Once

From a stall in the office restroom, I overhear someone badmouthing me. Henry Fielder, the intern I've been mentoring for three months, grumbles, "The guy's got zero people skills. He's a total fossil, like a robot stuck in one mode." I'm about to push the door open and jump in when someone laughs and piles on. "The paperwork is incomplete. The receipts aren't compliant. I can't reimburse it without a manager's signature. We could recite his canned empathy lines in our sleep!" Once they're gone, I quietly head back to my office. Later, Henry drops a thick stack of expense reports onto my desk. "Quit waving the rulebook and rejecting everyone's reimbursements." I skim the fake receipts, and for once, I don't call him out. Instead, I give a thin smile and say, "I have a headache. I can't make out the words."

Three years ago they got married with love in their hearts and promises on their lips. They were the perfect couple until everything slowly withered away. Aurora would have never imagined that her once loving husband, Adrian, would hand her divorce papers with no reason and walk away without a second thought. Eventually, she had to move on. Three years later, she is wiser, and free. But then Adrian returns, pleading for a chance to make things better, he wants to fix what he broke. Unfortunately, she isn’t the same woman who once waited for him. She was adamant on not letting him draw scars on her stars again, but he was persistent to draw stars by the scars he left. She tells him “the damage is too deep to mend.” He tells her “Don’t tell me it's too deep. Tell me what it'll take to make it right again, because I’d rather die trying to fix us than live without you.”

Six years ago, Cynthia left Lucien and divorced him while pregnant with their child. Lucien's words, "If I ever meet you again, you'll know WHAT HELL IS!" hung over her like a curse, lingering in the years like a nightmare. Six years later, an unexpected turn of events throws Cynthia into a thrilling one-night stand. And the man involved turns out to be none other than Lucien, the one who had once cursed her so cruelly! Once again, fate has cruelly bound them together. Lucien looks at Cynthia with eyes full of hatred, but beneath that fury, there seems to be something deeper—emotions too complex for him to even name. Is it love or hate? The line has long since blurred. Cynthia is a bundle of nerves, desperately trying to hide the existence of her child. But with Lucien's probing gaze fixed on her, how long can she keep up the charade? What twists and turns will their story take from here?

I don't know what caught me first, was it his beautiful eyes that shines like sparkling light when he looks at me, or was it that smile he gives that sends shivers down my spine or his deep voice that did wonders to my body? All I knew was that I was trapped from the moment I saw him and there was nothing saving me. ***** Odessa has always lived a life controlled by her mother and then when she finally found love in a man that made her feel things she has never felt before, for the first time in her life she's determined to make her own decision, fall in love and be with the man she loves. But once again her mother wants her to marry another man but she's already trapped in the heart of another. The question now is will she follow her own heart and marry the man she loves or would she do what her mother wants once again? Find out.

Four years ago, Evan Brooks walked away from Ryan Hale, the boy who was his first love, his everything after catching him in what looked like a betrayal. Shattered and humiliated, Evan swore he’d never let Ryan close again but fate doesn’t care about promises. Now, their parents’ whirlwind marriage has made them stepbrothers. The boy Evan once loved and hated is suddenly living under the same roof, looking hotter, cockier, and more untouchable than ever. Evan tells himself he’s over it. He tells himself Ryan is his past but every stare feels like a dare. Every smirk is a reminder of the nights they once burned for each other. Ryan has his own secret, he never cheated. He’s been waiting for a second chance… even if it means breaking every rule in the book. And when the truth comes out, one question will remain— Was their love always doomed, or is the real danger finally giving in?

Welcome back to Clifton Heights. Sheriff Chris Baker and Father Ward meet for a Saturday morning breakfast at The Skylark Diner to once again commiserate over the weird and terrifying secrets surrounding their town. Sheriff Baker shares with Father Ward the story of a journal discovered in the ruins of what was once an elaborate koi pond and flower garden, which regales a tale of regret, buried pain, and unfulfilled debt: “Sophan” – Jake Burns has always been a bit...off. Rude, awkward, sometimes brutish, he's tolerated by Nate Slocum and his friends because he hits a mean line drive, and because they all know but don't discuss the abuse he faces at the hands of his troubled father, a Vietnam veteran consumed by his demons. But Jake is suffering something far worse than domestic abuse, and when Nate discovers what, he faces an impossible choice: help Jake and put himself in the path of evil, or abandon him, only to damn himself in the process. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Sold to settle her father’s debts, Elara became the unwilling Luna of Alpha Stefan, a mate who saw her as nothing more than a duty. Cold and distant, he placed his pack above all else, leaving Elara yearning for a love that would never come. When she discovered she was pregnant, she refused to let her child grow up in a bond without devotion. So, on the night of the blood moon, she vanished into the human world, leaving behind the mate who never truly saw her. Years later, Stefan finally finds her and their son. Furious that she kept his child from him, he demands she return. But Elara is no longer the frightened girl who once ran. She refuses to be controlled, even as Stefan fights to prove that he’s changed. As old wounds resurface and new threats emerge, the pull between them grows stronger. Will Elara risk her heart again for the mate who once broke it? Or will Stefan lose her forever?

Noah King is back, and he’s not the boy Sienna remembers. Once her childhood crush, he’s now a ruthless billionaire with one purpose—revenge on the family that destroyed his. Sienna is caught in his crosshairs, haunted by the memory of who he used to be, even as she’s dealing with her own wounds. On her 19th birthday, her boyfriend shattered her by leaving—just because he thought she was poor. She swore never to love again. But Noah’s return stirs something she thought she’d buried. Beneath his fury, she senses the boy she once knew, and though she’s afraid of the man he’s become, the spark between them refuses to die. Now, as Noah’s dangerous game pulls her in, Sienna faces an impossible choice: protect her heart, or trust that love might still exist somewhere in the ruins. Will she soften Noah’s vengeance, or lose herself—and him—forever?

Once a year the Iridescence Pack opens their gates to the world. Once a year an event unlike any other takes place. Ruled by an Alpha with a penchant for trickery, Iridian is a game where nothing is what it seems. Werewolves around the world beg for a coveted invitation to Iridian, desperate for a shot at the grand prize. Invitations sent across the world; their recipients chosen at random. For an entire week werewolves gather for the anticipated Iridian, held by the infamous Game Master. Each year the Game Master changes the game, challenging the mind and tricking the senses.The only thing Rachel Thornton cares about is finding her mate and getting the hell out of her small pack. Located in the middle of nowhere, Rachel longs to see the world. When an invitation finds its way into her hands, she wants nothing more than to refuse and move on with her life. This year the rules have changed, and something important was taken from Rachel. The only way to recover what was stolen is to venture to the Iridescence Pack, becoming a pawn in a game she never wanted to play.

Her husband called her a wolfless disgrace and tossed her aside. But Isabella was never just a Luna—she’s a royal heiress, a hidden powerhouse. Now married to a King who worships the ground she walks on, she’s rising stronger, fiercer, and untouchable. And Brandon? He’ll crawl... and beg for what he once threw away.