Painted Scars Neva Altaj

For centuries, the Moon Rocks Pack has lived under a curse: no Alpha of their bloodline may ever have a mate, and no Luna will ever rise beside them. Lyra Thompson was eight years old when her world burned. A rogue wolf attacked her pack, leaving flames, smoke, and chaos in its wake. Her parents’ last command echoed in her ears: Run. Find the Moon Rocks. Too small to fight, too young to shift, Lyra fled into the night — a lost pup alone in a world that had already taken everything from her. The Moon Rocks Pack took her in, raising her as one of their own. They gave her safety. They gave her guidance. But even among wolves, fear has a way of lingering, and Lyra carries the scars of that night — a fear of fire, a wariness of rogue wolves, and a quiet, unshakable sense of loss. Now, one week before her eighteenth birthday, the pack prepares for Oscar Knight’s ascension as Alpha. Strong, disciplined, and raised to believe he will never have a mate, Oscar has accepted the curse as his burden. Until the full moon rises. Until Lyra turns eighteen. The bond that should not exist ignites between them — fierce, undeniable, and powerful enough to shatter a centuries-old curse. But destiny comes with consequences, and the rogue who destroyed Lyra’s past may still be hunting. The Moon Rocks Pack was never meant to have a Luna. Until her.

“I am Maya, the first daughter of Alpha Darius of the Ashbourne Pack, and I am damned… damned by the Moon Goddess, and an embarrassment to my father’s legacy.” Born wolfless, her life had always been full of shame. While others shifted under the full moon, she suffered through painful heat. Her father, a powerful Alpha, saw her as a disgrace. And when he finally cast her out of the pack, she had nowhere left to go, until Kael, the feared Lycan Leader, found her. Now, Kael is offering her a hand. If she takes it, she’ll be branded as a traitor. If she doesn’t, it might cost her life, or worse… a life of eternal exile. "I won't be called wolfless anymore. I won't be yanked into the crooked domination battles of the Leaders. And I definitely won't surrender to the arrogant stranger who claims the moon marked me for him..." But when he touches her, it's not disgrace that fills her. It's power, unlocking a prophecy that doesn't belong to a shattered girl but to a tool forged by the Moon Goddess herself. The question is, can Maya trust the Leader whose secrets run deeper than his scars, or is she just another pawn in his bloodstained games? Either way, one thing is clear: They called her wolfless. They thought she was weak. But she is done hiding, and this time, she's rewriting the rules.

Caroline Everett, a 45 year-old woman, escapes a 21 year toxic marriage to Ethan Blackwood, a controlling and abusive man. Forced to leave her first love, Williams, and marry Ethan due to family pressures, Caroline’s life was forever altered. Decades of emotional torment followed, but she eventually found the strength to break free. In search of peace, she rents an apartment from Harrison Reed. However, peace proves elusive when she finds herself drawn to Harrison’s younger son, Bryce, a 29 year-old man whose presence awakens something she thought she had lost forever. As their secret affair intensifies, Caroline must navigate the emotional complexity of their relationship while facing judgment and resistance from her estranged children, Liam and Sydney. Meanwhile, the threat of Ethan’s potential discovery looms large, casting a dangerous shadow over her newfound freedom. Amidst the rising tension, Caroline is also forced to confront the painful truth about her past. Will she uncover the devastating role her own parents played in her years of suffering? Or will she fall into the carefully laid traps of Samantha, her once trusted best friend, whose betrayal runs deeper than she ever imagined? In a world filled with secrets, lies, and buried pain, Caroline must decide if love is enough to heal or if some scars are meant to last forever.

" I am gay dad", I confessed, crying as I hugged my knees and rocked myself back and forth on the floor.       He glared at me with so much emotions running through him, the most prominent one was hatred and disappointment. " True dad, I may be smiling and trying my best to fit in your world but deep down I am dying."     I went mute as I waited for him to speak.  " You are a disgrace to this family", he spat, walking away.  ' disgrace' , that word changed my life forever. ______ Sebastian, bullied by all, rejected by his father, loved by one.    Kaden, hot, notorious and one of the most famous boy in pearl high. Literally, the golden boy of all times. Girls flirt with him, boys wants to be his friend and he care less about grades and school activities except basketball. Behind the golden facade lies a boy with dark secrets he desperately tries to hide to prevent ruining his reputation. When Sebastian catches a shirtless golden boy popping pills in the school restroom, the scars and bruises on his body draws Sebastian towards him. They both pretend they are fine on the outside but what neither of them know is that, however, they are both broken and their world is falling apart quicker than expected.  When Sebastian discover the truth about Kaden whose lifestyle hold a deeper meaning, he is set on knowing him more. Will love conquer all or will Kaden's past get in the way?

Thanatos walks into the room, and my world stands still. He looks like a Greek god. I can’t catch my breath. He’s almost 7 feet tall. I need to run my fingers through his golden locks that touch his beautiful face. His dark gold eyes burn into my soul. His face is full of scars and draws me in. He is the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on. His muscles are bulging out of his tux. He smells like a wood fire. Like he’s going to burn my entire world down. My jaw is on the floor. My wolf is howling in my head, begging me to reach out and touch him. He pulls out a chair and sits beside my father. My sisters and I sigh in unison. What I wouldn’t give to be his seat cushion. Traded like property. Marked as a breeder. Ayesha was never meant to survive the Lycan King. But inside her stirs something ancient Stella, a demon wolf bound by blood and rage. She doesn’t obey. She doesn’t kneel. And she certainly doesn’t care that the king wants Ayesha to carry his heir. Ayesha must walk a dangerous line between survival and surrender. Because losing control doesn’t just mean death it means

Seeing nothing but the bare self of a girl in his kitchen, his thought suddenly went blank, even her grumbling stomach couldn’t get to him. A strange nude girl in his kitchen was something he hadn’t thought he would see in the next hundred years. She was weird, her long unraveled reddish brown hair was covering her face. Her body held, different old and new scars . And when she lift her eyes to look at him. The eyes was something he hasn’t seen before burning in flames. And a mixture of gold and blue. In a flash it swipe to deep sea blue eyes. The mop stick he held fell from his hands, leaving his mouth ajar. “Who are you?” He thought a thief had sneak in here, probably a food thief in his kitchen, but he ended up seeing something else. And she blinked her long and full lashes at him. Innocently. “Who the hell, are you?” He asked, his eyes running up and down her naked body again. He gulped down an invisible lump on his throat. What’s he gonna do? Her stomach growls. And she whined, giving him pleading eyes. He suddenly felt his knee went weak. “What are you doing here?” Was this some kind of nightmare, or what the hell was it?

#Second place Winner hopwriter short storystorm " Don't say anymore word than you already have, don't..." I stuck a finger out at him, sauntering away on my heels when a hand wrapped itself around my arm. Breathlessly he whispered, "You know that I do love you and...fine, what exactly was I supposed to do?" "Protect me and stand up for me. That is what you do for someone who you claim you love!" ************ Out to spite her ex-boyfriend after he had broken up with her on her birthday, Daphne slept with a stranger who turned out to be his uncle while trying to rebuff his words that she was unwanted by others. Was she ready for the wild chase that followed when he found out years later that she had been pregnant with his heirs and that she had been hiding the truth all this while? Faced with the ruthless CEO, known as the beast, who wasn't ready to back down, Daphne does everything possible to make sure her kids wouldn't be taken from her, but what happens when love gets in the mix of it all? Would she be able to conquer these weird feelings and give in her all amidst her scars? And with how deadly he turned out to be? And faced with her ex who still wants her back, what choice is she going to make?

In a world where perfection is a facade, two damaged souls collide in a whirlwind of scandal, social media, and self-discovery. Arc, a rugged, brooding outsider, bears the scars of a traumatic past. His life is a constant struggle, marked by a crippling deformity, a dead-end job, and the weight of supporting his sister's future. Chelsea Waters, the golden boy of social media, has it all – until his picture-perfect world shatters. His boyfriend's infidelity, captured on camera, sparks a vicious backlash from his fans. Desperate to salvage his reputation, Chelsea's manager orchestrates a plan: pretend to be friends with Arc. As they weave a tale of love and acceptance, Arc and Chelsea must confront the dark secrets beneath their polished veneers Love is love. Tag words: m-m (male x male), lots of hastags, Instagram, insecurities, Arc is not an Orc, a sub character that swears alot, other disabled characters, crazy characters, a gang of quirky grandmothers, Chelsea's ex is a humbo, first time, past trauma, families are complicated and a happy ending. *Target Audience:* Fans of emotional, thought-provoking romance. Author's note: Most of the places and celebrities that are mentioned are purely out of fiction and are a work of the writer's imagination. The deformity Arc has doesn't exist and probably never will. This novel might the start of a series of other character's lives. PS: Please leave a review of your opinion on my book. XoXo.

Betrayed by her fiancé and facing an unexpected pregnancy, Alice Bennett sells her apartment, packs whatever pride she has left, and does the only sensible thing: run far, far away for the Christmas holidays. Her destination? The cozy — and utterly isolated — Snowfall Creek Ranch, a countryside holiday resort in the heart of Texas. What she didn’t expect was to meet a host so… unbearable. Marco Hill, the owner of the ranch, is a grumpy, quiet, widowed cowboy. He carries deep scars and a pain that turned Christmas into his worst nightmare. To his employees, he’s loyal. To his guests, he’s polite. To Alice, however… he’s impossible. But only until she smiles. With her light humor, charming messiness, and a strength she doesn’t even realize she has, Alice slowly begins to spark warmth where Marco swore he would live in the dark. He tries to keep his distance. She tries to stay focused. But the ranch’s Christmas traditions, the silent snowy nights, and a chemistry neither of them wants to admit pull their guarded hearts closer than either expected. Between sparks, funny arguments, accidental touches, teasing, and secrets, Alice and Marco discover that… Sometimes, the best family is the one life rebuilds — even when it starts with heartbreak, an unexpected baby, and one very grumpy cowboy. And this Christmas, at Snowfall Creek Ranch… love may reignite what once felt forever lost.

On a dark burning night, I watched my father and his mistress kill my mother but they claimed it was an accident. I plotted to take revenge once I got married but on my wedding day, my stepsister stole my groom and my father forced me to marry my groom’s uncle instead. He was known as the Demon Rafael. His name brought fear to all those who dared to whisper it. He was the man even kings feared. I expected scars and cruelty. I expected to be killed on sight. Instead, I found dangerously enchanting emerald green eyes. And a man who carried a much darker secret beyond the eery rumors about him. He thinks I’m weak. My family thinks I’m disposable. The capital thinks I won’t survive the night. They’re all wrong. Because I didn’t marry Rafael Skull to be his obedient wife. I married him to destroy my father. To reclaim my mother’s legacy. To take back the throne they stole from me. But in a palace where every woman is fighting to bear the next Alpha King… And every smile hides betrayal… The most dangerous game isn’t politics. It’s falling for the demon who might ruin me. Will I survive the dangerous palace of wolves and avenge my mother or will the Demon Rafael consume me with his darkness?