Violet Hathaway is a skeptical young woman who has never believed in the legends of her small town. Daughter of a traditional family, she never imagined that the supernatural was part of her daily life. Her life changes when she witnesses a vampire murder her family, now Violet is forced to enter the dangerous forest to survive. " - You should have heeded the warnings, human. You should have stayed away from my hunting grounds. Her dark voice made Violet's body tremble. She couldn't believe what she just saw, a man turned into a beast right before her eyes! Her legs were shaking, she couldn't run anymore, she knew that sooner or later he would find her and end her life. - I found you. Her husky voice sounds seductive and she can't help but sigh when she sees his hazel eyes watching her with such intensity. - Now you're mine, little one." The Rise Of The Moon Series: BOOK 1
People around me always talked about supernatural creatures and how they walked among us, humans. I've never been one to embrace mysticism and popular beliefs; truth be told, I've always been skeptical about life. I wasn't the type to believe in religions, supernatural stories, or even aliens. I always believed that such stories were told so many times that they caused collective hysteria, something that justified these visions and encounters with the unknown.
In childhood, my dream was to grow up, get into a good college, and have a good enough excuse to leave this small, outdated town and go somewhere that truly understood me. The only people who understood me in this town were my friends Austin and Pierre. Even though my twin sister was the person who understood me the best, the one who truly felt that everyone in this town was crazy and that we had to get out of here, we weren't as close, and it only worsened with her move to our grandparents' house.
As the years passed, I gradually distanced myself from my friends and, at the same time, became closer to Austin and his cousin Pierre. We became best friends, inseparable. At the same time, I continued learning more about the town and its history. Despite my parents believing in the legends, they didn't act like the other people in town. It wasn't something suffocating; they simply warned me about how to protect myself and that I shouldn't enter the forest under any circumstances. Looking at it from a skeptical angle, that's good advice regardless of your belief in the supernatural world.
Through my interactions with the local citizens, I grew up hearing that I should fear the creatures of the night. They told me thousands of legends about the forest near the town, various macabre theories about the deaths of residents were created. But like any young person, I didn't pay much attention to the warnings of adults. I thought the forest was just like any other forest... Too bad I was wrong...
(...)
I run desperately, I can hear the footsteps and the sound of branches breaking. It's scary to run away from something you don't know what it is. That thing was definitely not human, even though it looked like a man, I saw it attack innocent people, I saw its huge fangs and nails.
"God, help me.", my voice comes out breathy and tearful. With little air and courage left, I scream. "Get away from me, beast!"
His demonic laughter echoes throughout the forest, sending shivers all over my body. It seems that luck really wasn't on my side, not even the strongest of gods could save me now.
A startled scream escapes my throat as I trip over a thick root and lose my balance. My head hits hard as I hit the ground. I can't see due to the tears, the fall messed up my senses. I'm dizzy, I can barely see a foot away. I try to get up, but my foot is stuck in the root.
I let out a grunt of pain when I feel a weight on my body and heavy breathing on my neck. The smell of blood on your body makes me sick. I hear an evil laugh near my ear, and it makes me panic. I would die, I feel it in every cell of my body. I know that this will be my last moment of life, this is my destiny.
"I'm sorry, Daddy.", my voice comes out hoarse and shaky. "I should have listened to you."
I feel the tears fall down my face. His teeth enter my neck, and it makes me scream in pain. The tears continue to fall down my face, and the image of Dad's face comes to mind. Soon, I would join my family.
My body is weak; I feel my blood drain from my neck. I can't fight; I'm trapped by the weight of this damn creature's body.
A film of my life plays before my eyes. I see Simon running with me on the beach, our parents laughing as they filmed us. My first ball, Simon accompanying me; he was so happy to be part of this phase of my life. Anna's birth, Sarah's departure from home, and our last night together at a sleepover. Simon's college acceptance letter.
Our crazy night on the town, where we exchanged our best friend necklaces.
His face is so clear in front of me, it's like he's really here.
"It's not time to give up, lotus flower.", her voice is calm and beautiful. A tear runs down my face and he smiles before wiping it away. "Be strong."
"I can't.", my voice comes out weak, as low as a whisper. "I've already lost too much. There's no reason to go on. At least if I'm gone, we can be together."
Simon smiles, a beautiful and sincere smile. His eyes shine, and he caresses my face before bringing his lips closer to my ear.
"It's not time yet.", he kisses my cheek. "I'll always be watching over you. Calm down, help is coming."
His face disappears like a mist into the air, and the adrenaline snaps me out of my trance. I feel my survival instincts again.
A loud howl makes the creature turn its attention away from my body and sniff the air. Its body seems to have entered a state of alert, the creature looks around in fear.
The growls in the bushes give me goosebumps. They are very close, a howl a few meters away makes me tremble with fear. The creature rolls off me and runs in the opposite direction of the sound, as if fearful for its safety.
Relief settles in my body, and I sigh, but one thought makes me freeze: the beast was scared, so is there anything worse than this creature that was hunting me?
My vision is blurred with tears, and the memory of my entire family being murdered won't leave my head. This is all my fault, I should have listened to my parents' advice, I shouldn't have been so skeptical.
Now everyone is dead, and that's just my fault. I invited misfortune into our home, I was the one who brought this demonic creature into our family. And all I can do is just cry and accept my fate.
At least soon I will be together with my family again.
Simon's words come back to me and a rush of adrenaline invades my body, blocking my thoughts..
All I can do is get up and run. I had never run so fast in my life, it was as if my legs were guiding me, as if they knew where to go.
I enter an unfamiliar part of the forest, but I can hear the sound of cars passing on the road. I try to run a few more meters, but I lose my balance and feel strong pressure on my ankle.
I look at my leg and scream in horror, I had stepped into a damn bear trap!
The strong adrenaline in my blood makes me act without thinking, and the next thing I know, I have freed myself from the old trap.
I hear sounds of something approaching, and I am lifted off the ground by a huge wolf. I scream in horror, start to struggle, and my coat rips. I take the chance and run towards a huge tree. I climb with difficulty due to the weakness caused by my multiple injuries. I feel so fragile and defenseless like never before.
I have to be quick, but my body hurts, and that makes it difficult to climb the tree.
"Damn!", I grumbled when I realized I was bleeding. I hear sounds of something surrounding the tree, and my desperate scream echoes through the forest. "Get out of here, monster!"
The noises around the tree are scary. The animal surrounds me, my knees shake. I can't stay crouched forever, and the wolf seems to know that. My hands are sweating, I won't be able to hold on for long. A noise makes me scream, the branch I'm on falls and takes me to the ground. Another huge branch hits my leg, and the sound of bones breaking echoes through the forest, making me scream in agony and pain. My sobs of pain are loud, and I hear the creature getting closer and closer. I try to move, but the pain of having a broken femur makes my head spin.
"Daddy, I'll be with you soon.", I say between sobs.
I know this is the end of me, I won't have any more chances. My foolish choices have brought me here. I feel alone like never before in my life, and the loneliness hurts even more knowing that I am to blame for all of this.
I feel my head spin as I try to move the branch. My vision becomes blurred, my breathing becomes shallow. I only hear the footsteps approaching and the sound of his growl.
Marriage was a bed of thorns for Stella. She lived like an overworked and unhappy slave for six years in her matrimonial home. One day, her uncaring husband, Waylon said to her, "Ayla will be back soon. You have to move out tomorrow." "I want a divorce," responded Stella. She left without shedding a tear or trying to change Waylon's stone-cold heart. Days after their divorce, they met again. Stella was in the arms of another man. Waylon's blood boiled at the sight of her looking so happy. "So, you couldn't even wait a while before jumping into another man's arms?" he queried distastefully. "And who are you to question my decision? It's my life, so I call the shots. Stay out of my business!" Stella fired at him before turning to look at her new man with shiny eyes. Waylon immediately lost it.
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.