Novella Stories

Aunt Mabel is dead, found lying amongst her daisies in her garden. Two eyes anxiously watch over her. The police arrive, but questions soon crop up. Is it actually Aunt Mabel? And who or what did it? A wild animal? A person? A baby dragon? Something strange is afoot in the Auntie's garden and it's up to Officer Holt Martinez, Estelle, and her cousin Julia, to figure it all out before it's too late. Little does she know that an unplanned trip to the Dragon's Lair Bookshop will upend everything she thought she knew about life, this world, and those beyond. * Respectfully submitted to Wattpad's Open Novella Contest 2026, under prompt #3, with subtle influences from prompt #41.

The Open Novella Contest is back for 2026! Join fellow storytellers and plant the seed of a tale that will blossom into a 20,000+ word novella within 12 weeks! Your epic quest begins February 1st, 2026, so mark your calendars with this date!

Oxford, 1914. Felix Lambert was supposed to spend his twenties buried becoming an educated scholar of languages. Instead, the shadows of the Great War came knocking. Recruited into the Red Thread Society, a clandestine organisation that works in the shadows of the British Secret Service, Felix is thrust into a lethal game of chess. Slipped behind enemy lines into occupied Belgium, he is paired with La Dame Blanche, a legendary underground network of civilian spies.

"I couldn't understand why I was here. It started as a team-building retreat, but now I was standing in the middle of a forest. An actual forest. Real trees. No Wi-Fi. No escape. Being a simple office assistant, I wasn't built for this kind of torture. Office assistant-that was my job title. Nothing more, nothing less. I made coffee, sorted mail, refilled printer paper, and occasionally got blamed for things I didn't do. I was no outdoor survival enthusiast. Really. I just wanted to do my job in peace, live in peace, and die in peace. The last one, hopefully not during office hours. So again-why was I here?" *** When Alex, a regular office assistant, stumbles through a mysterious shimmer in the woods, he finds himself trapped in a magical world he thought existed only in fairy tales. His best hope of getting home is Kasia, a gentle forest goddess who would much rather be tending her herbs and slightly questionable side-businesses, than dealing with interdimensional disasters. With a high (in more than one way) Fae prince tagging along, magical disasters around every corner, and Alex panicking through most of it, the journey back quickly becomes far more complicated than either of them expected. But the closer Alex and Kasia grow to each other, the harder it becomes to answer one impossible question: What if going home means leaving the right person behind? How to Care for a Lost Human is a cozy romantasy comedy inspired by Slavic folklore, classic fairy tales, romantic fantasy tropes, and just a pinch of The Wizard of Oz. It features ancient spirits, supernatural bureaucracy, heroes whose greatest talent is being in the wrong place at the wrong time, an unhealthy amount of rhymes, and an extremely questionable use of psychedelic mushrooms.

A zombified slave on a dystopian mining planet leads a violent rebellion against a tyrannical regime to create a dominion of the resurrected, while haunted by the echoes of his Christian upbringing. ****************************************************** Heavyweight boxing champion Ryder Kade is tempted by big money purses offered on the mining planet Dradus. On arrival he discovers that Dradus is owned by the tyrannical Tellurium Mining Corporation (TMC) that has developed a serum to reanimate the dead as 'mindblown' zombie slaves. After being fatally stabbed in a brawl, Ryder wakes to find himself zombified and expected to perform as a 'slugger' in vicious fights to the death. But Ryder was reanimated within seconds of dying, and his mind is far from blown. When ordered to strangle a female slave as a lesson in obedience, Ryder kills his slave-master and then leads his fellow slaves in a quest to find a safe haven. However, he soon discovers that the TMC have no intention of leaving them to live in peace, and the only way to survive is to achieve total victory. Can he battle a powerful enemy with his army of damaged goods, and his own internal conflict?

Elara Baker needs a boyfriend. Sebastian Ashcroft needs a girlfriend. So when one late-night conversation turns into a carefully written contract, fake dating suddenly seems like the perfect solution. To the public, they become the most untouchable couple: elegant, effortless, perfect. But somewhere between gala nights, family dinners, paparazzi flashes, and lingering touches that last too long, the line between pretending and feeling begins to blur. And breaking rule number three might ruin everything. "Rule number three ... Don't fall in love."

***RETURNING JULY 3, 2026*** Early Access on Inkitt or Ream Stories starting May 1, 2026 When Maescia is set aside for another, she vows to take back her place at the Summer King's side no matter the cost. ********** Things have settled down since the new Elven Queen took the throne and the Winter Queen was dealt with, but not all is as happy as it seems. Maescia is lonely. Her friends promised to visit, but they never did. Then the Summer King forgets all about her and replaces her with her nemesis, Astraea. The only one paying any attention to her is Corym, an annoying faery boy she wishes would stop meddling in her plans. Maescia vows to take back her place at the Summer King's side, and so begins a dangerous game. On her quest to ruin her nemesis, Maescia discovers the Summer King has been keeping secrets. Now she must decide which team to play for: her new friends, the Summer King... or her own. Maescia loves playing games, and this might be her most important one yet. This is a novella in the Lost Queen series (Book 3.5) Cover designed by GetCovers

A chaotic cafe owner. A rule-abiding lawyer. A wedding she wasn't supposed to crash. When Haein shows up a day late, thinking it's her ex's, sparks fly with Jungwon, the calm and composed groomsman who might just match her chaos. Messy, hilarious, and full of unexpected romance, some loves are worth bending the rules for. Warning: This story contains strong language and sensual undertones. [SUBMISSION FOR OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2026]

If you got anyone to describe Jessie Reynolds-Somber in one word, it would be 'lucky.' She survived childhood leukemia (twice), has the best friend-slash-roommate in the world, and she's studying something she loves at the university she's forever adored. But not even November can describe why she feels so incomplete, as though she's forgotten to do something she'll never get a chance to do. Why she feels like she's failed---no, worse, like she's a failure. [FORMERLY AN ENTRY FOR THE 2026 ONC]

|A SET OF TWO ORIGINAL DISNEY COLLEGE PROGRAM NOVELLAS| |13X FEATURED · AMBYS 2025 FAVORITE · INKITT HQ FEATURED · A GLOABLLY SELECTED STORY! · INTERNATIONALLY PUBLISHED! · AUDIOBOOK NOW AVAILABLE!| Milo and Maisie: Two years after her older brother's tragic death, anxiety-stricken Maisie and her emotional support cat, Milo, attend the Disney College Program, where they must discover a new life meaning in the most magical place on Earth. Milo and Maisie: The Veracruz Ghost: When Maisie and Feya's friendship is tossed into the danger zone, they must work together to save it before Summit 2023 destroys them forever. *** *#SupportLGBTQVoices* "A new magic I discovered with Milo in a world without my brother." Trigger Warnings (Milo and Maisie, despite its Disney World setting and message of hope and second chances, is a very heavy story, mostly because it's heavily inspired by my journey through grief after my older brother's death in 2021. It's a clean story, though.) - Recovering from grief/loss - Offscreen suicide attempt mention - Non-graphic onscreen suicide in The Veracruz Ghost - War trauma and PTSD (especially for Feya) - Relatively graphic onscreen accident, but not too graphic

Detective Evan Carter spent eleven years believing that every disappearance had a logical explanation. That if you looked hard enough, cared enough, and pushed far enough, the truth would always reveal itself. He was wrong. When four young people vanish from the small town of Blackridge, Maine within days, Evan refuses to let the case go cold. His search leads him to a computer left behind by one of the missing, and a game file that should not exist. What starts as a clue becomes something he cannot explain. Something that knows his name. Something that will not let him leave. The Missing Ones is the account of what Evan Carter found when he stopped following the rules and started following the game. Its author lost everything. He is not asking you to believe him. He is asking you to read carefully. Part 1 - The Game (Out) Part 2 - The Wrath (Out) Part 3 - The Finale (2026)

*New chapters every Wednesday at 3:30 PM (GMT/BST)!* Experience the magic of Constance M. Burge's Charmed as you've only imagined! Join the third iteration of the Charmed Ones as they struggle with the loss of their sister and the implications of her untimely death, and continue their destined battle against the forces of evil. The Halliwell sisters' destiny has been rewritten, and life as they know it has changed-more than they realize. After the tragic loss of their younger sister, Phoebe, Piper wants nothing more than to put her life as a witch behind her, while Prue is consumed with vengeance. However, when the Source of All Evil surfaces, they discover the existence of half-sister, Paige Matthews. As reluctant as they are to accept Paige, Prue and Piper must put aside their feelings to protect her and reconstitute the Power of Three; only then can they begin to uncover the truth about their sister's death and the larger mystery surrounding it. I͏N͏F͏O͏R͏M͏A͏T͏I͏O͏N͏ Genre: Fantasy/Mystery/Drama. Style: Novel format retelling/reimagining, third-person omniscient perspective, American-Style English. Word count: ~1.5-3.5K per chapter (~230K total once completed). Continuation publishing dates: Relaunched 03/03/26. Novella publishing dates: Started 05/08/24, completed 30/08/24, edited 30/08/25.

When Emma has to bury her only parent after he battles for years against his medical diagnosis, she decides to buy a lottery ticket to honor her father who liked to play every week. When a night out to get out of her head ends with her giving her ticket away, the possible winning ticket, she goes on a chase around her college town with a practical stranger trying to get her ticket back because, well, she has a millions reasons to catch him. This will be a novella, word count coming soon. Updates every Wednesday.

Before Sunrise meets November 9 in this sharp, slow-burn contemporary romance about two cynics who swear off love, only to find it waiting for them once a year. Riya wants a life that feels like a story, but real-world romance has been nothing but an underwhelming cycle of messy situationships. She's cynical, exhausted, and officially done chasing fairy tales. Kabir is a freshly graduated mechanical engineer who knows exactly how it feels when the ground shifts beneath your feet. After a devastating heartbreak, he's vowed never to let himself get tangled up in a romantic relationship again. When a missed train strands them both at a desolate Goa railway station, an unlikely spark ignites. They don't want a relationship. They don't want the drama. So, they make a deal: No expectations. No cheap romance. Just one day every year to check in on each other. They both claim single life is the best. They both claim relationships are a trap. But as the annual countdown begins again, they have to ask themselves: is their hatred for modern love protecting them, or is it blocking them from the only real story worth writing?

## **SUN SHINE ON ME** **A Southern small-town redemption romance by Ilianna Binoche aka Novia Kane** Soliel French ran from Ainsbury, Arkansas with shame in her throat, fear in her bones, and secrets the whole town pretended not to see. Dallas was supposed to save her. Instead, it swallowed her. After a failed marriage, a lost child, bad choices, dangerous men, and a life that dragged her name through darkness, Soliel returns to the one place she hates almost as much as she needs it. Broke, broken, and too tired to keep running, she accepts help from Miss Joyce, an elderly family friend who offers her a housekeeping job and a small chance at peace. But peace is hard to find inside a church when church people were part of the reason she stopped believing. Then she starts singing. *"I sing because I'm happy... I sing because I'm free..."* The hymn slips out before she can stop it, and one man hears the pain hiding behind her angelic voice. Luciano Gabriel Moretti is not from Ainsbury. He is a minister with a dangerous family name, a prayerful spirit, and eyes that see too much. When he asks where she attends church, every warning bell inside Soliel screams for her to run. She knows men. She knows compliments. She knows how quickly sweet words turn into cages. But Luciano is not trying to use her. He may be the first man brave enough to stand between her and the monsters still hiding behind closed doors. In a town built on silence, secrets, and Sunday-morning lies, Soliel must decide if redemption is worth the risk of being seen. And Luciano must decide if saving one wounded woman will expose the sins of his own family. **SUN SHINE ON ME** is a haunting, emotional, addictive Southern romance about trauma, faith, forbidden attraction, small-town secrets, Christian redemption, and a woman fighting to believe she is more than what happened to her.

Aria felt she didn't try enough in high school. So, she had to make it up in college. Ever since quitting ballet in middle school because of her parent's divorce she never felt the same. Later, she found out that ballet was what made her- her. Cameron has always had a dream of starting a band and also achieving the world record of how many parties he could attend in his college years. Ruin the Friendship is a soft and sweet novella of Aria and Cameron from 'Books and Bows'

RomePi™ Webisode Productions brings you a Curvy Sci-Fi Romance Community Episode created by Andrea T. aka Ilianna Binoche and found exclusively on Wattpad... for now. 😂😆😎 #CelebrateBlackStories #DISCLAIMER #BWWM #Diversity #InProgress #EyesLipsFierce In a world where tattoos hold greater importance than currency, a mythical being appears who is believed to have died out over 400 years before their time. The being has no ink on her body, and without ink, it is impossible to determine where she fits in society. She is labeled a Nii or None Inked Individual. Her existence sparks controversial questions that no one has dared to ask since the last recorded Nii was spotted. The leaders must find her and deal with the threat that she posses before changes they have no desire to address incite a desire for changes which has been subdued... UNTIL NOW!!!

A story of Wei Yan, and of Chang Yu and Xie Zheng, in the world where Jinzhou never fell Wei Yan died hated. A regent with eighteen years of blood on his hands, executed in the autumn, buried far from the capital under a name he chose never to clear. He had his reasons. He always had his reasons. They were the kind a man takes to his grave on purpose. And then he wakes, in the cold, on a wall at Yanzhou, years before the worst of it. The woman he has loved his whole silent life is alive and sixteen and standing beside him. The disaster that unmade the world is two hours from happening. And this time, he knows exactly how it ends. What he buys with that knowledge is not glory. It is an ordinary world. A peaceful reign, a sunlit border town, a fierce girl who grows up to make her own name as a general and the serious boy who loves her in secret for twenty years, a cook no one can read, a scholar who stays warm, a prince with no monster in him. Everyone he failed in the other life gets to live in this one, free and happy and faintly bored, and not one of them will ever know there was another world, or what it cost the quiet old minister at the edge of the room to take it off them. A gentle story about second chances, the people we would save if we could, and the particular loneliness of being the only one left who remembers the life that never happened.

Cal Porter is Highridge Secret's golden boy. Agile, accurate, and impossible to ignore, he's the striker everyone cheers for. Kess Caldwell is Iron Row FC's wall. She doesn't care how popular Cal is. If he gets close to her goal, she's taking him down. In the teen Barefield League, cleats are banned, bare feet rule, and co-ed rivalries get messy fast, both on and off the pitch. Cal and Kess are sworn enemies, but when an injury and a red card force them both out of the game, their rivalry follows them where they least expect it. Now they're stuck dealing with each other without the whistle, the crowd, or the ball between them. And the more they fight, the harder it gets to pretend it still feels like hate.

❖ ''ZF 16 Ariomma to unknown vessel. Please identify yourself. Over.'' ❖ Farah and Kazem are twins working aboard the Ariomma, a trading airship that sails the edges of a flat world. Out here is a frontier far from civilization: a place known as the Tideless, where water lifts from the surface of the sea, and great creatures rise with it. Only some of them are known. This is not a sailing path known for its safety, but the crew of the Ariomma have rarely feared their work. That is, until they find the carcass of another ship hanging in the Tideless, decimated by an unknown enemy. Soon, their flight to safety becomes a fight for their lives, as the monster turns its attention on the Ariomma... and them. ❖❖❖ Written for #NONC2022, a community-run novella festival operating in parallel with Wattpad's 2022 Open Novella Contest. Complete. Marked mature for violence and other dark themes. Comments and critiques are both welcome and appreciated. I write characters from many different backgrounds, with many different experiences. If you share those traits and find that I have misrepresented anything, please let me know! I am feedback-friendly and here to learn :)