Drum Rolls

A wolf howls. The forest stills… for a moment. Then, all wildlife burst into motion. Every living thing, from the smallest lizards and toads to the great brown bears and powerful mountain lions, flee. Spiders scurry to the top of their webs. Birds take flight. Squirrels leap from branch to branch. Wide-eyed deer and elk jump over brush and fallen logs. A lone wolf pauses, but tucks his tail and turns to join the escape. The wind whips through the forest, causing leaves to fall and tall pines to groan. Thundering hooves and paws make the forest floor shake. Finally, the forest stills. The wind gusts slow to a gentle and warm breeze. The wildlife seem calm once more and return to their foraging, napping, or grazing. The wolf howls again. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Amerie moved to a small town in Montana for a fresh start and to follow her dreams. Things are starting to look up and feel right again. Then, the town seems to turn upside down when someone goes missing in the forest. Some locals fear the legend of the Wolf Man may be real and claim the beast is to blame, claiming it wants revenge for mistreatment of the forest. Amerie rolls her eyes and joins the search parties, but an unfortunate fall leads her to discover more than she signed up for as she comes face to face with a large, white wolf. The secrets of the forest have been waiting to reveal themselves to her.

Melody is tired of love and has her sights set on growing her business after her divorce. Sure, it’s odd for a werewolf to run a bakery, but who wouldn’t want to focus on work when your best friend is caught having sex with your husband in your storage room? Now that the divorce is final and her mate bond dissolved, she can focus on running the only bakery in her pack. With her striving to get the word out on her bakery, she has no time for drama—or bikers. Teddy is out looking for a good time—and a good dessert. With no ties to any pack, his rogue gang of motorcycle werewolves travels from town to town, causing mayhem and partying hard. When he has the sudden urge for something sweet as his motorcycle gang rolls through a small town, he stops at a small bakery next to their favorite bar. He is hit with the smell of fresh-baked goodness that he could eat all day long, and the sight of the owner leaves him craving more than just dessert. When they are both dragged into a war, secrets and plots are uncovered; changing their lives in unexpected ways. Friends and alliances change, as priorities shift for the both of them; dragged into roles neither wanted, but now both must accept.

Even Gail Romero, the drummer of the band, Sublime Outlander met Prime Valencia at a very unexpected moment. She met her when she was tossing down yellow tulips on the cliff where Giyo Velasco's car, her boyfriend who passed away years ago, fell and crashed. She wasn't aware that on that same day, Prime will be applying as the new frontman of the band. When the latter got accepted, that's when she knew she'll be dealing with the guy who humiliated her for the next years of her life. Prime admired Gail since high school and was smitten even more when he knew of how thin Gail's thread of temper is. He finds it adorable, most especially when she rolls her eyes. He confessed his feelings to her during the Rakrakan Festival, an annual event for bands, in front of the crowd. He started courting Gail then and fortunately, they found comfort in each other's arms. They've got the best of their relationship not until lots of secrets were revealed. Everything seemed to be in chaos; her grades, the band, the friendship, their relationship, and the family Gail has were ruined. Gail thought that everyone was lying to her and think she should've faced her problems alone. She has lost trust in everyone. How will she be able to fix everything alone?

My wife's gym is celebrating its grand opening, and I drag my buddy along to check the place out with a 9.90-dollar trial class I bought through an e-commerce platform. For the entire time, I never once let it slip that I'm the owner. Right after we finish training, a male coach tosses a price sheet at us. His eyes sweep over us with contempt as he says, "You two look like freeloaders. Our private sessions cost a few hundred each, and we don't offer freebies to people like you." I let out a disbelieving laugh. "We paid for this trial class. How is that freeloading? Go get your manager." He rolls his eyes and makes it seem like he's enforcing a very important rule. "Don't bother looking for the manager. My girlfriend owns this place, and she hates broke losers who try to get free classes." He dials her number right in front of us. His voice sounds both arrogant and pitiful. "Babe, two guys showed up and tried to con us into giving them a free class. They even told me to call the manager. Come over here and show them what's what!"

Attending a high school reunion, I rode my motorcycle to the venue. By the time I arrived at the Moon Valley Hotel, most of my former classmates were already there. Everyone seemed to be doing well for themselves. The parking lot was filled with luxury cars belonging to high-ranking pack members. There was even a Rolls Royce that belonged to the son of an Alpha. As I dismounted from my motorcycle, a former male classmate I barely remembered looked at me with disdain. "Well, well, if it isn't our former class president. Still riding a basic bike like an omega, I see." During dinner, everyone was fawning over the Alpha's son while completely ignoring me in the corner. Only Derek, our former class monitor and now a beta, sat beside me with a sympathetic look. "Don't worry about it. Even though you're still just an omega like your parents, I'm sure one day you'll rise up in the pack rankings." I couldn't help but smirk, whispering under my breath: "This isn't just any motorcycle. It's the Royal Guard's official vehicle."

I send my sister, Lola Graham, to my couture boutique to pick out a wedding dress. As she is leaving, a trainee clerk, Kayla Larson, demands three million for the gown. Helpless, Lola says my name. "I'm the owner's sister. I don't have to pay." Kayla rolls her eyes. "You're pranking the wrong store. Our boss doesn't have a sister. You're just broke and trying to scam us!" she snapped, blocking my sister's way. "This is your last warning—either pay up, or I'll rip that dress off you and throw you out!" Stunned, Lola calls me. When I rush over, I hear my long-time store manager standing deferentially behind Kayla, warning Lola, "You'd better behave. The woman in front of you is our boss' wife. Cross her, and you'll regret it." "Trying to fake your way in here? You've got some nerve," Kayla sneers, adding to my sister's humiliation. My hand freezes on the door. Without hesitation, I cut off my husband's secondary credit card and call him. "Have I been too generous with you? Or did giving you too much money make you think you could afford another woman behind my back?"

I spend an entire year preparing to get my daughter, Quincy Lindell, into a top international school. By the time the application review date rolls around, I have all the documents ready. I just need my wife's and my original marriage certificate to seal the deal. However, when I reach the admissions office, my wife, Wendy, blames me for taking matters into my own hands. I am about to explode when the school staff member says with a strange expression, "Mr. Howards, our system shows that you are not Ms. Lindell's spouse." My blood turns to ice. Before I can react, Zachary Shea, who has been quietly standing behind Wendy, passes his wedding certificate to the person in charge. The school staff member nods after checking her computer. "Ms. Lindell, Mr. Shea, your certificate was validated seven and a half years ago. You can now register your child for this school." Seven and a half years ago… That was the date of Wendy's and my engagement party. She held my hand in front of a room full of guests and said that I would be the only man she ever loved. That one sentence was enough to fool me for seven years.

I'm the top salesperson at a tutoring center. Payday comes, and my commission is 50 cents. I'm so furious that I march straight to my boss to demand answers, but his secretary, Sasha Watson, steps in front of me. She digs through her pocket, pulls out 50 cents, and flicks it straight at my face in front of everyone. "Here's your 50 cents!" My ears ring. Heat crawls up my neck and into my skull. "Ms. Watson, this has to be a mistake. I closed 1.5 million dollars on my own last month. My team pulls in over three million dollars. My commission should be at least 200 grand." Sasha rolls her eyes. She reaches into her wallet, pulls out a dollar bill, and slaps it against my cheek. "Stop barking! Fine, I'll throw you a dollar. Keep the change!" I'm about to lose it. "My mom is still waiting on that 200 grand for her surgery. Without it, she could die." The coworkers around us start whispering. "50 cents? For the top salesperson? That's insane!" "Lower your voice. She's the boss's niece! What she says goes. Unless you want to get fired, pretend you didn't hear anything." I turn away, pull out my phone, and dial our biggest competitor. "I'm in. Five million dollars a year."

My sister, Gabriella Rutherfurd, is the richest female CEO in Brightshire. Her male secretary, Freddie Morgan, mentions that he wants to see a real-life version of the Squid Game, so she builds the venue and spends 100 million dollars to make it happen. The lure of a gigantic cash prize draws in countless desperate souls. Even the bodyguards responsible for protecting my brother-in-law, Cyril Harding, abandon their posts to participate. Cyril has no choice but to go to the hospital without the bodyguards for his medical appointment, but he is abducted halfway there. In my previous life, I found Gabriella and asked her to stop the game and send people to rescue Cyril. After hesitating, Gabriella agreed. She stopped the game and managed to save Cyril just in time. But the few players who had made it to the final round were furious that the game was canceled. To vent their rage, they took Freddie and beat him to death. Gabriella acted like it had nothing to do with me. Yet, on the day Freddie was buried, she ordered her men to beat me up. When I open my eyes again, I am back to the day that Cyril was abducted. This time, Gabriella gets what she wants, and the Squid Game is held as planned. By the final round, a masked man is dragged onto the high platform. Freddie announces that whoever slices the man's head off will win the 100-million-dollar prize. When Cyril's head rolls to Gabriella's feet, she finally snaps.

"I'm a jerk, but you stole my heart"---->Derek"I'm a better person when i'm around you"---->Halsey"I fell in love with you because you loved me when I couldn't love myself"---->NicholasBut what shocked me the most were Alec's words..."I want you. All of you. Your flaws. Your mistakes. Your imperfections. I want you and only you."---->Alec Brad.It all started when i agreed to move in with them. The four bad ass of Greenville. Currently, i had been forced to attend a party with them and we were all playing truth and dare at the moment with other high schoolers.The bottle was spun around and it landed between me and Alec. I was to ask the question."Truth or dare?" I say slightly slurring on my words due to the little drinks i had taken."Truth" he replies with a lot of confidence, smirking at me, his green eyes holding my gaze.This was the perfect time to ask him what has always been bothering me. And then my question rolls out of my tongue."When was your last kiss?"He seemed shocked with the question but covers it up quickly with an evil smile, as he searches around for something, or maybe someone. Having found it, he turned around to face me and answered my question."Now"And with that, he pulls me up in a swift movement, grabs my waist, draws me closer to him,and then you can imagine what happens next. My asshole is kissing me.