High Of The Dead

There are monsters in this world. And they used to be us. Now it's time to euthanize to survive in a hospice where Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. Post-infection Chicago. Christmas. Inside The Hospice, Emily and her fellow nurses do their rounds. Here, men and women live out their final days in comfort, segregated from society, and are then humanely terminated before fate turns them into marrow-craving monsters known as ‘Smilers.’ Outside these imposing walls, rabid protesters swarm with signs, caught up in the heat of their hatred. Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. But in a world where mortality means nothing, where guns are drawn in fear and nobody seems safe anymore – at what cost will this pursuit come? And through it all, the soon to be dead remain silent, ever smiling. Such is their curse. It won't be long before that snow-speckled ground will be salted by blood. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

The day we were meant to be mated, my Alpha, Ford, was ambushed. Silver bullets shredded his car, sending it plunging off a bridge and into the river below. He was pronounced dead. Drowned. I was left pregnant with his heir, shattered by the raw agony of our severed mate bond. Then Ford's twin, Aiden, returned from abroad with his mate, Kyra. His identical face and a scent so similar to my mate's nearly drove me mad. A desperate part of me swore Ford was still alive. I told myself it was just grief. A widow's delusion. Until I overheard a hushed conversation and the horrifying truth slammed into me: the man pretending to be Aiden was Ford. He had faked his death. He'd let his own brother die in his place, all for Kyra—the other woman carrying his child. The grief that had crippled me instantly morphed into a cold, sharp rage. Ford didn't just break our bond; he shattered it. And I would make him pay. I wiped my tears and sent a single message to my brother, Billy, the Alpha of the Winterstone Pack. "Brother, I need a plane crash. He loves faking his death? Fine. Let him feel what it's like to truly lose a mate." Only when the news of my "death" spread did Ford reclaim his name. He knelt for seven days and nights in the ashes of the home we once shared, consumed by a grief of his own making.

Kang Jae Woon is the youngest prosecutor in his department. With his handsome appearance, outstanding achievement, and powerful family background, he is being admired and envied at the same time by many people. One day, his best friend, Han Ryan is murdered by a serial killer and Jae Woon felt his world is crumbling down. Due to his excessive sadness, Jae Woon drowns himself in alcohol at his house, alone. He drunk and snacking food until his body suddenly convulsed in an allergic reaction. "Shit! Who the fuck put almonds in my snack?! I clearly remind the salesgirl to not put any almond in my baggage! Damn it! Where is my medicine?!" As he's groping around in agony, searching for his precious medicine, Jae Woon felt his body plopped on the bed as his consciousness faded and darkness is embracing his body. How miserable. To think I would die because of a stupid almond...Ryan will be laughing when he heard this. ------ "Wake up, you pig!" A harsh voice is jolted him away from his sleeping state. At the same time, his body is being drenched by a bucket of smelly water. "Since you're a pig, you didn't mind to bathe in poop, right?" Mocking waves of laughter are resounding in the dark, small room. Three boys and one girl are looking down at him with disgusted expressions plastered on their faces. One of the boys is holding an empty bucket. Jae Woon is dumbfounded. Wha...? Where is he? No, no, no. Actually, who are these pompous brats?! How dare they...Jae Woon suddenly felt that something is wrong with his body. He had difficulty in moving around and felt extremely sluggish. What is this?! Since when his slender and sturdy body changed into a piggy in just one night?!

In a world of magic and power, Freya, a young Tribrid, must embrace her destiny or risk everything. As her powers surge, she seeks refuge at the Academy for Werewolves, only to face a deadly rivalry with the first Tribrid, with their powers locked in a fierce battle, Freya must confront the darkness within and make a choice: unleash her true potential or succumb to the shadows. Will she emerge victorious, or will the cost of her victory be her very soul?

"You breached the contract" Alexander Martinez, the CEO of Skyland Corporation never failed in his projects, never let his company fell, never smiled, never speak unnecessarily to anyone until it's business, never let anyone touch him got changed when his car accidentally hit on a girl named Isabella Garcia, a senior high-schooler. The night they spend together make him realise something interesting. Alexander made a contract with Isabella with set of rules to follow in exchange of money. With the poor background, she signed the contract with him. After scandal of high schooler having affair with The CEO being released, things change and Isabella runs off away from him without thinking about the contract. After 6 months, The CEO finds her and kidnaps back to him saying that she breached the contract and should give 10 million dollar in return. The love & hate relationship between them made them fell in love with each other without their knowledge.

Van Dominic Loudd grew up without a family. He was young when he became an orphan and was raised by a family lawyer. He had always wanted to have a big, happy family. And he thought he would be able to achieve that when he met and fell in love with Demani Dominico. As opposed to Van, Demani was born in a big, close-knit family. Lumaki ito sa isang kilala at respetadong familia; believing that family should stick together through good and bad times. Just like all other couples out there, they met, fell in love, and planned for the future. Van eventually became part of the Dominico family. His life became complete. And so he thought... Dahil ang pamilya ni Demani rin pala ang dahilan kaya hindi naging maganda ang takbo ng pagsasama nila. They loved each other to destruction, but her family was pulling their relationship down. And Van got tired of it, and so, they started to fight a lot and lose respect for each other. They went through a bitter separation, and Demani thought she would never hear from him again. Until two years later, nakatanggap na lang ito ng sulat mula sa abogado ni Van, asking for her help. Van had an accident and he needed her assistance. She was skeptical at first, she didn't want to have any connections whatsoever with him; but she still found herself standing in front of their old house, waiting for him to open up the door. Will there be a second chance for them? **

As Jastrelle's golden girl, I draw lots to pick my groom, and fate finally hands me Felix Ledger, the childhood sweetheart I've wanted forever. During the impromptu wedding, a funeral convoy belonging to a scion of a rich family in Jastrelle passes right outside. I hate the omen. Felix laughs, pulls me into his arms, and places the veil over my head himself. "I'll take it as a good omen. With you, I'm covered from first breath to last," he says. His adoptive sister, Winnie Ledger, hears him, bursts into tears, and bolts outside. The funeral convoy runs her down, and she dies. Felix barely reacts. Three years later, Dad is framed, driven into bankruptcy, and falls gravely ill. He dies, and I lose everything. At the funeral, Felix sends everyone off, shoves me into the open grave, and buries me alive. He spits, "You rigged everything to get me. You left Winnie ruined. She bolted outside, and that funeral convoy ran her down. For three years, remorse has eaten me alive. I want you torn apart! "With your last protector gone, I can finally make you suffer a hundredfold the pain Winnie felt and ease my hatred!" When I open my eyes, I'm back at the groom-selection ceremony. Dad smiles as he hands me the lots. I shake my head, look out the window, and point at the funeral convoy passing outside. "I'm not choosing anyone. I'll marry that dead man!"

On the night I heard the rumor that my husband; My Alpha. The man who holds dear to my heart impregnated another lady. I couldn't believe my eyes. He desperately needed an heir and hence I'm not showing evidence of conceiving anytime soon. But what shock my heart; I was wrongly accused of poisoning the same lady who has sworn to scatter my marriage. My husband neither believed me or look second into my eyes for truth. He sent me to prison, despite all my pleading. But, the moon goddess is busy working for me. I'm with child! And once I'm out of here, the world will burn to my feet.

After marrying her deceased sister's husband for years, Daniela eventually finds the strength to ask her domineering husband Alex for a divorce. Shortly after moving out, she finds out she is pregnant and goes back to get her things in the hopes of having a polite conversation. Instead, she loses the baby when Alex, in a fit of rage, shoves her down the stairs .Daniela promises that Alex will pay for his actions. She takes matters into her own hands after the police investigation is halted because of his connections, painstakingly compiling proof of his financial crimes and violent acts against her five-year-old nephew.While reconstructing her life at a new marketing , Daniela meets Thomas, a generous creative director who sees through her well-built barriers. Because of his personal experience with loss, Thomas has the patience to earn her trust even if she is still determined to keep him accountable. After Sam secretly approaches Daniela and reveals the extent of Alex's abuse, Daniela's objective shifts from pursuing personal vengeance to protecting the child she still loves despite Alex rejecting her. Daniela and Thomas are forced to engage in a high-stakes legal battle for Sam's custody and their future together as Alex's danger increases as the net closes around him.If Daniela can get over her fears and fall in love again, she will have the opportunity to start the family she has always desired with her newfound strength and Thomas's unwavering support.

I was bleeding out in a corner after a hit from a rival family. My husband, Dante—the Torrino family’s underboss—was in his car, holding his best friend's little sister. He gave me one cold look and said, "Leave her. She's a nobody." Later, after someone else saved me, I walked home, soaked in my own blood. I found Dante cradling Seraphina, fussing over her. All she had was a scraped knee. The blood covering my clothes? He didn't even see it. I just watched. Said nothing. Then I pulled out my phone and called my mother. "Mom, I need to come home."