Richard Parker

After five years of marriage, the doctor told me I was pregnant. It was something I had waited for so long. Yet, along with that good news came a nightmare. My medical tests showed that I had cancer, and it had already spread. The doctor gave me less than a month to live. I froze, gripping the report so tightly my knuckles turned white. Tears streamed down my face as I thought about how my unborn child would never get to feel a mother's embrace. My grief was interrupted by the ping of an incoming text message. It was from Mom. [Since you're so selfish and refuse to donate a kidney to save Nattie's life, you should divorce Davon. Let him marry Nattie instead. At least that way, you can fulfill her dying wish.] My tears fell harder. It was not that I refused to donate a kidney to Natalie Rivera, my sister, who was in the final stages of kidney disease. In truth, I only had one kidney left. Five years ago, I had already given one to Dad. Now, with my life counting down to its final days, I decided that I would donate my remaining kidney to Natalie. I would also let my husband, Davon Parker, go with her. Before I went into surgery, my parents praised me for finally being thoughtful, saying I had finally learned to care about my sister. They said that once the surgery was over, the whole family would go on vacation together. Davon even said he was proud that I was no longer selfish and promised he would make it up to me in the future. None of them knew I did not have a future. After the surgery, what would be pushed out of the operating room would be a cold, lifeless body.

Amanda was loved by everyone. She was brainy, smart and what's more very good at sports. Her dream was to become a top shot scientist and to achieve that, Amanda knew she had to work towards it. Her parents were her world, she looked up to them for everything. She couldn't quite imagine how lucky she was to have parents like that. They gave her everything she needed and supported her in her dreams and aspirations. Then tragedy struck. A once happy family, bounded by love was severely ruined. Amanda's parents died in a plane crash on their way to an event. At that moment, Amanda knew her life was coming to an end. For several weeks, the star girl was out of school, battling with her mental health. The only succour she had in those trying times were her friends, Emily and Leslie. Gradually, Amanda's life began to take shape again but yet, she knew nothing would ever remain the same. Like a beam of light, under the darkness, Parker came her way. At first, he resulted to bullying her, thinking he could oppress her as a result of the jealousy he had towards her being the school's star girl and all. At the end, he realized that what he felt for her wasn't hatred but love and it was evident in the fact that he found himself being drawn towards her. Amanda, thinking it was all a lie avoided him like the plague. She didn't believe she loved him but yet, there was a nagging feeling within her that he was something more than that. Till then, she was determined to keep her feelings for him in check until they just faded away. But one thing she failed to realize was that true love never dies.

Ever since James Barrington the third was a small child, he hated being told what to do. Yes, he was a rebel, a wild child. His mother died when he was in his teens, barely fourteen and his father… Well, suffice to say, he tried his best to tame James, make him into his image. He failed. Miserably. The more he pushed, the more James pulled. Then there was his grandfather. James’ father was his clone. To top it all off, he was the only child. The heir to the Barrington billions. Now his grandfather and father were setting an ultimatum. Give up his philandering and wild ways, get married and take over Barrington Enterprises. Or face being disinherited. Even arranged for him to meet Marcy Davenport, eldest daughter of Richard Davenport, one of the richest and most influential families in West wood. He loved his freedom he was twenty-six for heaven's sake. So, James being the rebel he was, promised himself to marry the first woman he runs into who didn’t know him from a bar of soap, just to shut the old men up. Destiny Johnson is a girl from the other side of the track. Growing up in a poor neighborhood, Des-tiny was used to having very little. Now she lives in a trailer park and works at a convenience store. James sets out to turn her into the perfect girl to impress his grandfather and father, the James’s as he calls them. But as he tries to change Destiny to fit his mold, she is slowly changing his universe around. She slowly reels James in, making him into the man he was meant to be. Call it fate or call it Karma… An accidental meeting changed both their lives in an instant.

Tullah Richard, a young woman, left her family to be with Saul, her beloved boyfriend who, unfortunately, turned out to be a drunkard and abusive. Despite enduring his violent behavior, she remained committed to him. However, as time passed, the relationship took a darker turn. Despite the challenges, Tullah, determined to break free from Saul's toxicity, found herself facing a complicated situation when she discovered she was pregnant. Now torn between her desire to leave and the responsibility of impending motherhood, Tullah must navigate a difficult choice. Will she choose to leave despite the pregnancy, or will the impending arrival of their child tie her to Saul? If she decides to break free, will Saul ever find a way to reconnect with Tullah? The story unfolds with questions about whether Tullah can forge a new and happier life without Saul. --- "Saul, please let go of me!" she whispered, her plea audible in the tense air. "Never," Saul's fury was palpable, evident with just a glance at him. "I can't continue this way. I need to leave your life. Please, let go of me," she pleaded, attempting to free herself from Saul's grip. "You are stuck with me, Tullah. All of you is mine," he forcefully pushed her into the basement room, locked the door, and left. Tullah, no longer able to cry, lay quietly on the cold floor. This wasn't the first time she found herself confined, but she was determined it would be the last. Wiping away her tears, she wished for the morning to arrive swiftly, bringing with it the promise of a new beginning for her and her unborn child. ***** Diva_Unsual. nnenneuche84@gmail.com.

Gregory Wolversen the Alpha of the Black River Pack. He was forced to banish his brother and declare him rogue for challenging his right for the pack. But his brother is mysteriously dead now on the other side of the country. Gregory knows there's a woman claiming to be his brother's bride, but the woman missing and no one has her name. What does she know about his murder? Did she kill him? His money and belongings have been accounted for. So is she a victim too? Aricka Daniels is a widow, a single mother and waitress/librarian who's struggling to survive. It's been seven years and she still looking over her shoulder. Widowed less than seven days after her wedding. She must come to grips with no home or job and a baby on the way that she was never able to tell her husband, Richard about. Her husband had told her to always stay away from his family because they weren't just rich but dangerous. For that reason she fears they might have had a hand in his murder and also fearing they might ruthlessly try to take her son from her. She never told them of him. Recently out of guilt she'd left a cryptic note informing them of his existence. The Black River Pack are the enforcers of the supernatural world in the area. It's their job to deal with the supernatural criminal element. If they don't then they will look weak to the North American Ruling Council and lose the right to their territory. With Gregory's very own parents on the Council they would suffer a lost of power that would rock the supernatural community as a whole. Can he do it all and find his mate and Luna to keep his pack stable?

Quinn Holstin is the daughter of Liam and Angel Holstin and the twin sister of Malin. They are the 5th and 6th children born to their parents. After her brother took over as Alpha, her older sister became the acting Luna until Rich found his mate. Quinn has led a charmed life, always protected by her father and three older brothers, never needing to take on a role in the pack since first Leana, then Emlyn, took the role of Luna. Emerson Gunnar is the Alpha of Safe Haven and son to Eli and Grace Gunnar. He took over as Alpha for his father nearly two years ago, however, his father still struggles with letting go. Their pack is well established and continues to take in those who need refuge as their name implies and Emerson is ready to have his father let go. The only thing Emerson is missing is Quinn. He’s been waiting for her to turn eighteen since he did two years ago when he recognized her as his mate. However, Emerson is still reeling from the problems that occurred with his sister and his sister’s mate, Richard, the Alpha of a neighboring pack in their alliance. Emerson is unwilling to do anything that could be considered inappropriate with Quinn, wanting her to know that he respects her. However, Emerson’s unwillingness to show any sort of intimacy to Quinn causes her to feel as though Emerson doesn’t want her as a mate. Can Emerson relax his rigid ways before he hurts his mate beyond the ability to repair it? Will he be able to show Quinn exactly how much she means to him, sealing their bond and bringing them together as partners and lovers, rather than Guardian and Alpha?

Yana Brighton (29) and billionaire Zach Lindsay (32) each get a second chance at love when they coincidentally meet at a business conference. Sparks fly instantly but Yana's overbearing and jealous boss Damon Blackstone causes them to lose contact. Fate intervenes and they reunite when Zach and his best friend Kyle Parker broker a with Yana's sister Laura Payne. An embittered Damon partners with Zach's gold-digger ex-girlfriend Natasha Gomez to seek revenge when Yana repeatedly rejects him and he later gets fired. Yana and Zach fall in love but a major scandal coupled with deception, trust issues and a near death experience leaves their relationship hanging in the balance. A heartbroken Yana disappears; she keeps her a secret while Zach struggles to find her and balance his work life. Months later, Yana returns home with new relationship terms but Zach pursues her until they rekindle their relationship and eventually get engaged. A complication later endangers both Yana and the baby's life, forcing Zach to make a tough decision for his family. Will LOVE and FAITH be enough to overcome all obstacles they face? Excerpt: Zach pressed my cold hand to his , right above his heart. "Feel what you do to me Yana…” He my forehead gently. "You have my heart forever and always.” My aching heart desperately wanted me to melt into his warm embrace, but I steeled my resolve. "You promised you would never hurt me Zach but look at us now…"Tears streamed down my face in torrents and I hiccupped, "I love you Zach, but I choose me this time.” A pained expression crossed his face and his eyes glossed over. Willing myself to look away, I quickly grabbed my bag and walked out the door. My heart broke with every step I took.

"You're my mate?!" Tristian laughs as if this is some big joke. My heart aches and all I can do is coward under his glare. He looks at me like I'm nothing. The hatred in his eyes makes my eyes burn. "I-I'm sorry." I choke out and he only scoffs in disgust. My weak answer must make him hate me. "I-I didn't... I didn't mean to..." He cuts me off. "It doesn't matter. Dahlia will be my Luna. You're nothing to me." His next words cut through my heart. "I, Tristian Parker, Alpha of the Moonlight Pack, reject you Daisy Summers as my mate and Luna." Pain runs through my body and I fall to my knees. Tears stream down my face while he just turns away without a care in the world. I expected this the moment I found out he was my mate. He was my twin sister's boyfriend and I was merely the lowest-ranking omega in the pack. "... I, Daisy Summers, accept your rejection..." ____________________________ Daisy is the black sheep of her family, an omega born in a beta family. She is never shown love and is seen as a plain white daisy compared to her beautiful twin sister, Dahlia. So when she turns 18, she hopes to have not only a loving mate but a wolf as well. However, she finds out her mate is the alpha of her pack, Tristian Parker. Not only is he Dahlia's boyfriend, but he's also one of her biggest bullies. After being harshly rejected, she has no choice but to accept it. Daisy only continues to be bullied and being mentally weakened from the rejection, she takes drastic measures alerting Tristian. Will Tristian come to love his mate? Will Daisy even let him in? Or is it too late?

Isabella Parker is the perfectly imperfect girl with half parts sass and half parts innocence mixed with a perfect life. She has loving parents who adore her beyond anything, two younger siblings whom she loves beyond anything. She is in her graduation with 2 great friends, everything seems going perfect UNTIL ONE Day The day she gets kidnapped! One small favour to a classmate messes everything up? Or does it! Isabella has caught eye of an mysterious man, who wouldn't let her go. "LET ME GO" she shouted half scared as the man dragged and shoved her on a bed, she presumed. Obviously she presumed, she had a blindfold on from the moment she woke up. "The sooner you stop fighting the better for you" he replied in a calm voice. His voice did something to her. She held her tongue for a minute, not because she was going to stop fighting HELL NO! But because of what his voice reminded her of! His touch wasn't foreign neither his voice. WEIRD! "Didn't think that would work" he chuckled. "IT DIDN'T you fucking pig" she shouted struggling as he laughed. "Glad you are finding my misery funny" she growled. "No wonder Alex wanted to feed you off to his Piranhas" he laughed. Her entire body stilled at the thought. They wanted to kill her? but she couldn't hold her tongue now could she? "Then what am I still doing here?" She sassed. She could feel the tense in his posture even tho she couldn't see. It was getting hard to breath. She gasped when she felt his lips on her earlobe. He was so quiet. "Instead I decided you were mine to feed on!" He said in his sexy voice making her freeze.

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