Painted Scars

She was supposed not to believe in a relationship and always felt insecure—yet she falls in love, not with anyone but a Lycan Alpha Prince. Selena is a young human with a complex mysterious past. She grew up with the scars of abandonment and the echoes of her adoptive parents' toxic relationship, leaving her convinced that love is a myth for the weak. Her insecurities and trauma make it difficult for her to trust and open up. But when she meets Marcus, the captivating, powerful prince of the secluded Lycan Empire and her boss—her defenses start to crumble. He’s everything she’s ever feared and desired: strong, confident, and maddeningly irresistible. His piercing eyes seem to see right through her, and his touch ignites a fire she can't ignore. He’s the one man who forces her to question everything she’s ever known about love, desire, and herself. But their love is forbidden. Marcus is a Lycan, and Selena is ... a secret waiting to be uncovered Secrets and lies begin to unveil. Selena's past is not what she thought it was, and Marcus' position as future king of the Lycan Empire hung with the hope of leading his kind out of seclusion. Selena's identity could change everything, and Marcus must decide where his loyalties lie: with his people or with the woman he loves. Will their love be strong enough to overcome the obstacles in their path, or will their love be doomed by the very secrets that they keep?

Amelia Carter never expected her life to collide with Dominic Blackwood — the grumpy billionaire, ruthless CEO, and her brother’s best friend. Once the carefree boy who teased her like a little sister, Dominic has become a man shrouded in power, secrets, and a dangerous edge she can’t ignore. Desperate for a fresh start, Amelia takes a job as Dominic’s executive assistant, stepping into a world of high stakes and cold luxury. But working for Dominic is a battle of wills—he’s as demanding as he is infuriating, pushing her to her limits with biting comments and piercing gazes that stir something deep within her. As days turn into nights and business bleeds into temptation, the line between professional and personal blurs. Beneath Dominic’s gruff exterior lies a storm of pain and passion, and Amelia soon discovers that the man she thought she knew is far more complex—and broken—than she ever imagined. Their connection ignites into a fierce, unrelenting fire, forcing Amelia to confront her own desires and the dark past Dominic hides. But loving Dominic Blackwood comes at a price, and surrendering to him could ruin them both. In a world of power, secrets, and shattered trust, can Amelia break through Dominic’s walls without losing herself? Or will their love destroy everything in its wake? Ruin Me, Blackwood is a dark, steamy modern romance of forbidden passion, emotional scars, and the fierce battle to find redemption in the arms of a man who refuses to be tamed.

“I have some trash to take out.” Hailey’s faint smile didn’t reach her eyes as she turned towards her best friend.“Will you help me, Iris?” Iris pouts in confusion, she had no idea what Hailey meant. “ Trash?What are you talking about?” “You can help me take out my trash right?” Hailey remained persistent. “You’re my best friend Iris…you’ll help me, won't you?” What Iris didn’t know was that Hailey wasn’t talking about garbage, she was talking about betrayal! ******************************** Betrayed by the two people she least expected;her husband and her best friend. Trapped in a loveless marriage, poisoned in secret, and discarded like she was nothing. Hailey thought her story had ended in cold blood and regret. But death wasn't the end,it was only the beginning. Reborn with the knowledge and scars of her past life,she has only one mission; take back her life and destroy theirs. This time,she won't be the naive woman who lost everything…she'll be the mastermind pulling the strings.And when revenge comes, it won't just be sweet…it will be devastating! Yet, fate has its own cruel twists, and as Hailey reshapes her destiny, she finds herself caught in a battle of love, betrayal, and power that could cost her everything once more.

​“This is Ava, my mate. Your new Luna.” ​The Alpha’s voice boomed across the clearing, and in that instant, my world came crashing down. ​I stood frozen, the heavy silence of the pack pressing in on me. I didn't know whether to move, to scream, or to simply collapse. My legs felt like heavy, even as my wolf thrashed inside me, recognizing the soul crushing scent of the man standing on the podium. ​Four years ago, he humiliated me in front of the entire school. He made me believe my feelings were something to be ashamed of; a joke to be laughed at. That night, I left everything behind: my home, my pack, and the boy who broke me. ​I never planned to return. ​But standing at the coronation of the new Alpha, fate betrayed me in the cruelest way possible. The mate bond snapped into place with a terrifying force, tying me to the very man I swore to hate forever. ​I try to run. He doesn’t let me. ​Now, I’m expected to stand by his side as Luna, to smile for a pack that once laughed at my tears, and to trust an Alpha who shattered my heart into a thousand pieces. He thinks he can own me. He thinks a bond makes up for the scars he left behind. But he’s about to find out, I’m not the girl he broke. I’m the woman who’s going to bring him to his knees.

At seventeen, Seraphina Cole lost more than her innocence. A medical betrayal stole her future, her womb, and her belief in forever. Years later, she is successful, self-made, and emotionally guarded, determined never to let another man define her worth or control her destiny. Then she meets Aurelius Kingsley. A billionaire CEO with quiet power, iron discipline, and scars that mirror her own. Unlike every man before him, Aurelius doesn’t try to save Seraphina or break her defences. He respects her boundaries. He sees her strength. Instead of demanding her heart, he offers something rare, patience. As attraction deepens into devotion, Seraphina begins to believe that love doesn’t have to hurt to be real. But when her past resurfaces, a devastating secret, explodes into the public eye, and a pregnancy doctors said was impossible puts her life at risk, everything she’s rebuilt begins to unravel. Under ruthless media scrutiny, corporate enemies, and medical danger, Aurelius must prove that love isn’t possession, protection isn’t control, and commitment isn’t fear. Because this time, survival isn’t enough. The Heart That Wouldn’t Surrender is a powerful billionaire romance about trauma, healing, and a woman who learns that even after everything is taken from you, the heart can still choose forever.

"You were his Luna," Lucien’s voice was silk wrapped in steel, his golden eyes burning through the shadows. "But you were always meant to be mine." Evelara’s breath hitched, though her tone was cold. "You think I’ll fall into your bed just because you’re the Supreme?" A dark smirk curved his lips. "No. You’ll fall because your body remembers what your heart refuses to admit… that I’m the bond he never deserved." ——————— Evelara Stormrune’s life shatters the moment she finds her mate, Alpha Callum Brooksbane, entangled with his mistress. Worse, the son she had devoted her life to, had wanted his father's mistress to become his mother. Betrayed. Humiliated. Rejected. She walks away, determined never to let a man define her again. But fate isn’t finished with her… When the Alpha Supreme, Lucien Virek, takes notice of the broken Luna, Evelara is pulled into a dangerous game of desire, vengeance, and secrets buried deeper than the bloodlines of their kind. Lucien is everything Callum is not—ruthless, untouchable, intoxicating. Yet he hides scars as jagged as her own. Now, caught between the wreckage of her past and the fire of a forbidden bond, Evelara must decide: Will she surrender to the King who could consume her whole… or will she rise from the ashes and make even a Lycan kneel?

“You’re just like a sister to me.” Those were the actual words that broke the camel’s back. Not after what just happened. Not after the hot, breathless, soul-shaking night we spent tangled in each other’s arms. I knew from the beginning that Tristan Hayes was a line I shouldn’t cross. He wasn’t just anyone, he was my brother’s best friend. The man I spent years secretly wanting. But that night… we were broken. We had just buried our parents. And the grief was too heavy, too real.... so I begged him to touch me. To make me forget. To fill the silence that death left behind. And he did. He held me like I was something fragile. Kissed me like I was the only thing he needed to breathe. Then left me bleeding with six words that burned deeper than rejection ever could. So, I ran. Away from everything that cost me pain. Now, five years later, I’m back. Fresh from rejecting the mate who abused me. Still carrying the scars of a pup I never got to hold. And the man waiting for me at the airport isn’t my brother. It’s Tristan. And he's not the guy I left behind. He's a biker. An Alpha. And when he looked at me, I knew there was no where else to run to.

#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?

I met him in a place no sane woman should ever be in Blackgate Prison. As a prison therapist, I was trained to see danger. Every part of me screamed to stay away, but I couldn’t. He was a legend behind bars, Nikolai Sokolov, ruthless, untouchable, the leader of one of Russia’s most feared Mafia syndicates. Darkness clung to him like a second skin. The dim light carved his face into something sharp and dangerous. He looked at me, cold and unreadable, and held me in place with his gaze. “Who are you?” His voice was rough, heavy with threats and scars I couldn’t see. I forced a smile, trying to keep my voice steady. And yet… a part of me felt at home in this danger, a shadow inside I had never admitted, one that hummed quietly at his presence. It was darkness like his, though he couldn’t know it. “I’m Dr. Korovin. I’m here to evaluate you.” The chains rattled as he shifted, a predator testing the limits of his cage. His lips curved, not into a smile, but into a warning. “My name is Nikolai,” he said slowly, deliberately, heavy with threat. “Remember it, Doctor.” I should have been scared. I should have run. But something inside me stirred, something dark, like him, and I didn’t yet understand it.

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?