Skeleton Hand Holding Something

Ever since he was born, it was clear to Alan Hedger, an undercover spy, that he desired absolute solitude. As a complete workaholic, he made it abundantly clear to himself, and everyone around him, that there was no room for romantic pursuits in his life. Fully dedicated to his job, he did everything in his power to achieve his goal. That was until it demanded something else of him. Put in an impossible situation, an honourable man like himself was forced to deceitfully seek a young doctor's hand in marriage. Hence met the two. When their paths collided, none of them had foreseen that they would fall in love with each other in the near future. But when they did, their worst nightmare came chasing behind them.

When Athena’s cruel stepfather sells her to the ruthless Alpha Raphael to settle his debts, her world shatters. Trapped in a palace where fear rules and disobedience is punished, Athena refuses to break—even when Raphael tries to crush her spirit. But defiance comes with a price. Raphael is a feared Alpha, a man who has never known mercy nor love, yet something about Athena stirs an unfamiliar fire within him. Her stubborn pride draws him closer, even as it fuels his anger. She should be nothing more than a slave to him… so why does she haunt his every thought? Caught between power, vengeance, and a dangerous attraction, Athena hatches a bold plan: if Raphael wants obedience, she will give him the perfect illusion. She’ll play his game, earn his trust—then seize her chance at freedom. But as Alpha and captive grow entangled in a battle of wills, one question looms: Is Athena truly the pawn in Raphael’s hands, or is she the one holding the strings?

During Christmas break, my boyfriend, Trevor Hayes, asks me to stop by and feed the dog that his childhood friend, Evelyn Summers, keeps at her place. I bring a bag of kibble over. But the second I open the door, a huge pit bull lunges at me and bites into my face and arms. Luckily, a neighbor hears me screaming and pulls me out of its jaws, but the damage is already done. The scars will stay with me forever. I break down, but Trevor blames me instead. "You must've done something wrong when you fed Mojo and set him off. You just got a scar, but Mojo's dead!" The weight of it all crushes me until I climb a rooftop and jump. After dying, I see Trevor holding Evelyn in his arms. "Honey, you're so clever. Starving Mojo for a few days really worked. Now, she's dead. We can finally be together." When I open my eyes again, I'm back on the day Trevor asks me to go feed that dog.

He promised to come back, and he did. But he came back with another woman… and a royal letter. Ravena had waited faithfully—holding his pack together, taking care of his father, and ruling alone for a year. But when Alpha Lucien returned from war, he brought his fated mate with him… and told Ravena to fund their wedding. Humiliated and betrayed by the very household she saved, Ravena asked for only one thing: a divorce. And when she walks out again, it isn’t as a Luna. It’s as a Princess. Crowned by the King himself, Ravena is done waiting, done weeping, and done playing their game. But beneath everything going on, something darker simmers. Her family’s death wasn’t fate—it was betrayal. And someone in the kingdom made sure the truth stayed buried. Now, Ravena wants answers and vengeance. But when war threatens the realm and she decides to fight only one man dares to walk beside her on the battlefield. Prince Evander. Cold-eyed. War-marked. Dangerous. And drawn to her in ways no one dares name aloud. Will he be her sword? Or her downfall?

"Quiet, girl!" I growled. Her body stiffened. I fumbled her breast with so much anger. "See, boys?" I said, with a low growl, "She is so soft." I laughed, cold and harsh. Lucian and Jamil roared with me. Her eyes squeezed shut, a blush creeping up her neck. This was better. Broken. "This is how you should behave," I muttered to myself with raw satisfaction. My hand moved lower, smacking her butt hard. Crack! Lina whimpered. It was a small, painful sound. Her pain was mine. I dragged her towards me. Her bare skin brushed my clothes, like a jolt. My hands moved over her curves, asserting my ownership. Her skin was soft, silk. She shivered with fear and something else. It excited me. I leaned in, my breath hot against her ear. Her heart pounded, like a frantic drumbeat. Just as I moved to take her, a whisper crept out of her mouth "Please, Sire, I haven't done this before." Her voice shook. It surprised me. I pulled my hand back, feigning surprise.

When my stepbrother, William Carson, and I get caught up in an avalanche, the search and rescue team is quick to find us. But they only have one stretcher, meaning only one of us can get rescued first. My dad grabs my hand as he tells me, "Wilfred, William has a weak constitution. Please give the spot to him. You can wait for the team to come back for you." In my previous life, I believed my dad, so I gave the spot of survival away to William. But later on, the blizzard picked up again, which suspended the search and rescue team's efforts to save me. That was how I froze to death on the mountain. William ended up inheriting all of my assets. He also officially got together with my fiancee, Violet Hathaway, who was cheating on me with him the entire time. As my soul levitated over the funeral, I heard my dad telling the guests, "Wilfred has always been defiant since young. The fact that he traded his own life for William's is enough to make his death worthwhile." When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the moment my dad is holding my hand. This time, I just nod quietly with tears in my eyes. Once again, I watch as William is placed onto the stretcher. I'd like to see whose death is the worthwhile one.

His words pierced Freya's heart like needles. This was it, "Rejection". What she least expected. Has her life not been tampered with enough?  This was going to be the end of it, she has said to herself, but here she was, like a used tissue paper. She bowed her head in shame. This wasn't a dream, he really expressed his dislike towards her. He didn't feel an ounce of love for her, why then did he mate with her He was really disgusting. She raised her head up when the crowd made some noise.  He stood before the crowd, holding the hand of a lady.  "From today onwards, here is one I choose as my Luna," he announced with a wise smile. Freya glanced at him with red eyes. Her gaze moved to the lady he was holding. Her heart sank immediately when she saw her face. Reyna was the Luna he chose. Her eyes widened in shock, "so this is true". . . . Do you think the moon goddess will have someone far better than her fated mate? And what do you think will happen when Freya discovers that his fated mate and her best friend were the ones who orchestrated her parents' deaths so they can take over the pack? Will she still accept him or fight to regain her position as the true Luna of the pack?

"Go after them! Don't let her escape, the mother and daughter must be killed." The sound of the chase continued to come from behind. The woman clutched her newborn baby in her arms and dashed forward. The thorns on both sides pricked her legs and bruised her body, but she could care less about that. No one can hurt her daughter, no one!!! However, the one chasing behind her was her husband, the most powerful Alpha in the wolf pack, how could she, a human, be his opponent? Looking at the cliff in front of her, she closed her eyes in despair. Suddenly, there was a "whoosh". A long, cold arrow cut through the sky. With a "poof" sound, the arrow directly pierced into the woman's shoulder. "Ah..." the woman screamed, fell to the ground, the baby in her arms flew out, and was hanging on the edge of the cliff. "Owwww, owwww..." the newborn baby girl cried out in pain. "No!" The woman exclaimed, ignoring her injuries and crawling over like a madman to get her back into her arms. "Elena, hand over this little demon, I will not hurt you." The powerful half wolf man with his army of wolves, stared down at her. "No, she's your daughter, our daughter..." the woman sobbed. "She is a demon, she will kill our wolf pack!" The man was cold-blooded and heartless. "Bastard!" The woman cursed and closed her eyes in despair, she had no other choice. Holding the baby girl, she turned around and jumped off the cliff.

"I love you so much Chelsey," Chad cried while holding the lifeless body of his beloved childhood sweetheart. It was heartbreaking for Kristina and Nathaniel to see their elder son crying while holding his girlfriend, Chelsey who was bathing with her own blood after a tragic vehicular accident. "I just can't believe it's actually happening now Nats," Kristina told her husband. Her heart is broken seeing how painful it was for her elder son Chad, grieving for his girlfriend's loss, who seemed to be his love since they were young. Chelsey and Chad's journey for love is like a roller coaster. Will they meet again, after this tragedy?

I had a massive fight with my husband, Gary Mitchell, while I was six months pregnant. He kicked me out of the house. With nowhere to go and no money, I ducked into a convenience store just to get some warmth. I was staring at the steam rising from the hot food display when the cashier walked over. "Excuse me, Miss. We have one last bottle of amnesia water left. Would you be interested in it?" I froze, then let out a bitter laugh. "I don't have any money." She said, "You don't need to use money. You can exchange it for something from your body." Instinctively, I raised my hand and touched my swollen belly. "How about this?"