Study Case Of Vanitas

Elena, a young girl known as the disgraced wolfless princess, confronts the harsh reality of royal life, discovering that her trusted friends are not as loyal as she thought. Meanwhile, Ryker and his family are bound to a life of servitude to the goddess. They learn fate and love are not always intertwined. Between Ryker’s obsession with young princess, his brother’s dark past, and his sister’s unforeseen destiny, twists and turmoil intertwine them with the royal family, leaving them shattered and their mission to the goddess unfulfilled. Jealousy, betrayal, lust, and love weave a complex tapestry, leading them through unexpected twists. Preview: “You try to belittle me, but it’s not going to work,” I taunted. “Do I look like a little girl?” She straightened, her glare fierce and untamed, canines protruding as she challenged me. “On the outside, you look like a warrior goddess, but I see in your eyes the little girl begging to be played with,” I retorted, trying to get under her skin. “And you look like a sick man with too much power on the outside, but I see the impediment boy whose daddy never really loved him inside you,” her smirk revealed she’d struck a nerve. I couldn't hold back. I stood, pulling her up by her neck and slamming her into the wall, my feral growls echoing. “You’ll be careful how you speak to me. I can sense your strength, but trust me, I will overpower you.” Her claws dug into my wrist, more growls erupted. My canines poised to end her life, but she welcomed the confrontation. “You’ll never control me!” She declared defiantly. “No? You don’t think I can make you submit?” I challenged, my wolf and I ready to teach her a lesson.

It's the tenth anniversary of my bonding with my warrior mate, Owen Chase, and also our son Leo's birthday. A month earlier, I spent $8000 arranging a trip to the Blood Moon Forest. I plan to take my mate and pup to the Moon Goddess' sacred grounds to receive her blessings. This is supposed to be a happy anniversary celebration for our complete werewolf family. I've prepared everything and booked tickets for the Twilight Coach. But on the night before our departure, Owen and Leo suddenly block our mind-link. "Dad and I are having dinner with Ms. Emma on the 24th floor of Moonlight Restaurant. We've cancelled the tickets—we're not going." The call ends there. They promptly block my number as well. I rush back to our pack overnight, only to find that the security system no longer recognizes me. That night, every household locks its doors and activates protective barriers against the toxic mist of the Silver Mines in the nearby Moonveil Valley, while I could only huddle on the stone steps outside our house, inhaling the silver-laden fog all night. The poisonous substances flood my systems. I am sent to the hospital, burning with fever as my wolf grows weaker with every labored breath. Meanwhile, my family is busy touring Central City with Emma Skinner, spending the money I had worked so hard to earn. Owen posts a photo on his social media. In the photo, Emma, my mate Owen, and my child Leo stand hand-in-hand in front of the wishing fountain in Central City, all smiling brightly. The caption reads: "A perfect trip, a perfect family of three." It is only then that I finally understand—this family exists in name only. It's time for me to rebuild my life.

Cold. Ruthless. Decadently dangerous. These were the only words to describe Alpha Rose. Everything she touched bent to her will, and although strikingly beautiful as a red rose, she had a wall of vicious thorns.But, what happens to this "Big Bad She-Alpha" when she stumbles upon her mate- a mysterious omega from a poor rogue pack? And, what happens when an old friend with whom she shares an unspoken past, comes back into the picture?Is Alpha Rose prepared to face the most difficult battle of her lifetime- the battle of love, desire... and secrets?

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Claire Black was betrayed in the worst possible way by her husband Liam and best friend Diana. She died pregnant and miserable at their hands just because her husband wanted to gain the Alpha position of her pack. Her only wish while taking her last breath was to get a second chance. What will happen when the universe grants her dying wish and Claire is reborn into the past? Would she get revenge successfully? Would she find the love she deserves this time round with Sebastian, her real mate who had always been there for her in her last life? Follow Claire's journey and find out what happens in her second chance at life…

“Your wife, Ivara, is finally back in your life, Mr. Elzaek, so why are you still running after me?” Eizlina shouted at that man, whom she had loved more than her own self. His infuriated gaze glowered at her shimmering eyes. “Wait a minute….” She bitterly chuckled, while stepping closer to him. “Is it because you want to keep me in your life as your mistress now?” his fists curled at her words. “So that you can force me to continue to open my legs for you, isn't it, Theron Elzaek?” She screamed at him. His jaw clenched, hearing her. “Fine, I will continue to open my legs for you, but now the only difference would be….” She got so close to him that their bodies grazed. “I will open them not just only for you but any man, who would……” he shut her up by aggressively grabbing a fist of her hair. Eizlina hissed in pain. Her body slammed against his. “The only man, who is allowed to touch, embrace and love you…..” he pushed his face closer to hers. “Is me, Eizlina Theron Elzaek….” husking those words, he smashed his mouth against hers. “Only me…Eizlin,” that name from his mouth shattered her heart. **************** Eizlina found her love in Theron, a widower, who forcefully married her just to satiate his vicious vengeance against her closed ones, but her love became a sin when his love and his deceased wife, Ivara, came back in their lives and claimed back everything, which had always been rightfully hers, including Theron and his love. So what would Eizlina do when she found out, the man, whom she had loved unconditionally and whose child was breathing inside her, had never considered her more than just the VEIL OF HIS FIRST LOVE? *DARK-ROMANCE*

Isabella Moretti is known to be the best among the rest. A deadly rose amongst a field of daisies. A strong ripple in calm waters. A killer seeking revenge, finds two allies more than willing to lend her a hand. Will she trust them both? Or will she trust neither?

They say fire is cleansing, a transformative type of destruction. After a forest fire, nature heals and grows stronger. It's forever changed but not destroyed. Fire is painful but beautiful, something that is warm but left unattended can be devastating. In the flames I was broken, destroyed, but in the ashes I was restored. Left floating in the grey, the smoke that led me through a divine transformation. Now I'm left adrift, the dark my only guide in the smoke, the blue of the sky, of his eyes, the only guide in the light. Forever torn and pulled between the two, unsure who I can trust and terrified to make the wrong choice. Not just my life hangs in the balance, but the lives and well being of all of humanity. It just might be too much for these wings to bare.

After seven years of bloodbath, the most decorated soldier returns to the capital.“Whatever was taken from me, I will take back a thousand fold!”

When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in the town of Smiths Hollow, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won't find the killer. After all, the year before her father's body was found with his heart missing, and since then everyone has moved on. Even her best friend, Miranda, has become more interested in boys than in spending time at the old ghost tree, the way they used to when they were kids. So when Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging the remains of the girls through the woods, she knows she can't just do nothing. Not like the rest of her town. But as she draws closer to answers, she realizes that the foundation of her seemingly normal town might be rotten at the center. And that if nobody else stands for the missing, she will.

Welcome back to Clifton Heights. Sheriff Chris Baker and Father Ward meet for a Saturday morning breakfast at The Skylark Diner to once again commiserate over the weird and terrifying secrets surrounding their town. Sheriff Baker shares with Father Ward the story of a journal discovered in the ruins of what was once an elaborate koi pond and flower garden, which regales a tale of regret, buried pain, and unfulfilled debt: “Sophan” – Jake Burns has always been a bit...off. Rude, awkward, sometimes brutish, he's tolerated by Nate Slocum and his friends because he hits a mean line drive, and because they all know but don't discuss the abuse he faces at the hands of his troubled father, a Vietnam veteran consumed by his demons. But Jake is suffering something far worse than domestic abuse, and when Nate discovers what, he faces an impossible choice: help Jake and put himself in the path of evil, or abandon him, only to damn himself in the process. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing