There Are Fates Worse Than Death

I jolt awake to splash of ice cold water making contact with my warm skin and ripping me from my dreams. Looking up I see my perpetrator and best friend Bailey giggling, and holding a now half-emptied bucket. “Wake up loser! Last day on the beach and you choose to sleep?” I roll my eyes in annoyance at her bubbly enthusiasm. “Alright I’ll get in for a bit but I’m not going to stay long,” I state with a huff. We each grab a floatie and make our way waist deep before hopping on and linking arms to keep from drifting apart. “Are you excited to be heading back tomorrow? I know I am!” Bailey quipped. Honestly I’d been avoiding that thought the whole trip. Returning to our pack was the last thing I wanted to think about. This week at the beach had been the calm environment I desperately needed after senior year. Returning would mean I would have to finally confront the drama that has become my life the last three months. All through high school I kept my head down, focusing on my team and training. Despite keeping to myself there was always one person stirring sh*t up, my ex, Austin. His father, the Alpha to our pack, gave his life in one of the pack battles last year. Leaving his Luna to raise Austin and his sister on her own. Austin would now be eligible for the Alpha title which worried me. Up until we left he had shown blatant disrespect to my father, Beta to our pack. Not to mention he still had his eyes and ears on me. Returning was the last thing I had on my mind, knowing sh*t is about to hit the fan.

Living with my aunt and her family was meant to be a temporary, quiet arrangement just helping out and keeping to myself. On the first day of the new year, while everyone else was out celebrating, I stayed home, enjoying the rare silence and catching up on sleep. But when we ran out of water, I reluctantly stepped outside to fetch some, and that’s when I saw him. He stood by the gate of the house next door, effortlessly commanding attention with just a glance. A smirk played on his lips, and a flicker of amusement danced in his eyes behind his blue-ray glasses. At that moment, he was impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, I felt disheveled and barely awake, my hair was a mess and still shaking off sleep. But he didn’t seem to mind. There was something about him an air of mystery that made me wonder who he was and why he was there. Before I could look away, he spoke, “Hi.” Caught off guard, I managed a quick, “Hi,” while trying to pull myself together. “Can I know your name?” he asked. I hesitated but replied, “I’m Clara,” and kept walking. “Can I have your number?” he called after me. “Just as friends.” I almost refused but reluctantly agreed, entering my number into his phone. “There,” I said, handing it back. “I’ll call you,” he promised with a smile, as I turned to leave. What began as a chance encounter soon became an inexplicable connection. He had secrets, but there was something about him that saw through me, understanding things no one else did. The man I met next door wasn’t just a fleeting stranger,he became the reason I started questioning everything I thought I wanted.

Matapos ang hiwalayan nila ng boyfriend niya ay natagpuan ni Elyssa ang sariling akay-akay ng isang estrangherong lalaki papasok sa isang bar. Dala ng galit at pagkabigo ay nagpakalunod siya sa alak kahit ang kainuman ay isang taong hindi niya kilala. Kinabukasan ay nagising siya sa isang estrangherong lugar... At katabi ang isang guwapo at malaki ang umbok... Este malaki ang brasong lalaki na nakayakap sa kanya at pareho silang nakahubad. Matapos ang nangyaring iyon ay bumalik ng Maynila si Elyssa na may hungkag ang puso, hindi lang sa break-up nila ng boyfriend niya, kundi sa lalaking nakainuman niya. Ang masama pa sa lahat ay nalaman niya na ang lalaking iyon ay siya palang bagong Boss niya. My mamumuo kayang romance sa dalawa? O patuloy na magpapakulong si Elyssa sa sakit ng nakaraan?

Nocturne rules the underworld and is determined to never let a human live past their lifespan. One day he encounters Leo, a human who is supposed to die and is bold enough to offer himself to escape death. Nocturne accepts the bold offer and their love story begins. Soon it becomes clear that things are more complicated than they both realized and Nocturne has to chase down his love before he is lost forever.

**Mature Audience Only** This is a collection of steamy short stories, showing that a relationship does not need to be all about s*x... But its a good start... The first story was about Luke, who had a chance to be a tutor to the girl he was in love with. Will they have happy endings? See and find out.

“I am not a sex escort!” “Well I’m not asking you to be one” “All you have to do is be mine alone, your bills will all be taken care of while you get paid five hundred dollars a week for upkeep” “It’s the same fucking thing” . “Call it what you choose but we both know you need this” Ivan, a twenty-two year old college student found himself between signing a contract with his dangerous one night stand(William) or getting kicked out of school and loosing the opportunity to save his sisters life. Things definitely took interesting turns as the simple contract began to mean more and more to William and with Ivan crossing part with his first love who just happens to be William’s brother. The twist and truth began unveiling.

As long as I can remember, I've been plagued by strange dreams. He comes to me when I sleep, calling out to me with such love. His face is so familiar yet strange to my eyes. Every dream was just that, a dream, until a family heirloom was handed down to me. With the book now open, the man I yearned to see in my sleep... is now real. Thrown back into the 1800's I find myself having to solve the mystery behind the screams that haunted me, and the loving touch from my dreams. How can I save the love that calls to me when my mind is torn between right and wrong? Or will the past make its way to my present world before I can stop it?

Lilith wakes in a river on land she doesn’t recognise. What was her name again? Where did she come from? She walks for hours, hoping to find help and salvation. She does find population, but she had never imagined discovering the secrets of a world she doesn’t remember. Alpha Theodore Moon is a wolf-shifter, and what’s more, he’s one of her fated mates who nurses her back to health and falls profoundly and irrevocably in love with her. But with the other comes sordid secrets that have been hidden. Lilith holds a power like no other werewolf, and she’s being hunted as we speak. Will she uncover her secrets and learn to wield the powers she was given at birth before she is enslaved for them? Come and read with us to find out.

Zara is one of the twins born into a new Kingdom built by her Parents Summer & Damian. Able to control other people’s feelings, she struggles with her own and is unable to build real relationships outside of her Family circle. Feeling branded an outsider over her special abilities, her only escape seems to run away. She ends up Captured and imprisoned by a new pack. After being beaten for days, she finally finds the strength to protect herself which lands her a bit of respect and the opportunity to join the new pack as Bodyguard for the tyrant King under a false name. It's not all as it seems... Finally understanding some of her feelings, she is able to drop the shield surrounding her, letting people in. As her mate is forced to marry another Woman, she promises herself to come back fighting.

Sebuah wabah kematian tiba-tiba melanda seluruh dunia dalam waktu yang serentak dan sangat singkat. 70% penduduk bumi telah mati dan tinggal menyisakan beberapa orang saja. Apa yang telah terjadi?