What Could Possibly Go Wrong

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

She hired a hot stranger to ruin her weddin, now she can’t stop wet dreaming about him. Ramona Martins lived in her father’s bubble. Sheltered, Protected, pampered and untouched by the world. But when her dad arranges a marriage with a man she despises, she finally snaps and makes one reckless decision: to hire a stranger to destroy the wedding. Her naivety lands her in the right place…But with the wrong man, and he didn't mind playing along. Lance Brown is dangerous, seductive, a man who breaks rules and women’s hearts. He ruined her wedding, and they were supposed to part ways. But she didn’t know the force she’d just unleashed… or what it would turn her into. “All she wanted was freedom, but she got handed obsession, danger and him.”

I was with Ivan Knowles for seven years. Despite the rumors that always swirled around him, he never gave me a reason to doubt his loyalty. He let me check his phone and even welcomed me to join him on business trips. I never found anything suspicious until our engagement day. The host had just shared how Ivan flew in my favorite white roses from abroad when the big screen, meant to play a video celebrating our seven years together, instead showed a hospital room. The cry of a newborn rang out. Ivan sat on the bed holding the baby. His secretary, Alba Lawson, leaned on his shoulder, wearing the same diamond ring as mine. Tearfully, she explained to me that it was a misunderstanding. "Alba is a single mom," Ivan excused. "I'm just helping her out as her boss. Don't make a big deal out of this." The room went quiet, everyone waiting for me to flip out. I didn't. Instead, I calmly slipped off my ring and handed it to him. "Of course not. I just wish you happiness."

Margarette "Maggie" Sandoval, at the age of 25 and as the breadwinner of the family, she already put a name in the fashion industry. Everyone praised her for her impressive designs and also how successful she is in her career. She is closed to a perfect type of woman. Now that she gave her family a better life that they deserve, she wishes to settle down for good and get married. So when her long-time boyfriend proposed to her, she didn't hesitate to say yes. But her world turned upside-down when she woke up in a different room beside a hot guy —Trevor Dickinson, and learned that she accidentally married him. Things get worst when it turns out that he was her fiancé's older brother.

Riley Monroe thought she finally had a clue about what really happened to her father—whose mysterious death five years ago had been casually ruled an accident. But before she could dig deeper, her world crashes again. Her mother drops a bombshell: she’s getting remarried… to a billionaire. Riley wants no part of it. Not after everything. But with her mother’s health failing and a heart transplant hanging in the balance, she’s forced to stay silent and smile. Her soon-to-be stepfather, Daven Carter, is the CEO of Cartier Jewelleries—and he's promised to cover all their bills, including the expensive surgery. Feeling cornered and desperate, Riley hatches a secret plan with her friends to escape the Carter mansion before the wedding and after the treatment. But first, she wants to take control of one thing: her virginity. That night, in a haze of tequila and heartbreak, she gives herself to a stranger—and accidentally tells him everything about her escape. Only… he’s no stranger. Killian Carter, the two-faced ruthless, fuckboy and dangerously charming son of Daven Carter, had chosen to have fun with his soon-to-be stepsister before the disclosure of his identity and which led to a steamy night with her. A night he can't get over no matter how many girls he fucked. When he realizes that Riley was still going one with her plan despite his knowledge of it, he crafts another. Getting pregnant for him. That way the wedding will be off no matter what but it was already too late, Daven has seen her moves, her body curves, bouncy tits and he wants to taste them more than anything. The idea was crazy—but to Riley, it might just work. Until it all begins to spiral.

My husband, Adrian Cross, was a high-profile lawyer. We'd been married for seven years. I'd always wanted a child of our own, but he had never touched me because his heart belonged to someone else. Not long ago, I got into a car accident trying to save him. He promised he would grant me any wish. Everyone assumed I would ask him to have a child with me, but I calmly asked for a divorce. Adrian laughed, a cruel, public sneer on his face. "Don't pretend," he mocked. "I've never met anyone as shameless as you. You'd risk your life for me, yet you think you could ever leave me?" My heart, long hardened, turned even colder. He had no idea that I had been given a second chance. … In my previous life, I finally became pregnant with his child. But his obsession, the one he couldn't forget, took her own life. All his rage fell on me. On the day I went into labor, he locked me in the basement and forced me to swallow a massive dose of abortion drugs. As blood gushed from me, he laughed like a madman. "Ella died because of you and that wretched child you're carrying. For the pain she endured, you will pay twice over!" I died from hemorrhaging. And he went on to hold a wedding at the grave of his lost love. But reborn, I returned to the day of the car accident, ready to see their doomed love come to its bitter end.

Liora Lythorne had lived in hiding far from the ruins of her fallen pack and the secrets buried with it. Her wolf never came. Her past erased, forgotten and her heart bound to a mate who barely saw her. Aldric Vayne —uncaring, cold and ruthless— once saved her life. But fate chose them anyway. Their bond had grown bitter, and when a public betrayal transpired, Aldric rejected her in front of the entire pack. Broken and humiliated, Liora found herself drawn into the arms of another—someone unexpected and dangerous. But knew what Liora doesn't. As the truth about her was unveiled. Enemies closed in. But Liora was forced to choose between the mate who destroyed her and the man who helped her in her broken time.

“We can’t.” I moaned into his mouth, my body response the opposite of my words. “I know.” Levi’s hands were already under my skirt, fingers tracing higher. “Nate’s right down the hall.” Even as I said it, I was arching into his touch. “Then you better stay quiet.” His mouth found that spot below my ear that made me gasp. “Can you do that for me?” I bit my lip. Shook my head. We both knew I was a screamer. He smiled against my skin. “Good girl.” I married the scariest man in New York three months ago. Nate Shen. Alpha heir to a werewolf crime empire. Cold as winter, brutal as hell, and he took me as his wife to settle my father’s debts. Our arrangement is simple: I give him an heir, he gives me a prison made of silk and threats. Problem is, I already slept with his brother. Levi was supposed to be a one-night thing. Some gorgeous stranger who made me forget my life was falling apart. I didn’t know he was Nate’s younger brother until I saw him standing at our wedding ceremony. Now Levi sneaks into my room when Nate’s working late. Nate’s getting possessive in ways that make my breath catch, his grip unforgiving as he f*cks me into our bed. And I’m losing my mind because I can’t stop thinking about both of them. Pack law says sleeping with your husband’s brother gets you killed. Slowly. So why can’t I stop? Turns out I’m greedier than I thought. Is it a crime to love both brothers?

“If you keep looking at me like that…” he murmurs, his lips brushing close to my ear, “I’ll have no choice but to ruin you before the night’s over.” I stiffen. “You can’t touch me.” His smirk deepens. “Touch you? Mrs. Romano…I intend to devour you.” *** She wasn’t supposed to be here. When her twin sister flees her arranged marriage to Dante Romano—the ruthless king of the New York underworld—Twenty two years old Annalissa is forced to take her sister's place. To wear her dress. To stand before the devil himself…and pray he doesn’t notice the switch. Dante is dangerous, arrogant, and used to owning everything he touches. And now, he owns her. Annalissa thinks she can survive this sham of a marriage. Play the part long enough to protect her family. But Dante Romano isn’t a man who can be fooled so easily. His gaze lingers too long. His words seem like they’re meant to rattle her. And maybe he already knows. Maybe he’s keeping her trapped in this twisted game to see how long before she breaks. Because in this game, there are no wrong brides. Only the ones the devil decides to keep. 18+

The cold seawater engulfs me, its relentless pull dragging me into the abyss. I kick desperately, my lungs burning, but the surface drifts farther and farther away. "Save me, Kane… save our child…" Pain lances through my body as I clutch my stomach, shielding the fragile life within me. The child I never thought I'd have, the child who was supposed to be our blessing. Through the watery haze, I see Kane Porter standing on the jagged cliffs above the shore. His tall, commanding figure is framed by the moonlight, his golden eyes burning with hatred. The alpha of the Nightfall Pack, the man who once whispered my name with reverence, now looks at me like I'm filth beneath his feet. His voice cuts through the roaring waves, sharp and merciless. "Don't think I don't know what you've done, Selene." The currents tug me deeper. My strength wanes, but his words stab deeper than the water ever could. "You drugged me with a philter, hoping to make me mark you—hoping to force your way into the position of my Luna. Because of your selfishness, Arya is gone. You destroyed her mind, pushed her into madness!" A shadow of despair twists across his face, but it vanishes beneath pure fury. "She fell from that cliff because of you." I shake my head, but I can’t speak. The sea is swallowing my voice. "Do you know what it’s like to wake up every day in torment? To live knowing the woman I loved died because of you?" His eyes glint like a wolf ready to tear out his prey's throat. "I want you to feel every ounce of that pain. I want you and your cursed child to die with her." The waves crash above me, and darkness claws at the edges of my vision. When I open my eyes again, I'm taken back to the day Kane's philter takes effect. He approaches me, his face flushed and his breathing rapid. He's already undone his buttons. "Hang on, Kane. Arya will be here soon!" I back away and open the door behind me. Then, I run off.