Frozen Xmas

*His eyes scanned my bruised face, searching for answers. A careful, gentle hand caressed my cheek, intensifying the turmoil in his gaze. "He did this to you." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. But I couldn't find my voice, trapped in frozen silence. Fear gnawed at my skin as I stood amidst cold-blooded killers, surrounded by chaos and lifeless bodies. And as he held the gun, I knew more bodies would soon drop.* *** To everyone else, she was a nobody. A vessel for their perverse desires, a desperate pawn willing to fulfill their every whim. A nearsighted girl, finding solace only within the pages of her books, a portal to escape reality. But what they failed to grasp was that behind those innocent blue eyes lurked a devil, dependent on her happiness, hiding in the shadows and watching over her. And that devil was prepared to sacrifice everything for her. The scariest part? She had no clue. *"Why do you act like you're in love with me?" "Jesus, Lily," he growled, "I TATTOOED YOUR NAME ON MY FUCKING CHEST!"*

My little sister Willa? Always played the noble princess—even during the freaking apocalypse. She was pregnant and still trying to look like some graceful queen. I told her to end it. Safer that way. She slapped me. "Shut up. How can you be so heartless?" Meanwhile, I skipped meals so she and her rescue-pet gang could eat. When I collapsed from hunger, she snorted. "Drama queen. Think of it as a free weight-loss plan." I dragged her to the base, the safe zone, and nearly died doing it. She snatched the last of my rations. "The baby and I are good. Give the rest away." I died from my injuries—frozen, starving, forgotten. Willa? She got crowned a saint. Even landed the baby daddy—the Deputy Governor—and kicked off her perfect little fairytale. Then I woke up. Back to the moment she asked me to swear I'd protect her and the baby. This time, I laughed in her face. "Die for all I care."

Sophie became limp after an accident while saving an old grandma. Her parents, who resented her, laughed and said, "No one will marry a limping girl. Marry an old man and bring us the dowry money!" She thought her life was useless now. Until, the grandma's handsome grandson appeared with a shocking marriage proposal: "Marry me and I'll help you with your leg surgery!" She was stunned. "But I'm just a poor girl with a limp leg…why would you marry me?” His lips curled up into a smirk. "At least, I'll have a silly girl as my wife." Blinded by desperation and hope, Sophie agreed. Only later did she discover her new husband's true identity. Dominic William, London's most elusive billionaire, notorious for his icy heart and disdain for women. As Sophie navigates Dominic's world, she uncovers the secrets behind his frozen facade. But will their unconventional love overcome the darkness of his past and her own insecurities? Or will his secrets tear them apart?

Layla Hayes is used to surviving. Raised by adoptive parents who treated her like a burden, she learned to keep her head down, keep quiet, and dream of escape. When her long-term boyfriend cheats and leaves her with nothing, one wild night in a bar is supposed to be her only rebellion — a kiss of freedom before going back to hell.But the stranger she gives herself to isn’t just anyone. He’s Colden Frost. Elusive tech billionaire. Ruthless CEO. The media calls him the Ice King for a reason.So when he offers a flash contract marriage—cold, clinical, and signed in ink—Layla says yes. She wants out of her old life, and she doesn’t care if her new husband has a frozen heart.Only he’s not the monster the tabloids claim. He’s just… never home. Never warm. Never hers.But slowly, walls begin to thaw. And Layla realizes the man she married may be the one thing she never thought she'd find:Safety.

“Strip,” Lior said. Kael’s breath caught. He stood there, frozen, fear curling in his chest. Is this what my life is going to be now? he wondered. Ever since he met Lior, everything had gone wrong. They were fated—he had felt it the first time they locked eyes. That changed when Lior found out the truth. Kael’s brother was his ex. The one who had walked away. The one who chose his own fated mate and left Lior behind. After that, Lior hardened. He became ruthless. Instead of rejecting the bond, he held onto it like a weapon. He kept Kael close, punished him for someone else’s betrayal, and denied the pull that hit them both whenever they were together. Kael felt it every time Lior looked at him. Lior felt it too—but he refused to give in. The question was no longer why Lior hated him. It was whether the alpha would ever stop hurting his fated mate… or if revenge mattered more than the bond tying them together.

On the night of our mating ceremony, my mate, Damon, marked another she-wolf right in front of me. He said that if I wanted to be his Luna, I had to accept him having us both. In my past life, I screamed at him, accusing him of defying the Moon Goddess. Pressured by the Elders, he was forced to banish Lyla. She was run down by rogues and fell from a cliff to her death. After that, Damon refused to ever mark me. He even framed me, luring me into the forbidden lands as a pretext to banish me. Then, he hunted me down and killed me himself. I remember my body being picked apart by birds, the agony of it all. But now, I just stared at Damon's cold face, and at the Omega, Lyla, cradled in his arms. Then, I calmly reached up and removed the sacred symbol of our fated bond. "I refuse." And with that, under the shocked gazes of the entire pack, I walked away, heading for the frozen lands of the North. This time, I will make every single wolf who hurt me pay.

Vampires only ever took one mate in their lifetime. And yet, my vampire husband refused to acknowledge me—his human wife, bound to him through an arranged marriage. On the night of our tenth wedding anniversary, Jason brought another woman into my bed. She was wearing my nightgown. She was carrying his child. And in my hand, I held a pregnancy test I'd just had confirmed. "Be reasonable, Elena. Jessica just conceived my child. She needs me." "Go sleep in the guest room. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." My husband shielded the other woman, his smile polished and gentlemanly, though his eyes held the same icy indifference they always did. When he saw me frozen in the doorway, Jason assumed I was going to do what I always did. Scream. Cry. Demand to know why he kept doing this to me. But he didn't know—this time was different. The ten-year contract had come due, and I was finally leaving him for good.

To save my unconscious Alpha fiancé, I got trapped in a glacial crevasse on the frozen mountain. I tried to reach him through our bond ninety-nine times, but he blocked me out completely. When he finally found me seven days later, his first words were an accusation. "Elara damaged her eyes trying to save me, and you just had to cause trouble right now!" "You're a trained mountain warrior. How could you get trapped in a small crevasse for seven days?" "I've had enough of your games. Let's break off our engagement." He thought I would cry and argue like before. But I just nodded. "Okay." He didn't know I hit my head when I fell trying to save him. In seven days, I would completely forget him. But when I finally left him completely as he'd promised, he went crazy, searching the world and begging me back.

Ever since we brought our six-year-old daughter, Elise, home, she's been keeping her distance. My husband, Patrick Sheeter, chalked it up to "adjustment issues." Told me to bring her more gifts when I got back from my overseas trip. I was halfway out the door when I heard her voice in my head. 'Should I tell Mom that Della always hits me? 'Dad says Mom hates tattletales. Especially me. 'But if I keep quiet, I might not make it till Mom gets back.' My stomach flipped. I turned around. Elise was curled up in the corner, eyes glassy with tears. Silent. But I still heard her. 'Maybe I lived again just to see Mom one more time.' Patrick, noticing I was frozen, casually reminded me I was gonna miss my flight. Right. Like that mattered. I turned and slapped him so hard. Screw the business trip. I was staying. Let's see who's got the guts to mess with my kid now.

The tears stung in my eyes as I heard those words from his mouth, I still couldn’t believe it. “I-I d-don’t understand.” He grabbed my neck and pinned me to the wall, “If I ever lay my eyes on you again, I will kill you. An abomination like you can never be my mate.” He spat, his eyes filled with disgust. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the lycans won the war against the humans and the witches, they ruled over every being in the kingdom of Mondegard. The alpha king was feared by all, but none has been as ruthless as Ryken. He ruled with brutality, with a heart frozen cold, he only cared about two things - power and status. Every being was subject to him - and Sapphire was no exception. Born an outcast, unable to shift and pitifully weak, she has always been trampled upon, blind to the truth of her existence. But fate so cruel mated her to none other than the merciless Alpha king, dragging her into a world of betrayal, ancient secrets and rebellion she never imagined. And he made her life a living hell because of it.