Christmas Inflatable Elf Novels & Stories

She had nothing left to offer — except herself. Belcalis Voss never imagined she would stand on an auction stage, dressed in silk that felt like shame, waiting to be purchased by the highest bidder. But her younger sister is dying, the medical bills are climbing, and every other door has been slammed in her face. One night. One deal. One man. Charles Devereux is not just any Alpha. He is the Lycan King — ancient, ruthless, and feared across every pack on the continent. They say he hasn't taken a woman in decades. They say the last man who crossed him disappeared without a trace. They say he has no heart left to give. When his cold eyes land on Belcalis across the crowded auction hall, something shifts in the air. He doesn't just bid. He silences the room with a single number that nobody dares to match. She expected a monster. She didn't expect the way he looks at her — like she is the one thing he has been hunting for centuries and didn't know it. Their deal is simple: one year, no feelings, no questions. But nothing about Charles Devereux is simple. And nothing about the way Belcalis feels when his hands touch her skin is anything close to simple either. She sold herself to save her sister. She didn't know she was walking straight into the arms of her mate. Tags: Werewolf / Lycan King / Arranged / Fated Mates / Steamy / Strong Female Lead / Possessive Alpha / Secret Identity

"I will be your mistress, Adrian. Just let my family live." Adrian lifted his glass of wine. A faint smile curved his lips. "I thought they would send me the adopted daughter," he said, "I didn't expect you." "Everyone said your brother spoiled you like a princess. Turns out that was just a joke." The tip of the pen paused, stabbing a small blot of ink onto the paper. I signed my name, calm to the point of silence. The contract would take effect in three days. Then, I would cut all ties with the Willis name. I traded myself for the survival of the Willis family and my own permanent release.

My boyfriend, Jacob Torrance, claimed he hated being touched. Five years together, and all I got were stiff hand-holds and the rare side-hug. Even in bed, he kept his distance. I figured he was just emotionally shut off. Then he dropped this: he wanted a kid—with his mentor's daughter. "Take it as a sperm donation," he said. "Dr. Lynn asked me before he died. Wendy's got no one else." I smiled. "You don't have to explain. I support you." When you're over someone, there's no point fighting about what's right or wrong.

To help my surgeon husband with his erectile dysfunction, I made an appointment with an expert six months in advance. But as the day approached, Isiah Coleman canceled it without explanation. Just as I was about to call him to demand answers, I spotted a post from his female friend on her social media. My usually stoic husband was beaming as he wrapped his arms around her. The caption read: [Only I can cure your illness.] What struck me, though, was the telltale bulge in his pants in the photo—a reaction I'd never seen from him with me. With a cold laugh, I liked the post and left a comment: [What a miracle worker!] The post exploded, with everyone speculating whether I'd confront the mistress. But what awaited him after the holiday was our freshly printed divorce certificate.

Liam is a runaway, who is trying to make a better life away from his abusive family, and has to continue to run

On the night my family got wiped out, someone had hidden me behind the barrels inside the wine cellar. The gunshots kept going off the entire night outside the cellar. I could only curl up between the barrels while listening to unfamiliar voices cursing in Etarino. All I could do was gnash my teeth together in order to not make any sounds. At the break of dawn, the wine cellar's door was opened from the outside. Two people could be seen standing in front of the pouring light. The first person was Antonio Corleone, a 15-year-old teenager who was also the oldest son of the Corleone family. He was still holding a gun, which had smoke wafting from its barrel. The second person was Matteo Corleone, Antonio's younger brother. His clothes were stained with blood that didn't belong to him. Antonio crouched down before draping a coat over my body. "Don't be scared, Elena," he said. "From today onward, I'm your family." Matteo squeezed Antonio away before stuffing a warm slice of panettone into my hands. With red-rimmed eyes, he said, "My brother is right. I'll kill whoever has the guts to hurt you." It was Christmas Day of 1999. Back then, I was ten years old. For the next 20 years, I grew up in the estate located in Vosaro and became an essential part of the Corleone family. At the same time, I also grew up to be the woman both Antonio and Matteo have a crush on. The entire family has noticed their obsession and love for me. Antonio and Matteo help me exact vengeance on the people who killed my family. They even buy a football team and name it after me. Everyone thinks that the brothers are head over heels in love with me. They patiently wait for the news when one of them will marry me. Even I also think the same. But on the night before my 30th birthday, when Don Corleone asks the brothers who among them wishes to marry me, Antonio snuffs out the cigar in a crystal ashtray. "Father, you should know that I'm terribly busy with the family's affairs, so I have no time to marry anyone." Matteo swirls the whiskey in his glass while wearing a flippant smile. "Father, I'm only 33 years old, and I'm not done having fun just yet. Besides, marrying Elena is just a joking promise that I've made when I was young. I'm not going to follow through with it." The next day, the brothers decide to propose to my enemy's daughter, Sophia Volpe, at my birthday banquet which I have painstakingly prepared. They even force me to drink the entire bottle of grappa despite the fact that I've been suffering from stomach issues for ten years just to please Sophia. When I get carted into the ambulance after suffering from stomach bleeding, Antonio and Matteo immediately cover Sophia's eyes with their hands while claiming that I'm just faking my illness. The moment I feel blood rising from my throat, I've made up my mind. On the day I'm set to get discharged, I dial a phone number. "I will get married to the heir of the Rossi family."

At my mother's funeral, I caught my husband passionately kissing a sales associate at the local department store. When I confronted him about it, he turned the tables and accused me of being paranoid and delusional. Later, I discovered she had been calling my husband "daddy" in their text messages. The betrayal left me emotionally numb, and I decided to step aside, giving them my blessing. What I did not expect was discovering that she was not just involved with my husband—she had been sleeping around with multiple men. When my husband finally learned the truth, he came crawling back to me with tears streaming down his face, begging for forgiveness. By then, I had already moved on with my life and wanted nothing to do with him.

Typical teenager Joanna Gore Alex is less than thrilled to be the new girl in a new school. During her first day, she quickly learns teachers obviously favor the popular students and her classmates have no interest in being nice. Just when Joanna believes the day couldn't get any worse, she has a slightly embarrassing and awkward altercation with one of the hottest guys at school. But as the school days pass by, Joanna forms friendships with some unexpected classmates and discovers exactly how strong she can be against the school's mean girl. When Joanna is drawn to one of her brother's new friends, Frank, she feels like she's known him forever. Even his full name - Francis James - sounds familiar to her for some reason. Joanna quickly learns life isn't all about handing assignments in on time (although it is important), she discovers the meaning of friendship, family, heartache, and most of all, love.

Vito lays down his rules: She belongs to him now. No escape. No other men. No defiance. But Ortensia isn’t one to submit so easily. She pushes him, taunts him, tempts him. And when she disobeys, he makes sure she learns her lesson… in ways that leave her breathless. Their nights are filled with heated battles, rough punishments, and forbidden touches. He swears he won’t fall for her tricks, won’t let her get under his skin. But every time she fights him, he only wants to break her more to hear her beg, to see her surrender… But in this twisted game of dominance and desire, who will truly end up owned?

Thanks to an accident, I'm somehow able to get on a phone call with the past version of me from seven years ago. Upon hearing that I will be getting engaged to Edward Herring soon, Younger Me is so excited that she keeps rolling around in bed. She also claims that she will be the happiest woman in the world seven years later. Am I happy, though? I can only smile bitterly without saying anything. Then, I silently show Younger Me the old scars of the suffering and pain I've gone through in the past. The gentle Edward is no longer here. Now, the Edward I'm with is the type who allows others to call me a manipulative bitch repeatedly and demands that I grovel to his first love, Madison Scott, and her family in a form of apology before our engagement. "So, do you still want a future like this?" The sparkle in Younger Me's eyes fades away instantly. After that, my past has been rewritten. Let's never see each other from the start, Edward Herring.