Winter Flower

Welcome back to Clifton Heights. Sheriff Chris Baker and Father Ward meet for a Saturday morning breakfast at The Skylark Diner to once again commiserate over the weird and terrifying secrets surrounding their town. Sheriff Baker shares with Father Ward the story of a journal discovered in the ruins of what was once an elaborate koi pond and flower garden, which regales a tale of regret, buried pain, and unfulfilled debt: “Sophan” – Jake Burns has always been a bit...off. Rude, awkward, sometimes brutish, he's tolerated by Nate Slocum and his friends because he hits a mean line drive, and because they all know but don't discuss the abuse he faces at the hands of his troubled father, a Vietnam veteran consumed by his demons. But Jake is suffering something far worse than domestic abuse, and when Nate discovers what, he faces an impossible choice: help Jake and put himself in the path of evil, or abandon him, only to damn himself in the process. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Do you ever just look out of the window watching the clouds go by and question what your life is meant to be? What am I meant to do? Will I ever meet him? Hi, I’m Nova, a 17 year old about to turn 18 and go join the elites of the wolf world at the elite college known as Winter Garden Academy. It’s the place in which those that are powerful in the packs or have unique abilities go to hone their skills. I am merely the daughter of an omega but I have the ability to read people’s minds, the alpha found it very useful when having to negotiate with other neighbouring packs. I’m unsure why I have such an ability though as usually the children of omegas aren’t blessed by the moon goddess is this way. But now it’s time to take the next step in life and join the elite and royals..

Everyone in Vallermoore knew I was Cole Mitchell and Finn Archer's most treasured princess. At 12, Cole saved me from my abusive dad's grip and gave me a second shot at life. He vowed to protect me always. At 13, Finn rented out an entire amusement park for my birthday and whispered that guarding my smile was his mission for life. Now I was 23, and they locked me in a pitch-black, freezing attic for three winter days. As I slowly lost consciousness, they were busy fawning over Zoey Hart, their long-lost childhood friend. "Everything you have is mine, so it's time to give it back." After hearing what Zoey said, I left without making a scene or shedding a single tear. However, for years after, they tore the city apart and tried to find me like mad.

"Shh, Alpha Kieran, your wife might hear us and we'll be in so much trouble," whispered Astoria as Kieran shoved her against the wall, his hands slowly gliding up her smooth thighs. Their lips were barely apart, his breath brushing against her face. "Don't care," he growled. "All I want right now is you and you alone." Growing up in the Winter Moon Pack, Astoria faced relentless mistreatment but couldn't help falling for Kieran, the indifferent yet charismatic son of the Alpha. One night, a single encounter between them left Astoria with a life-altering secret. Years later, Kieran returns to claim his position as Alpha, only to find there's a condition he must meet to lead the pack. Astoria now finds herself in a complicated and dangerous situation that could change everything.

All because his first love, Luna Harper, needed test subjects for her drug research, Jake Bertrand sent me to a mental hospital when I was pregnant just so I could serve as an experiment subject for her. I was electroshocked until I drooled and convulsed, but he simply covered his first love’s eyes in disgust, saying, “What filth. Don’t look.” Thanks to the results of this experiment, Luna received a nomination for an award, and he lit up the entire city with fireworks to celebrate her success. Meanwhile, during the freezing winter night under the dazzling fireworks, I gave birth to a deformed male fetus. The child cried just once before passing away. Numbly, I placed the stillborn into a freezing chamber. Seven days later, at the awards ceremony for Luna, it would appear in Jake’s hands as a gift.

She thought she was just signing a contract. He thought she was just another name to silence his family’s pressure. But when the fragile, terminally ill girl he married starts slipping through his fingers, the heartless billionaire who swore he could never love—breaks first. Evelyn Hart never believed in fairy tales. All she wanted was a quiet marriage to escape her cruel relatives and live out her short life in peace. Nicholas Drake, the ruthless New York billionaire with a heart colder than winter, only needed a wife who wouldn’t ask for love. But when the woman he thought he could forget begins to fade away, his carefully built world starts to crumble. He married her for convenience. He never expected to fall in love before she was gone.

That winter, our whole family went skiing in Aespen, Amestia. It was a popular spot for werewolf nobles and the wealthy. Then, the avalanche struck. My father's first instinct was to scoop up Summer—his sleeping adopted daughter—and flee. My mother, panicked, still made sure to grab the stray puppy Summer had found. They returned to the Moonshadow Pack that same night, posting a flood of photos online and rejoicing over their miraculous escape. Not one of them remembered me. Their biological daughter was still buried beneath the snow, waiting for rescue. When I was finally rescued, I did not look back. I took my mentor's offer to study abroad and left the pack behind. I moved to Cascade City to study medicine. No more pleading, no more shrinking myself in hopes of earning back my family's love. Yet they only seemed more disgruntled. "Rose, why aren't you competing with Summer for our attention anymore?"

From the beginning, it was clear what Avara Latimer's fate would be. Since her birth, every aspect of her life has been planned with precision. Avara's life was one of pure indulgence, with the villagers showering her with the best of everything to ensure the god's favor. However, there was an ulterior motive behind the gifts, and it wasn't given out of kindness. Her island home thrived with life, and to ensure its continuous abundance, she was chosen as a bridal sacrifice for the malevolent dragon god, Kagran, who lived up the mountains. But with rations running low and some of the villagers growing more resentful of her privileges, she knew it was only a matter of time before she would have to leave the village. And just as she had feared, her worst nightmare became a reality. On a cold winter's night they come and take her from her home, leaving her to brave the unforgiving mountains alone - a whole year before the sacrifice was planned.

Rogues have kidnapped the Alpha's daughter, Mireille. Now she must survive the winter surrounded by an inexperienced, increasingly paranoid pack. Even though she despises her captors, when the full moon rises, someone is there. In the pitch black one of the vicious Rogues wordlessly worships Mireille, exploring her secret desires. Can Mireille recognize the stranger her soul adores in the dark? Meanwhile Hope is stuck in Alpha Reu's bunker after the Rogue attack leaves her stranded. Six months underground waiting for the ice above to thaw. With her mate vanishing, she is left questioning the strength of their bond. Her childhood crush Cal is a gentleman, but is his wolf? Now they are stranded underground together, enabling the frenzied heat of the full moon to hit hard. Temptation can burn through even the strongest resolutions. NOTE: This is a standalone sequel to Night of the Rogues: Trapped with The Enemy, set 25 years later. It is not necessary to have read the first book.

Theme: billionaire romance, contemporary romance, drama, revenge, second chance She married him to save her life. He married her to ruin hers. Aria Monroe never dreamed of marrying a billionaire — especially not Damian Voss, the cold-hearted tycoon with a reputation as dark as his past. But when a medical crisis with her grandmother threatens Aria’s life – her flower shop. she signs a contract marriage in exchange for the funds to survive and to fulfill her grandmother's wish Damian doesn’t believe in love — only leverage. And Aria? He’s convinced she’s the girl who destroyed his sister’s life months ago. Their marriage is a means to an end: revenge. But the deeper Aria is pulled into his twisted world of wealth, secrets, and scars, the more Damian realizes she might not be the villain after all… She might be the cure to the wounds he swore would never heal. Until a shocking revelation tears their fragile bond apart—and an unexpected twin, half siblings from Aria and Damian's past reappears, threatening everything they thought they knew.