Cast Shadows

It’s end of October 1985 and the crumbling river town of Dubois, Iowa is shocked by the gruesome murder of one of the pillars of the community. Detective David Carlson has no motive, no evidence, and only one lead: the macabre local legend of “Boris Orlof,” a late night horror movie host who burned to death during a stage performance at the drive-in on Halloween night twenty years ago and the teenage loner obsessed with keeping his memory alive. The body count is rising and the darkness that hangs over the town grows by the hour. Time is running out as Carlson desperately chases shadows into a nightmare world of living horrors. On Halloween the drive-in re-opens at midnight for a show no one will ever forget. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Lillian Carter's life did not follow the path it was meant to. She was supposed to be normal and just like any other human, completely oblivious to the supernatural world. Yet in a cruel twist of fate she was snatched from her mother's side just a few hours after birth and experiment on like a lab rat. She grew up in a world she was not suppose to know about experienced pain no one person could endure and done things more horrifying than you could ever imagined. Always battered and abused only being regarded as a tool in service of someone else's selfish desires, been used, experimented on and sold. Then one day Lillian was finally free or so she thought. Now in a world where danger lurked at every corner and monsters dwelling in the shadows young lily has to be constantly running and fighting for her life especially with a curse coursing through her veins that seems to be attracting everyone she runs into. Trying to find a place for herself in this world lilly wants to live the life she should have, she wants to be the one thing she never felt like she was in all her years of life the thing she was meant to be, she wanted to be Human.

In the time before time, they were the rulers: Crimson wolves, a lineage of unparalleled power and dominance over Lunaria. With their unparalleled strength, fiery eyes and blood-red fur, they were stuff of legends, the pinnacle of what is meant to be Alpha. But as centuries passed, the tides of power are ever-shifting, the balance of the lands fractured and so did the Game of Alphas begin.   Pyra Blackwood, a scorned omega was seduced, betrayed and cast out by the same Alpha who rejected her. Left for dead, her life takes a whole turn as she is thrust into a deadly game of power where loyalty is an illusion, and survival demands sacrifice. She uncovers a hidden power—one that could reshape the fractured balance of the land.  Pregnant with the offsprings of her betrayer, Pyra must protect her heir, forge unlikely alliances and rise as the first Queen of Alphas.  Will she master the very game created to destroy her? Or will she fall prey to the dark forces seeking to consume her?  In the Game of Alphas, the rules are simple: trust no one, show no weakness, and never forget—Power is everything.

The darkest corners of the world hold the secrets the leaders want you to forget. Deep inside a cabin covered with moss and shadows, those secrets are not yet forgotten. Under the moon, light glistens off of shining stones lining the porch and bundles of herbs drying from the rafters. Candlelight emanates from the interior and warmth surrounds the occupant. Inside this cabin was a forrest witch who was chanting a spell as she added herbs to a small caldron. Smoke rises and electricity fills the room. Her raven hair started to rise and the smoke turned glowing green. Leaves outside the cabin started swirling in the air raising around the cabin forming a circle. “None may find me where I reside, safe in the forrest this witch hides. Safe from the evil doers and safe from their men. None may ever find me again.” Cold. Like ice from an iceberg, his skin molded smoothly across his frame. The envelop in his hands was sealed by the Elder Lords sigil pressed into blood red wax. Slipping his long pale finger, breaking the seal, one word was inside. “Urgente.” His particular talents were once again needed.

"You'll fit in just right, Kelani. The kids here are as special as you are." "No, they are different." "You don't know how special you are at the moment, but you will soon enough, and thus, the school survived this long because of your birth." At only nine years old, Kelani killed her father, was cast into the dark, dirty basement by her stepmother, and was left to repent for all her transgressions by everyone in her household. Kelani endured bullying and scorn, and just when she thought it might not end, she received an invitation to Mystic Academy, known as The Academy for Freaks. Kelani believed all her problems would be solved when she arrived at the Academy, but that was just the beginning. Love came in various forms for Kelani, and there were three she desired the most. However, she couldn't possibly be mated to three powerful werewolves who also had their eyes set on her, could she?

"I can't tell what is real and what is a dream," I murmur, looking up to his silver eyes, glistening mist swirling within his irises. "But I know I can't hold myself back from you any longer. Luella has been having the same dreams every night involving two silver eyed men, who remain elusive during the day, but come alive from the shadows by night. After visiting a therapist who tips Luella off on what could be the cause of these dreams, the start to become more frequent, to the point she can no long tell the difference between dream and reality. Who are these silver eyed men? One wants her desperately until he doesn't, while the other is always there when she needs him, until he is not. That is, until she swears she is seeing them in her waking life. And suddenly, her dreams might just be coming to life.

Rejected by her mate, wolfless and an orphan, Leila is a very unfortunate girl. When her mate who rejected her comes to her with the proposition of a secret affair, Leila immediately refuses but he doesn't listen. Pressured and saddened, Leila gets drunk and has a one night stand with a stranger, a few weeks later she realizes that she is pregnant. Leila is thrown out of her pack but the lycan king swoops in and saves her, claiming her as his mate and taking her to his kingdom. Showered with love from the lycan king, Leila finally begins to feel safe. But is she really safe? Is she any safer in the kingdom of the man who might have murdered her parents? Is she and her babies safe in this kingdom that held dark secrets and forces that hid in the shadows?

Kodessa Keneally has it all figured out, and she knows her place in the pack, knows who she will marry and knows her calling. Until a chance meeting with a stranger sends her life spiralling, and she will realise she is no match for fate. One meeting will start a chain of events that will break a pact and send the Crimson Shadows and Greysteelś to war. Will the sins of their fathers destroy their love? Will their love destroy theirs packs? Families torn apart, alliances shattered. Will love be enough?

"There's a problem with your theory," he murmurs, the touch of his fingers down my jawline, down my neck, a silent warning. I'm in the midst of a cold, calculated predator. "One side of me wants to preserve that precious innocence of yours, while the other, well, wants to absolutely destroy it." Not much is known about Alpha Ren. Simply that he lives in a small island in a big estate away from everyone. His secrets remain hidden within the shadows of his distance. He's untouchable. Homeless, Brielle stumbles upon a job at the docks. Whispers speak of better jobs upon Ren's island. And when his ship sails in, Brielle gets a chance, and takes it. Smuggling herself on, she finds herself as a servant within his endless estate, working to keep herself alive. However, as curiosity increases with the elusiveness of the Alpha, Brielle finds herself finding out Ren's terrible secret. Perhaps the Alpha everyone sees on the surface has another side to him. A side, so dangerous, there's only one person who can keep it at bay.

The scent of pine and damp earth clung to the air as the full moon created long shadows across the Ancient Clearing. Tonight, was supposed to be our marking ceremony, a sacred ritual binding Alpha Anderson and his chosen Luna before the eyes of the Frostmoon Pack. “My heart,” his gaze locked on Leah, who stood under the moonlight “has always belonged to another. My first love, the one whose spirit has been weakened by the venom of wolfsbane, is my Luna.” He drew Leah closer, his hand possessively circling her waist. Under the watchful gaze of the moon, he smiled. “Our traditions are clear,” he continued, “Only the woman who stands with me at this altar, witnessed by all, shall be my Luna. Though I had always thought that Irene was my mate which I mistakenly marked a time ago. But thanks to the goddess for making me see clearly before it was too late.” They exchanged vows beneath the trees, witnessed by the werewolves and the Moon Goddess. The silver crowns were placed, the ceremonial kiss sealed their bond. I stood hidden in the shadows of the surrounding forest. For twelve years, from the moment my wolf recognized his at eighteen until my thirtieth moon cycle, my love for Anderson had never changed. But his heart, it was clear, belonged to Leah. If that was the truth, then I would release him. He had never truly seen me, never truly cared. Yet, the act of my departure seemed to unravel him in ways I couldn’t understand.