Shiori Novella Before Hololive Novels & Stories

Brandon Fenton, a scholarship student my father had been supporting, was drugged one night. After some consideration, I chose to lie beneath him. I had loved him for ten years. Giving myself to him felt like something I had long decided, something I owed to that love. But everything fell apart the moment Melissa Giles, his childhood sweetheart, walked in on us. Before she could even process what she saw, she ran out in a panic and was struck by a passing car, killing her on the spot. Brandon held me afterward, telling me it wasn't my fault. He even proposed to me. Because of that, Dad placed the entire company into his hands. But the day before our wedding, he set his plans in motion. He deliberately caused a car accident that took Dad's life. When I was at my lowest, drowning in grief, Brandon took me deep into the woods. There, he drove his car over my body, crushing me repeatedly just so I could feel the same agony Melissa had suffered before she died. "If you hadn't drugged me, why would I have ever touched you? If not for you, Melissa would still be alive! I hate you. All of you deserve to die!" And then, after the pain reached its unbearable peak... I opened my eyes and found myself back on the very day Brandon was drugged.

From New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes comes a sexy standalone novel about a billionaire and the indecent proposal he gives the local barista. Billionaire CEO Jackson Weathers needs a family for a PR boost, and I've signed a contract agreeing to give him one. A doting girlfriend in public. A wedding ceremony to invite all the socialites to. And finally, a baby for him to parade around, to show he's really a wholesome, down-to-Earth man. I've tried to remain cynical about it. He's going to make all my dreams come true. So what if it's supposed to be a loveless marriage? Only, his tenderness in private has me hooked. The way he kisses me drives me wild. When we make love, I lose myself to him. His body feels like it was meant to be on top of mine, like we fit together like two puzzle pieces. I can't help but begin to fall for him. I can't tell him, or I risk losing everything. And nobody else can find out about our little "arrangement" or it will destroy his reputation. Still, I feel like I have to know how he feels, before the marriage, before the baby, before I give my entire life over to him. Is it still just pretend?

After I dropped out of school, my parents didn't pressure me to do anything. But Nicole Hicks kept calling nonstop. She was my boyfriend's childhood friend who had established a reputation as a genius. I was too busy helping out in the fields, growing vegetables, and splashing around in the creek, living my best carefree life. Writing code wasn't even on my mind. In my past life, she had turned in a project just one day before I did. Her codes were exactly the same as mine. Everyone called me a fraud and said I had stolen it. I tried to explain, but no one believed me. Later, she even did a livestream, accusing me online of being a school bully. People went wild. They didn't just come for me—they went after my whole family. Some obsessed troll chased my parents in a car, and they died in a crash. I couldn't take it anymore. I jumped off a high-rise, my eyes still wide open, refusing to accept the way it all ended. Even in my last moment, I couldn't figure it out. That code was mine. My hard work. So how did she manage to post it before me? When I opened my eyes again, I was back, right before everything fell apart.

It's a typical day in Sunhill, a small town in America, until a body is found in a dark alley. The death is ruled a homicide, and the investigation begins. As the police try to uncover the truth, more bodies were discovered. The whole town is suddenly in the grip of fear as their once peaceful home is long gone and now a place of tears and sorrow. It became clear that there's a serial killer on the loose. As the bodies pile up, fear grips the town of Sunhill. No one feels safe anymore. They're afraid to leave their homes at night, and parents keep a close eye on their children. Everyone is on edge, and it seems like the killer could strike at any moment. The police seem to be trying their best but they couldn't apprehend the killer. A group of high schoolers, who were sad about the events occurring in their hometown were determined to find the truth, but they have no idea what they're up against. They may be in over their heads, but they can't give up now. The high schoolers decide to launch their own investigation. They know they have to work together if they want to solve the murders. But as they delve deeper into the mystery, they find themselves being targeted by the killer. They start to receive threatening messages, and one of them even disappears without a trace. They're running out of time, and they must find the truth before it's too late. Some of them start to suspect that the killer could be someone they know. Will the killer be caught before they strike again? Will they be able to solve the case before they become the killer's next victim?

Alaric and I had been mates for five years, and I had believed with all my heart that I would become the first female Gamma of the pack by proving myself in the warrior’s trial. I had trained relentlessly, sharpening my claws and honing my instincts, ready to fight for my rightful place. But fate had other plans. Three days before the trial, I was ambushed by rogues. They didn't just attack me—they hunted me like prey. They tormented me with the silver knife so that my wolf was dead. The scent of death clung to me, my wolf howling in agony, desperately trying to heal, but the wounds ran too deep. As I lay barely conscious on the blood-stained sheets, I heard my husband's cold, indifferent voice. "Is she dead?" The witch doctor hesitated before answering, "No, but—" "It doesn’t matter," Alaric interrupted, Coat her wounds with wolfsbane and silver—make sure it seeps into her blood, burns through her veins, and poisons her wolf beyond repair. I want her body to reject her own nature, so she will never heal. There will only be one Gamma in this pack, and that's Serina." In that moment, the truth became clear—I had never truly stood a chance in the warrior’s trial I had dreamed of. The battle had been decided long before I ever stepped into the arena.

I thought I had found my forever with Daniel, the man I loved for four years, the one who promised me a future. But my dreams shattered the night I was supposed to get engaged. Instead of a proposal, I was met with betrayal. Daniel arrived at our anniversary dinner, with another woman on his arm. His fiancé. It was Catherine, my worst nightmare, the woman who made my life hell in college. “Did you really think I could love someone like you?!” Daniel sneered. Humiliated, broken, and cast aside like trash, I barely survived. But just when I thought my suffering had reached its peak, I discovered a shocking truth… I was finally pregnant with Daniel’s child after having a difficult time conceiving. Before I could tell him, a mysterious and dangerous man appeared, offering me protection. “You cannot go back to the life you had before,” he warned. “I’m the only one who can help you.” But why should I trust a stranger? Who is he, and what does he know about Daniel that I don’t? Trapped between a ruthless ex-fiancé and a man shrouded in secrets, I must uncover the truth before it’s too late. Because the man I once loved is not who I thought he was. And the stranger who claims to protect me… might just be the most dangerous one of all.

My mate’s sister, Selene, was with pup when she leapt from the highest tower of Blackrock Keep. Before she died, she sent me one final whisper through the pack bond. “Lyra saw him.” From that day on, I became the greatest sinner in Stormcliff. Everyone believed I knew who had driven Selene to her death. The elders demanded the truth. My father-in-law, the aged Alpha, knelt before me. My mother-in-law, the elder Luna, clutched my legs and begged until her voice broke. But I said nothing. For two years, I carried the secret alone. Darian, my mate, did not exile me. Instead, he stayed by my side, gentler than ever. I thought he still loved me. Until the day I gave birth to his pup. That night, he locked me inside the cold stone dungeon and brought out the Soul Recollection Device. Every wolf who had used that device either died or lost their mind. As the silver needles pierced into my skull, Darian stood before me with bloodshot eyes. “If you won’t speak,” he said, his voice cold and shaking, “then I’ll tear the truth out of your soul myself.” He thought I was protecting Selene’s murderer. But when he finally saw the truth I had buried for him, Darian went mad.

I spent three days and three nights decorating the altar for my mating ceremony. My mate, Alpha Alec, used it to pledge himself to another woman. His dead brother’s mate. I rushed to confront him, but before I could speak, Serena clutched her chest and collapsed. Furious, Alec threw me in the silver room, leaving me to suffer as the silver burned through my veins. "My brother died before he could claim her! I was giving Serena the ceremony she deserved. Why did you have to ruin it?" "Serena's wolf is weak because of you. You'll stay here until she wakes up. Think about what you've done." Three years later, the Lycan King, Damien, returned to the North with his mate. He was hosting a summit for the Alliance at a top-tier lakeside resort. Alec arrived with Serena, who was dripping in luxury. He was there to beg Damien for control over the Alliance's new project on the Genetic Decay. He saw me being blocked by the guards and glanced at the file in my hands. "I heard you bonded with some rogue, a worthless wolf with a tainted bloodline, just to spite me. Regretting it now?" "If you beg me, I might consider getting you in." I didn't even bother to look at him. Damien had left a critical report at home. I had to get it to him before the summit meeting.

"Daniel... Please help... I'm dying..." "Are you doing this so I'll stop my wedding with Eleanor? Come on, Emma, you're being inconsiderate!" ***** I died, but when I opened my eyes, I was standing before Daniel in a hall packed with prestigious people, holding an engagement ring, and ready to tie the knot with Daniel... I was back to three years ago, when I first got engaged to Daniel. In my past life, I gave my all to the people around me, but still got broken. My adopted parents forced me to absorb the life of their missing daughter... I always wore her favourite dress, eat her favourite meal, learned to act and speak like her, and even answered her name. Still, I didn't complain, but once they finally found her, they abandoned me. I was going to take everything and pretend I was fine, but where I drew the line was when my sister asked my fiancé, Daniel to marry her in order to make her wish come true. He agreed, I threw his ring away, but before I could leave, my sister murdered me in cold blood. I thought it was all over, but here I am, standing before Daniel, ready to get engaged to him again. This time, I won't make the same mistake again...

Lia Blake's last summer in high school and prom night ended up being her worst summer and prom night ever. Her crush found his mate and abandoned her. Broken, she fled from the pack to where no one knows her to settle in but that night, she appeared before the Lycan king as his bride. …Slowly, he shifted away the portion of the white veil covering her lips, then he leaned in and his lips claimed hers. But it lasted for a moment as the guards stormed into the hall. "The Lycan Luna is gone! That woman is an intruder!" At once he tore his lips away from her, gripped the veil and flung away. His grey eyes darkened as he realized the woman before him wasn't his bride. "Seize her!" The cold hardhearted Lycan king had commanded and she was at once seized and thrown into his dungeon. Derrick Kings, the Lycan king and leader of four packs. The Alphas, werewolves and Lycans obey his commands. His past and secret hunted him and turned him into a beast with his enemies lurking and waiting to strike him down at any chance. But what he didn't know was how fast his life will change the moment an unknown woman appeared before him as his bride. What is the fate of Lia Blake, will she survive the wrath of the hardhearted Lycan King whoose secret and past hunted, Or will she regret ever leaving her pack?