Next Chapter Gifts

My sister accompanies me when I go for my premarital medical checkup. When I'm preparing a urine test, I hear embarrassing sounds coming from the cubicle next door. I'm about to leave when I hear the conversation. "Keep it in you, Willow. We're doing this again if it slips out." The voice belongs to my fiancé, Zachary Hilton. The woman to whom he's speaking is Willow Langley, my sister. I dial his number hysterically to see whether it really is him, but my calls go unanswered. All I hear is the incessant ringing of a phone next door and moans alongside it. I'm rooted to the spot, too stunned to do anything. Zachary once vowed to love me for life, yet he's doing something like this with Willow prior to our wedding. The moans and pants next door take a long time to subside. Once I hear them leave, I call home, my face wet with tears. "Mom, change my husband-to-be to Thomas Hilton, Zachary's youngest uncle. I don't want to have anything to do with Zachary anymore."

It's Thanksgiving, and I'm waiting for Zeke Jones to come home after cooking up an extravagant meal. When Zeke returns, he doesn't even glance at the meal I've prepared for him. Instead, he proceeds to pack a bag. "I can't celebrate Thanksgiving with you this year," he says. I take another bite of my turkey and say nothing. At the stroke of midnight, Zeke's first love posts a new photo on her social media page. In the photo, she's lying on Zeke's back with a bright smile on her face. The moon outside the window is bright. "Happy to spend Thanksgiving with good company," her caption reads. Instead of hysterically questioning Zeke about the post, I just tap on the "like" button without reacting in any way. Zeke calls me. His voice sounds panicked as he tries to explain himself. "Please don't misinterpret the post. I will definitely spend Thanksgiving with you next year…" I freeze for a few moments, letting out a small laugh. I don't offer him a reply. Next time, he says? Oh, Zeke, I'm afraid there won't be a next time.

Isabella Dean was uprooted from her life north of Atlanta at the beginning of her senior year of high school after a tragic accident that killed her father. Her mother took her to live with her aunt, Linda, in Asheville, NC where she was welcomed immediately by the school bully. This encounter got Isabella immediately recognized by a group of girls who befriended her and took her in as one of their friends. As she adjusted to her new life, she continued to have to protect herself from the bully, Lucy Upshaw, and recover from a hidden brain injury sustained in the accident. While in the hospital, she died and returned changed and with gifts she had to learn to live with. She discovered along with her new friend, Amber Collins, that her house was haunted by a mysterious girl. She and Amber also rescued a group of girls from sex traffickers and helped the victims flee. She and her friends helped get them adopted by local families, but they also had to deal with the bigotry of some people who didn’t like that some of the girls were transgender and genetically modified by their assailants. Isabella, meanwhile, had to deal with her own problems with her mother and recover from her surgery while still being attacked by Lucy. This is just the beginning for these girls who learn how to fight ghosts and demons with the help of their Native American friend, Winona. They learn to use their talents to help others deal with things that go bump in night.

At the pack's anniversary dinner party, the Alpha, Matt White, told us to write down the gifts we wanted. He would make sure every request was fulfilled. When it was my turn, the newly arrived intern suddenly snatched the paper and pen out of my hands. "Mr. White works so hard managing the pack. We can't let him spend money on us! You shouldn't write down your dream gift," she said. I ignored her, grabbed the list back, and calmly wrote down one item: a washing machine. Peyton immediately flew into a rage and splashed the champagne on the table straight onto me. "I told you not to write anything down! As a Beta, how can you be so inconsiderate of Mr. White?" My coat was completely soaked, and I looked utterly disheveled. I couldn't hold back my anger anymore. I flung the list straight at her face without mercy. She instantly covered her face and screamed, "How dare you hit me! Do you know who my father is? He's the Alpha King! Even Mr. White has to be polite to him. I'll have you kicked out of the pack for laying a hand on me!" I froze. I was the Alpha King's biological niece. My uncle didn't even have a partner, so how would he have a grown daughter?

Prince Aldridge Camionare, the seventh prince of the Holy Land, found out that he was a prince later than he should. With a mother who died, a father who doesn’t care for him and siblings who will never accept him is left to do his duties. Aldridge minded his ways until he met the Duke's son who he had fallen in love with. The two of them had their fun together until rumours spread about an affair which the Duke apparent immediately put an end leaving Aldridge distraught and helpless. During this time he uncovered a plot that threatened the crown and was granted three gifts, one of them allowing everyone who wanted to be with the same sex immunity from death. With this new law, Aldridge could do whatever he wanted as long as it was not against the crown and with daddy blessing, he went in search of someone who would never leave him. Shawn Seghatchian was found in the dungeon by Prince Aldridge to stand as his personal bodyguard. Being released and following the prince's orders, Shawn later realised that something unexpected was developing between the two of them but as things develop, the nobles cause troubles, so many troubles for the prince and his prisoner. But does this really affect the bond between the Prince who has a personality disorder and the prisoner who is as loyal as a dog? AND while they saved the kingdom one body at a time? Cover art by: Pen Guevarra

On the day of our engagement, my girlfriend, Jean Sullivan, is nowhere to be found until late at night. Beside myself with worry, I, Seth Lloyd, frantically reach out to our mutual friends and even consider calling the police. Suddenly, I come across a post about her from her assistant, Callum Cox. "My manager came over to discuss some plans, but the door lock suddenly broke. Does this mean we're going to be stuck in the same room tonight? I can't help feeling a little excited." When I like the post, Jean immediately calls me, furious. "Don't you have any idea how much I earn in a year? Just one day of my lost income would cover what you make in a whole week. "All I did was skip that stupid engagement party, and you start acting all snide. I don't have time to deal with your stingy relatives." My mom, Teresa Whitfield, stays silent, her eyes sweeping over the gold, eight sets of haute couture jewelry, and several property transfer deeds in the private room. With a forced smile, she asks, "Seth, have all these wedding gifts we've prepared embarrassed you?" I sneer, caressing the keys to the luxury car I'm about to give Jean. "No, it's me who's being too generous to her."

I had just won the Hawthorne Scientific Laureate on the international stage when my father called me back home. "Bring the betrothal gifts to the Hayes family. That childhood engagement should finally be fulfilled." Afraid of getting stuck in traffic, I took my modified motorcycle, carried the national heritage porcelain obtained through generations of the Keane family's military merits, and headed toward their house. Just as I arrived at the community gate, a Porsche suddenly cut across the lane, nearly knocking me over. A heavily made-up woman, Zoey Mercer, stepped out of the car, raised one sharp high heel, and kicked the top box off my motorcycle. "You rode this junk motorcycle yet dared block my way? If you dent my car, your whole family won't be able to afford the compensation!" My heart sank. I quickly opened the case, only to see the entire box of celadon porcelain shattered. "So you’re just some delivery guy. Think this pile of trash is worth even one of my shoes? "You even know whose neighborhood this is? It belongs to Kingshore's Hayes family! My best friend’s family developed this place! Believe it or not, I can have you thrown out right now!" Right then, my fiancee, Lauren Hayes, called me. "Where are you? My friend just messaged me saying there’s a delivery guy causing trouble at the entrance."

"We will never come back here next summer. We won't." Kuya Dusk's voice sounded with finality. I heard my brothers sighed heavily. They both kissed me in my forehead, and the next thing I knew, my vision were blocked by darkness. I am to reckless for giving trust. I am a foolish when I gave love. It's all absurd, but I did all that. For him, for the man I thought of never gonna hurt me. I want to forget you. I hope I could wake up tomorrow with no worries, tomorrow that I will no longer remember you, Trevor. I wish I could forget how I gave my whole stupid heart to you.

They're said to be the spirits of unearthly beautiful women. So beautiful, the men who get a sight of them fall in love and die. So beautiful, women get insane and commit suicide, unable to comprehend the existence of women so celestial. Their voices pour like honey in your ears, leading you to your doom. Their dance is a blessing for your eyes and is the last thing you will see. All places and characters in the story are pure fiction, work of the author. Any resemblance to real places and events is a strong coincidence. One thing is not fiction, though. Beware of the woods the next time you go. If you hear the melodic laughter and the tender singing somewhere far in the distance, hidden in the darkness of the night, know to run. Leave immediately, or know you'll be their next victim.

On the night when Anna was crowned queen and king of promnight with her lover, Juhyun afterward fucked her in the health room when Anna was drunk. The girl doesn't know what happened and becomes hysterical the next day when she finds Junhyu next to her in a mess. Anna is angry. Anna cursed Junhyu hundreds of times for using her while drunk. Besides that Junhyu is not a popular student at her school. Junhyu is a strange nerd student who is often bullied by her and her boyfriend. Anna suspects that Junhyu actually has a grudge against her and wants to avenge all her crimes by screwing her on promnight. But more than that, it turns out that Junhyu has another secret which is his reason for fucking Anna that night.