A town of Rich people and spoiled teenagers but there are dark secrets that are tied to these wealth. As Damon navigates through life, he starts to uncover dark and uncomfortable truth about the people he claimed to be his friends and families.
In the ominous hush of Richville's moonlit streets, pandemonium erupted on that fateful evening. The shrill, piercing wails of police sirens shattered the tranquility, sending shockwaves reverberating through the neighborhood. One solitary gunshot, like a sinister omen, shattered the stillness, heralding a night of unrelenting darkness.
As the police vehicles converged on the scene, their crimson and blue lights cast eerie, ever-shifting shadows. Illuminated by the flashing lights, the tableau that unfolded before them was nothing short of macabre-a lifeless body sprawled on the unforgiving pavement. It was none other than Nate, a notorious 18-year-old student of Richville High.
Chaos and commotion gripped the crime scene, as the police officers struggled to maintain a semblance of order among the gawking, anxious crowd. Amid the tumult, the sheriff and the seasoned investigator knelt beside Nate's lifeless form, their expressions etched with grim determination.
After a meticulous examination, the investigator delivered his chilling verdict-a fatal bullet piercing Nate's heart. As they whispered among themselves, the scene took a sinister turn. A frantic policeman rushed over, bearing yet another startling revelation. A hit-and-run incident had unfolded only blocks away, adding an unsettling layer of complexity to the already enigmatic night.
"Find out how these two horrors are intertwined; my gut tells me they are," the sheriff ordered the officer, his voice heavy with foreboding.
"Sir," the officer saluted and departed into the murky night.
The sheriff was haunted by an ominous premonition. Richville, a haven of tranquility with an almost non-existent crime rate, had been thrust into a nightmarish abyss. He sensed that the horrors of that night were merely the harbinger of something far more sinister, lurking in the shadows.
***
Beyond the witching hour on a desolate Saturday morning, Damon found himself ensnared in a restless slumber, tormented by the events of the previous night. Nate, his fellow student at Richville High, had been a tyrant, and Damon couldn't shake the nagging suspicion that someone within their school's walls held the key to his violent demise.
A series of knocks on his bedroom door jolted him from his grim reverie.
*Knock, knock.*
His mother's persistent summons finally coerced him from the clutches of sleep. Damon awoke, his neck aching from an unnatural contortion.
"Is he trying to strangle himself in his sleep?" she mumbled in bewilderment.
"Hey, sluggard, rise and shine!" she declared, clapping her hands above his head. Startled, Damon sat up abruptly, a sharp pain coursing through his neck.
"Ouch!" he cried out, rubbing the sore spot.
"That's the price you pay for sleeping like the dead," she scolded, taking a seat on his bed.
"When did you get back?" Damon inquired. His mother, a tireless doctor at Richville Medical Hospital, often bore the weight of exhausting shifts, leaving little time for her family.
"6:00 AM," she replied. "I had planned for you to pick up the laundry, but since you were in a coma of your own, I prepared breakfast and stashed it in the fridge. I'll be off to work in 30 minutes."
"Mom, you just returned, and you're leaving again?" Damon questioned, his disappointment evident.
"There was a hit-and-run incident last night. I need to check on the patient. We managed to save her, but she lost a staggering amount of blood and is now in a coma," she explained.
"Whatever," Damon muttered, his tone laced with bitterness. His mother understood the frustration her job instilled in him, but she also cherished the understanding that flowed between them.
"Hey, don't be mad, okay? I promise I'll be home tonight," she tried to console him. Damon managed a reluctant smile.
However, her gaze fell upon some papers beside his pillow, and curiosity got the best of her. She picked up the papers and began to read. It was Damon's analysis of the previous night's events.
"Damon, what is this?" she demanded, her voice tinged with anger.
Damon hastily retrieved the papers, concealing them in his drawer. He turned back to his mother, attempting to downplay their significance.
"It's nothing, Mom. Just some thoughts about last night, that's all," he replied casually. "I was brainstorming, you know, putting together a list of what might have led to the events last night."
"Are you out of your mind? What are you, Sherlock Holmes?" his mother exploded. "This isn't a missing pet case; this is murder, a gunshot, and it might even involve a gang riot!"
Damon had never witnessed his mother so agitated. She had risen from the bed and was now berating him.
"Mom, please, just hear me out. I knew Nate from school, and he was a bully. It seems like an open-and-shut case," Damon tried to explain.
"Listen to me carefully," his mother interrupted sternly. "There will be no 'finding out who.' Let the police do their job. Is that clear?"
Damon attempted to argue further, but his mother's unyielding resolve silenced him.
"Have I made myself clear?" she demanded.
"Yes, Mom," Damon relented, realizing that his pursuit of the truth wouldn't be as straightforward as he had envisioned. "I better go get that laundry." With that, he left his mother, alone with the secrets of the night.
***
Abigail descended the creaking staircase, her father's weary voice echoing ominously through the house as he engaged in a somber phone call. The weight of the previous night's case was palpable in his voice, and Abigail couldn't help but feel a shiver of dread. She entered her father's dimly lit home office, prompting him to conclude his call hastily. He didn't want his daughter to bear the burden of his worries.
"Are you okay, Dad?" she asked, taking a seat before his desk.
"I'm fine, sweetheart. Don't concern yourself," he reassured her, though his eyes betrayed his fatigue.
"You look exhausted and troubled, Dad. You need to rest," she insisted.
Oliver sighed, explaining, "Nate was the son of one of the town's founding families. If I step back now, they might strip me of my position."
"But you're from a founding family too, Dad. Don't you have any influence?" Abigail inquired.
"It's not that simple, darling. They could unite against me and decide to replace me. Besides, when I took the oath as sheriff, I vowed to protect this town and seek justice for the wronged," Oliver explained. Just then, a series of knocks interrupted their conversation. Oliver signaled for Abigail to answer the door. She opened it to find Damon standing there, a faint smile on his face.
"Hi," he greeted.
"Hi, Damon. What brings you here?" Abigail inquired.
Damon hesitated for a moment before replying, "Well, I thought we were supposed to study for our Monday tests. Did you forget?"
"No, it's just that my dad's going through a tough time, and he might need my help with this case, so I want to assist him," Abigail replied as she let Damon inside. They walked through the dimly lit corridor towards her father's office, engaged in a hushed conversation about Nate.
"You know," Damon began, "Nate didn't exactly win any popularity contests. He was a bully, and many kids at school despised him."
Abigail nodded in agreement, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's true. He tormented so many of his classmates. But even so, does that mean he deserved to die like this?"
Damon pondered her question before replying, "No one deserves this, Abigail. But sometimes, when you push people too far, they snap. Maybe one of the kids he bullied got angry enough to pull the trigger."
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a stern voice from behind them. "What do you know about Nate?"
Startled, Abigail and Damon turned to find Mr. Oliver standing in the doorway of his office, his expression a mix of curiosity and suspicion. Damon knew he had piqued the sheriff's interest, and now he had to share what he knew about Nate.
Damon knew this was his chance to bring what he knew to light without directly getting involved.
*****
"A Tale of a Wolf" chronicles the journey of Ava, a werewolf princess who defied her royal lineage to be with a human lover, only to suffer the devastating loss of her mate at the hands of a powerful witch's curse. Cursed with immortality and burdened with the eternal grief of losing her beloved, Ava embarks on a relentless quest for vengeance against vampires, whom she holds responsible for her pain. However, after centuries of relentless pursuit, Ava comes to a sobering realization that her quest for vengeance has not brought her the peace she seeks. Haunted by memories of her lost mate, Micheal, she decides to return to her hometown of Ashwood to seek solace and rebuild her life alongside her mate's sister, Kayla, whom she now considers her own sister. But Ava's past comes back to haunt her as old enemies resurface, seeking to destroy her and all she holds dear. Faced with new threats and dangers, Ava and Kayla must navigate a treacherous path, where betrayal and danger lurk at every turn. As they confront the shadows of Ava's past, they realize that the only way to survive is to stand together against the forces that seek to tear them apart.
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
"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?"
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
"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.