True Crime Long Reads

I'd barely been welcomed back into the inner circle when the fake heir tried to pull me into his little crew. The other rich kids, of course, couldn't resist messing with me. They pushed me to smoke and drink, treating me like some obedient stooge. I was pissed—steam practically coming out of my ears. He, meanwhile, put on this innocent act and said, "Hey, go easy on my brother. He just moved back from the middle of nowhere and doesn't know how things work around here. I'll take this one for him." Everyone ate up his "loyalty," and just like that, my reputation as some clueless hick was sealed. That day, he was set on dragging me to another rich-kid party. I was about to put my foot down when, out of nowhere, the steward from one of the capital's old-money families showed up at our door. He said it was a special order from the lady's father—an extravagant gift. My parents' faces lit up instantly. They clapped the fake heir on the shoulder, practically glowing with pride. "Ryan, you've made us proud! Looks like Sophia's family is more than pleased with you. This engagement—well, it's as good as done!" Ryan straightened his tie with practiced charm, shooting me a smug, taunting look. But when I glanced at the label on the gift box, I couldn't help but laugh. Every new hire at Harrington Group gets the same welcome package. If the Chairman of Harrington Group knew someone was mistaking it for an engagement gift for his daughter, he'd be furious enough to lose sleep.

On the day of my birthday party, I wait for my boyfriend to arrive so we can start the celebrations. To my surprise, all I get is a challenge from his true love. "I'm sorry that Harv can't be with you today, Sammy. He's getting engaged to me! Don't worry, though. It's just a formality—this is the 100th wish he's helping me fulfill. I hope you don't mind!" Tiana Lowe sends me a video along with that voice message. My boyfriend exchanges rings with her before kissing her passionately. I immediately call him and snap, "What the hell do you mean by that, Harvey Linton?" He gets angry. "Can you stop being so jealous all the time? I can celebrate your birthday with you every year, but Tiana only has 100 wishes. I have to help her fulfill them!" I snap, "Fine, then. I wish you two will be together forever!"

All her life, Aura has been sheltered and protected by her parents. Although everyone says otherwise, Aura dares to believe she is precious just like her parents assured. But when Alpha Mich discovers her, an Omega, as his mate, his cruel action forces Aura to doubt all she's been thought to believe. With little to no hope in herself, she's made to go through life as an Alpha's rejected mate.

He saved her from a lifetime of slaving away at a strip club, but the next thing she knows, she's plunged into the dark and dangerous world of organized crime...

While pregnant with twins, I'm abducted three days before I'm due to give birth. My husband, Sheldon Jackson, refuses to deliver the ransom money himself. Instead, he wants to save Madison Smith, his sister-in-law, who was also taken at the same time. In order to guarantee Madison's safety, he leaves the task of saving me to someone else. "I have to protect my brother's unborn child. Harry is my most trusted subordinate. He'll definitely bring you back home safely!" However, Sheldon doesn't know that Harry Smith wants me dead. "The children she's carrying are bastards!" he says to the abductors. "We can't let them live—both the twins and the woman." I beg the abductors to let me talk to Sheldon one more time to reveal the truth, but he hangs up on me because of Madison. When he finally remembers me, he receives a phone call from the abductors. "We've dealt with your wife for you, Mr. Jackson."

Daughter of an alpha, Evelyn, is being forced to marry an unknown alpha, despite her desire to find her true mate. Because she comes from a line of wolves with gifts, her's being that of fire which presented when she was 18, she must wait until she is 21 or mated to know her true mate. Traveling to the Council of Alphas, she meets an Alpha with an unsavory personality, Alpha Noah. However, any alpha would be better than the one her mother has chosen for her, Alpha Kent. He is searching for anyone who will fill his bed and submit to him entirely. When Alpha Noah offers to save her from her fate, Evelyn is unsure which of the lesser evils she must take.

For years, I belonged to him. Not his mate. Not his love. But his bedmate. His Gamma. His shadow in the night. Alpha Calhoun made sure no man dared touch me, no wolf dared look at me. I was his possession, his secret, his sin wrapped in skin. And I endured it all—his rough hands, his dark devotion, his kisses that tasted like fire and chains because at least, for a while, he was mine. Until she returned. His destined mate. His so-called true love. And suddenly, I was nothing. Cast aside, silenced, left to wither in the shadows of a love that had never been mine to claim. But the thing about being claimed by a man like Calhoun… is that he never truly lets you go. "Try to leave me, Elodie," his voice had been a snarl against my throat, his grip bruising my waist. "I'll burn down every border, tear apart every wolf that stands in my way, until you crawl back to me. You're mine, even if the Moon Goddess herself wants to rip you away." He didn’t know then that I already had one foot out the door. And when I finally left his pack… I took more than just my broken heart with me.

In my first life, I was a pathetic fool. My stepsister and the man I married both conspired and took everything from me. They murdered my father as I watched helplessly, already crippled with poison and forbidden witchcraft that was used to steal my Alpha powers, leaving me to die as a worthless Omega. The last thing I heard before my world went black was the voice of a powerful stranger. The Lycan Prince. ‎ ‎But when I opened my eyes, I was back in my own bed on the eve of my 18th birthday, given a second chance I never thought was possible. ‎ ‎This time, there will be no tears, only revenge. I will take back my name, my powers, and my future. I will make them pay for every sin they committed, one by one. ‎ ‎My old life is over, but now, my revenge has just begun.

When I was five months pregnant, I was kidnapped by a group of thugs. They used my phone to call my brother, Jeremy Wirkola, and my husband, Grant Sanders, to demand a ransom of ten million, but no one answered. I was tortured and assaulted until I was barely alive. When I was finally rescued, Jeremy cried and promised to avenge me. Grant was in tears too. He vowed to get me treated. However, while under the haze of anesthesia, I overheard Grant's cold voice outside the door. “Jessie is waiting for a bone marrow, but don’t forget to remove Ashlyn’s uterus. Just tell her the injuries were too severe to save it. Oh, and get the best surgeon for her. She’s afraid of pain.” His assistant hesitated. He was clearly uncomfortable. “Mr. Sanders, isn’t this going too far?” Grant paused for a second before he replied firmly. “She refused to donate her bone marrow to Jessie and even used the baby as an excuse. She’s selfish. Besides, if we don’t do this, how can I bring back Jessie and our child into the family? As for Ashlyn, she’s my wife. I’ll make it up to her for the rest of my life. She used to bully Jessie with her status, which resulted in Jessie suffering from depression and almost killing herself. It’s time she paid the price for it.” As I listened to his heartless words, something inside me shattered completely. Since they had chosen to sacrifice me for Jessie, let them have what they wanted then.

“There is nothing to think about.” I said, with an edge to my voice. “You may be right, but this doesn't change anything. I'm not returning to that pack.” “Then we all are going to die.” he said, with ice in his voice. “Including you.” ***************** Following the revelation of a century year old prophecy, the fate of the White Moon pack lies on the decision of a twenty-one-year-old — Clary Tompkins. Will she return to save the pack who betrayed her? Or would she leave them to suffer an awful fate that could bring their end?