Ray Bradbury Zero Hour Novels & Stories

On my wedding day, my fiancé’s childhood sweetheart arrived, wearing the exact same custom wedding dress as me. They stood together, greeting guests, while I smiled and praised them as a match made in heaven. Humiliated, she left the venue in tears. In her defense, my fiancé publicly accused me of being petty and unreasonable. After the wedding reception, he left with her for the honeymoon we had planned together. I didn’t cry. Instead, I called my lawyer immediately.

In the shifter city of Ancnix, strength is law, loyalty is survival, and every young warrior is taught that their soul belongs to the moon. Seventeen-year-old Elora Jardine has spent her life mastering control—of her shifting, of her temper, and of the secrets she keeps hidden behind a composed smile. Born into a respected warrior house yet trapped beneath her father’s cruelty, Elora’s only anchors are her younger brother, Micah, and her closest friend, Kailee Blackstone. But on the eve of her graduation, a violent confrontation awakens a power inside Elora that no Shifter should possess. When the city’s future king, Gregory Forstfang, moves to claim her under the guise of duty, Elora’s world collapses into fear, fractured trust, and a destiny she never asked for. Forced to flee Ancnix, Elora’s escape leads her deep into the untamed Outer Wilds, where she encounters two strangers whose paths intertwine with her own: Briar Vale, a gentle but powerful Strega guided by visions she doesn’t yet understand, and Declan Eldritch, a Farisee whose calm presence stirs ancient magic in the world around him. Each carries secrets. Each carries a purpose. And each seems mysteriously drawn to Elora’s growing, unstable power. Together, the unlikely trio must navigate haunted forests, forgotten ruins, and a rising darkness spreading across Nethara. As Elora’s abilities intensify beyond her control, the three uncover whispers of an old prophecy—a legend hinting that the fate of their world may rest in the hands of a girl who never wanted to be anything more than free.

To satisfy her thirst for revenge, Daisy was willing to do all that it took to destroy Edward Michaels, the famous billionaire and womanizer who had left her in the lurch in the past few years, having had a one night stand with her that ruined her entire life and also left her with an unwanted pregnancy as a result, which was unknown to him. The goal was to destroy him beyond repair and she didn't mind using her body as a tool to get what she wanted. But what happens when after an encounter with the romantic and sexy devil, she seems to be genuinely falling for him again. Is it all pretense towards achieving her goal? Will she allow herself to be his prey once more? Or does she have other plans up her sleeve? What if he wants more from her this time around? And what if that means having a divorce with his current Sweetheart, a divorce that can also ruin his entire life's fortune!

“Let's get a divorce, Sarah" I couldn't believe my ears. I thought love was eternal especially the kind that began in childhood. As Luna of the Bloodhound Pack, I dedicated my life to Alpha Dimitri, the man I believed would cherish me forever. * *** But, Sarah's heart is shattered when he returns home with another woman and a child that looks exactly like him, furious she agrees to his idea for a divorce. Broken and alone, she stumbles into the a New York nightclub, there she meets a stranger who turns out to be Alpha Aaron, the ruthless leader of the Bloodhound Pack feared by all, when he discovers that her tears form the legendary diamond his pack has lost, the very one that could lift their curse, he claims her under the guise of a deal. But what begins as a transaction soon becomes something far more dangerous... desire. As Sarah heals under Aaron’s roof, she discovers strength she never knew she had and a secret buried deep within her bloodline. A prophecy, one foretelling salvation or doom for the entire werewolf kingdom, the future of her species lies in her palms. Dimitri and his scheming mistress return to destroy everything, Sarah must embrace the power she was born with and choose her fate. Will she become the curse the world fears… or the Queen Luna destined to heal it?

Kiana Hunter has tirelessly served as Alpha Diona's mate and Luna, striving to prove herself to the pack and earn their respect. Despite her excellent leadership skills, her life is shrouded in a complex web of love and betrayal. She has been a contract Luna for only three years. Dion never loved her; he was forced to take Kiana as his mate because his wolf had imprinted on her. For Dion's happiness, Kiana agreed to a three-year marriage contract, secretly nursing the hope that Dion would eventually reciprocate her feelings. Yet, when the three-year mark arrives, Kiana is heartbroken to know that Dion still loved Alessia, his first love. Caught in a web of bitterness and betrayal, Kiana leaves before the completion of the contract. Leaving behind the shattered remnants of her dreams, Kiana will embark on a path of self-discovery and revenge.

At my father's wake, my wife came in carrying her son. The boy was less than two years old. He was not mine. In front of me, in front of every person there to mourn my father, she opened the urn and held the boy over it. I screamed and lunged for the urn. The Vance security team was on me before I cleared the aisle. They held me on the floor. My father's ashes, mixed with the boy's urine, smeared across my face and into my mouth. I could not stop crying. Stella Vance straightened her skirt. "Zane has been crying every night. Our adviser said the ash of an honored elder will calm a child like that. Good for his health." The taste of metal came up the back of my throat. Before I could move, she was already at the door. "Have his ashes dried out by morning. Zane will need it again tomorrow night." By the time I came back to myself, she was gone. I held the rage in. I sent her one message. "You think you're going to do this to my father. You're insane. The divorce papers are coming." After that, every message I sent was blocked. I turned to the woman next to me, the woman who had stood beside me my whole life. And I said, "I will sign the company over to you. Help me bury Vance Group." Cassia Wynn looked at me a long time. "I don't want the company. I want you." I went still. Then I said, "Yes."

Selene loved Nathan. She gave up being Alpha to make him Alpha. Female wolves never did this before. Selene promised to be Nathan's Luna and queen. But Nathan said bad things about Selene. He said she was not faithful and wanted to rule with the rogue king. To prove she was innocent, Selene drank poison wine. She fell down nearly dead. Her pack put her in dungeon and kicked her out of the pack. Selene was bleeding in the woods. Logan was Alpha of the powerful Blood Moon pack. He found Selene and saved her life. "You're safe now, little one," he said kindly. But Logan's mate Zara was jealous. "She can't have you. You're mine!" Zara shouted. Unknown to all, Logan had a curse. Only Selene's powers could break it. When Zara learned this, she kidnapped Selene. Now Nathan and Logan raced to find Selene first. Whose mate would she choose? The one who betrayed her or the one who rescued her? Selene had to pick one wolf and break the other's heart. No matter what, her Alpha would betray her.

As I was cleaning up the house, I noticed something had fallen out of the cabinet my wife always kept locked tight. I remembered Megan's constant warnings. "That cabinet holds all our family's important records. If anything gets lost, there's no getting it back. Just leave it alone and don't touch it." Worried something valuable might have fallen out, I rushed to pick it up. But what I found was a thick stack of remittance slips. From forty years ago to now, every month, my wife had been sending money to the same account. And that's when it hit me. My wife had been lying to me. The money I'd been pouring into this family had been flowing right out, into the hands of someone else.

What happens when you find out your best friends are werewolves? Rose has been best friends with her next door neighbors for as long as she can remember. As far as she knew, they were perfectly normal. When she sees their younger sister turn into a wolf for the first time, her world became a lot more awesome!

"She was mine first," Dimitri whispered, his voice deadly calm. "And you stole her in the dark." Dimitri and Alexei Volkov are twin brothers, mafia kings, bound by blood and loyalty. When one bleeds, both bleed. When one kills, both kill. Nothing has ever come between them. Until her. Irina was Dimitri's maid, his peace in a world of violence. The only woman allowed close enough to touch him, to see the man beneath the monster. He fell for her quietly, deeply, and completely. But one drunken night at a party, Alexei stumbled into his brother's darkened room. He wore Dimitri's robe. She thought he was Dimitri. And in the shadows, a line was crossed that could never be uncrossed. Now Irina carries the child of her master's brother! When Dimitri discovers her pregnancy, rage consumes him. When Alexei claims her as his own with a cruel smirk, something breaks between the brothers. The bond that made them invincible now threatens to destroy them both. Two brothers. One woman. A baby that will crown one king and condemn the other. In the world of the Volkov mafia, betrayal is paid in blood. When this war is over, will any of them survive?