Southern Gothic Novels & Stories

Everyone envied me — an orphan who'd become the Luna of the most powerful Alpha in the Southern Territory: Cain. For three years of our mating, he treated me like I was the center of his world. Then Serena — his childhood sweetheart — severed her bond with her former mate and came back to our pack. Cain started patrolling the territory every night. Coming home later and later. He didn't even ask me before moving Serena into our pack house. "Her ex-mate has been stalking her. She and I grew up together — how could I just stand by and let someone threaten her?" Serena spent every day in lingerie, draped over Cain. The two of them flipping through old photos, reminiscing about the time Cain got into a brawl because some guy had been hitting on her. I didn't say a word. I quietly tucked away the pregnancy test and brought Cain a bowl of "calming tonic." He drank it without hesitation. What he didn't know was that it was a witch's potion — one that could forcibly sever a mate bond. It would take effect on the next full moon. When it was done, I made a phone call. "Alpha Ethan, I'm ready to come to the Northern Territory. Come get me."

Everyone in southern Italy knew that Lorenzo Moretti loved me like a madman. And yet he had been keeping a much younger woman in Naples. They said she looked just like I had years ago. He told people she was only a reminder of the woman he had once loved most. He also gave strict orders that no one was to let me hear about her. Until the day I found out I was pregnant. I went to his office to tell him the news myself, only to stop outside the door when I heard a young woman’s voice from inside. “Lorenzo… am I only here because I remind you of her?” The door was slightly ajar. Through the gap, I saw a young woman who looked too much like me, wrapped in his jacket and holding his glass. I stood there, barely breathing. Then I heard him answer. “Don’t compare yourself to her.” “She could never be what you are.” I turned and walked away without making a sound. That night, I called my mother. “Mother, I’ve made up my mind.” She was silent for a moment. “I want a fire,” I said. “Something no one survives. By the time it’s over, Sophia Moretti needs to be dead to the world.”

I've never been lucky. I lost my parents at a young age to false treason claims against the Redwood Pack. My cruel uncle Storm assumed my father's role of Alpha in the Pack, and ever since he became Alpha, my life has been a living hell. When he brings news of the Northern Alpha King hosting a ball to pick his Luna of the North, I know my chances are slim and didn't want to go. But my uncle Storm charges me to act as a spy for him. Gather Intel on the runnings of the Northern Pack and bring to him. Failure to do so? He'll have my head. When I meet Alpha King Elijah Lahiz, King of the North under weird circumstances, the mate bond snaps into place, and we're bonded to each other. However, after a night of passion, Elijah acts like I don't exist and picks my best friend, Raya as his Luna. Distraught and feeling betrayed, I run away to the South and into the patient arms of the Southern King Jeremiah, to escape my uncle's wrath. Jeremiah propositions an alliance to take down both my uncle and Elijah. But there's a problem. A huge one, really. I'm carrying Alpha Elijah's child.

“My body betrays me every time you come near. Stop making my wolf feel like you're her entire world, while my heart screams that you are nothing but my destruction!” – Rhea Valleria. “This bond pulls me toward you like a curse. I hate you, yet my instincts won't rest until I’ve claimed you." – Leon Vareth. RHEA VALLERIA lost everything overnight. Her family, her home, and the entire Valerian Pack were wiped out by the terrible Moon Rot plague. As the only helpless survivor, Rhea was forced into captivity by the Targarion Pack under the dictatorial rule of Alpha Leon Vareth after witnessing something she should not have seen. LEON VARETH is the definition of ambition and cruelty. As CEO of Vareth Corp and Alpha of the strongest pack in the Southern region, he allows no one to stand in his way to eternal glory, even if it means performing the cursed Eternal Blood Ritual. To him, weakness is a sin. And when he discovers a lowly girl from a dying clan spying on his darkest secret, there is only one solution: eliminate her. However, as his hands grip her neck to take her last breath, fate surprises them with an inescapable Mate bond.

Everyone in the Rossi family knows that their Don, Giovanni Rossi, loves me, Rebecca Costa, more than anyone else. Ever since we got together, he has stopped attending any social events that involve other women. We promised to marry once he returns from negotiating a dangerous arms deal in Aelfana. He was supposed to come back a week before the wedding, but instead, he returned on the eve of the wedding with Rosa Bianchi, his stepsister, in his arms. Rosa was unconscious, and traces of intimacy were visible on her skin. Giovanni kneeled before me, his expression remorseful. "Rebecca… I was drugged. I never meant to betray you. When Rosa threw herself at me, I thought she was you." And I believed him. At least, I did until I overheard a conversation in the changing room backstage at our wedding. One of his men asks, in disbelief, "Did you really mistake her for Rebecca?" "I did for the first night. But for the rest of the week… well, a man ought to have his bit of freedom before getting married." My fingers clench around my phone. In my inbox sits an unopened message—a marriage invitation from Angelo Calavaro, the most enigmatic Don in southern Ilya's underworld. I know what I have to do.

Anastasia Morbelle's life has been a series of hardships and betrayals. Sold as a slave by her own family, she finds herself at the mercy of the ruthless Alpha Sirius of the Nightshade pack. But when a fleeting moment of passion leads her to believe she has found her mate in Sirius, her world is shattered when he chooses another as his mate. Heartbroken and pregnant with Sirius's child, Anastasia flees into the treacherous Southern forest, only to be rescued by the enigmatic Alpha king, Alpha Marthias Martinez of the Cloudfall pack. As she begins to find solace and love in Marthias' arms, she must also navigate the dangerous situation when Sirius's mate leaves him and he comes looking for Anastasia. "I will make sure to find her and make her mine once again. Even if it's the last thing I do." Caught in a web of love, betrayal, and danger, Anastasia must find the strength to protect herself and her unborn child while facing the relentless pursuit of Alpha Sirius. "Don't worry mi'lady, from now, every atom of my body will be dedicated to your protection and that of your baby." Will she find true love and happiness with Marthias, or will the shadows of her past continue to haunt her?

My boyfriend, Nick, has finally returned after a decade-long battle in the south. I'm overjoyed when he tells me he'll marry me and make me his Luna. At that moment, I feel like I've finally found my home. But after getting pregnant, I accidentally come across a treasure trove of videos of him and my best friend, Sherry, in bed together. His journal also details his love for her. I log in to his extra WhatsApp account. Sherry has already blocked his number, but he still sends her messages of love—confession videos, words, and voice messages. I head to the hospital for a prenatal checkup. That's where I see My Alpha, Nick, getting on one knee before Sherry with a bouquet in one hand and his family heirloom—a moonstone necklace—in the other. He proposes to her. "I gave up on my dream to conquer the southern packs to return and see you, Sherry. I only have one goal—to marry you! Our child can't be without a father, and I'll mark you once you say yes! I'll make you my Luna!" he says. I turn away and make an appointment for an abortion. Then, I leave. Unexpectedly, he abandons Sherry and their child to come after me like a madman.

My adopted sister, Clara, framed me. She claimed I forced beast blood down her throat. The terror, she said, gave her a heart attack. So my three beloved vampire brothers sealed me away. They trapped me in the observatory in the highest tower, bound by a blood curse. I pounded on the door, helpless, explaining and begging them to let me out. Damien, my eldest brother, the head of our family, pierced me with a look of cold disappointment. Then he turned his back on me. "There's a limit to your selfishness, Lilith. Clara is a fragile human. She has a heart condition! Did you force that filth on her? Were you trying to kill her? I don't want to see this cruel side of you again. Stay in here and think about what you've done." Ethan, the rock star, and Julian, the gothic architect, couldn't even look at me. Their voices were tight with anger and exhaustion. "We put up with your tantrums, but not so you could hurt our family! You've let us down, Lilith. Stay in there and figure out what you did wrong." Then they carefully lifted the "unconscious" Clara and disappeared down the hall. But they didn't know. The observatory was only meant to open at night. But it malfunctioned. When morning came, the dome didn't close. Deadly sunlight streamed straight in. My power evaporated. My screams turned to silence. I burned to ash. Three days later, my brothers returned with a "recovered" Clara. Only then did they remember me. They had no idea the sun had already executed me.

Ophelia, the daughter of Ryan and Avery, was the only survivor of the attack on the moonshine pack in the southern region. Losing her entire pack made her a Lone wolf. Hated and despised by her own kind. Her father made a request when their pack was attacked. She was to find her uncle and deliver a message. Which inadvertently sends her on a journey to the north. Ophelia had always wanted to be free, to make her own choices and experience human love, not a forced bond. She wanted to love on her own terms, but nature had set her on a different course. During this journey, Ophelia discovers that she is mated to the Monarch, and it is her second shot at life. As if playing a cruel joke on them, nature paired a Lonewolf with the Monarch, a man with no tolerance for weakness, to a woman born from an ordinary wolf. A woman who did not even want a mate. Ophelia cannot morph into her wolf until she fully remembers who she is. Her body has to merge with her soul to trigger the transformation process; she is set on a quest to remember. She uncovers secrets she discovered in her past life, and with the help of Aaron, her mate, they unravel the mystery behind the existence of the half-bloods and identify the traitor in their ranks. Together, they save humanity from the torment brought to them by the half-bloods, rescue the captured wolves, and avenge their fallen heroes (her parents). They bring order back to the world. Proving that love can be found in the most unusual of places.

Silverclaw and Blackstone had been bound by a sacred blood alliance for three generations. I was the rightful heir to the Silverclaw pack, and Elara was my cousin, of lesser blood and no rank. On my bonding ceremony, Elara spiked my wine. While I was unconscious, she donned a counterfeit of my Moon-Blessed Robes and slept with Elias that night. I found them together at dawn. Though he offered me anything to appease my fury, I forced a sterility potion down Elara’s throat, paid her off with a hundred thousand dollars, and banished her from Silverclaw territory. For ten years, I waded through blood to secure Elias’s rise to the Alpha throne. Yet at his coronation, he claimed the Luna’s Crown and Sacred Robes meant for me. He led pack warriors to a southern cabin where, upon confirming Elara’s death, he seized my throat. His claws tore into my flesh as he raged over her corpse. He threw me and my unborn child off the cliff. He held the marker stone at her cairn and whispered of revenge for his true love. I woke up on my bonding ceremony. Elias had been reborn too, expecting me to grovel at his paws. He was wrong. This time, I would never be his Luna. The throne, the pack, and the bond. Every last scrap of it would return to its rightful owner.