New Years Gift For Friends

After a brutal attack in the Wyoming wilderness, Clara Carlson wakes in a strange mountain lodge with no memory of how she got there. The last thing she remembers is hiking toward a secret waterfall—then pain, fur, and teeth. Now she’s surrounded by strangers who claim she’s no longer human. James Bishop, the lodge’s calm yet commanding leader, tells Clara she’s been bitten by a rogue werewolf and has transformed into one herself. As Alpha, he offers protection and a place within his pack—a secluded community hidden deep in the Rockies, bound by instinct, hierarchy, and secrecy. But to Clara, it feels like captivity. Struggling between disbelief and an undeniable pull toward her new instincts, Clara begins to unravel the truth about the world she’s entered. The pack is large, disciplined, and guarded—for good reason. There are threats beyond their borders: outcasts driven mad by isolation, hunters who’d expose their existence, and rival packs watching for weakness. As Clara’s powers awaken, she must decide whether to fight the change, risk escape, or accept the strange new life—and Alpha—who’s claimed her. But the more she learns about the wild world beneath the human one, the more she realizes that survival here requires more than acceptance. It demands loyalty, strength… and the courage to become the predator she never meant to be.

Aria was the Luna of the Winter Mist pack, renowned for her achievements in war strategy. Her contribution was crucial in her pack becoming the most powerful in the entire country. Everything in her life should be perfect. ...Except it wasn't. In actuality, Aria's life was anything but successful. She was helpless to the whims of her abusive Alpha mate and his mistress. A mate who never loved her. As she watches their relationship grow, her options are to run away or die trying to keep her Luna position. But this is not the story of how Aria sways his closed-off heart until he finally loves her. No, this is the story of how Aria died. So when she is faced with the opportunity to go back in time and try again... will she take it? ...Or is she fated to relive her mistakes all over again? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "...And if I refuse?" I asked hesitantly. "Then you will remain in the Abyss, forever reliving your earthly memories." My mind recalled the images that had just tormented me, showing me my death over and over again. I knew now she must have shown me that strategically so I had a taste of what my refusal would look like. "Then I don't want to be Luna again... and I don't want to be Aleric's mate," I said, surprising even myself that I was bargaining with a Goddess. But I couldn't shake the feeling something seemed off. "That is the fate I have chosen for you." "Then I don't accept," I argued. "I think there is something you're not telling me. A reason why you need me to go back so badly." She was silent, her silver eyes regarding me warily. "...So I am correct," I said, taking her silence as confirmation.

I died on my birthday, but neither my parents nor my husband noticed. They were too busy pouring all their attention into planning my twin sister, Esme Shaw's, birthday party. While she was surrounded by people helping her pick out a gown, I was tied up and thrown into the basement. With what little strength I had left, I forced my broken fingers to press in the code—9395. It was a signal my husband, Edwin Grant, and I had once agreed on. It was a straightforward way to call for help in the event of danger. I never thought I would actually need it one day. But when I sent it, he didn't believe me. His reply was cold, "Claudia, just because I didn't take you shopping for a new dress, you've decided to put on a show? "You can still wear last year's gown. Stop making trouble. I'll see you at the party later." What he didn't know was that Esme had already shredded that gown into pieces. And what he couldn't imagine was that the moment after he hung up, I was already gone. So, when the celebration began, I never appeared. But when everyone saw the birthday gift I had prepared for Esme ahead of time, the entire room lost its mind.

Melissa and Liam, the two names that brought back memories. Never in the world, would I have ever thought that the people that I once truly called my best friends would betray me. We were best friends ever since our childhood. Liam was my first love and I had been crushing on him since we were young. Until one day, I decided to let Melissa in on a secret as I trusted her with all my heart. Turns out, she was just like the others. She started changing herself, distancing herself from me and not even acknowledging me in school while hanging out with the popular kids. That’s when all the bullying bullies started. However, on the day of Liam’s birthday, Melissa revealed my big secret to everyone which left me humiliated. Liam just stood there not doing anything to defend me from those nasty comments. What really broke me was when I saw Melissa walk towards Liam and giving him a passionate kiss on his lips…….

After my brother, Don Matteo Sabella, finds out I have a crush on our family Consigliere, Lorenzo Gallo, for years, he spikes Lorenzo's wine and has him delivered to my bed. That night, he pushes deep into me, and we lose ourselves in each other. When the sky begins to lighten, Lorenzo stays, kisses my temple, and asks me to marry him. Now that we are married, he is all those things—gentle, perfect, and fiercely possessive—handing me almost everything I desire. I truly believe I've landed the kind of love every woman in our world dreams about. That illusion lasts until the day Matteo gets taken out in an assassination. After that, Lorenzo steps up as the Sabellas' new Don. It isn't long before he says he has family business to handle and disappears overseas for three years. Even on the day I deliver our daughter, Luna Gallo, he can't come home because of some emergency. Then I hear a recording that's blowing up on the family's internal network. His Consigliere chuckles and asks, "Don, what do you think has changed the most since you took over the family?" Lorenzo answers in this offhand tone, "It's definitely the fact that I can finally give those I care about most a home. But it also means I'm even more worried that Eliana and Sofia will be targeted because of me…" My blood runs cold. Eliana Rossi is his adopted sister, and Sofia is her daughter. Turns out every business trip, every absence, every so-called emergency Lorenzo has is about them. He has another home out there. That night, with my hands shaking, I dial the encrypted line. "Matteo, we've found the traitor. Isn't it time you stopped pretending to be dead and came to take Luna and me away?"

The pope's death, the union of China and Korea as a single country, and the economic breakdown triggered the third world war. Or is it a secret society that wanted to create a one-world government to end Christianity forever? When the Vatican claimed that they received a retraction from a journalist who wrote about the demented pope, they could not show it to the public. The mysterious death of the pope surprised the world following the disappearance of the writer. That year, there was no Christmas celebration, to commiserate with the Catholic church. The war in the Middle East continued to worsen leading to fluctuations in the oil prices and the price of commodities skyrocketed as a result. There was an economic breakdown even if there was also a digital chutzpah going around. China and Korea united as a single country. They wanted to rival NATO, particularly America. Both countries wanted to be a superpower. Henry, the premier of the China and Korea, visited as a commoner to America and met the brother of the journalist, Isaac. He believed that chaos theory should be laws of chaos and he predicted war. When Isaac received a late phone call about his brother, he set on an adventure to save his brother. Discovering that a secret society was launching a one-world government to launch a war, Isaac asked the help of Henry. In 72 hours, there will be a third world war. "If power is a religion," Henry once said, "then, I'm proud to be an atheist." This inspired the young genius to save the world from New World Order. What if instead of a New World Order, this secret society strengthened the Roman Catholic Church, much to the dismay of the one-world government? Will faith reign over the greedy and evil?

Yesterday, my fiancé told me he didn’t have time to come home with me for the holidays, but secretly, he had booked a flight to my hometown. I couldn’t help feeling a quiet thrill. Justin Baker had always been good at surprises back when we were dating. I just didn’t expect that now, when we were practically like an old married couple, he’d still do something like this. I was just about to tell my dad the news when my stepsister suddenly dropped a message in the family group chat that she was bringing her boyfriend home for the holidays. The relatives in the family immediately started teasing her, wanting to see what he looked like. The next second, photo after photo of her and Justin’s couple pictures flooded the chat. “I told you he’s really handsome, right? And he’s the same age as me.” “Oh wow, you locked him down so young? Dawn, you’re impressive.” “Hmph, of course. He’s crazy about me.” I stopped breathing. So that was why, when he found out I’d be spending the holidays at my mom’s place this year, he suddenly said he didn’t have time to come with me. It was because he already knew we wouldn’t run into each other. My hands trembled as I sent him one last message. [I’ve returned the engagement gift to you. We’re done.]

“We…shouldn’t be doing this,” Stacey moaned as she felt Noah’s lips kiss the side of her neck. “Tell me to stop, and I will,” he whispered. “I’m twelve years older than you; what would the world say?” “I don’t care what the damn world says. The only thing I care about is the woman in front of me.” He kissed her on that same sensitive spot on her neck. “So I say again, Professor, tell me to stop and I will.” ****** 32-year-old Stacey Smith's life comes crashing down when she discovers her husband's betrayal. Seeking comfort, her best friend drags her to a club where she ends up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Stacey is shocked to realize the guy she slept with is one of her students, the popular star basketball player of her school, 20-year-old Noah Baker. What happens when an unlikely romance blooms between the two? In an era of scrutiny and criticism, how would they handle the world's reaction to their unusual love? And with Noah’s future hanging on the line, her ex-husband and a new love interest her age after Stacey, would they be able to overcome all the challenges they face, or would they cave in and walk different paths?

Emilka Winchester is the envy of Seattle. To the outside world, she is Mrs. Perfect—the beautiful, devoted wife of a powerful man, living a life of marble counters, designer dresses, and carefully curated happiness. But behind closed doors, the silence is deafening. When her husband misses their fifth anniversary, a single crack begins to spread. A missed dinner becomes a trail of lies leading from the rain-soaked streets of Seattle to a hidden hotel room in Chicago. One receipt. One lingering scent of lilies. One scrap of red lace that doesn’t belong to her. The truth shatters everything. But Damian doesn’t ask for forgiveness. He offers a solution. An open marriage. After years of failed IVFs and the weight of a legacy that never came, he no longer wants a wife,just a woman to maintain the illusion while he lives his life elsewhere. Now Emilka must decide: remain the perfect wife in a beautiful lie… or destroy everything to reclaim the truth. Because in a world built on appearances, the truth is the most dangerous thing she can choose.

Alpha Kael Blackthorn’s childhood sweetheart was pregnant. On the night of our ninth anniversary, he brought her home and spoke as if assigning ordinary household matters. “She’s carrying a pureblood heir. Her appetite is delicate, so her meals can’t repeat.” “She startles easily at night. Clear out your things and move into the guest room.” I said nothing. I picked up the suitcase I had packed long ago and walked toward the door. The house steward looked ready to stop me, but Kael only laughed. “Let her go.” “She won’t last three days before she comes crawling back.” That made everyone laugh. Right in front of me, they placed a ten-million wager that I would be back before morning, begging him to let me in. After all, for nine years, no matter how much he hurt me, I always came back. But this time, the black sedan outside had already been arranged. This time, I was really leaving.