The Lottery Short Story

On New Year's Eve, I lost both my first love and my virginity. I never thought that the courage I mustered to put on that sexy lingerie... would eventually be undone by my professor. -- When Audrey's bf cheated at the biggest college party, He called her a boring nerd in front of everyone. She’s heartbroken and wasted. Then she had a one-night stand with a hot stranger. The next morning, she shocked to find out that the new professor was the man from last night. She lowered her head and tried to escape the earth. Him: “No need to hide, Audrey. I believe we met last night.”

I'd been "married" to Zachary for two years—until I tried applying for a loan and the bank's system flagged someone else as his legal wife. Our wedding? Just a private show. The real marriage license had his name next to hers. So yeah. I wasn't the wife. I was the other woman. Crushed, I went home—only to hear Zachary talking to his friend, Ethan, by the door. "Man, watching you stress is exhausting," Ethan said. "You clearly love Sierra. So why marry Cathryn?" Zachary looked torn. "At first, she was just a stand-in. But when she left, I couldn't stop thinking about her. So I brought her back—as my assistant." He paused, then muttered, "I can't live without Sierra. But I can't let go of Cathryn either. So I gave Sierra my love in public and kept Cathryn hidden with the title. That's fair, right?" I stood frozen, heart splitting open. He loved us both. Me—his childhood sweetheart. Her—the hidden wife. I thought I was the one. Turns out, I was just the game. He didn't break my heart. He shattered my whole world. But I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I walked away. And started planning two things.

"I, Beta Atlas Redding, reject you, Ruby Angelo, as my mate." Those words shattered Ruby’s heart, leaving her feeling worthless and broken. Unlike her perfect step-sister, Ruby couldn’t win her mate’s affection, which only fueled her father's disappointment. To make matters worse, he arranged her marriage to the most feared Alpha in North America, the ruthless Alpha Kane Rivenwood. For Ruby, this felt like a punishment too cruel to bear. Would Alpha Kane see her as just another burden, or could this be a second chance at love? The only certainty was that his cold, ruthless nature might lead to a far darker fate.

Abby divorced and her Alpha EX thought she was buried in tears. But actually, she is dating different hot guys every day. Him (interrupting Abby's date, fierce): How dare you! Abby ️: Exm sir? Who are you?

The once-glorious empire is in ruins, its capital buried beneath ash, following a bloody uprising. A competent scavenger who has been hardened by grief, Zara endures in the broken world, plagued by memories of the empire's devastation, particularly the ruthless purge that claimed her family's lives. She discovers a secret amid the rubble: a wounded man named Kael who says he is the final heir to the crumbling empire. Zara reluctantly consents to assist him, viewing his survival as a way to make amends. But Kael isn't interested in bringing back the empire he was born into. Rather, he is dangerously knowledgeable about a weapon that could upset the delicate balance of power in the world. An unforeseen attachment forms between Zara and Kael, complicating their objective as they create an uneasy alliance to traverse the lethal world of bounty hunters, imperial loyalists, and rebels. Zara is compelled to face her own troubled past—including the potential that her long-lost brother is still alive and fighting for one of the factions—as they delve deeper into the empire's hidden secrets. After the rebels kidnap Kael and torture him to find the weapon, Zara must decide whether to risk everything to save him or let him perish. Zara and Kael are pushed to the limit by their increasing love and the burden of their common past as they work against the clock to destroy the weapon and keep it out of the wrong hands. Will the fires of their decisions consume them or will they find salvation in a world of ashes?

When Erin run into her high school boyfriend, who now is a billionaire, at a restaurant, he cornered her against a bathroom stall "Behavior yourself." She warned him "Be a good girl if you don't want to be heard. " -- "Are you ladies bothering my girlfriend?" "Gavin?" One of the girls spoke up, her voice suddenly shrinking to a whisper. Gavin Pierce. He was the Alpha of the Darkmoon Pack, renowned as one of the most formidable and ruthless Alphas in our universe. And he also happened to be my ex-boyfriend. The same one that I had left behind in high school. Without any regard for my soaked shirt, Gavin casually draped an arm around my shoulders. The girl and her friends gaped at us, speechless and unsure of what to say next. "You two got back together?" She finally managed to ask, her voice almost a hollow echo. "I had no idea." "My personal affairs are none of your concern, Cassondra," he replied, sounding disinterested and nonchalant. "Of course, they're not..." Cassondra stammered, bowing her head in our direction. "I'm very sorry." -- “You owe me for saving you out there,” he said in a deep and threatening tone. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat, staring into his gorgeous eyes. “What is it you want?” I asked, my tone low and breathless. “Don’t you remember the last time we were in a bathroom together?” He asked, that smirk appearing on his lips again. “It was in a stall… just… like… this.”

I was the sole front desk clerk at a haunted hotel. Welcoming players, checking in on the bosses’ quarters, and slacking off a bit were all part of the job. At least, that was what I thought. It turned out my days were far from ordinary. A blood-drenched little girl in a tattered red dress kept ringing the service bell. Her eerie voice echoed, “Miss, why didn’t you come play with me?” A creepy black cat with glowing eyes wouldn’t stop meowing and rubbing against my legs. And then there was the old woman with claws like knives, cheerfully knitting me a sweater… out of players’ skin. One day, I took a day off to care for my sick mother. That was my biggest mistake. The entire game instance erupted in chaos. Bosses interrogated players, demanding to know where their precious front desk clerk had gone. “Did she abandon us? Is she never coming back?” I ran. They chased. But no matter how fast I fled, their grip on me only tightened. In the end, escape wasn’t an option.

*Warning* Explicit Content Included. Adults only. They killed my parents. Turned my underaged sister as se* slave. Sold me to a brothel. It’s been 901 days until the soon to be alpha made the highest bid on my auction night. ** “You,”He leered and smirked at us. “Both of you. Get up.” I shook my head, shuddering, “Please… Please don’t–” He grabbed me by my arm and dragged me up to my feet. He grabbed Angelia with his other hand and proceeded to drag us towards the door. Angelia had gone all but silent as she was pulled along like a ragdoll. Her eyes seemed glazed over. My heart raced. “P-Please. I can give you gems! Jewelry! What about lunar flowers? We have them all. If you’d just take us back–” “How are you going to bargain with something that’s not yours anymore?” He scoffed, “Move it. The boss doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Tears streamed down my face. We were brought out of the dungeon into another section. There were no windows and the scent of sweat and tears filled the air. The man who brought us there shoved us inside and closed the door behind us as a fat, whale of a man turned towards us. I could tell by his stature and his scent that he was either human or his wolf was weak. He chuckled and licked his lips as he approached. He stopped at me first, grabbing my chin and leaning close to take a deep breath of my scent. He chuckled as I recoiled and shuddered in disgust. Then, he stopped at Angelia, tracing a hand over her cheek. “I love the obedient ones. Welcome girls, to my dungeon. You will call me, Dan.”

On the night my dad kicked me out, I drank too much and slept with my “brother” It was a one night mistake. Yet, he proposed and claimed me as his mate, his luna. When I woke up, my mom's body was cold. The color was drained from her half-opened eyes, and I could see no signs of life. My father told me that she purposely drank poison to kill herself. But that was a lie. My mother would never kill herself; she would never leave me. That night imprisoned me. - “It wasn’t a mistake,” “What are you talking about, Jonathan?” I asked him. “Arina, you are my mate. You were born to be my luna,” he said. His face showed no signs of humor. “I wasn’t born to be anybody’s luna,” I shot back. “Arina, I love you…” he spoke softly, still staring into my eyes. I could feel the wolf in me stirring; something that I had never felt before. She was awakening; the fire that burned so deep inside of me was beginning to flare. “Love?” I heard myself saying. “There’s no such thing as love…” After everything I knew about “love”, what my mother went through when she married my father, love didn’t exist. “Give me a chance to prove you wrong. Marry me.”

When "the scentless" Elena thought she would be laid off by her manager, she never expected her new billionaire boss to be her high school crush Charles....Manager: "Sir, I think there's been a mistake. How is she staying? And I'm not? This isn't right.""You're right," Charles said, leaning forward over the table. "I'm sorry Elena. I forgot to mention you aren't going to be working here either."Manager's face set into a smug smirk."You'll be joining my team."There was a simultaneous gasp around the room.