Gnawed

3:00 a.m. Insomnia gnawed at my nerves like a rusted saw, grinding back and forth mercilessly. On a whim that I couldn't explain, I opened a radio app called "Echoes from Below." The interface was simple and bare. Black background, blue text. No ads, no host introduction. Just a single audio waveform, slowly buffering on the screen. The shape of the waveform felt wrong. It didn't look like soundwaves at all. More like rows of sharp, interlocking teeth. A pop-up window appeared in the center of the screen. [Listening Guidelines] The letters glowed blue, carrying an unsettling eeriness. [This station's signal may extend into dreams. If you hear the broadcast while dreaming, firmly believe that you are awake.]

"At this point in a werewolf's life, all sons of an Alpha will be proud and eager to take over as the next Alpha. All, except me!" Damien Anderson, next in line to become Alpha, conceals a dark secret in his family's history which gnawed his soul everyday, turning him to the villain he once feared he'd become. Despite his icy demeanor, he finds his heart drawn to Elara, his mate. To protect himself from love's vulnerability, he appoints her as a maid, an act that both binds them and keeps them apart. Just as it seemed he might begin to open up his heart to Elara, a revelation emerges that shakes the very foundation of their bond, and he must confront the dark truth about his family's legacy. The stakes are higher than ever as Damien faces a choice that could lead to salvation or plunge him deeper into the shadows he has fought to escape.

After catching her boyfriend banging her coursemate, Luna ends up in a club with her friend, in a bid to forget it all. There, she meets this dashing guy who she jumps on without hesitation and requests for wild sex. It was supposed to be a one-night stand— one hell of a one-night stand that gave her shivers, but what she wasn't expecting was to meet him again. Not as the one who helped her brother secure a business deal and the one in whose house she would be spending the next thirty days. His name is Xander Storm— a dashing billionaire and one of the most eligible bachelors in Bayview. The shock goes both ways because the two of them relished the one-night stand and acknowledged that it felt more than one— but weren't expecting to see each other again. What will these thirty days be like? Will they pretend it never happened, or will they give in to the growing feelings that gnawed at their hearts? What will Xander's growing feelings for Luna mean for his revenge against the death of his parents, and for his enemies?

*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!"*

Because of my negligence, Leo's precious darling Sophia had choked on a mouthful of seawater. He flew into a rage and locked me in the dark water dungeon. "Catherine, whatever Sophia suffered, you'll repay double!" The instinct to survive forced me to shift into wolf form. I slammed my head against the iron cage again and again, begging for his mercy. But Leo bound my limbs with iron chains and ordered his subordinates to keep flooding the chamber. "A jealous wretch like you will only learn obedience through suffering." "Stay in there and repent for what you've done." He sealed the iron door of the water dungeon himself and forbade anyone from coming near. Over and over, I craned my neck to gulp in the thin air, howling in desperation. But the rising ice water swallowed me whole. I kept struggling until I had no strength left. A week later, in his great mercy, he decided to end my punishment. What he didn't know was that the water snakes had already gnawed my body beyond recognition.

Just because I forget to bring my mate's lover back—leaving her alone in the wilderness for three hours—he flies into a rage and throws me into an abandoned well in the desolate countryside. "You need to experience the torment that Belinda was put through." The well is deep and narrow, forcing me to curl up in my wolf form. I struggle to breathe. I plead for mercy and beg for forgiveness. However, all he does is tell me off icily. "Stay there and repent for your sins. You'll only understand the dignity required of a Luna once you learn your lesson from this." He orders his men to seal the well with a large boulder. I let out anguished howls and roars as I claw my way upward. However, I only fall back down over and over again. The walls of the well are covered in my claw marks. I continue like this until I can't make a sound through my parched throat. … Half a month later, my mate's heart softens when he sees the birthday gift I've prepared in advance for him. He decides to end my punishment. Unbeknownst to him, worms and snakes have already gnawed my body beyond recognition at the bottom of the well.

In my fifth year of marriage to Dominic, I'd become the woman all of Chicago knew as the crazy one — the mental case. Jealousy gnawed at me constantly, and my temper frayed easily, my emotions sharp and unsteady, unravelling more with each passing day. So it only made sense when he slid a divorce agreement across the table. "Vivian's pregnant. A Harrington heir can't be born illegitimate, and Mrs. Harrington can't be a lunatic." "Once she's had the baby, I’ll marry you again, and you'll still be Mrs. Harrington." I was forced to sign my name, then locked away in a private sanatorium a hundred miles from the city. The first year, I waited with desperate hope for him to come take me home. Instead, he handed me an ultrasound report. "Twins — a boy and a girl. Vivian's pregnant again. Just wait a little longer." The second year, he had electric fencing installed around the sanatorium grounds. "Harrington Corp is going public. We can't afford any slip-ups right now." By the fifth year, he simply called to tell me to wait one more year. He must have expected me to scream and lose control the way I always did. But this time, I just nodded calmly. "Alright. However long it takes." After all. I didn't have much time left anyway.

A flicker of hope, a spark amidst the neon grime of New Shanghai. Anya, a slave to the Volkov Mafia, had long buried her emotions under layers of calloused defiance. Years of servitude had carved a burning desire for vengeance into her soul. Then, a whisper of rebellion arrived – a message smuggled in a package, hinting at a Volkov family secret. Anya's heart, long numbed, stuttered awake. This wasn't just a chance to escape; it was a weapon. A weapon to dismantle the empire that had stolen her life, her family, everything. But the path to freedom was a razor's edge. Fear gnawed at her, a constant companion in the Volkov's watchful gaze, their merciless enforcers lurking in every shadow. Yet, a flicker of something else bloomed – a strange, almost forgotten warmth, a sliver of the person she used to be. Could she trust it? As Anya navigated the labyrinth of lies and high-tech security, a deeper truth unfolded. This Volkov secret wasn't just about her escape; it was a key to exposing a far-reaching conspiracy, one that could reshape the city's criminal web. Suddenly, Anya's burning desire for revenge transformed. It wasn't just about herself anymore. It was about a sliver of justice, a chance to dismantle a system that preyed on the weak. But with this newfound purpose came a terrifying weight of responsibility. Was she strong enough to risk everything, to ignite a war she might not survive? The weight of human emotions – fear, anger, and a desperate yearning for freedom – threatened to suffocate her. The price of vengeance was steep, and Anya had to decide if she had the strength to pay it.

Theodore Maxwell, a ruthless business tycoon driven by vengeance, plots to marry Alina Roosevelt, to kill two birds with one stone; get revenge on her father and, to inherit everything that was rightfully his. Alina, a budding author with a heart as pure as her prose, was blissfully unaware of Theodore's ulterior motives when she said "I do." As Theodore's cunning plan unfolded, he found himself captivated by Alina's charm and kindness. Despite his initial intentions, he couldn't help but admire the woman he had married. But just as unexpected love began to blossom, everything crumbles with Alina’s father, who devised a cunning scheme that shattered the fragile peace in their marriage. Consumed by rage and betrayal, Theodore divorces Alina, blaming her for her father's deceit. It's too late to realize that Alina was a mere pawn in her father's malicious game. Regret gnawed at his heart as he desperately searched for her, but she had vanished without a trace. Haunted by the memory of his cruel actions, Theodore is set to find Alina and make amends. And he will stop at nothing. How long will Alina be successful in keeping her little secret hidden? ----------------------------------------------------- “I’m not your wife anymore, Theodore!” I yelled, shoving him away from me. He had absolutely no right to march back into my life. “Here’s where you are wrong Alina,” he took dangerous steps towards me until I was pushed against one of the walls, as he held me captive. “You were mine, then. You are mine now. And you, most definitely, will stay mine in the future. Not even you can separate yourself from me Alina, because you were born to be mine!” And that’s when he smashed his lips against mine in a furious kiss.