The Detective Is Already Dead

Ariel and I married into the Jahn family—and got knocked up around the same time. I landed Edmond, the older brother and a hotshot forensic pathologist. She got Philip, the cop. At six months pregnant, I started bleeding. Instead of rushing me to the ER, Edmond dragged me into an OR. "Keyla was in a car crash. Messed up her leg. Whatever this is, deal with it later. Help her first." Ariel tried yanking me out, but Philip was already outside, blocking the door. "Keyla's the patient. If you've got an ounce of medical ethics, you'll save her." We were trapped. So, we did the surgery. Then Keyla had someone cut us open and dump our bodies in the woods. We died hating them all. Edmond and Philip didn't figure it out till they dug us up—too little, way too late.

My estranged husband suddenly barges into my parents' home, demanding to know where I am. He forces my mother to her knees and pushes my paralyzed father to the floor before beating him up. He even renders our four-year-old son half-dead. Why? Because his true love is disfigured and needs a skin graft to restore her looks. "Where is Victoria? She should be honored that she can do this for Amelia! Hand her over, or I'll kill all of you!" It's too bad I've been dead for a year.

There are monsters in this world. And they used to be us. Now it's time to euthanize to survive in a hospice where Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. Post-infection Chicago. Christmas. Inside The Hospice, Emily and her fellow nurses do their rounds. Here, men and women live out their final days in comfort, segregated from society, and are then humanely terminated before fate turns them into marrow-craving monsters known as ‘Smilers.’ Outside these imposing walls, rabid protesters swarm with signs, caught up in the heat of their hatred. Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. But in a world where mortality means nothing, where guns are drawn in fear and nobody seems safe anymore – at what cost will this pursuit come? And through it all, the soon to be dead remain silent, ever smiling. Such is their curse. It won't be long before that snow-speckled ground will be salted by blood. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Alsie Jones is a homicide detective in the human world. Alsie Neferet is a 24-year-old member of the Far-Side Moon Pack. Alsie is a human-wolf hybrid, or so she has been told her entire life. The Far-Side Moon Pack is the largest, most powerful, pack on the West Coast and it is undergoing a leadership transition, with the 24-year-old Sandolf Triplets preparing to become the new Alphas. However, their father, current Alpha, Kordell, will not step down until the triplets find their Luna. Osiris, Evander, and Andrew know who their mate is. When they decide to discuss the matter with their father, they encounter a deity named Wepwawet who gives them a warning: "Keep Alsie safe, or I will bring ruin to your family and pack." The triplets must ensure Alsie's safety, navigate interactions with the Sheriff's Office, investigate a pack member's murder, and locate an ancient artifact on neutral ground, all before their 25th birthday. While also learning that their story and history isn’t entirely accurate. Alsie is destined to become one of the most powerful beings of the Underworld on the planet, if she can stay alive. Alsie and the Sandolf triplets must join forces with other beings of the supernatural, the underworld, and humans alike to accomplish and fulfill the prophecy of King Sekhemkhet and keep centuries old bloodlines alive. On this journey Alsie and the triplets will come across witches, warlocks, vampires, werefoxes, and a species that was thought to be a myth, the werecats descendants and guardians of Ra. All the while Alsie is still holding on to her job in the human world, as a detective. The more she investigates the death of their pack member the closer she gets to the ultimate enemy Fenrir the evil monstrous wolf of Ragnarok.

"Sorry? I'm just mad at you," she said, giving him a slight push. "Okay, I will clear up all your complaints now." Altan took her hand, pulled her towards him, and placed his lips on hers. Esen felt as if time had stopped. It was her first kiss, the first real one. For the first time, she felt the touch of a man in her life. He held her tightly, as if he wanted to make sure she would not get away from him, and he kissed her with intensity and passion that made it difficult for Esen to breathe. The moment he put his tongue into her mouth, she melted. ****** After the War of Dark with Omicron Wolf Kendrick Lucas, True Alpha Alparic O'Connor had imprisoned him somewhere and only three people knew the key to his release, Gamma Kai Liam, Mirror Wolf Isabella Osiris and the True Alpha Alparic himself. As every war has an end, so did this one. As a result of this battle, the Gravefur Pack suffered the loss of their leader. However, the Vanara Pack seemingly desired to prolong this war yindefinitely, thus they joined forces with the Dark Shadow Coven and humans to develop a highly dangerous virus that posed a threat to the entire world. Unbeknownst to them, the release of Omicron wolf Kendrick Lucas had the potential to give rise to the birth of the Wizard Wolf in Nagosia forest, where the moon possesses the ability to bring about transformation.

"Do you know what it feels like to be exiled… by the one who was meant to love you?” “Home. He felt like home.” Until he didn’t. Aegis was rejected by her mate—the Alpha who promised her forever. He chose her sister instead, tearing her world apart and casting her into darkness. Heartbroken and alone, her life turned into a nightmare overnight. Six months after she's exiled— her parents and Ex-mate plotted to have her killed and they succeeded. But fate wasn’t finished with her. Two years later Aegis is back- not as the fragile girl they discarded, but as a Powerful Alpha. At her side stands Damian Westwood, the ruthless King of all wolves, whose touch ignites a forbidden longing and whose secrets are even more dangerous as her own. Together, they’re bound by an ancient prophecy and a bond threatening to unravel the werewolf world. ❓ Why would the family that raised her want her dead? ❓ Why would the Moon Goddess give her a second chance? • ❓And will her thirst for revenge cost her everything… even love? -- They took everything from her. Now she’s here to take it all back.--

I hated the heroine. Now I am her. When nineteen-year-old Ashley slips in the bathroom and dies with popcorn in her hair and a love letter unsent, she wakes up inside the worst romance novel she’s ever read as Arianna Salvatore, the pathetic, weepy female lead she couldn’t stand. The catch? Everyone thinks she faked a suicide attempt to win back Damian, her cruel, emotionally unavailable husband. And her sister? She’s gunning for him next. Ashley wants out. But the book has other plans and if she’s going to survive this twisted love triangle, she’ll have to rewrite the story herself. Goodbye, tragic heroine. Hello, chaos.

On the day we were supposed to register our marriage, my boyfriend said he was busy and bailed on me again. When I got home, however, I found his marriage certificate with his assistant on my desk—the registration date was today. I smiled, placed the certificate on my desk, and decisively ended things with him. The next moment, his call came through. His tone was impatient as he grumbled, "Penny, what's with the drama? You're an adult; stop playing these games." Just as I was about to respond, I heard his assistant sobbing on the other end. "Eric, did Penny misunderstand us? You should go home; I'll be fine by myself." "Don't worry about her," he said soothingly. "She's always pulling this nonsense—it's exhausting. Right now, you're what matters most." Hearing his reassuring words to her, I hung up and completely gave up on him.

"Are you sure you want to deregister everything that has to do with you, Ms. Shaw? Once it's all settled, you will essentially cease to exist. No one will be able to trace you." Nancy Shaw looks at the clock pointing to midnight before saying firmly, "Yes, I'm sure." Hansen Holland's lover has won the wager. He spends his and Nancy's first wedding anniversary with his lover. That's why Nancy doesn't want him anymore. … Hansen thinks Nancy will never leave him, no matter how out of line he acts. He sinks deeper into his lover's tenderness and turns a blind eye to her provocation of Nancy… until Nancy disappears. That's when he panics and descends into terror. When he finally finds Nancy, he sees her in the arms of a man who only has eyes for her. Hansen falls to his knees before her, looking humbled. "I'm sorry, Nance. I know I did you wrong. Let's go back to how things used to be." Nancy links arms with the man beside her and smiles winningly. "It's too late for that. You're out, Mr. Holland."

Detective Casie Blackwood thought she'd left her supernatural past behind when she joined the police force ten years ago, fleeing the shame of public mate rejection and family abandonment. Now, ritualistic murders are forcing her back into a world she desperately wanted to forget. Three human victims have been discovered with surgical precision wounds and ancient symbols carved into their palms—markings that point to forbidden blood magic from before the supernatural communities established peaceful coexistence. When Casie finds a note written in the old pack language reading "The Hunt Begins," she realizes someone is deliberately targeting humans to harvest their primal fear, threatening to expose the entire supernatural world. Partnered with Detective Rick O'Connor, who remains unaware of her true nature, Casie must navigate the investigation while concealing her enhanced senses and knowledge of the supernatural. The wounds aren't from blades—they're fang marks. The positioning isn't random—it's ritualistic. And the killer's scent carries a terror that suggests they're being hunted by something even more dangerous. Forced to break ten years of silence, Casie contacts her estranged brother Elias, learning the symbols are ancient binding marks used to channel supernatural energy across factional boundaries. The killer needs seven sacrifices total to complete a ritual that will shatter the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds. With three victims already claimed and only four days until the next lunar cycle, time is running out. As federal agents circle and media attention intensifies, Casie must choose between maintaining her carefully constructed human life and embracing the supernatural heritage she rejected. The investigation isn't just about stopping a killer—it's about preventing an all-out war that could destroy both worlds she's sworn to protect.