Watty's 2025 Shortlist Samantha Bricks wanted a quiet life. After cutting ties with her controlling family and carving out a modest career as a schoolteacher, she thought peace was finally hers. But then the letters begin. Red. Handwritten. Obsessive. Always unsigned. Each note presses deeper under her skin, unraveling the fragile sense of safety she's worked so hard to rebuild. Then there's Holland St. Claire-a mute little girl in her class with haunted eyes and disturbing paintings. She doesn't speak. Barely even reacts. But Samantha sees her, understands her in a way no one else does. And when Holland's father begins showing up late and aloof, Samantha assumes the worst. Until she meets Julian St. Claire, and everything shifts. Their first encounter is sharp, electric-an intimacy that unsettles her. Julian offers her a job babysitting Holland. But soon, he wants more. Her time. Her body. Her focus. And his secrets run dark and deep. Just as she starts slipping into Julian's magnetic orbit, Crown Prince Evander De Navarre of New Everest shows up-entitled, intoxicating, and sinfully persuasive. He's used to getting what he wants. And what he wants is Samantha. Suddenly, she's trapped between two powerful, complicated men: Julian, brooding and unreadable. Evander, dangerous in a way she can't quite name. But this isn't just a twisted romance. As the love notes grow more threatening and her ex's mysterious disappearance begins to resurface, Samantha realizes the truth is far darker than she ever imagined. This isn't about desire. It's about control. It's about survival. And someone is watching her every move.

The Bite was published as a Paperback and E-book from W by Wattpad Books on February 7, 2023! As a Wattpad reader, you can access the Wattpad Books Published Edition here upon purchase and the Wattpad Original Edition for free. ***** Charlotte is on the run from a troubled past to start a new life, turn a new page and begin again. Little does she know that the new life she is about to start, is one that is only supposed to exist only in fairy tales. What was a minor decision put her in the wrong place at the wrong time; a decision that will be burned into her memory, a decision that forced her to fight for her life, a decision that will turn her into a thing of fairy tales- and it only took one bite.

"I need you to be the put together one because I'm so fucked up. You've saved me." He whispers. "Carter, we saved each other." I mutter looking at him through my eyelashes. I lean into him, our lips not even an inch apart. "Sophia we shouldn't..." He looks hesitant. "Please, I need you." I almost started crying. "Please." I mutter one more time, my eyes begging for him. My body needing him. Sophia Carrington. She just moved from New York to California in search of a new life. When her life took a dark turn she's forced to leave everything behind. She just wants to finish her final year of high school, numb to the world, while learning to cope with the trauma she's endured. Carter Marquez. Newly single after being dumped by his girlfriend of two years. After losing his dad in a car accident he's fallen apart. The list of people he trusts is short, he hates letting people in. He's constantly trying to make up for his mistakes of the past, trying to find a new purpose in life. When the two of them collided, they instantly took a mutual disliking to each other. Misunderstandings and a dash of alcohol set a flame between them. Sophia hates the snarky remarks and stupid nicknames that leave his mouth. Carter thinks Sophia is just another trust fund brat. Soon their rivalry begins to dissolve and they learn that sharing the pain of their past can form connections they never thought to be possible. WARNING: This story contains mature topics such as sexual assault and drug addiction. Read with caution. Copyright © by lulustoriesss 2021

Ella is falling apart trying to live a "perfect" high school life. Then she meets Ren, who can see past her scars. Suddenly perfection isn't her only option. ***** Ella Volkov is a gifted music student, but she's depressed and starting to crack under the pressure of high school. Her overbearing father won't even let her choose what instrument she plays. Then she finds herself alone at a party with Ren, her best friend's crush. She'd always thought he was rude, but after that night he's all Ella can think about. Now she's trapped. If Ella dates Ren, it will ruin her friendship with Jenny. But if she stays true to Jenny, she's losing the one person who can see past her scars. It's up to Ella to decide if she will forge her own path, or stay in the "perfect" box designed for her... Content and/or Trigger Warning: depression, anxiety, self-harm, violence, sexual assault. [[word count: 50,000-100,000 words]]