Pale Flame

Ten years of devotion. Two years of a hollow marriage. One night to break it all. Lanka Monroe was a stray, a broken pup rescued from the dirt and raised within the cold, prestigious walls of the Wolfe Crest Estate. For a decade, he worshipped the man who saved him—Andrew Wolfe, the lethal, untouchable Alpha of the North. But the hero of Lanka’s youth became the tyrant of his adulthood. To the pack, Lanka is the seductive social climber who drugged the Alpha to secure a mating bond. To Andrew, Lanka is a stain on his reputation, a burden to be endured until his "true" match returns. When Andrew’s old flame, Serena, reappears to reclaim her throne, the fragile peace shatters. Lanka is tired of being the ghost in the hallways. He’s ready to tear the ancestral earrings from his flesh and walk out of the estate with his pride intact. But as he hands over the divorce papers, a dark secret in the Wolfe bloodline comes to light. Andrew doesn’t just want a mate anymore—he needs a donor. And suddenly, the Alpha who wouldn't touch Lanka is the one pinning him to the bed, demanding the very pup he once forbade. In a world of ancient pack laws and silver-tongued lies, Lanka must decide: Will he remain a sacrificial lamb for the Wolfe family, or will he let the bond burn to ashes to find his own freedom?

Richard Franklin has left his Midwestern roots behind to live on the coast of Maine with his family. But in the autumn of the year 2000, he must return to his Illinois birthplace on a sorrowful journey. His wife Michelle has been killed in New England by a hit-and-run driver who is never found, so back home he comes with her cremated remains, to fulfill a final wish and on her birthday scatter her ashes in the park along the river in Blackwater Valley—simply Blackwater Val to locals—the small town where they both grew up and fell in love. With him he brings his six-year-old daughter Katie who still grieves for her lost mother: Katie, who can sometimes guess who’s going to be on the phone before it rings. Who can stop all the clocks in the house, and break up clouds in the sky with her mind, and heal sicknesses, and who sometimes sees things that aren’t there...people who are no longer alive. All gifts she inherited from her mother. Only something isn’t quite right in the Val. Sinkholes are opening up, revealing the plague pits the sleepy hamlet was built over in the 1830s, when malaria and cholera outbreaks ran riot. Mysterious bird and fish die-offs begin to occur, and Katie can see ghosts of the dead gathering all around. But what she can’t see is the charred, centuries-old malevolence which has been waiting for her, and wants her for its very own. Or the pale Sallow Man who haunts the town’s nighttime streets...or the river witch—another Blackwater Val, of sorts—each of whom will be drawn one by one into the nightmarish bloodletting about to take place. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

"Dr. Shaw! Ms. Sherwood has suffered a massive hemorrhage due to complications from childbirth! She has fallen into a coma and needs an emergency blood transfusion!" "Dr. Shaw! Ms. Lunsford is vomiting from anemia! She needs a blood transfusion immediately!" "Dr. Shaw! The blood bank just declared an emergency! We only have enough blood to save one of the patients right now!" Eugene Shaw stares broodingly at the pale and motionless Lilian Sherwood. Slowly, his hands clench into fists. "Stop all treatment for Ms. Sherwood! Have all the remaining blood in the blood bank transfused to Aurelie!" Lilian curls up in pain. Her mind is blank, but she hangs on to Eugene's every word. She hears him choose Aurelie Lunsford. Her pupils suddenly dilate as the doctor next to her sobs anxiously. "But Dr. Shaw, Ms. Sherwood's condition is more critical than Ms. Lunsford's! She should be your priority, especially since she's carrying your child!" Eugene turns, eyes slightly bloodshot, "She's a medical professional! Saving lives is her duty. I believe she would've made the same choice." Lilian is in disbelief. Tears spill from her eyes, bitter and mocking. Eugene makes his selfishness sound so noble. She regrets everything. If given another chance, she will definitely leave him at all costs! She draws her last despairing breath, and her hand droops limply. Eugene kneels before her hospital bed in panic, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Lilian. I have no choice but to save her!"

Praia was still grieving for her beloved father's death when problems flooded on her and she discovered that her family wasn't perfect as she think it is because her dad has a mistress— Florence. At first, she was mad that she wished not to see that woman but upon learning that Florence is the only key to her mother's freedom, napilitan syang hanapin ito. Kaya lang para syang naghahagilap ng multo dahil wala syang makuhang kahit na ano maliban sa apelido nito. She decided to take a risk and seduce Florence's older brother Zurich who was attracted to her para makalapit sa pamilya nito at makuha ang mga sagot na hinahanap. In other words, she played fire with him. May nakapagsabi sa kanya na masamang maglaro ng apoy at nangako sya na palaging maghahanda ng fire extinguisher para hindi sya nagawang saktan ng apoy na pinaglalaruan. Pero mukhang mahihirapan syang panindigan iyon dahil unti-unti na nyang nagugustuhan ang nararamdamang init. Can she put her tempting boss to the fire of seduction before she gets herself burned into the flame of her very own dangerous game? Warning: R18 Language: Filipino

“Why are you keeping yourself away from me? I know you want me, you want me the same way that I want you. Why are trying to resist me? What are you so afraid of?!” Lucrezia is getting frustrated day by day. She could see it in his eyes that he wants her, she could feel his love with how he worries about her. Why does he keep pushing her away from him? Pietro Carusso is the Don of the Carusso family, the most powerful and richest crime family among the five. As a mafia, he has his own principles; never trust anyone, never get attached to anyone. He built tall walls around his heart to protect himself, but Lucrezia came to his life like a flame, and in this story he is the moth attracted to the flame. The Italian princess is everything he should stir away from, but how could he? She is the fire to his groin. An Italian curse from her mouth is enough to drive him mad. And she curses… a lot. With her beautiful body, cursed eyes and wicked lips. He doesn’t know how long he could hold himself much longer. “I love you and you are mine now. Just let me love you, Don.”

At the party for our first wedding anniversary, I hit the floor—face-first on a red carpet, gasping like a fish out of water. Carlo Pipino, my husband, had his arm draped around Gianna Verde, his childhood flame, sipping champagne and laughing. Gianna knew I was allergic to nuts. So, obviously, she bathed everything in hazelnut dressing. One bite and boom—my throat locked, my lungs lit up, and hives popped like confetti. I reached for my allergy meds—came up with a fistful of melted M&Ms instead. Gianna laughed when she saw my face. "Surprise! Carlo swapped your meds. Seriously, Siena, one nut? Dramatic much?" I slid off my chair, wheezing, while the crowd placed bets on how long my "performance" would last. "Carlo... my meds..." I croaked. "Please. I'm gonna die." He sighed, annoyed. "God, you're so dramatic. Why do women always play dead for attention? You know I love you. Just stop this show already." Right then, my heart shattered faster than my lungs could. I stopped begging. Hit the distress signal. Called my real family.

On my birthday, I proposed a family trip to the northern grasslands. My younger sister, Clara Harrington, who was studying in the southern territory, decided to drive through the forest to meet up with us. But unexpectedly, she was attacked by Rogue wolves in the woods, and her body was never found. My parents, Oscar Harrington and Margaret Vale, placed all the blame on me for her death and cast me out of the family. Overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, I left the pack to atone for my sins. I took on odd jobs to earn money to send home, all while searching for any trace of Clara. Three years later, I found myself in the southern territory and began working as a delivery runner for a forest cafe. One day, while delivering an order to Werewolf Academy, I saw my parents and Clara standing at the school gate. She said, "Dad, Mom, Adeline has been wandering for three years. Shouldn't we let her come home?" But my mother replied calmly, "She is too selfish. It's only right that she suffers a little. We can bring her back once she realizes her mistakes." My father nodded in agreement. "Let her wander for another year. We'll bring her home next year." I clutched my stomach, my face pale as I forced out a bitter laugh. Three years of exhaustion had left me gravely ill. My wolf was gone, and I only had three days left to live. I could't wait until next year for my father to come and take me home.

“Your name?” a woman who’s wearing a dress, has pale lips and short hair asked me. I stuttered. “L-Livia Washington, ma’am,” I answered. “My husband and I can’t produce a child. I need your help and in exchange, I will reward you with money at your price. Just help me…” she said, her face screaming desperation and almost pleading. Without further hesitation, I nodded my head. “Just tell me what you want me to do, Ma’am…” I didn’t know that an offer I would be accepting would ruin the pipe dream I yearned for. Money. I need money. Surrogacy is the only quick way to get a billion dollars just like what they offered. However, things didn’t go the way I liked. “You came out with a woman again?” I busted out in anger after waiting for Archer to come home. He only scoffed, he was supposed to come upstairs yet I held his hand. “Just to remind you, Archer, you still have a wife waiting for you!” His jaw clenched then took his arms roughly. “Then you should have thought of your husband before cheating on me, and bearing someone else’s child, then, Livia!” he backfired, critically narrowing his eyes on mine. Being married to Archer for five years never became easy. I’m tired of it and was tormented with the punishment he had given to me. “A divorce won’t happen, Livia. I won’t give you the freedom you want. This is your punishment,” he narrowed his rough, stoic voice before coming to his room directly.

In a world where dreams collide with reality, one girl's journey to marry the man who ignited butterflies in her stomach unfolds. Aubrey, a naive and timid soul, was captivated by love at a young age, guided solely by the belief that love knows no boundaries. From the moment Evan Cooper smiled at her, Aubrey fell deeply and irrevocably in love. Little did she know that the rules of society would conspire against her, as a maid daring to love a noble member of society. However, love's flame burned fiercely within Aubrey, and her mother's manipulation would pave the path to an unconventional marriage, turning her into the maid wife of Evan Cooper, a man known for his ruthlessness cold-heartedness, and arrogance. Despite Evan's refusal to acknowledge her, Aubrey clung to her role as his wife, enduring insults and living as an outsider in her own home. But when a sinister conspiracy orchestrated by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law shatters her happiness, Aubrey is cast out, left to question her fate and contemplate a revenge she never thought she'd seek. Will Aubrey rise above the injustices inflicted upon her and reclaim her rightful place? Join her on a tumultuous journey of love, betrayal, and resilience as she seeks retribution for the atrocities committed against her.

All 20 year old Holly ever wanted to do was escape the boring Colorado mountain town where she was born. However, when she arrived at college, she found herself having too many wild nights. Worse yet, she had one too many mornings of waking up in an unfamiliar bed, and she couldn't keep her scholarship. Now that's she's back in Conifer, she has no idea what she is going to do with her life and no hope for the future. Andrew's father died a couple years ago in an electrical accident, and while Andrew wants nothing more than to leave town, his mother's mental instability makes it impossible for him to go. He feels trapped in a no-win situation and his options are slipping away. When a mutual friend has a crisis, Holly comes up with a plan, a plan that will change all their lives for the better. She knows that, despite previously being burned, all it takes to start a fire is a spark. However, she realizes that once again, she may have stood too close to the flame, and the torch she carries for Andrew burns brighter than ever. Will Holly manage to rekindle old loves, or will the destructive fire in their hearts consume everything they hold dear?