Wood Release

“You are mistaken!” I half-yelled and cupped my mouth before realizing this beast can still rip me into pieces. He took out his large claws and sliced through my arm. I winced in pain. A throbbing pain shot through my arm. “The lycan king never makes mistakes!” “I would rather die than serve you.” I spat. He smirked like a predator who had already won. ***** Rejected by the Alpha and branded weak, Aurora is sold into captivity — a maid for the cursed, ruthless Lycan King. In a world ruled by merciless wolves and ancient beings, survival demands sacrifice… and power comes with a deadly price. When Aurora’s hidden strength is unleashed, the Alpha who once shamed her is filled with regret. But the Lycan King doesn’t release what’s his without a fight. Bound by blood, betrayal, and forbidden Love, Aurora must choose: surrender to the darkness… or become the most dangerous force the realm has ever seen. Will she rise… or be destroyed?

At the heart of Nigeria’s academic pride, Eko University, life for students revolves around exams, friendships, and dreams of a brighter future. But all of that changes when a cryptic video from an underground group called Zotes sends shockwaves across the nation. Their chilling ultimatum: the government must release 5 billion naira within a week—or face a nightmare unleashed. No one takes them seriously until the first outbreak. A mysterious virus spreads rapidly through the university campus, turning students and staff into mindless, bloodthirsty creatures. As the infection spirals out of control, the government seals off the campus, leaving survivors trapped with nowhere to run. In the midst of the chaos, a mismatched group of students bands together. Their only aim to survive. Now, with time running out and betrayal lurking among them, the group must fight their way through infected lecture halls and crumbling dormitories to find the cure and stop the madness from spilling into the outside world. In this intense tale of survival, loyalty, and sacrifice, Campus of the Dead explores the price of ambition and the fragile line between order and anarchy.

In my past life, my sister, Kyra Wood, and I got married at the same time. My husband, Callum Gray, was a navy captain, while hers was a farm director. Both of our husbands shared the same childhood friend—Eliana Sullivan. Kyra and I had the same blood type as Eliana. After she got into an accident, we both donated blood to her. When she woke up, she unexpectedly started being able to hear the thoughts of Kyra and me. Callum and I got into an argument, and I wanted him to apologize. However, Eliana told him that I'd never forgive him, even if I died. On Kyra's wedding anniversary, she decided to ask her husband, Anthony Stone, for a bicycle. However, Eliana told Anthony that Kyra wanted a sports car. Callum thought my personality was too fiery and decided to divorce me. Anthony thought Kyra was too much of a spendthrift and divorced her as well. My sister and I were abandoned and lived in loneliness for the rest of our lives—until we died. When I open my eyes again, I realize that Kyra and I have been reborn. This time, Callum and Anthony can hear our thoughts too.

I shook my head as a dark chuckle escaped my lips. “I’m not her, Dimitri, can’t you see it? I will never be her,” My voice shook as I spoke, tears threatening to spill. Dimitri ran his fingers through his hair in distress. His usual cold demeanor slipping away as he walked towards me and grabbed me by my shoulder. I felt his fingers on my chin, forcing me to look at him. I swallowed. “You don’t understand, Dimitri,” My voice came out as a whisper. “You are in love with that woman. Not me. It has-it has never been me,” “I know who I want, Val and that person is you,” *** For years, Valeria Moore had lived her life as a substitute lover to Dimitri. She believed one day, he would see her for who she is and not as his lost mate who had the same face as her. But when Dimitri announced his engagement to Summer Wood, Val knew she couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to cut all ties with him but now, Dimitri wasn’t ready to let her go. Not when he just realized she was pregnant for him.

“I am Alora Printer, Luna of the SilverClaw Pack and I demand you release me now!” I started, and those thick slashed brows raised in amusement. “Now, isn't that a delight? A Luna, caught in my rusty little cage with ugly metallic shackles around your fancy royal hands. Should we be afraid, Your Highness? Borrow weapons from our neighbors and sharpen our fangs as we await our impending doom?” His sarcasm was insulting, and had I not been in chains, I might have smacked him across the face for daring to mock me. ******** Betrayed by her husband, who heartlessly sent their five-year-old daughter into the forest to pick fruits for his mistress, Alora seeks vengeance, after her little girl is torn to shreds but her quest is derailed when Randall, the Alpha of Night Terrors, captures her. As ancient secrets unfold, Alora must choose between revenge and redemption, and decide if her sworn enemy is her greatest foe or soulmate.

Brandy:  My husband is disgusted and ashamed of me.  Everyone laughed when I walked down the aisle.  We were forced to marry and all he wants to do is get rid of me. His family resorted to starving me for days so I could lose weight. Once again, I am alone. I just need to keep my head down and stay out of his way.  Storm:  I always knew my father would pick my wife, but her! She is the worst he could do. She is fat, always eating, and messy. She can't do anything right but why is my wife suddenly all I am thinking about? Why am I stroking myself in the shower with only her image bringing me release? I don't want her but I can't stay away. There is something about her that will soon drive me crazy but I will resist at all costs. I have to. 

“I, Beta Maddox Wood, rejected Autumn to be my mate.” What was worse than the rejection was knowing that the one who promised to cherish you and protect you for the rest of your life was now letting go of that promise. They were called “The Trios” of their pack. Inseparable. Devoted. Fifteen years ago, Autumn, Maddox, and Hugh promised each other that they would always have each other for the rest of their lives. Fifteen years later, the two men had become successful. Hugh had become the alpha while Maddox had become the beta while she? She became the bullied omega of the pack while each of her pack members had treated her like a murderer after all her family members lost in a fire. What was more surprising was that Autumn found Maddox was her mate, and to her surprise, the one who promised to take care of her back when they were still a child rejected her. It seemed like fate was playing a prank on her when she found out that her second chance mate was none other than Alpha Hugh, her other best friend. Would Hugh reject her like how Maddox did? Or would Alpha Hugh be brave enough to accept her as his?

Three years into our marriage, Rylan Shaw brings another woman home. "Maeve, you should learn from the younger ladies. Stop acting like a block of wood all the time." With a calm resolve, I shatter our wedding photo and hand him the divorce papers I've long prepared. "Let's get divorced, Rylan. I'll step aside for her," I declare. His friends insist that without him, I'll starve on the streets. Rylan believes the same. "Once she's suffered enough out there, she'll realize how lucky she was to be Mrs. Shaw." But a week passes, then a month—and I never return. That's when Rylan begins to grow uneasy. Panic and restless nights consume him. One evening, drunk and desperate, he pounds on the door of my new apartment. "Maeve, if it's money you want, I'll give it all to you…" The door swings open to reveal an unfamiliar man—bare-chested, pajama pants hanging low, fresh scratches streaking his abdomen. Jonah Archer arches a brow, dissatisfaction flickering in his eyes as he asks, "Mr. Shaw, what madness brings you to my wife's door in the middle of the night?"

During a class reunion, a few well-to-do classmates instantly recognize that my branded bag is fake. "How is that possible?" I cry. "This is a new release that my husband got me. Don't you guys know him? He's Tom Smith, Zora Group's CEO." I hand my classmates business cards. The company is one that Tom set up using my name. Naturally, I'm the major stockholder. My classmates look at the business cards doubtfully. One says, "I've never heard of this company." When I get home, I have someone check on Zora Group for me. However, the news I receive is that the company has never existed, much less have a stockholder like me. Tom has another company under his name, but I'm not the stockholder. I drive to the DMV and find out that the car isn't in my name. The company and car are under Tom's name, but someone else owns them with him—his true love, Lauren Rowse.

Avery never believed rejection could be undone. When her mate publicly denied the bond, she accepted the shame, the silence, and the quiet shrinking of her place in the pack. What she didn’t expect was to carry his pup afterward. The pack healer’s confirmation changes everything. A rejected mate can still conceive, but the pack will not protect her from the man who cast her aside. He holds no rank, no title, and no right over her, yet his proximity is enough to threaten her future and her unborn child. Refusing to let him control the narrative or her body, Avery makes a choice no one expects. She leaves her pack without release, crosses territorial boundaries alone, and offers submission to a new pack on her own terms. It is dangerous. Unprecedented. And the only way to keep her pup safe. In a territory where she has no standing and no allies, Avery must navigate pack politics, suspicion, and the unspoken weight of carrying a rejected mate’s child. But for the first time, every decision is hers.