War serves none but those who wish for death... A young king is left to rule a kingdom before his time to rule arrived. Inexperienced, he has no idea what to do when war breaks out in his nation. The war proves to be too much for him, and he can see no way to escape certain doom. However, he soon is visited by a strange man, promising things beyond his comprehension. Could the man's deal be his savior? Or a fate worse than destruction...

{{ This story will be submitted into the Open Novella Contest 2026, inspired by prompt #45.}} "Kings have honor, soldiers have bravery, and poets have heart. But all I have is RAGE" PART 1: BOOK 1: BLACK ROCK. (Black Rock is Book 1 of "The Wolves of Skoltha" Triology.) In the frozen northern forest of Skoltha, wolves walk as men-and Alpha Fenris of Black Rock is losing his pack to extinction; their wolf-blood weakening. When his mate dies birthing his son, a human slave from Deep Water, their exiled sister pack, is sent to nurse his son from death. Albi is broken, battle-scarred, and hiding a heart full of vengeance. But when the ancient blood-bind of the Imprint-unseen for sixty winters-suddenly binds them together as fated mates, Fenris dares to hope the Great Mother has sent more than a wet nurse. That she has sent the pack's Salvation. As Fenris and Albi navigate a bond that bleeds their minds together across five months of winter, unseen enemies gather beyond their treeline. When a silver bullet strikes Albi down in the heart of the forest, Fenris must choose: let her die and lose his last chance at salvation, or breach the final wall between them, the wall of Albi's making, in a ritual of flesh and spirit that will either forge an unbeatable alliance-or confirm to his enemies that the Alpha of Black Rock has grown weak enough to be destroyed. Total Story Word Count: 33,204

In a world where individuals with otherworldly abilities walk among their less gifted counterparts, an organisation called the Watchers exists to ensure that the two worlds keep their peace. Hiding behind their mask of providing security services is a widespread web of assassins and spies. They have always made sure to eliminate anyone who was too dangerous for the ordinary police to handle. Faolan Devoe has become one of their best with his sheer hard work and skill, just an ordinary man among a sea of extraordinary powers. When he's called in for a top-secret mission, he expects to assassinate a public figure or something along those lines. What he doesn't expect is to be sent undercover to babysit a killer's child. The catch? The kid is no normal human, and if his father gets his hands on him, it might lead to the end of the world. TW: violence, death, gore, strong language |ONC 2026 HONORABLE MENTION, ROUND 3 AMBASSADOR PICK & ROUND 3 WINNER|

Gods aren't real. At least, that's what Jade thought until she met one and found herself with a curse and no choice but to work with the mischievous god to break it. And if that wasn't enough, she also gets caught in the middle of the conflict that first tore the gods apart 1000 years ago. She's going to have to discover each of their secrets and vendettas and find a way to maneuver them without getting herself killed along the way.

|ONC2026 Honorable Mention| She is sent to kill the dragon. Instead, she might become his only salvation. *** In a world swallowed by the Ever-Dark, Iva Vernigora is nothing more than a lowly servant in the house of the cruel Voivode Yakub Ivanov, Duke of Highroot. But when Voivode blackmails her with the lives of her parents, Iva is forced to pretend she's his daughter, as she infiltrates the royal academy of magic - Kolegium. Voivode Yakub's order is absolute: poison the Prince Konstantin Veliki. Prince Konstantin is the heir to the throne, the last of the line of Dragons - a Zmey warrior of light, who was blessed with a dragon-shifting gift. At a first glance, he is nothing but a smug, pompous royal, and everything Iva is supposed to hate. Yet every touch, and every shared lesson at Kolegium blurs the line between the enemy she must kill and the man she is beginning to crave. While Iva stalks her prey as a knife in the dark, waiting for the chance to extinguish Konstantin's light, she discovers that the dragon everyone fears is the only thing standing between humanity and the void. As the Ever-Dark Shades rise, Iva must make an impossible choice. Will she carry out her sinister orders and secure her parents' freedom, or will she stand by the Dragon in the battle for the world's last light? *** The Shades are coming. The Dragons are falling. And the Eternal Spark is waiting for its host. © 2026 EvelynHail Exclusively on Wattpad Based on prompts: 97. "When the world slips into endless darkness, something begins to move in the shadows and you must find a way to survive in a night that never ends." 4. "You discover that the dragon everyone fears is in danger, and you are the only one who can save it from the knight sworn to slay it ."

Bronhini, the storm queen, sends out her pet dragon to turn the skirmish her men are losing. A lone warrior stands up to the beast - a brave, but useless act. When Laiàn learns about the courageous last stand of her brother, she is devastated. But not everything is as it seems... Based on the prompt #29: "You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints on your heart."

Barnabas Whitmore thought his discovery of summoning coordinates to a new world would bring him academic clout and fame. Instead, a drunken portal battle brings him an extra-dimensional human, an unstable portal that refuses to close, and a government agency asking too many questions. Prompt 62: They say every door has its own key. Except for one, a key said to open them all. Warnings: Profanity, alcohol use, dark humor

🏆ONC2026 Top 5 Winner (5th Place Finalist) | Round 3 Winner 🏆 TheNanoWatt Longlister Two assassins. One royal secret. A lullaby of steel and secrecy. One last assignment to buy her freedom. The final phase of the mission was supposed to be straightforward: slip into the Spanish Royal Palace during the midsummer gala, incinerate the marked documents, and eliminate the crown and its heirs. It was supposed to be easy. At least, it would have been if she hadn't arrived twenty-four hours too soon. Forced to play a role her lethal training never prepared her for, the Royal Nanny, Elizabeth must use her supernatural abilities to navigate a world of silk and secrets while protecting the very heirs she was sent to kill. But she isn't the only one on a mission. Thomas, an assassin from a rival organization known as The Pendulum, is already embedded as the palace's head of security. In their battle to outspy each other, they realize they share more than just a job description. ~~~~~~~~~ ⚔️Genre: Espionage/Dark Fantasy/Romanstasy ⚠️Rated: MATURE (Violence, Physical Trauma and Psychological Distress) © 2026 MiriamElade Main Prompt: 32. Two assassins from rival organizations are sent on the same secret mission, only to realize the assignment hides a much bigger truth. Sub Prompt: 33. It doesn't take long before everything in your life spins out of control. One moment you're a secret assassin, and the next, you've somehow been hired as a nanny and you're not entirely sure how it happened. Started: 1st February 2026 Completed: 20th April 2026

Saera Kyorin is Empress of Nethralis, a kingdom where dragons decide who is allowed to rule. She has survived court politics by believing control and careful alliances are enough to keep her children safe. That belief shatters when her son Aeron is claimed by Vaelzryn, a rogue dragon so powerful its very bond marks him for death. Aeron's bond makes him the heir and the empire's most dangerous liability, drawing enemies from within the court and beyond its borders. As whispers spread of a creature capable of killing a bonded heir and stealing a dragon's power, Saera is forced into a war she cannot win openly. To save her son, Saera must decide whether to obey the empire's laws or break them before they claim Aeron's life. And as Vaelzryn's presence stirs something ancient in the dark, the question is no longer who should rule Nethralis, but what will remain when the dragons choose to burn it down. Copyright© 2026 Ririzzaly. Cover by @Nightenghale

Clara Morel arrives at a fashionable Riviera resort after a most determined journey, fully prepared to prevent a wedding she considers both foolish and ill-advised. Unfortunately, she arrives a day too late. The ceremony has already taken place with admirable efficiency. What remains is a nearly empty hotel, a quantity of unused champagne, and a handful of guests whose politeness seems somewhat strained. Each of them appears to have a private grievance, an awkward history, or an inconvenient secret. Clara soon discovers that while she may have missed the wedding, she has arrived in perfect time for something else entirely. After all, in a place where everyone has a reason to resent someone, it rarely takes much for resentment to become murder.