this.” I know that voice my heart skips a beat, fear and anger covers my heart like a blanket. It can’t be. It can’t be. There’s no way.

Disguised as a boy. Hunted as a mate. Trained to be an Alpha. Ari never wanted to be anyone’s Luna—especially not to Alpha Malrick, the ruthless Alpha she was being forced to marry. To escape her fate she changes her identity. She cuts her hair, masks her scent, and joins the all-male Alpha Training Academy, where strength reigns and weakness is punished. But something else is waiting for her. Her dorm mate Kai Thorn the arrogant, cocky, and devastatingly attractive heir to the Shadowfang Pack is her mate. The mate bond starts burning between them… and he has no idea she’s a girl. When her secret is exposed, Arden must fight for more than freedom. The academy turns on her. Malrick wants revenge. And Kai? He’ll risk everything to keep her safe—even if it means going against everything he stands for.

Kaida thought forever was the deal with her boyfriend, Liam, the captain of the Runners Hockey Team, until he broke up with her and reunited with his childhood lover, who had returned after several years of being away. Heartbroken and angry, Kaida decided to make her ex-boyfriend jealous by kissing her best friend's older brother, Maverick. Unfortunately, she reignited the flame he'd been trying to quench for years. Now, there was no turning back and no quenching the obsessive flame burning inside Maverick for her. After some time, Liam realized he truly loved Kaida and wanted her back, but Maverick wasn't letting her go. Kaida was his now, and he would go to the end of the earth for her sake. What began as revenge against her ex turned into something twisted and dark: something beyond words and certainly beyond obsession.

I loved Alpha Lucien Grey with all my heart. From the moment I first saw him, I was drawn to him. However, I always knew the one Lucien loved was someone else. Her name was Summer White. I thought I’d be like one of those tragic side characters in romance stories—forever on the sidelines, watching the man I loved build a life with another woman. However, everything changed three years ago when Summer ran away on the night of the marking ceremony, saying she wasn’t ready to be claimed. Lucien had to make a decision and announced he would find a new partner. So, I stepped forward. Wearing a dress that didn’t quite fit, my hands trembling, I stood in for Summer. That day, Lucien and I formed a bond as mates. For the past three years, Lucien had treated me with warmth and kindness. He was gentle and thoughtful. He took care of me in every way. However, just over a month ago, Summer came back to our pack. On the night of our anniversary, she got drunk and called Lucien in tears, sobbing that she regretted everything. Lucien’s hands were shaking so hard he almost dropped his phone, but he didn’t hang up. He just stood there, torn. When his eyes met mine, full of confusion and pain, I took his hand—still trembling—and said softly, “Go to her.” The moment he left, I filed the mate-bond termination papers at City Hall, requesting to break the bond. After all, these years of stolen happiness were never really mine to keep. It was time for me to leave, too.

Five years ago, Luna Catherine was stripped of her title, betrayed by her husband, and cast out of the pack she once led with pride. Even her own son called another woman “mother.” Now, she’s no longer the broken Luna they left behind—she’s Dr. Catherine Vale, a world-renowned genius doctor with a heart that refuses to stay shattered. But when her ex-husband rushes into her hospital begging her to save his dying son, Catherine’s past collides violently with her present. Healing the boy was easy. Facing the pack that destroyed her? That’s another story. As jealousy brews and dark schemes threaten her career, Catherine must decide whether to heal those who once broke her—or finally make them bleed for it. *** "After everything you've done for me, I don't deserve to stand here and apologize for how I've treated you." He leaned closer. "I wronged you, Cat. Please forgive me and give me another chance to show you I want to be the man you deserve." "Go, Leo, and be with the woman you chose over me. If you think I'd forgive you after what you've done to me, then you must think I'm a fool. You don't deserve my forgiveness, and you surely don't deserve my respect as the Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack." I turned to leave the gathering hall when he grabbed my wrist. "Tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it. If I must leave the pack and no longer be the Alpha, then I will do it. If it means you'll forgive me."

Let me introduce myself. I'm Ginger Snapper, I’m twenty-five years of age. I work for Eclipse Magazine. I have been with the magazine for five years, as well as with my blog. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I’m adopted, and I have always known since I was five. For me, it was fine because I didn’t remember my parents, just that my mom was now my real mom’s best friend. I grew up in a loving home and was given what I needed in life to succeed. She gave me a chance to do what I love. She gave me a family and support to chase after my dreams. So I am grateful for all of that. So, I also volunteer as a mentor to young children in my free time to help give back. I stood up and went to the door to see who was there. When I got to the door, there was a note taped to my door. I looked in the hall to see if anyone was around, but there was no one. So I grabbed the note and went back inside my apartment. It was just a small note folded over a couple of times with nothing written on the outside of it. I unfolded the note and read the note, and I was shocked at what I read. “There is so much about yourself you don’t know. You need to start looking into where you come from. You're in danger and don’t know why you're in danger. You'd better start learning who you truly are before it's too late. I know my mother was killed in a freak accident, and I never knew who my father was.

I'm lying here, my body burning from within as the wolfsbane spreads through my veins. Meanwhile, my Alpha mate, Ryan, is giving the antidote I discovered to his childhood sweetheart, Vivian. With what little strength remains, I beg him to spare just a portion of the cure—enough to keep me alive for a few more days while I search for another remedy. Ryan doesn't even glance my way. He snarls, "I can't believe you're faking illness when Vivian is fighting for her life! Control your jealousy before I lose all respect for you!" Under his command, I'm confined to my quarters to "contemplate my sins." In the end, the wolfsbane consumes me completely. When Ryan discovers what he's done, he digs my grave with his own hands, howling with regret that comes too late.