Mayberry City

On my 30th birthday, my boyfriend of seven years asked to meet at the City Hall. He even told me to bring my ID and wear a wedding dress. But when I showed up just as he asked, he was laughing and looked really excited. “Pay up, pay up! I told you all. No matter how embarrassing it is, Wrenna will always do what I say!” I just looked at him wordlessly. Matthew Young raised his eyebrows at me. “Come on, it was just a joke. You’re not mad, are you?” When I stayed quiet, he got annoyed. “Alright, alright. I said I’d marry you, and I will. Just not right now.” His good-for-nothing friends started laughing and making fun of me. They said I was his simp and would never get angry. And they were right. I was not angry. I did not come here today for him anyway. After everyone left, I walked into the City Hall. “Sorry I’m late. Let’s go get married.”

“I reject you, Aurora, daughter of Lord Cornelius felta. Accept it or die!!”, his cold voice echoed. ************** In the world of Pine City, where strength and power determine one's worth, Aurora at the king's ball failed to transform into her wolf. As a result, she was rejected and called a forsaken by her once-sweetheart, Alpha Lucent, and was sent to the remote village of Greenfalls to live in shame. Aurora is caught in a vicious struggle between three rival Alpha local packs. Her life spirals into chaos when Vincent Donvan, the feared Alpha of a mysterious pack, stakes his claim on her. Vincent, together with Aurora, uncovered dangerous secrets that threatened not only their lives but the very existence of their world. Aurora, believed to be wolfless, holds a power no one could have imagined, one that makes her the key to an ancient prophecy. She is caught in a crossroad between the dark charms of mysterious alpha, the dark plans of Lucent, her former mate, and the fate of the pine city on the brink of destruction. Will she rise to claim her power? or will she be consumed by the forces seeking to control her?

As panic sweeps through the city and everyday streets collapse into chaos, Ciprian is driven by one unshakable instinct: protect Adam at all costs. When an unexplained catastrophe turns the urban landscape into a pressure cooker of fear and survival, nothing matters more than keeping his best friend alive. In this fast-paced short story, a sudden crisis forces two friends to confront more than danger. As tension rises and the city descends into disorder, buried emotions, unspoken attraction, and complicated feelings come to the surface. What begins as survival quickly becomes something deeper, binding their fates together in ways neither of them expected. Set against a backdrop of urban collapse, panic, and uncertainty, this emotional short fiction explores friendship, loyalty, and love under pressure. Perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven stories, disaster scenarios, slow-burn emotion, LGBTQ+ themes, and intimate moments set during world-altering events. A gripping short story about connection, courage, and the fragile line between friendship and something more—meant to be read in one sitting, but felt long after.

Ethan Mathews has just landed the opportunity of a lifetime: assisting the world renowned architect Dante Hart on a city defining project. But what begins as professional admiration soon becomes something far more dangerous. Late nights filled with whispered critiques, shared sketches, and stolen glances spark an undeniable attraction but the world is ready to judge. Colleagues whisper that Ethan is exploiting Dante, while Dante’s past heartbreak makes him wary of love. When a former partner resurfaces, determined to ruin Dante’s career, Ethan is forced to question whether their passion is worth the risk. A rival firm offers Ethan a tempting position, pushing him to choose between ambition and the man who has become his anchor. As rumors spiral and city officials threaten to remove Dante from the project, the two must navigate jealousy, sabotage, and the ever present scrutiny of a world that refuses to understand their love. Can they prove that their bond is built on trust, talent, and true desire, not just convenience and scandal? Or will ambition, fear, and envy tear them apart before their hearts and their masterpiece are complete?

Élianor is a young woman whose existence has been a long suffering. Due to her weight, she was the target of mockery her entire life, both within her family and throughout the city. The walls of the school became the stage for her daily and relentless harassment. Her torment reached its peak during a public humiliation, so cruel and violently orchestrated that she found herself covered in an indelible disgrace in the eyes of all. Broken and consumed by shame, she had no choice but to flee this city that had become a hell. Her exile was marked by an additional drama: she left, carrying a child whose paternity she did not know, possibly the result of ultimate violence or a desperate relationship. Five years later, Élianor returns. The timid and wounded girl has disappeared. In her place stands a woman of breathtaking beauty, slim and radiant, possessing a power and authority that cannot be contested. She returns to the land of her former nightmare with a single obsession: to take revenge with cold methodical precision on all those who broke her, and to make the entire city pay the price for its indifference and cruelty.

In the gritty shadows of Chicago, Lucian “The Reaper” Moretti, the city’s most feared mafia kingpin, rules with a cold heart and a deadly hand—until Ethan Caldwell, a closeted FBI agent, shatters his world. For two years, Ethan lived a lie as “Evan,” Lucian’s trusted right hand man—battling the burn of forbidden lust while feeding the FBI the evidence to destroy him. But one reckless night, lust wins. In the heat of their only night together, bodies collide—just before the raid blows everything apart and Ethan’s betrayal is revealed. Now, after a year in prison, Lucian is free—and out for blood. Torn between vengeance and the ghost of Ethan’s touch, he begins the hunt. Meanwhile Ethan drowns in guilt, trapped in a fake engagement and a life built on lies. In a city where love is a death sentence, can two broken men survive each other, or will their blood-soaked bond tear them apart? A pulse-pounding MM mafia romance where betrayal cuts deep, obsession burns hotter than sin, and love may be the deadliest weapon of all.

Ryan,a seventeen years old boy finally escaped from his abusive adoptive father after getting beaten to pulp. And ran away in a new city where he knew no one except his childhood buddy, Darius who lived in that city for his studies. This young man was delighted to hear from Ryan, who had gone incognito for over a year. Atleast finally Darius would get a chance to confess his feelings but he decided not to rush. However,when Ryan met Owen, a good-looking guy in the book store, he felt something. Something so different and dificult to understand for a teen boy who never went out of the mansion his adoptive father kept him like a prisoner. Will his budding feelings for Owen Davenport, son of a CEO, lead him to happiness with acceptance or someone else will take his heart, like his childhood friend who was blessed to have him again in his life? What will happen when Ryan tells Owen about his feelings? Acceptance or a heartbroken rejection, Read the novel to find

Every day since I was born, I've been trained to kill The Alpha. The one that killed my parents and burnt the city I once called home to ashes. However, fate has a twisted sense of humor. Just when I was about to ruin him, the moon called him mine. Will I stab his heart, or would he win mine?

Eva Brooks was set-up by her best friend, and her fiancé broke up with her and called off her engagement. After a one-night stand with the richest CEO in Dominic City, Ethan Owen. He offered her a job as his secretary. Do you think Eva will accept the job? What if Ethan had other motives behind his job offer? find out.

Fire and plague. Certainly no strangers to London Town.But when legions of living dead rise from the Thames’ fetid waters to feast upon the living, the city teeters on the brink of antihalation. And while floaters seek blood, another army takes advantage of the chaos. Boiling out of their rookeries of crime, marauders swarm through London’s affluent neighborhoods looting and burning.©️ Crystal Lake Publishing