Quiet Down

I was born to shine. But the fate had others plans for me. The moment my feet left the edge, the world fell silent. There was only wind. And peace. For one fragile heartbeat, I was free. Like a bird. Then something slammed into me from behind. Arms. Hard. Unforgiving. The impact hurled me sideways instead of down. Wood splintered. Something inside me cracked. Darkness rushed in and I welcomed it. … “Open. Your. Eyes.” The voice was quiet, slow, deliberate. It forced its way through bone and blood. An Alpha command. Pain detonated through me as air tore back into my lungs. My body convulsed against my will. I tried to sink back into the quiet—to finish what I had started. “You were NEVER given permission to die.” Power wrapped around the words like chains. My eyes snapped open. We were beyond the pack’s borders. The air felt colder. Wilder. Untouched by law or duty. For one second, I had belonged to nothing. And he had dragged me back. He loomed above me, fury carved into every sharp angle of his face. His breathing was controlled, his posture dominant - absolute. If anyone were watching from the cliffs, they would see an Alpha asserting ownership. His jaw tightened, irritated at being forced to deal with something that should have already been resolved. I had complicated his plans. “Drink.” His wrist pressed my mouth. The metallic scent hit first. I tried to clamp my lips shut. But Alpha commands do not ask. They take. My mouth opened against my will and his blood burned down my throat, spreading heat through my chest. A cruel gift. He would not even grant me the mercy of dying on my own terms. And I understood - even my death did not belong to me.

Regina Drills has always lived a quiet live as what only interested her was nothing. But the day she unintentionally saved the puppy she had an unexplainable hatred and killing intent for, that was when her quiet life came to an end. Worse comes to worst, he turned out to be a Werewolf and she unexpectedly became his mate. Will Archie Jones, Alpha of the Full moon Pack and Regina Drills be able overcome the blood Hatred, urge to kill each other and the obstacles that would come in between their love in the future?

Everyone in town knows Jeffrey Williams—the hometown star who went from small productions to Broadway and television fame. But after years in the spotlight, Jeff has returned home, craving the quiet of familiar streets and the comfort of community theater. Daniel Lewis, the assistant stage manager, never expected his latest show to come with a front-row seat to his longtime crush. Shy, meticulous, and still nursing the wounds of a past relationship, Daniel wants nothing more than to keep his head down and do his job. But when Jeff’s piercing blue eyes land on him, the stage lights aren’t the only thing leaving him breathless. As rehearsals stretch into late nights and the line between performance and reality begins to blur, Jeff and Daniel find themselves drawn into a connection neither of them anticipated. But with gossip swirling backstage, old insecurities rising, and Jeff facing new offers that could pull him away again, both men must decide— is this just a fleeting spotlight romance, or the start of something real when the curtain falls? A heartfelt, slow-burn M/M romance filled with stage banter, stolen glances, and the magic of love found in unexpected places.

Kael was raised on one unshakable belief: fated mates were a weakness. Stories of alphas losing their minds, their control, and eventually their lives over mates had been passed down like cautionary tales. His great-grandfather had been one of them, brought to ruin by the unbearable loss of his mate. Kael’s grandfather had made sure that never happened again, enforcing strict laws which prioritized strength over sentiment. The pack thrived under that discipline. No one bonded. No one lost themselves. Kael believed in those laws. He wanted to believe. But wanting and doing weren’t exactly the same thing. Now, standing face to face with his fated mate, he was at a crossroads. Accepting them could fracture everything he was taught to protect. Rejecting them might break something in him that he would never be able to fix. Either way, the consequences were inevitable and permanent. Max never asked for much out of life. Just to finish her endless list of chores quickly so she could go to school, where the world felt wide and full of things to learn. Existing quietly had always been her way, keeping her head down, staying out of trouble, and doing her best to be invisible. But nothing about her life was simple.The most popular boy in school suddenly seemed interested in her for reasons she couldn’t understand. He was good looking, admired by all and magnetic, while she was awkward, quiet and unimportant. Soon, Max would find out that she wasn’t so small after all, and her life, every strange, shadowed part of it, was just one piece in a much bigger puzzle. And Kael? He wasn’t just the school’s golden boy. He was the beginning of everything.

Maya Lin has a lot of secrets. To the world, she is a struggling single mom trying to finish college. But online, she is "Velvet Rose," a famous erotica author whose stories pay the bills for her and her four-year-old son. Her most famous book? A retelling of the single most reckless night of her life: her eighteenth birthday at Secret Pleasures, a masked club where she gave her virginity to a stranger. What Maya doesn’t know is that this stranger never forgot her. Professor Adrian Black is cold, cruel, and broken. Since the death of his wife, he has shut down his heart. His only escape is reading the novels of a mysterious online author—the only woman who seems to capture the memory of the one night he felt alive again. When Adrian catches Maya writing a steamy scene in his class, she thinks her life is over. But Adrian doesn't report her. He blackmails her. “Be my assistant, Ms. Lin. Or say goodbye to your scholarship.” Adrian thinks he’s punishing a bratty student. He has no idea that the quiet girl in his office is the author he’s obsessed with.

Aria was born under the moon’s blessing gentle, intuitive, carrying a power she never asked for. Clara was forged in lightning fierce, rebellious, and determined to tear down every wall fate built around her. Two girls from opposite worlds. Two powers that should never coexist. Two destinies written by a goddess who broke herself long before they were born. But when an ancient prophecy stirs and the sea begins whispering the goddess’s name, Aria’s quiet strength and Clara’s storming rage collide in ways no one predicted. Their bond becomes something deeper, older something the world isn’t prepared to face. And standing between them is Ares, Alpha of the Lunar Pack, bound by duty, torn by fate, and caught in a connection that defies every rule of the wolf world. He was never meant to choose between them… yet destiny demands a choice no heart should have to make. As the goddess rises to reclaim the pieces of herself she once shattered, Aria and Clara must uncover the truth behind their origins, their bond, and the power that ties them together. Will they rewrite a fate written long before their births or become the final sacrifice in a prophecy designed to consume them?

Growing up, my mother always told me — choose your fated mate. Otherwise, you'll end up betrayed. But I was convinced Lennox was different. After all, he was willing to give up his position as Alpha for me. So I gave up my own fated mate for him. I even nearly died saving his life, and the injuries left my wolf permanently dormant. But barely two years later, rumors about him and an Omega named Alice were everywhere. And because my wolf was dormant, I couldn't sense a thing. I didn't find out he'd broken our vows until Alice showed up at my door with a pregnancy test. The whole Stonebrook Pack was laughing behind my back. Lennox dropped to his knees, eyes red and swollen. "I'm sorry. I was drunk that night. I'll make her end the pregnancy. I swear." I looked down at our one-year-old son in my arms. I nodded and forgave him — that one time. After that, he behaved. He was attentive, affectionate, doting — until one day, five years later, when I was at the gym. A young woman on the machine beside me was whining. "Everything down there gets so loose after having a baby. I really need to tighten things up." I didn't bother looking at her face. I let out a quiet laugh and started to leave. Then her phone rang. She answered, her voice coy and flirtatious. "So, Alpha Lennox — when are you finally going to end things with that woman? She's old, and she's lost her wolf. Can she even satisfy you?" "Of course not. I miss you so much, baby." I froze mid-step at the sound of his voice.

“Please, Mr. Kaiden, this is enough,” I begged, forcing my voice and face to look weak, almost tearful. “I’m not done.” I stared at him in disbelief. This man was insane. What more did he want than this? One kiss was not a big deal, but what we were doing was still betrayal. On both sides. “Both of us? You and I are cheating…” He cut me off, rolling his eyes with boredom. “It doesn’t matter who gets hurt as long as we both enjoy what we’re doing. When you’re with me, don’t think about anyone else.” “That’s not easy for someone getting married in two months.” “And what about someone who got married a month ago?” After I said that, he spoke words that hit me like lightning. “Married a month ago.” “A month and a half, to be more precise.” Damn it. I wish I had even a little of his cold calm. “It was like the first day of my honeymoon was yours. I played for you that day.” I froze. “Do you mean you left your wife sleeping on the very first day of your honeymoon… and went out to play music for a girl on the beach?” “Exactly.” ************************×************************ Tara Blackwood never thought her quiet life would turn upside down because of one man. A forbidden man. Kaiden Draven. A powerful lawyer. Her father’s closest friend. Married. A man older than her, dangerous enough to tear down every rule she had lived by. Caught between an engagement that suffocates her and a marriage bound with no love, Tara stands on the edge of a choice that could destroy everyone… or save her heart. So can she resist a man she should never want?

Sera Quinn had one job. Marry a dying man, keep her head down, and wait. Nobody told her that Damien Voss did not die on anyone's schedule but his own. She was twenty two years old when her stepfather sat her down at the kitchen table and explained her options. Her mother was sick. The bills were swallowing everything. And the most powerful billionaire in the country was lying unconscious in a private hospital ward with his family desperate enough to pay a small fortune to any woman willing to stand beside him at the altar. All Sera had to do was say yes. She said yes. She had no other word left. She moved into his mansion and tried to be invisible. She talked to him in the dark of his room every night because there was nobody else and because she was sure he could not hear her. She told him things she had never told anyone. She told him she was scared. She told him she was pregnant. Then she overheard four words that changed everything and she ran before the sun came up. Four years later she had rebuilt herself from nothing. A career. A spine. Twin children with their father's eyes. A case file she had been building alone, one quiet hour at a time, that connected a road barrier report to a name that would put people in prison. She had one rule. Stay away from Damien Voss. Then her four year old daughter hacked into his private server and left him a message. Damien was already in his car before Sera found out what her daughter had done. He was not coming to talk. And Sera Quinn was finally done running.

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing