Open Water

Ever since I got into this pack, I was always treated like the slave I am despite being adopted by Luna when I was little. I had no memories of my full life and all I could remember was 10 years ago when I stumbled upon this very pack house, looking pale and hungry as I entered into one of the rooms which happened to be the Luna's chamber. I raided it in search of food to eat and even I finally saw food that was perhaps kept for the Luna to eat, I began to eat the cooked rice with my dirty hands. Yes, I looked very dirty and smelling. It was stealing, though, because I was in a strange place, taking what wasn't mine and ever since then, they took me in but I realised the alpha and his luna were not merciful to the core. I could remember the day Chloe had a bad day at school, the moment she came back, she vented it on me. Splashing water to the floor and accusing me of doing so, saying to her parents I intentionally wanted her to fall and injure herself. This wasn't the first time she tried to do things to get me punished. It was so obvious she devives joy seeing me in pain.

The beach was crowded as it was summer and many families tend to camp and have fun during this period. A young tanned skinned girl of about eight years, sat on the sand a little bit far from her family. She had a darkblue hoodie on and a headphone over her head. Her beautiful grey eyes seem to shimmer as she stared with keen interest at the water, while humming a song softly and enjoying the quiet. However, her little peace and privacy was shortlived as a lad of about ten years old, endowed with curly jet-black hair, ran along. He stopped however, on seeing her. She turned to see the one invading her quiet only to see the boy staring at her. She looked at him without saying a word, holding his gaze. Time seemed to fly by as they both continued their staring match which was eventually interrupted, when another lad of same age as the boy came by. "Jordan! There you are. Come, Mom calls for you." The blonde haired lad said, looking at the girl briefly before dragging the other along who continued to stare at the girl from his shoulders until she was out of eyesight. "Hey Elle!" A little girl of same age as the grey eyed, called as she ran towards her. "Come see the sand castle that Rosalie and I built." "Jordan," the grey-eyed girl whispered.

Kai Tanaka is Seattle’s best rescue swimmer, the man they send into black water when the storm decides to take a life. He’s built for cold, built for chaos, built to bring people back. Until one rescue goes wrong. A body disappears. The footage goes missing. And Kai becomes the quiet scapegoat the Coast Guard can sacrifice to keep the institution clean. Suspended and watched, he’s barely holding on when Luca Reyes drags his name into the light. Luca is a true-crime podcaster chasing the truth behind that same night, because his younger brother was on the boat that never came home. Luca thinks Kai is hiding something. Kai thinks Luca is feeding off tragedy. Their first meeting is sharp and ugly. Then Luca is nearly killed for asking the right questions. Kai pulls him from the wreckage and realizes this isn’t internet noise. Someone is laundering bodies through the sea, and they’re using Kai as the fall guy. The only way to keep Luca alive is to disappear with him to an off-grid cabin on the San Juan Islands, where the wind never stops and secrets sound louder. Forced proximity turns into hunger. Suspicion turns into heat. And the closer they get to the truth, the more they realize the storm isn’t the worst thing chasing them.

Everyone in our social circle knew that my fiancée, Hazel Mullins, had a skin hunger condition toward me. Only touching me brought her excitement and satisfaction. But the self-proclaimed heartthrob and heir to the Newman family refused to believe it. He boldly declared that he would win her over within a month. After bombarding her with seductive photos for an entire month, Hazel finally reached her breaking point and auctioned them off. With his reputation ruined, Rory Newman was disowned by his family. In a fit of rage, he jumped off a bridge in an apparent suicide attempt. Hazel lost her mind and leaped after him. I became the biggest laughingstock in the circle. That was until I went skiing in the Alps and accidentally bumped into Hazel helping Rory select ski gear. She explained with a composed expression, "Rory's dealing with some serious emotional trauma. The doctor suggested more outdoor activities. Just please, don't throw another tantrum." I felt bewildered. I wasn't even involved with them anymore. Why would I get upset? Then it hit me that she was unaware of one fact. I had already married someone else on the same day she jumped into the water after Rory in that dramatic display of devotion. I was simply there for my honeymoon, with a bit of skiing on the side.

My mate and my brother hated me for twelve years. They believed I stole their precious Sarah's herbal research and bullied her for twelve years into silence. At my marking ceremony, they exposed my "crimes" to the entire supernatural world. "She's nothing but a bully who torments her packmates and a thief who stole the herb formula from Sarah!" But Sarah smiled through her tears: "The formula doesn't matter anymore." "As long as it saved our wolves from silver poisoning, what does it matter who created it?" "I've already forgiven her." She became the pack's angel of mercy. I was condemned by thousands, until the very wolf I'd saved with my medicine poured silver water over my head. In my despair, I dragged Sarah down with me into death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my second year of high school. Sarah was slicing her arm with a silver blade, smiling as she asked: "Have you thought about how you'll apologize to me?" Something in me snapped. My Alpha power surged forth, crushing her to her knees. I grabbed the blade: "Let me show you what real cuts look like."

The dark matter had come to claim her soul. "Don't go. Do as he says," grandmother said. Suzanne blinked and looked into her grandmother's face. "Grandmama?” Grandmother's eyes were no longer glazed, and she had spoken with such clarity when usually, her speech was slurred. At that very moment, Suzanne had no doubt that her grandmother’s mind was crystal clear. Grandmother held onto Suzanne's hand and gently pried open her palm, revealing the black mark. Grandmother's eyes narrowed as she traced her bony finger on Suzanne's palm before staring back at Suzanne. "This," she pointed at Suzanne's palm, "This is the mark of the beast.”

[CompletedKathrina Breevort has always wanted to leave her town and start anew. Everything seemed to scream pain for her--growing up watching her parents die from lack of support, she promised herself she will forget the memories of not being able to do anything for them. She's almost graduating--without drama, not until she met Drey Punder, and falling for the bad boy. But what can she do with their feelings? She's not the first one to come into his life. For what it's worth, she knows she deserves more than an illicit love affair. But years will pass, and people change. Will she ever open up her heart again for the bad boy—if it's all the same?

I'm on my way to get married when a truck slams into my car from behind. After being unconscious for a long time, I hear the doctor telling my fiancee that I might lose my memory. I decide to have a little fun and open my eyes, pretending to be confused. "Who are you?" My fiancee goes completely still. I'm about to admit I'm only teasing her, but before I can, she grabs my best man's hand without a second thought. "I'm Janice Lloyd, your best friend's fiancee. You got into a car accident on your way to our wedding."

"Miss Hudson, we have prepared a corpse identical to you, just as you requested. It will be delivered to your wedding with Mr. Warhol in ten days." Hearing the voice on the other end of the line, Violet Hudson felt a small knot of tension unwind inside her. "Alright. Thank you." "You're welcome. This is our job. Please rest assured—no one will ever suspect a thing." With that guarantee, she exhaled, the weight on her chest easing just a little. After confirming the final details once more, she ended the call and pushed open the door to the private room. The noise inside had been a constant hum, a mix of voices overlapping, but the moment she stepped in, silence fell like a curtain.

THIS BOOK CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT 🔞 I never meant to give my virginity to the devil. Two weeks later, I walked down the aisle in white…and found him waiting at the altar. Zayden Romano killed my groom. Took his place. Made me his wife to destroy my father. He calls me leverage. A pawn. His revenge. But the way he pins me down at 3 a.m., spreads me open, and growls “mine” while I come apart on his tongue doesn’t feel like revenge. It feels like obsession. He’s the monster I’m supposed to hate. So why am I begging the devil for more?