The One Thing You Can't Replace

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Margot Keys was one of many she-wolves who were publicly claimed by their mate. For years, she was mated to a man who thought that women should do as they were told and their only value was to create an heir. In her first mate bond, she suffered horrible abuse, unable to escape the horrors of her mate. However, she refused to give him a child. She never wanted any child of hers to be raised by a man who didn’t value her as a mate, a Luna, or a woman. Ezra Hart is an Alpha who publicly claimed his first mate, as was expected for all ranked members. His mate, unable to live with the embarrassment of the public claim, killed herself and their unborn child, leaving Ezra alone and destitute. When Margot recognizes Ezra as her second chance mate, she is ready to reject him, unwilling to subject herself to another mate bond. But Ezra lost one mate and he isn’t willing to lose another. Thanks to his previous brother-in-law, Hunter, Ezra has seen that the public claimings are detrimental to all she-wolves. Now, the Moon Goddess has given him a second chance to make things right and be the kind of mate that he’s always wanted to be. However, when Margot killed her previous mate, willing to give her life in the process, Ezra does the only thing he can to save her. He marks her without her consent. When she wakes, Margot is furious but also surprised to find that Ezra isn’t forcing her to immediately accept him. Can Ezra convince Margot that he is different than her first mate? Can Margot let go of her past and find true love again?

Isang babaeng walang takot magmahal ngunit hindi pa kailanman tunay na umibig. Isang lalaking isinara na ang puso dahil sa pagkawala ng kanyang asawa. At isang batang naghihintay sa pagmamahal ng isang ina. Si Vanessa De Jesus ay isang masayahin, palabiro, at walang preno kung magsalita. Sa paghahanap ng trabaho, hindi niya inaasahang mapapasok siya sa kakaibang mundo ng mayamang negosyanteng si Vincent Curt Lee—isang malamig, istrikto, at halos walang pusong lalaki pagdating sa negosyo. Ang trabahong inaalok sa kanya? Magpanggap bilang si Chelsea Jimenez Lee, ang nawawalang asawa ni Vince at ina ng batang si Vincent. Sa mata ng publiko, buhay pa si Chelsea. Ngunit sa katotohanan, nababalot ng misteryo ang kanyang pagkamatay. Upang mapasaya ang anak na may sakit at nangungulila sa ina, pumayag si Vanessa na gampanan ang papel na hindi niya akalaing babago sa buhay niya. Sa loob ng mansyon, nagsimula ang isang kontratang puno ng mahigpit na patakaran—lalo na ang isang rule na tila pinakamahirap sundin: “Don’t you dare to fall in love with me.” Ngunit paano kung sa bawat pagtatalo, sa bawat banggaan ng personalidad, at sa bawat sandaling magkasama sila, unti-unting nabubuksan ang pusong matagal nang nakapinid? Habang lumalalim ang kanilang pagsasama, mabubunyag ang mga lihim sa likod ng aksidente ni Chelsea. Aksidente nga ba ito? O may mas malalim na dahilan sa likod ng pagkawala? Sa pagitan ng pagpapanggap at katotohanan, sa pagitan ng obligasyon at tunay na damdamin— maaari bang mahalin ng isang puso ang someone like you?

At Lycanthrope University everyone knows the ropes - you study hard, play harder, and when you become of age you’re forced to attend a mating ritual where you’re paired with your mate for an eternity. When Devon is “accidentally” paired with his best friend, Nate, his entire world gets turned upside down. Sure, when there was an uneven number in the year, there were some gay pairings, but it was weird and unlikely. And he never thought it would happen to him. Now he has to fight the evil vampyres, prove himself worthy of the title of alpha, explain this his girlfriend why he’s linked to a guy, and tell his best friend he wants to break their mateship. Yikes!

They say, love approaches you at the peak of your youth, but in some cases it happens earlier than expected. Though you don't expect love, it is ageless, timeless, and placeless. Here's an African story of love, a love unexpected , untold, a love that changes , a love that heals. Here's an unconditional love between two uncommon and unlikely persons, two teens though they were world apart, they didn't care, though they were class difference, they cared less. "Adure look into my eyes and tell me you don't love me" These were his words before they parted , a space that made him realize just how much he needed her, a break that made her realize she needed him more than she needed her next breath. I know what your questions may be , what caused Their separation? What transpired between them? How long was the break and oh! What is the lover boy's name. Why don't you find out your self by reading this intriguing Iove story , this undying love story. Oh also this question, how does a break , a big break as that , makes one realize how much he or she longs for / love themselves more, well dear readers it all happened in THAT ONE BIG BREAK

"You are secretly Wild Mrs. Williams but I Can make you experience all that you are reading." Everett was stunned looking at the genre she was reading. Whilst Arizona flinched by the sudden voice of her husband. The tale of A guy who was afraid to fall in love and A girl who craved love were bounded in a arranged marriage.

*There was one rule: No dating each other's brothers.* For Layla, this rule was difficult to follow. She had secretly crushed on her best friend's brother, Asher Creed, for years. When Layla tries to pull her attention away from Asher and onto a new guy, she ends up sleeping with the off-limits brother. This amazingly, horrible event pushes them into a secret affair that neither of them can break off. Layla knew hiding behind her best friend's back was horrible, but her feelings for Asher were stronger than the ones gnawing at her. But the deeper Layla gets into her web of lies, the more difficult it becomes to let him go when he disappears from her life completely. Being left confused and heartbroken was all on her, and all because she couldn't follow one simple rule. Trying and failing to move on from him, she comes face-to-face with Asher Creed seven years later and she's still mad over the guy. Will she be able to forgive and forget? Or, will her broken heart and matured thoughts keep him away this time? ONE NIGHT OF SIN SHORT SEX STORIES COLLECTION.

Henry has lived his life in the shadow of exile, struggling alongside his mother after being cast out of their pack. College offers him a chance at freedom, but also brings him closer to three powerful men whose love could change everything: Adrian, the kind school principal who sheltered him; Elias, the newly restored Alpha who promises him honor and belonging; and Damien Dowell, the billionaire CEO who offers passion and power. Torn between safety, destiny, and ambition, Henry must decide where his true heart lies. But which path will he choose? Which love will define his future?

After my daughter was seriously injured in a car accident and suffered heavy bleeding, she was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. When it was time to sign the surgical consent form, the nurse suddenly snapped the medical file shut and pressed it down firmly. "Hospital regulations state that only immediate family members can sign the surgical consent form. What proof do you have that you are the child's father?" I was stunned. "She is my biological daughter. Do I still need to prove it to you?" The nurse retorted, "Birth certificates can be forged. How do we know the child wasn't abducted by you? If you cannot prove it, we cannot proceed with the surgery." Seeing the nurse's self-righteous expression, I trembled with anger. "I am signing the surgical consent form for my own biological daughter. Do I need to provide DNA evidence as well?" She curled her lip. "These are hospital regulations. We are being responsible for the patient. If you cannot prove the child is yours, we will report you to the police for child trafficking." After saying that, she actually called security to report it and loudly accused me of being a human trafficker. Report me to the police? I took out my police uniform from my bag and put it on. I'd show her what a split-second response was.

"Tell me it is not real, if it is real then I can't take it, I loved you fucked you catered for you and this is what I get in return?" "I payed you accordingly you are nothing less than a whore"