Ransom Center Austin Novels & Stories

The Lycan King's summons reached all fifty-six packs across the Northern Territories — he was choosing a Luna for his heir. The heir's reputation for brutality preceded him. So my mother swapped my sister Freya's name for mine. Her voice left no room for argument. "Elsa, your sister's wolf spirit hasn't fully awakened yet. She can't survive the journey. Go in her place — enter the Luna Trials for her." She gripped my hand, tears sliding down her cheeks at just the right moment. "When it's over, your brother will come for you. I swear it on the Moon Goddess." In my past life, I believed that oath. I traveled to the Lycan King's fortress, only to be singled out by the heir himself. I barely escaped his stronghold alive, fleeing through blizzards for seven days and nights before I finally lost my pursuers. After two years as a rogue, I made it back to the Frostfang Pack — just in time to witness Freya's Marking Ceremony with the Alpha. My mother stood at the center of the celebration and looked straight through me. "Rogue. There is no place for you here." Cast out a second time, I lost all hope. I died in a blizzard, alone. When consciousness returned, I found myself standing in the stone hall again. She wore the same expression, watching me with those calculating eyes. "Elsa, would you take Freya's place in the Luna Trials?"

I glared when his hand reached again to my neck. Our faces only an inch apart. His big hand was almost wrapping it whole. His thumb massaging my throat like a feather. "And when I thrust inside of you, I want to hear you scream my name. Every name of mine." "Dante. Adriano. Sol. Di. Angelo." His thumb stroking the center of my neck while uttering every name he owned. His eyes hooded in heat, lust clouding the windows of his soul. "And when you cum, it'll be Dante you moan." --- Hailynn Fleury is a talented painter. Growing up as an orphan, she and her best friend Ethan, always wanted to get back to the people that helped and cared for them. When one of her friends convinced her to auction her paintings at one of her charity events, it didn't take much persuasion knowing the money would go to the orphanage. On the night of the auction, her future took another turn when she saw a handsome man holding a gun. Later finding out that he was a mafia boss with an intention of keeping her from thereon. Witnessing him pulling a trigger to someone would have been the mafia boss' wisest decision to never let her go. Except that he couldn't touch the girl knowing the promise he had with his cousin. Dreams of bedding the girl is no longer an option. But how will he treat his ragazza, really? Find out how both of their lives took a turn- with the aspiring artist and the Italian mafia boss.

Eight years ago, my daughter, Joey Porter, was stuck in the desert of death. Her GPS had blinked out, and she ran out of supplies. She kept calling for me for over a dozen hours over the walkie-talkie. The only rescue team was an hour's flight away from her, only to get intercepted halfway there. Later on, I found out that my wife, Ruby Shaw, spent 800 thousand dollars bribing the dispatch center, rerouting the rescue team's flight route just so they could save Ruby's younger brother, Howard Shaw, instead. Howard had had too much to drink at that time, causing him to lose his way outside the resort that was located at the edge of the desert. When he was found, it turned out that he was about a mile away from the resort. But the rescue team never came for Joey, who waited for them till she was dehydrated and, later on, died in the desert. Since then, I've quit my job and made this living hell my new home. For the next eight years, I work as a desert guide, ultimately saving over 100 people. Every inch of the dunes and the hidden sand currents are engraved into my mind. Today, my partner decides to give me a rescue order that's worth an astronomical amount. He urges me to pack my things and set off immediately. I glance at the photo, only to see a familiar face. That's when I turn off my walkie-talkie and get up to my feet before heading outside. "I can't save this person."

In the high stakes world of wealth, philanthropy, and power plays, Shadows of Desire weaves a tale of love, betrayal, and redemption. At the center of it all is Sophie Langston, a passionate and driven woman who co-founded a charitable foundation with her long-time business partner and lover, James Thornton. Their organization, built on the ideals of changing the world, has become a beacon of hope for struggling communities. But as the foundation grows in influence, so do the enemies lurking in the shadows. Sophie and James find their relationship and partnership tested when an unexpected visitor walks into their lives, Richard Mallory, a disgraced businessman with a tainted past. Despite having tried to undermine the foundation before, Richard proposes a substantial investment, claiming he wants to make amends. Torn between suspicion and the potential benefits for their projects, Sophie reluctantly agrees, setting off a chain of events that unravel deep-seated conspiracies and hidden agendas. Soon after, whispers of internal conflict and financial instability begin to surface. Rumors swirl about a power struggle between Sophie and James, putting their relationship under intense public scrutiny. Behind the scenes, they uncover a more sinister plot at play. Dominic Kane, a ruthless corporate raider infamous for hostile takeovers and blackmail, has set his sights on their foundation. With a history of exploiting the vulnerable for profit, Kane sees their organization as his next target, aiming to use it as a pawn in his larger schemes. As Sophie and James grapple with this new threat, they must navigate a web of deceit, power struggles, and hidden motives. Old allies resurface, trust is tested, and secrets from the past are unearthed, forcing the couple to confront their own vulnerabilities...

Roxanne's fiancé was suddenly snatched by her stepsister. In return, she got into a forced marriage with her stepsister's fiancé, a wealthy billionaire whom her sister had rejected because he was disabled.Bound by familial obligations and in order to reclaim her late mother's shopping center, Roxanne agreed to replace her sister and marry the "Crippled" billionaire, Henry Ford. Little did she know that she had thrown a rock and picked a diamond instead. Henry Ford, the crippled billionaire, was more than meets the eye! For Roxanne, the grass was indeed greener on Henry Ford's side. …"Make me yours, Henry," Roxanne said, her eyes pleading. Henry's electric blue eyes whirled with affection as he gazed into her eyes. His love was all that mattered to her. "Roxy, are you certain? Once I make you mine, there's no turning back." Henry's eyes darkened as he got closer to her. “Is this what you really want?”"You don't want me?" Roxanne asked instead, looking sad. Henry grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap. He glanced down at her and whispered, "I've wanted you from the very first day I laid my eyes on you." Roxanne's heart skipped a beat as she felt the intensity of his grip. She could sense the raw desire in his touch, and it sent delicious shivers down her spine. “Then prove it,” she whispered breathlessly.

The world ended the day the shifters revealed themselves. Dragons, wolves and other beasts from legend rose from the ashes of civilization and divided the ruins of the old world into brutal new kingdoms. Humans were spared- but only barely. Stripped of power, pushed into the center territories, and treated as lesser, they became a resource instead of a race. And now they are needed. Seraphina has survived her entire life by being invisible, a shadow, a rumor. Orphaned young, she learned fast that strength meant staying alive -and trust was a luxury she couldn't afford. In a world where humans are bartered and bred to strengthen shifter bloodlines, Seraphina has no intention of becoming anyone's prize. Until the prince of dragons befriends her, dragging her into a world of molten stone, deadly politics and people willing to kill her the knowledge she obtains. To keep her safe, Prince Kaelith takes her to the King's Castle. King Micah, ruler of the Western Skies, is everything that the world fears -merciless, untouchable, and bound by a fate written in fire. Everything that Seraphina has spent her life avoiding. Yet the bond ignites the moment he touches her. Claimed by the most powerful shifter alive, Seraphina's own secret paints an even larger target on her back. As tensions rise between shifter kingdoms and whispers of rebellion spread through the human territories, Seraphina must decide who she is willing to become: a pawn in a broken world, or the queen standing beside the dragon who burn it all down for her. Because fate chose her for a reason. and the world is about to remember what happens when even a dragon falls in love.

I was sold at dawn and delivered to hell before sunset. I did not bow when I met him. I do not know why. Every instinct I had screamed at me to lower my eyes, to make myself small, to survive the first night by becoming invisible. Instead, I looked directly into the eyes of the most dangerous Alpha alive, and I said something I should not have said. Something shifted in his face that I have not been able to stop thinking about since. He claimed me in front of his entire court that same night. Not as a servant. Not as a slave to be shuffled into the lower quarters and forgotten. As his. Personal. In the chamber next to his own, behind doors that only he has the key to, close enough that I can hear him breathing through the wall when the palace goes quiet. I know what he wants from me. I know what men like him take from women like me. What I did not know, what nobody warned me about, what I was completely and devastatingly unprepared for, was that the wanting would go both ways. Enemies are closing in from every direction. His former lover wants me dead. The uncle who sold me is feeding my secrets to the pack's enemies. A rogue army is building in the dark and I am at the center of all of it, the Omega nobody was supposed to notice, the girl nobody was supposed to want. The wolf who claimed me will burn his entire kingdom to the ground before he lets anything touch me.

"I welcome the bride and groom onto the stage!" A pastor said on the mic when the guest and the family members started clapping their hands while welcoming our beautiful couples. Julian grabbed Merry's wrist when she shared a look with him with a smile on his lips. Both of the couples are the center of attention in the hallway—they start walking on the stage while waving their hands at guests. Merry looked at her family members. The family members are smiling at her, but there is a mask behind those smiling faces. They are the monsters in the human-form, she knew very well. "Smile as you can because now the bad time has started for all of you—you people will cry day and night. "I am going to take everything from you guys!" Merry YELLED IN MIND while passing a fake smile to her members. Merry's parents have been separated by her own family. She has been far from her father for decades and missed the love. Merry came to take revenge on her family. "Now, the bride and groom can kiss each other!" The pastor said this after completing the rituals. Merry turned to Julian while biting her lips to kiss him. She was so shy, but Julian stepped close and didn't hesitate to kiss her on the lips. Her eyes widened as soon as his lips touched hers—his lips were so warm, and her body shivered to the spine, making her eyes close in response. This story is not just about revenge but also about a beautiful love story.

Gabriel Black and I had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, and when we reached adulthood, our families arranged our engagement. From the day the engagement was announced, I started counting down the days. However, Gabriel thought the whole thing was unfair. “Other people get to fall in love a few times in their lives. Why should I be stuck with just you my whole life? You should date a few people, too. Don’t shortchange yourself.” And he meant it. In the year after our engagement, Gabriel went through seven girlfriends. Every time he changed partners, I would simply smile and say it didn’t matter. After all, I thought he would always come back to me. That was until the eighth girlfriend came along. He brought her to the Black family’s annual banquet. She clung to his arm and called him Gabe. I quietly set down my utensils. Right there in front of both families, I took out the engagement agreement and slid it to the center of the table. “Gabriel,” I said calmly, “you were right. Staying loyal to just one person really is a loss.” Later, I stood before him again, this time with my hand linked with the only son of the Graham family. Gabriel smashed his glass on the spot. For the first time, his eyes turned red. “Erin, what do you mean by this?” I smiled and said, “Didn’t you tell me to try dating, too? Well, I did, and it suits me just fine.”

Aria’s story begins in silence. On the night her child is born beneath a bleeding moon, the world does the unthinkable, the moon answers a power older than mercy and takes her baby from her arms. No prophecy offers comfort. No god explains why. There is only absence, a wound carved so deeply into Aria that something inside her hardens into resolve. She was never meant to be a vessel. In a world ruled by ancient God's, sacred pacts, and power that demands obedience, Aria uncovers a truth far more dangerous than destiny, magic does not always need to be stolen, inherited, or bargained for. Sometimes, it listens. Sometimes, it can be refused. Bound by fate to Kael, a warrior forged for war and sacrifice, Aria is drawn into a conflict far older than the kingdoms trembling in its shadow. Alongside Azrael, Matteo, and Ren, the men shaped by loyalty, loss, and violence, she stands at the center of a prophecy written to break her. The Devourer, an ancient god of control and corruption, seeks to claim Aria as its final vessel and crown her queen. It promises salvation. Restoration. Even the impossible return of what she lost. Aria refuses. At the Hollow Crown, she denies divinity itself, shattering prophecy and forcing a god to retreat. But refusal leaves echoes. Fragments of corrupted power bleed into the world, and greater eyes turn toward her defiance. As stars realign and lost sanctums awaken, forces older than Gods, the Architects, shapers of fate itself, begin to watch. Aria is no ascended queen. She is a reckoning. And the world is no longer prepared for a woman who has already lost everything, and learned how to say no.