Skyward Spine

Calen was a benchwarmer on the university swim team, someone who never actually competed. The captain, Karl, was everything he wasn’t, a campus golden boy. Three records broken. A new girlfriend every other week. One night, Calen realized he’d left something behind and went back to the locker room. That was when he heard it. Ragged breathing. Strained, barely held back. And beneath it… the slow, awful sound of metal bending under pressure. He pushed the door open. Karl stood with his back to him. His bare muscles writhed beneath his skin, moving wrong, his spine standing out in sharp ridges. His fingers were dug deep into the steel locker, nails tearing through metal, leaving long, brutal gouges. The air was thick with the smell of blood… and something wild. Predatory. Karl snapped around. His eyes burned gold in the dark. Blood stained the corner of his mouth, and when he bared his teeth, the canines were far too long. Far too sharp. He ran. He barely took two steps before something crashed into him from behind, slamming him to the floor. Karl’s weight pinned him down, his body radiating heat… too hot, almost painful. A low voice brushed his ear. “You saw something you weren’t meant to see.” “I won’t say anything….” Karl lowered his head, his nose grazing his neck as he inhaled slowly, deeply. “…You smell fucking irresistible.”

I felt his breath on my neck as he pinned me down. "Take off your clothes." He commanded as his eyes devoured every part of my body. I could read his mind, I know he couldn't stop picturing me naked, my legs parted open and him between them and giving me the best fuck of my life. I was afraid, my hands holding on tightly to my clothes as though my entire life depended on it. "I….I …. can't." I whispered sheepishly, avoiding all possible eye contact with him. "Are you trying to tell me you're a virgin?" He scoffed, trailing a kiss down my spine and I shivered to his gentle touch." "Are you?" He pulled me to his body in a fleet,and raised his brows, His stare, intense while he teased me. I was embarrassed. My hands were already at the hem of my dress as I was ready to obey my master's orders. ****************************** Love at first sight isn't always what it seems as Charles falls for an ordinary girl. He finally finds love after all these years and would do anything to have her all to himself. Things take a drastic turn when he discovers that she's one of those who seek his downfall. He comes up with a plan, a scheme to kill two birds with one stone. A plan to have both what he wants. One wants the heart, while the other wants revenge. Will love prevail? Or will hatred win?

"I welcome the bride and groom onto the stage!" A pastor said on the mic when the guest and the family members started clapping their hands while welcoming our beautiful couples. Julian grabbed Merry's wrist when she shared a look with him with a smile on his lips. Both of the couples are the center of attention in the hallway—they start walking on the stage while waving their hands at guests. Merry looked at her family members. The family members are smiling at her, but there is a mask behind those smiling faces. They are the monsters in the human-form, she knew very well. "Smile as you can because now the bad time has started for all of you—you people will cry day and night. "I am going to take everything from you guys!" Merry YELLED IN MIND while passing a fake smile to her members. Merry's parents have been separated by her own family. She has been far from her father for decades and missed the love. Merry came to take revenge on her family. "Now, the bride and groom can kiss each other!" The pastor said this after completing the rituals. Merry turned to Julian while biting her lips to kiss him. She was so shy, but Julian stepped close and didn't hesitate to kiss her on the lips. Her eyes widened as soon as his lips touched hers—his lips were so warm, and her body shivered to the spine, making her eyes close in response. This story is not just about revenge but also about a beautiful love story.

“You're more exciting than I expected” Alex whispered behind me, his voice sending hot shivers down my spine and I gulped down on my saliva. “W - W - What do you want from me” I stammered while asking him the question, he laughed out before turning me to face him. “I want you, all of you. You will be my new toy” He said, staring deep into my eyes and I could feel my heart beating fast. He did something that I could never forget in my lifetime, something that would make me the target of every girl present in the school. He took a few steps away from me before drawing the attention of everyone present in the cafeteria. “Announcement everyone, starting from today, Katherine is my girl. No one is allowed to go near her or harm her, if you have a problem with that come face me” with that he walked out of the cafeteria left me alone to face the glaring eyes of the ladies. Katherine Thrones is a good girl, has good grades, and is amazing at everything she does, living her life as quietly as possible until one day, she bumps into the shoulder of Alexander Walter, the bad boy, the player, and the troubles maker of the school. The captain of the football team. What happens when Alexander decided to focus his attention on the quiet geek girl Katherine and make her his play toy. Will Katherine fall victim to his trap or will the table be turned around?

As my murderer's claws tear into my abdomen inch by inch, my father and brother are seated in our family's banquet hall. They're celebrating Carly's 18th birthday and coming-of-age. "You'll always be my little girl." "Happy birthday, Carly." They light 18 pink candles for her. On top of the exquisite red velvet cake is a wolf figurine that they carved for her, and there are well wishes and laughter all around. Meanwhile, I'm curled up in a sewer filled with liquid silver as I bleed to death. My phone has been crushed, and I can't get out. I can only cry for help. A few days later, my father and brother show up together at the autopsy room. My brother stands by the operating table with a scalpel. He slices open the body and sews it back up like it's nothing. My father just covers his nose as he shoots a disgusted glance at my body. He urges my brother to hurry up with the autopsy report. "The victim is a young female wolf presumed to be of pure lineage. Before her death, she was subjected to prolonged captivity and torture. Her throat is nearly severed, her cervical spine is dislocated, and her chest cavity has collapsed. She was also injected with liquid silver before death." Hearing the report, my father looks so calm that it's just like a case study of no consequence. Neither of them can recognize that the body belongs to me—their daughter and sister!

"Get your foot, out of my door!" I yelped as I tried heavily to shut the door on him. "Pet... No need to be shy, it's only me, besides it's not the first time I've seen you naked?" He grinned like he was enjoying toying with me. My temporary guardian easily pushed himself inside my bathroom making my heart pound. Who was I kidding, I was no use for his incredible power, nor was my I any match for his crazy fast speed. However, if I was out in the woods, I'd still have a chance to escape him, thanks to my powers. He locked the bathroom door once he was in. "I apologise Kavyaa, but I no longer can not let you go back with Mark." "What?! Are you insane? He's a cop! You can't legally do this!" He smirked sending a chill down my spine, and slowly started to make his way over to me. "I can do, whatever I want with you." -- Kavyaa is taken in by her cop cousin Ethan. Ethan is a werewolf, and he has been strictly told to keep his true identity a secret from her, since she's just going to be staying with him for a short while. However things start to get heated up with murders into town, and Kavyaa finds out about her guardian's canine secret. Will she be able to escape from him? Or will she end up being his next prey?

"You will stay in a room and wait to see who has purchased your precious cherry. No niceness, no pleasantries, just a night of f**k, A business contract, signed, dealed and finished with a d**k." Those words sent chills to her spine as she read the content of the contract before signing nervously. Isabella's life was a rollercoaster of hardship and tough choices. With her father's life hanging by a thread, she found herself in a heart-wrenching dilemma – watch her father die in the cold hands of death or sell her virginity to a total stranger, a man, Ricco, who felt a connection since the day they shared an intimate and passionate encounter. He vows to find her as they embark on separate journeys. Fate intervened when Isabella became a maid in his mansion by luck but danger loomed in the form of Roberto, his sinister elder brother, who relentlessly pursued her coupled with the cruelty she had to endure from Ricco's girlfriend and aunt. Ricco , deeply in love, couldn't bear to see Isabella in peril. He made a tough call to protect her, providing the means for her independence and preventing her marriage to her father's ruthless creditor. But destiny had crueler plans in store. Kidnapped by her father's enemies, Isabella was thrust into a harrowing life as a forced prostitute, trapped by her father's debts. Will she summon the strength to break free from this nightmarish ordeal? What happens when she finds out she was pregnant with Ricco's child while captured to work as a prostitute. Dive into a gripping tale of love, sacrifice, and Isabella's unyielding resilience as she battles to rewrite her destiny.

"You're one interesting girl my princess," he said. At the same time, his eyes peered into mine as his hands slipped into my dress tracing my legs up to my upper thigh. My bare back pressed against the wall feeling the touch of his palm on my skin which sent tingling shivers down my spine and for some reason, I felt a smile creep up on my lips. "And you aren't a Saint either". __ Jade Flores who works part-time at the infamous Red bar, had just graduated and is looking to make her life better. She's innocent, makes impulsive decision sometimes and just wishes to continue hiding from her wicked uncle. Saint Gennaro Guerra, the city's infamous Mafia lord. He's Stoic, stern, dominant and of course, handsome. No one who has ever crossed him made it out of the 'dead hole'. The two cross paths when one of Saint's men who betrayed him happens to be Jade's cousin, Marcel popularly known as 'Tequila'. Saint rescues her from his archenemy, Matrix who is also in search of Tequila. Saint then holds Jade as his property when he cannot find Tequila. Jade starts to fall hard for him and in as much as he pushes her away each time and keeps his walls high, she doesn't stop trying to break his walls. What happens when the city's infamous man keeps facing different situations with the girl who works at the infamous bar? Will they have themselves to fall back to? Will Saint reciprocate her feelings?

Eleanor's heart pounded as Armando backed her into a corner, his eyes dark and unrelenting. "Why do you keep resisting me, Eleanor?" he asked, his voice a low threat. She tried to pull away, but his grip on her wrist tightened. "I won't be your possession, Armando." A slow, dangerous smirk curled on his lips. "We'll see about that." His hand snaked around her waist, pulling her against him, the warmth of his body making it hard to think straight. Before she could protest, his mouth claimed hers, fierce and demanding. She wanted to fight, but the intensity of his kiss shattered her defenses. Her hands, instead of pushing him away, gripped his shoulders, drawing him closer. When he finally pulled back, they were both breathless. "You can lie to yourself all you want," Armando whispered against her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine, "but you can't deny what's between us." Eleanor's heart raced with conflicting emotions, knowing he was right-and hating herself for how much she wanted him. * * * * * * Eleanor's life spirals out of control when she is sold to Armando, a merciless Mafia boss. Their fiery confrontations spark a powerful and dangerous connection neither can deny. As betrayal and threats close in from every direction, Eleanor must decide if she can trust the man who holds her captive or if their growing bond will destroy them both. In a world of ruthless power struggles, love becomes the ultimate risk.

****** “Do I truly have no effect on you, Delia?” Rafe’s voice was low and husky as he slowly drew her into his embrace. His fingers trailed down the curve of her spine, igniting a spark that sent a shiver racing through her body. As she sucked in her breath, unable to tear her gaze away from him, he leaned in closer, his lips grazing the sensitive skin of her neck. “Does this not feel good?” he murmured, his warm breath fanning her damp skin. Delia remained silent, unable to form a coherent response as he trailed his mouth to hers, slowly capturing her lips in a searing kiss. ******* Delia Scott is seeking refuge from her troubled past on the tranquil shores of St. John, unaware that the moment she steps foot on the island, her fate is sealed. She is the destined mate of Raphael “Rafe” Donovan—the enigmatic and formidable Alpha of the Nightclaw Pack, one of the largest Coastal Wolves Pack. Rafe, rules with an iron fist and works tirelessly to maintain the delicate balance between the humans and werewolves that reside in St. John. After years of believing his fated mate was nothing more than a lost dream, Delia’s arrival changes everything. And now that he’s found her, he will stop at nothing to keep her by his side. As their destinies collide, Rafe and Delia find themselves ensnared in a tempest of desire and longing, each grappling with the depths of their emotions. But beneath the sun-drenched paradise, a sinister threat looms, waiting to tear them apart. And when a third player enters the game, questions arise—Is Delia truly meant for Rafe, or was she never his to claim?