[Side Story in the Shade Series] [Takes Place Before Storyline] Before heroes, there was blood. Before fate, there was survival. Scyllena's quiet life in the mountain village shatters when a brutal Helriox raid leaves her home in ruins and her family missing. Fleeing through frozen forests and snow-covered plains, she clings to life with nothing but sheer will and desperate hope. When she is found, half-frozen and covered in blood, salvation comes from an unexpected source - the Nimor, fierce beings of legend who walk the razor's edge between saviors and predators. Thrust into their dangerous world, Scyllena must navigate uneasy alliances, unravel buried truths, and confront the haunting question: what happened to her brother? As whispers of war and ancient magic spread across Emäel, Scyllena's journey for answers becomes a battle for survival - and a destiny far greater than she could have ever imagined. Before the rise of heroes, before the tales of empires and rebellions, begins the story of a girl carved from loss and forged in fire. Her blood runs red, but her story runs deeper.

He's undead. He's dramatic. He's your new best friend. Whether you like it or not. When seventeen-year-old Theo finds a pale stranger loitering outside his bedroom window holding a board game and a suspiciously ancient juice box, he assumes he's about to be murdered. Instead, he gets Mordecai: a 512-year-old vampire who has zero interest in blood, romance, or being scary-he just really wants a human best friend. Theo's quiet life is flipped upside down as Mordecai worms his way into every aspect of it, from school field trips to family dinners (he brought casserole!) to late-night Scattergories tournaments that may or may not involve summoning the spirits of long-dead poets. But with supernatural threats creeping out of the shadows and ancient vampire politics threatening to ruin everything, Mordecai might have to prove just how far a true best friend will go to protect their person. Even if that person keeps trying to sneak garlic into his backpack.

16-year-old Ethan Carter is your average teenager. He's no jock, no genius, and certainly no hero. Just a kid who goes to school, hangs out with friends, and escapes into books when life feels a little too dull. His favorite? The Warrior's Fate, an epic fantasy series about Kaelin, the fierce and fearless warrior who fights for justice in a world of chaos. For Ethan, Kaelin is more than just ink on a page. He's spent hours reading her story, theorizing what might happen next, and often talking out loud as he reads. From her world of ink and paper, Kaelin has watched Ethan for as long as she can remember. She's seen his eyes soak up every word of her story, felt the warmth in his voice when he laughed or cheered at her victories, and endured the sting of his frustration when she failed. He was only talking to himself, but to Kaelin, it felt like every word was meant for her. Over time, her admiration for Ethan grew into something more---something deeper. She began to yearn for the impossible: a chance to step beyond the page and meet the boy she had spent years watching. Then the impossible happens. The words in the book begin to change. At first, it's small---a line rewritten, a detail misplaced. But soon, Kaelin begins speaking directly to him. Then, one night, she steps out of the book and into Ethan's very real, very ordinary life. As the boundaries between fiction and reality blur, Ethan and Kaelin must uncover the mystery of how she escaped---and what it means for both their worlds. But Kaelin's freedom comes at a price, and soon, they'll both have to decide: return her to her story, or risk everything to rewrite a new ending---together.

Asher was five years old when his world shattered-and the only one who held it together was a man he was never supposed to love. Raised in near isolation by a charismatic, enigmatic father figure named Lucien, Asher grows up believing Lucien saved him. But Lucien isn't his real father. He's a man with secrets, a man who raised Asher with unconditional control rather than unconditional love. Now seventeen, Asher can't tell where admiration ends and obsession begins. His trauma, once buried, begins to surface-manifesting as nightmares, hallucinations, and increasingly erratic behavior. He sees Lucien not just as a protector, but as the only person who matters. The only person who's real. As Lucien begins to drift away-distracted by a new relationship, or perhaps burdened by guilt-Asher unravels. His devotion sharpens into something possessive. Violent. And as the line between protector and predator blurs, both Asher and Lucien must confront a terrifying truth: What happens when love becomes a cage-and obsession becomes the key?

"You exist for me now. Every inch of you--mine." His hand trailed down, settling possessively on my stomach. "And soon," his voice darkened, "you'll carry my child. One night. That's all I need." A shiver. A breath. His lips grazed my throat, burning. I clenched my fists. I wasn't a wife. Not a partner. I was his obsession. His vessel of desire. And worst of all? I wasn't sure I could tolerate it long enough to bear him a child and guarantee my family's safety. ********** To save her family from sudden financial ruin, Camille Roosevelt gets married into the wealthy Ashford family. In secret meetings before the wedding, she meets her soon-to-be husband, Christian Ashford, whose intense obsession and possessive nature quickly become evident from their first meeting. He demands her submission, subtly treating her as a mere vessel to fulfill his desires, but after their wedding, everything suddenly changes. Christian, once all-consuming, suddenly grows oddly distant and avoids her presence, leaving Camille relieved but still curious about what could have caused such a drastic shift in his behavior overnight and how they are to make an heir under such tense co-existence. The truth, hidden beneath layers of deception, may be more than she could have ever possibly imagined. Warning: This story contains mature content, mentions and descriptions of abuse and mental health problems and is not suitable for viewers under the age of 18.

"Afraid of me? Why are you so afraid, princess?" He placed his hand on the wall next to her head, effectively trapping her between his body and the cold stone. "I'm not afraid of you," she lied, her voice steady despite the tremble in her hands. "I'm not afraid of anything." He chuckled darkly. "You should be." His lips barely brushed against hers in a tantalizingly soft touch. She was frozen in the spot, her mind a chaos of escape thoughts, but her body refusing to carry her away. It was like he took advantage of her daze, closing the remaining gap and crushing his lips against hers. _________________ In a corrupted world full of superficial and greedy people, in a world driven by lust and desire, Regan's thoughts and actions are alien to most. She feels like an outsider amidst a blur of faces that mirror the very disdain she holds for society. But she's not naive. And what will happen when she's thrust into the heart of the very system she despises, into the claws of a terrifying, demonic beast who happens to not want just her body, but her soul?

Step into a world lost to time with "Prehistoric Wild: Life in the Mesozoic," a captivating collection of short stories that transport you to the ancient past. Each tale unfolds in a different fossil formation around the globe. Gain a glimpse into unseen times in natural history from the healing world of the Triassic, the ecological bloom of the Jurassic, and the waning days of the Cretaceous. Explore worlds much different from our own such as the sea of middle North America, the wetlands of southern Mongolia, and the forests of the Antarctic. Meticulously researched and vividly imagined, these stories strive to capture the authenticity and wonder of life during the Mesozoic era. Written in a style inspired by nature documentaries, each story offers a realistic and immersive glimpse into the behaviors, struggles, and triumphs of a diverse array of creatures that once roamed our planet. Whether it's the famous dinosaurs, the sky-faring pterosaurs, the long-forgotten marine reptiles, or the earliest ancestors of mammals, this collection brings the ancient world to life with compelling accuracy. Drawing inspiration from modern-day natural phenomena as well as the latest theories and discoveries in paleontology, these tales blur the line between fact and fiction, reviving the distant echoes of prehistoric life. Join us on this journey through time, where the wonders of long ago await your discovery. Experience life on Earth as it once was for over 180 million years. Welcome to the Prehistoric Wild.

"Victory's your only payment" That's the line that summed up her life. Her parents thought she was a failure unless she was top with everything. Academic scores? If shes not the top of the class, disappointment. Quirk tests? She better be the best or shes not good enough. If she isn't exactly what her parents want, she's a failure. So, she strives to be the top in everything. She's always been top of the class. Deep down, she hates it all, and just wants to be herself. She of course will never admit that to anyone. But outside, she puts on a cold front, and acts like she's the best. Why? Cause she is. She's nothing less, and everything more. She's Victoria Takahashi Of course she's the best Right?

Spencer Griffiths is a rather shy and reserved daughter of Athena. What happens when she realizes her alignment as an Omega ,not wanting to be 'tied down by a bond with gods know which Alpha ' , only to realize that hers is one of the more popular, outgoing boys , Louis Dupont,a son of Apollo? How will they navigate the bond and the challenges between the two worlds they live in? Will their families find out the truth about their relationship?

At 3:42 a.m., Elena wakes to stillness that feels too alive. The room hasn't changed-but something has shifted. A breath in the dark. A hum with no source. A silence that watches. As her world unravels through flickering lights, vanished memories, and the impossible pull of absence, Elena must confront not what is haunting her-but what has been quietly waiting to be remembered. This is not horror in the usual sense. This is the moment before. The breath you didn't know you were holding. The silence between. A psychological descent into atmosphere, memory, and unspoken trauma-told in fragments, pulses, and stillness.