Nakadashi Means

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

In a near-future society, where the HarmonyMatch app governs the bonds of matrimony, the path to love is algorithmically determined. For the young and hopeful, turning 25 means eagerly awaiting the app's verdict, believing it will guide them to their soulmate. But for our heroine, fate takes an unforeseen twist. As the day of her app-mandated match arrives, the digital scales of destiny tip unexpectedly, pairing her not with her ex boyfriend but with a young prince, third in line for the throne. Faced with an irrevocable royal engagement, she enters a world of opulence and duty, leaving her past life behind. Amidst the grandeur of the palace, she encounters a life vastly different from her own and a prince burdened with responsibilities he never sought. But within the gilded halls and amid palace intrigues, they discover hidden passions and dreams that draw them closer. As feelings bloom, they must decide whether to reveal a glitch in the system and risk the kingdom's stability or uphold their duties at the cost of their hearts.

"Two Years. No Emotions. No Strings Attached." Emma Carter’s life is a constant battle of resilience and hard work. As an executive assistant to Adrian Steele, a billionaire playboy with a reckless streak, she’s used to managing chaos but when her aunt’s medical crisis leaves her desperate for help, Emma is forced to make an unthinkable choice. Adrian offers her a lifeline: a two-year contract marriage. No strings, no emotions, just business. For him, it’s a means to an end. For her, it’s survival. But as Emma navigates Adrian’s world of luxury and deception, she begins to see the man behind the mask, a scarred soul yearning for redemption. When lies, betrayal tears them apart, could a secret child bring them back together? Can Adrian win back the woman he walked away from? Or will Emma protect her heart and the life she’s built at all costs? Read further to unveil a story of love, betrayal, redemption, and second chances.

She was the Luna they broke. He was the Alpha they feared. Together, they'll bring down a kingdom. After being betrayed by her husband and sister, beaten and left for dead, Samantha Walker rises from the ashes of her past with nothing but a vow for vengeance. Saved by Thorne Vale—the Mad Alpha of the Nightwalker Pack—she finds a new world of secrets, power, and dark allure. When a fake marriage becomes the only way to stay in the Nightwalker Pack, Samantha agrees, seeing it as a step toward her revenge. But as she plays the game of seduction, she discovers Thorne is far more than a means to an end—and maybe, just maybe, more broken than she is. She plans to use him. He plans to tame her. But neither is ready for the storm they’ll unleash when passion meets fury, and secrets come clawing back. Would they succeed? Or their secrets would tear them apart? Find out in this gripping tale of love, revenge, betrayal, and crimes.

After witnessing the death of her sister and supposed husband, Julian is forced ti raise her sister's only child by her self and she vowed to do everything within her means to keep the child away from that world. Locked and protected from the dangers of the outside world by her mother, Sophia is made to live like a prisoner for more than ten years, until the day she clocked eighteen. She's granted the freedom to head out with her mother for the first time ever. There she comes face to face with Clara, who instigates her to sneak from home and join a forest party. Clara _due to her desire for adventure_ sneaks and joins the midnight party. The party is disrupted by a mighty werewolf that sends everyone running for their dear lives. Sophia is pushed aside by Clara and pounced on by the werewolf. When she thought all hope was lost... "Mate." She heard the werewolf call her.

Liliana just wanted to escape her past. Jarek Falcon had other plans. He’s the heir to a mafia empire. She’s a girl with nothing to lose. When Jarek’s obsession turns to cruelty, Liliana runs—straight into the arms of someone from her past. However, people change and when she discovers a sinister plan in the making, she finds herself running once again—straight to the streets. Years later, Jarek finds her again. He needs an heir to claim his inheritance. She needs a way to a better life. Their deal is simple: a child in exchange for a lifetime of security. But love complicates everything. Jarek realizes too late that Liliana isn’t just a means to an end. She’s the one he can’t live without. The problem? She wants nothing to do with him. Can he rewrite their story, or will his past destroy any chance of a future?

The only sin Tommy Rivers ever committed was being born a recessive Alpha in a world that worshipped dominance, something his father never let him forget. For years, Tommy built his life on control and power, desperate to prove he could stand shoulder to shoulder with any dominant Alpha. But his perfectly crafted world begins to crumble after a one-night stand leaves him waking to an impossible truth; his body is changing. He’s becoming an Omega. Terrified and desperate for answers, Tommy turns to the one man he swore he’d never need: Gerard Vance, a brilliant geneticist, a dominant Alpha… and his high-school rival. As they search for a cure, old wounds reopen and buried desires resurface. In a society where Alphas are forbidden to love each other, Tommy and Gerard must face the hardest question of all. Can they accept who they are, even if it means losing everything? Tags: Omegaverse, Alpha x Alpha.

Alexandra 'The Duchess' Madden grew up loving MC life. She thrived on the danger, the closeness, the idea of playing on the wrong side of the law. What she didn't love, was being shut out of business and being denied being heir to the club due to the crime of having a vagina. Moving away with her closest friend, they went solo, and the Valkyrie MC was born. In all the hub bub when she was younger, the Duchess lost her chance at true happiness with Neil 'Ghost' Whitlock. When he reappears nearly ten years later as the second in command for a club she is allied with, it's like they never separated. Now, though. She's the ruthless boss of what is easily accepted as one of the most dangerous clubs in the country, and that means she has enemies, enemies that would love to take advantage of her being attached to someone. Can they get through it together? Or will her enemies manage to tear them apart?

Ava Monroe never believed in love—not after life taught her that trust could break faster than glass. But when she signs a contract marriage with Alexander Knight, a man known for his icy charm and lonely heart, her world begins to change in ways she never imagined. What started as a business deal soon turns into something far deeper. Between late-night talks, stolen glances, and unspoken feelings, Ava discovers that beneath Alexander’s wealth and perfection lies a man who’s just as lost as she is. As past scars resurface and secrets threaten to break them apart, Ava must decide if she’s brave enough to risk her heart one more time. Because sometimes, love doesn’t arrive like a storm—it heals like sunlight. 🌤️ She never believed in love until a contract marriage with a lonely billionaire made her heart remember what it means to heal, to trust, and to love again. 💍💖

Layla McDermott is the perfect example of from grace to grass. Her father loses everything after making a bad business decision and going into partnership with the evil, Jason Stanford. He is devastated at the loss and chooses to commit suicide. His wife is broken by her husband's death and tries to kill herself by jumping from a third story window. She narrowly misses death, but both of her legs are crushed and she is confined to a wheelchair. She becomes the breadwinner of her family, taking care of her mother and baby brother while studying for her degree and trying to build her career as an abstract painter. Jason Stanford however had not done enough to the mcdermotts. He is determined to get their land which is in Layla's name. Not because the land has any value, but because he wants to completely emasculate them. He is determined to do whatever it takes to get the land even if it means getting his son to feign love for Layla.