Serpent Spine

"You should be running away from me," he whispered against my neck, his deep voice wrapping around me like a black velvet. He was right. I should run— far, fast, and without looking back. But I couldn't. Or maybe didn't want to. Fisting his shirt tightly, I rasped out, "I hate you." A shiver ran down my spine as his lips curled into a devilish smirk, "No, you don't." He leaned in, our mouths a breath apart. "You just hate how badly you want me, Little Muse," he drawled, voice like a tempting sin. ----------- Everyone thought she was paranoid but Iliana Carlos knew the eyes following her everywhere were real. Draped in black, masked and silent, her stalker has trapped her in a deadly game of obsession. But for her, he is nothing more than the gruesome darkness but the deeper she's pulled into his shadows, the more she craved them. Maddox Velric Thorne spent fifteen years focused on one mission: find the daughter of his father’s murderer, kill her, and claim his rightful place as Alpha. But those hazel eyes and auburn hair has suddenly become his biggest distraction. What started as a casual infatuation has now turned into his darkest obsession. What will happen when fate will bind them in a twisted dance of fear and desire? How far would Maddox chase Iliana and for how long is she willing to run away?

“I have nothing else,” I continued, my voice gaining a desperate strength. “So I offer myself. My loyalty. My.... my body. Whatever you want from me. Just...just help me make them pay. Help me destroy them.” Then, slowly, a smirk touched his lips. It wasn’t a kind smile. It was cold, calculating, and utterly terrifying. It sent a chill down my spine ~ He is no savior, just a cold, calculating rogue with a history of violence and eyes that blaze gold in the shift. She is the Omega who unexpectedly became his fated mate, carrying the weight of murdered kin and a desperate need for vengeance. He offers her the strength she craves, but his methods are brutal, his heart seemingly encased in ice. Amidst the blood and shadows, can fleeting, rare moments of raw connection forge something real, or is a monster forever bound to his nature?

My loud, harsh breaths reverberated in the four walls of his cabin. I didn't realize when he locked me up here and pushed me too far from the door, blocking all my ways of escape. "M-Mr. S-Scott, please, what are you doing?" Cold shivers ran down my spine as I watched the man with horror-filled eyes who was advancing towards me with slow, dangerous steps. A sickening smile marred his lips as he silently relished my helplessness while uncuffing his sleeves. My fear skyrocketed. His husky chuckles ensued, churning my stomach as his shameless gaze lingered on my chest, making me quickly bring my arms to the front. "Something that I should have done before, Cupcake." He drawled out, leaving me shocked to the bone. That endearment. Travis? Dive into the dark and dangerous world of Travis Scott, a man who dupes people with his breathtaking charms and kind personality while confining his demons only to unleash them once he captures the angel he's been looking for years.

"Just act like you’re my Luna,” he murmured, his silver-gray eyes piercing through my guarded resolve as he leaned closer, invading my space. “In return, I’ll make the ones who hurt you bend until they break.” His words sent a chill down my spine, their promise as intoxicating as it was terrifying. “What makes you think I’d take help from my worst enemy?” I blurted, forcing myself to meet his gaze despite his towering, domineering presence. Lucian’s lips curved into a smirk, but his voice dropped, dead cold. “Because, girl, we both know revenge doesn’t come from weakness. And you’re far too strong to die in their shadow.” I couldn’t help but chuckle, bitterness lacing the sound. “Whatever you say, Alpha Lucian. I’d be the biggest fool to trust the devil.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Alina’s world crumbled the day she caught her fated mate, the man she had sacrificed everything for, wrapped in the arms of her cousin. His rejection didn’t just shatter her heart; it destroyed her reputation, leaving her devastated and banished from the pack she once called home. When she was killed, she thought she had lost it all but it was far from it when she woke up to see her savior. Her old enemy –Alpha Lucian Blackwood. Lucian offers her a deal: pretend to be his Luna, and he’ll help her make those who wronged her pay. Desperate for justice, Alina agrees, but as they delve deeper into their dangerous arrangement, the lines between revenge and desire begin to blur. When her former mate begins seeking redemption, can she give up her first love, or will Lucian let her go? What happens when she gets hit with dark truths?

"I bet you still feel me," I whispered, tracing a lazy finger down her spine, just to make her shudder. "Still stretched from how deep I was inside you." She sucked in a sharp breath, but I caught the way her thighs pressed together, the way she burned with the memory she was so desperately trying to bury. "Shut up," she bit out, her voice shaking. I chuckled, dark and low, brushing my knuckles against her jaw. "Why? Does it drive you insane knowing you let the villain ruin you first?" Camilla He used to make my life hell. Stefano Madden, the golden boy with ice in his veins and a filthy mouth that cut deeper than knives. I was the fat, invisible girl he loved to humiliate. Now, I’m curvy, successful… and unfortunately, his personal assistant. I swore I’d never fall for him again. But the way he looks at me now? Like he wants to ruin me all over again, only slower, dirtier, deeper. And I would let him. Stefano I broke her once. I should’ve walked away. But Camilla Whitlock grew into every man’s fantasy and I hate that she makes me feel. So I push her. Tease her. Own her. Until the line between cruelty and desire snaps. I take her, claim her, and when I put a baby in her, my obsession turns lethal. But when she’s stolen from me, all bets are off. I’ll burn the world to bring her back… even if she never forgives me.

Shantali Mae Cross, a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Ancient Arts, encounters an impossible phenomenon during her night shift—smoke from the heating vents coalesces into the form of a cobra near ancient Egyptian canopic jars, showing her visions of possible futures. She sees herself accepting a promotion, arguing with a dark-haired man in a hospital, wearing a wedding dress, and standing at a graveside in autumn. Shaken by the experience, Shantali becomes obsessed with understanding what she witnessed, diving into research about serpent smoke divination practices. Her investigation reveals that others throughout history have experienced similar visions at crucial crossroads in their lives, but those who became consumed with interpreting and controlling their prophetic glimpses inevitably destroyed the very relationships and opportunities the visions had shown them. As Shantali spirals deeper into her research, she begins shutting out her boyfriend David, a fellow security guard who loves her deeply. When David witnesses the cobra phenomenon himself, he helps ground her in reality rather than obsession. Through her studies, particularly the warnings left by Dr. Amelia Thorne—a researcher who died alone after chasing similar mysteries—Shantali realizes the cobra's true message: choose love over fear, presence over obsession. The visions weren't warnings of tragedy but glimpses of a life fully lived with all its ordinary struggles and profound connections. When David proposes, Shantali chooses their real relationship over her pursuit of supernatural answers. She completes her research by writing a fictional novel about her experience, transforming obsession into art while helping future cobra witnesses understand that some mysteries are meant to guide rather than be solved. The story explores themes of choice versus destiny, the danger of sacrificing present love for future certainty, and the wisdom of embracing life's uncertainties alongside those who love us.

“Get on your knees, my little pet," Jerome growled, his voice rough with command. His fingers tangled in my hair, guiding me down as my pulse roared in my ears. The heat of his body pressed closer, and I trembled not from fear, but from the dark thrill of surrender. "Show me how hungry you are." Rachel is a college senior studying art and design, and her life feels dull and uninspiring. She has been dating Jack since freshman year, but their relationship is lukewarm he doesn’t ignore her, but he doesn’t truly care about her either, especially since he’s always eyeing her best friend, Jessica. Rachel feels stuck in a routine, going through the motions without any real passion until everything changes when her drawing teacher gets into an accident. The school brings in a substitute Jerome, a young, breathtakingly attractive artist who immediately commands the room. Rachel tries to ignore the way her body reacts to him, but the pull is too strong. His gaze lingers on her a second too long, his voice sends shivers down her spine, and when he gets close, she can’t think straight. She knows it’s wrong teachers and students can’t be together but she can’t resist. Then she discovers Jerome’s secret he’s a werewolf, part of a powerful pack with three other dangerously seductive men Dante, Kade, and Elias. They’ve been watching her, waiting, and now that she’s near Jerome, their instincts take over. They growl, they claim, and Rachel, despite her fear, finds herself drawn deeper into their world. Drawn into a world of forbidden desire, Rachel surrenders to a passionate affair.

“Oops, my fingers slipped! These pictures were for someone else but I guess the cats are out of the bag now!” A cold chill ran down my spine as I scrolled through raunchy pictures of my Alpha husband and my sister. Five years of unrivaled love and dedication just for him to sleep with her sister on a stupid business trip. Well two could play that game, she unblocks a number and dials it with her heart in her throat. “One night–that’s all you get, after that we go back to being strangers,” She says, and a soft,dominant voice comes out from the other end. “My chauffeur will be there to pick you by right, wear the gown,” “That gown? Not in your wildest drea–” She's caught off by a new influx of pictures and she chokes her words, “Fine, but I'll need to drink–” “No,” he replied calmly, “I want you to remember everything I'll do to you tonight,” Two weeks later the pack doctor hands her a white envelope, “Congratulations, Luna Alice, you're pregnant!” Alice finds herself thrust into a web of lies of manipulation, caught between two brothers. Will she choose a familiar affection or traverse the plains of foreign passions?