Shots In A Fifth Novels & Stories

The seer's prophecy was clear: Alpha Alistair Blackthorn would betray his Luna in the fifth year of their mating. Alistair laughed and kicked her table over. "Eight years with Selene. You think I would throw that away for some liar's words?" For four years after, he was perfect. Tender. Devoted. He rejected Jade Moonshadow, the Gamma female who confessed her love, and had her driven from pack lands. I believed him completely. Then came our fifth anniversary. A package arrived with no return address. Inside, a photograph—Alistair and Jade tangled together, raw and intimate. On the back, written in careful script: His heart stays with you. His body stays with me. Now we're even. At the bottom of the box, a pair of pink lace underwear. The same pair she wore. I sat alone for three hours. I did not call him. Instead, I went to the elders and asked them to prepare the Severance papers.

When Edna Crossby ditches the marriage registration for the fifth time, I block her contact number and social media accounts on the spot. If she's in any of the social gatherings, I turn down the invitations right away. I'd rather take the long route than walk past the cafe Edna frequents. If she attends a team-building session, I take the day off without hesitation. Even when Edna shows up on my doorstep with gifts in hand on Christmas Eve, I pretend that I'm not home at all. I don't answer any calls from her. I don't respond to texts she sends me. Just like that, I completely fade away from Edna's world. In the past, Edna used to be the focus of my life. My emotions fluctuated all the time because of her. When Edna flakes out on me for the fifth time, I finally snap out of my lovesick stupor. I don't want to live life like this anymore. Rather than getting abandoned time and again, I might as well live my life on my own happily.

Julian's world was shattered the night she planned to share the joyous news of her pregnancy with her husband. Instead, he blindsided her with divorce papers and a heartless rejection. "You can go to hell with whatever good news you have to say." Devastated, Julian signed the papers and vanished from his life, vowing never to return. But the web of fate gets entangled. When her life and that of her unborn child hang in the balance, the last person she wants to turn to is her ruthless ex-husband. Yet, he's the only one who can save them. His proposition is laced with a mix of desperation and guilt. "Keep your hatred aside, Julian. Come back to me. I can save you and our baby." Julian seizes the opportunity but on her terms. "Fine but this time, I will call the shots and make the rules "

Before their fifth wedding anniversary, Ameera Meyer found out her marriage certificate with Marlow Brunsfield was forged. Meanwhile, he was in Anderia, a country where you can only marry once and that was it. There, he was marrying a younger girl he had brought up. His love for her was sincere. The tenderness he had for her was true. However, his heart had the capacity for two women…

In a world where werewolves call the shots, humans live in fear as they try to avoid drawing any unwanted attention upon themselves and their families. Every year communities around he world make a sacrifice to the werewolf packs within their areas to appease them. These sacrifices buy the communities one year of peace and protection. That's how I ended up here in this pack living the life of a slave. I was a sacrifice. A peace offering. Only... I should never have been here. I ended up here because I lied. I took the place of one whom I loved and would sacrifice everything for to protect! But what will happen to me when the Alpha finds out the truth?

As the CEO of Sebastian Pictures, I have power and authority. I was the one who called the shots, constantly in the spotlight. I was meant to be the man in charge. Until I met Eloise, she was a junior art director at my subsidiary company. She also happened to be my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. To her, I was Mr. Dangerous in a suit—her new boss. For me, she was a challenge I couldn’t resist. I was used to getting what I wanted. I craved to own her, possess her. Now, we’d gotten ourselves tangled in a game where neither of us could win. But here’s the thing: the more we played, the more she turned the tables. She had me breaking my own rules.

I logged into my girlfriend's account to sell her DSLR camera on a secondhand marketplace. The transaction went through fine. The next morning, the messages started showing up, and they were nothing I was ever meant to see. "Great shots this time. What's the rate for the outfit in the middle?" That’s when it hit me–the camera's memory card had not been wiped. However, the photos inside… were nothing I had ever seen before. Revealing shots. Intimate poses. Not meant for me. I forced myself to stay calm and tried to explain the situation to the buyer. His reply stopped me cold. "Drop the act. It’s not like this is the first time I've bought from you."

The fifth year of my husband's affair, the system that had gone silent finally reappeared, telling me that I could go home. In the final week, I stopped arguing with him. I allowed him to go out with other women and stay out all night, and let him give away the things that I treasured the most to someone else. The day I was meant to leave was our fifth wedding anniversary. He burst into the house with Ivy, knocking over the food I'd prepared and pointing a shard of broken glass at me as he pinned me down by the neck. In a fit of rage, he questioned why I hurt Ivy and the baby she was carrying. "Since when did you become this cruel? You make me sick!" I smiled, not bothering to defend myself. "I did it all, and I really am that cruel. What, did you only realize that now? "Anyway, I wish you two a long, happy life together." As he stared me down, I viciously stabbed the artery in my neck, and my life in this world was finally over.

On our seventh anniversary, an event planner called, already hyping up my wife, Talia. "Ms. Sweeney, we're putting a family photo of you four in the main hall. And some shots of your little princess. That okay? Also, can you confirm your son carrying his sister onstage?" I froze. There were only two people in our house—Talia and me. A family of four? Two kids? I called Talia, the hotel's general manager. She brushed it off. "Probably a client. Wrong number on a contract. I hand out cards all day." I stared at the balloons and flowers I'd set up in the private room—then swiped them all to the floor. Gone. I turned and called my sister, the Director of the Business Compliance Bureau. "Naomi, Talia's cheating. She's got two kids. Get me the best divorce lawyer. I want her out—and out of my hotel."

We had been dating for ten years before my boyfriend, Shawn Jepson, agreed to marry me.  When the wedding photographer asked us to pose a few kissing shots, Shawn claimed he had germophobia and walked out on me.  I awkwardly apologized to the team.  Taxis were a rare commodity during blizzards, so I trudged through the snow to get home.  To my dismay, I stumbled upon Shawn tongue-deep into his crush’s throat in what was supposed to be our marital home.  “Just say the word, Casey, and I’ll leave Jessica.”  Later, word went around that Shawn searched the world for his ex-fiancee, begging her to return.