The Lake Worth Monster

Rule number one at Valour Group: Never stay past 6:00 PM. For most, leaving work early is a dream. For Katlyn Sterling, it’s a survival tactic. As the only assistant fierce enough to handle the cold and aloof billionaire Lukas Valour Hart, she has spent three long years strictly adhering to the rules—especially the one regarding his office door after sunset. She is used to his impossible demands and his suffocating silence, until the day the stakes become too high to walk away. When an urgent file forces Katlyn to breach his penthouse office at 6:01 PM, she doesn't find her billionaire boss. She finds a monster. Amidst shredded silk and shattered glass, Lukas Heart is mid-shift, a beast of shadow and golden eyes groaning in agonizing pain as he transforms into something unexplainable. Terrified, Katlyn does the only thing a sane person would do: she flees. But she doesn't get far before her beastly boss buries his fangs deep into the curve of her neck. She escapes the office, breathless and trembling, only to find the nightmare has followed her home. Waiting in her living room, laughing with her family, is Lukas. He isn't the boss she knows; he’s a predator wearing a suit, his smile a silent warning that her life is no longer her own. The next morning, Katlyn is ready to fly her family out of Jersey with a resignation letter in hand. But Lukas doesn't just reject her notice—he issues a demand. "Unfortunately, I marked you last night, assistant," he purrs, his gaze sweeping over her with possessive heat. "You can't leave. You won't survive twenty-four hours without my scent nearby. And since I need to ensure my secret stays buried... prepare yourself. We’re getting married in a week.”

"Monster," I smirked to myself as I read the morning paper. If they only knew the truth. I sipped my coffee as I skimmed through the story. They had all the details wrong and the police were idiots. I heard the bell chime on the door to the coffee shop and saw her walk in. Her hair was down just the way I liked it. She was perfect I thought to myself as I eyed her and planned my next move. I think when she finally saw me she made the connection. Her eyes got wide. "Ethan?" Ethan Graves is a well-known man in the community with a dark secret. His darkness is so great that even he can't control it sometimes. He plays his role well during the day but at night he takes on a whole new persona. The newspapers call him a monster and the police are baffled. Then the new detective on the case walks in. The one that he let go. The one he was obsessed with. It was finally time to make her his. The game of cat and mouse had never been something he would ever consider, he usually likes the woman to be weak and defenseless against his charm and good looks. However, for this kill, he would play the game and Josephine Wells would be his trophy.

A wolf howls. The forest stills… for a moment. Then, all wildlife burst into motion. Every living thing, from the smallest lizards and toads to the great brown bears and powerful mountain lions, flee. Spiders scurry to the top of their webs. Birds take flight. Squirrels leap from branch to branch. Wide-eyed deer and elk jump over brush and fallen logs. A lone wolf pauses, but tucks his tail and turns to join the escape. The wind whips through the forest, causing leaves to fall and tall pines to groan. Thundering hooves and paws make the forest floor shake. Finally, the forest stills. The wind gusts slow to a gentle and warm breeze. The wildlife seem calm once more and return to their foraging, napping, or grazing. The wolf howls again. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Amerie moved to a small town in Montana for a fresh start and to follow her dreams. Things are starting to look up and feel right again. Then, the town seems to turn upside down when someone goes missing in the forest. Some locals fear the legend of the Wolf Man may be real and claim the beast is to blame, claiming it wants revenge for mistreatment of the forest. Amerie rolls her eyes and joins the search parties, but an unfortunate fall leads her to discover more than she signed up for as she comes face to face with a large, white wolf. The secrets of the forest have been waiting to reveal themselves to her.

In June of 1975, Ryan Baxter's mom moves him and his brother, Matt, to the small seaside town of Bayport, MA to escape their abusive father. For an eleven-year-old, spending lazy days hanging out at the beach and the arcades sounds like a dream.When he meets Leah and she agrees to be his girlfriend, Ryan is happier than he's been in his young life. Then the "Sea Monkeys" knock-off he bought from the back of a comic book starts to grow...and grow and grow.©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

No one has seen him, No one can tell what he looks like, No one can tell if he's human, wolf, dragon, elf or vampire. We've only heard his very deep, hoarse voice that doesn't sound so humanly. We only know he's a ruthless beast, And that beast is the king of all supernatural creatures -he is King Wymond. He is an abomination -a mistake made by the moon goddess. There are rumors that he is immortal -are there still any immortals in this age? He walks the lands every night and kills any soul that crosses path with him or it, He never lets anyone see him and doesn't attend public meetings. He's always inside his palace, with those two big gates locking him away and isolating him from the world. Weird! How did he ended up becoming the king then? Every five years, girls who have come of age (18years to 25years), from different species (werewolves, vampires, witches, elves and dragons) are taken to his palace. We don't know why they are taken there, And we dare not ask why, because asking why is death penalty. And strangely, all the girls taken to the palace always come back alive, but they end up losing their memories of what had happened in there. No one has enough courage to investigate and find out what's going on -investigating is like walking into the valley of death. These are stories my grandma always told me when I was a kid, I don't know if they are real or if she was saying those things just to scare me. But I still couldn't help but wonder if it's true, Why does those girls end up losing their memories? Could there be a deep secret behind those closed, big gates?

Jake Storm always knew that he was different, he was faster, smarter, and good in a fight, he always saw things that others didn't think were real or ever existed. He felt like a freak of nature in his own family until his father sat him down and told him that he came from a long line of monster hunters. When a new family made their way into his home town and strange things begin to occur all fingers point to a set of siblings but things were not as they seemed and the monster lurking in the shadows did not seem so monstrous and those thought to be saints were the true predators lying in wait.