Once Upon A December Novels & Stories

Aurora Walton once made a bet with her mother—if Joseph Hunt ever fell in love with her, her mother would step aside and let them be together. So, upon learning that Joseph preferred gentle and resilient girls, she disguised herself as a struggling college student to get close to him. But in the end, Joseph crushed her illusions, holding his first love in his arms as he looked at Aurora with disdain. "A gold-digging nobody like you? How could you ever compare to Judy?" Humiliated and heartbroken, Aurora walked away, returning home to claim her rightful place as heiress to a billion-dollar empire. Years later, she returned, draped in a custom-made designer gown worth million, exuding elegance and power. Beside her stood a man whispered to be untouchable, feared, and revered. As she crossed paths with Joseph once more, the tables had turned. This time, it was Joseph who was left in regret. He took to social media with a public confession: "I used to think I loved strong, one-of-a-kind women. But Aurora, meeting you made me realize that love isn’t about rules. You are my exception." That very night, the elusive Lucas Carter broke his silence, releasing a long-cherished photograph. In it, a girl smiled brightly, untamed and full of life. With absolute certainty, he took Aurora’s hand and made his declaration for the world to hear. "Mrs. Carter, there are no exceptions. You've always been the one. And I've been waiting for this moment my whole life."

Morgan and Claire run away one night to escape Claire's abusive father. They stumble upon a ship and thought this would be an easy way out. They should have known since their life has never been easy, this wouldn't be. The plan was simple start over, but that wasn't the case.The ship they stumbled upon was not a regular ship. It was a pirate ship and it's captain was out for revenge. Morgan and Claire now find themselves at the mercy of this Captain. They're a long ways from land and won't be docking anywhere soon. Morgan must find a way to make sure her and Claire survive.

In the fifth year after my death, my wife, Yuna Lane, visited my apartment once more. She wanted me to take the blame for her childhood sweetheart's corporate fraud crimes. "Finn, Joe is going to be elected the chairman of the Trade Association. He can't afford any blemish to his reputation. Will you only be satisfied by thoroughly ruining him? "It's only two more years in prison! Joe said he'll give you a job once you're released. Stop being so ungrateful!" Her screams and shouts startled my neighbors. … When she banged on the door once more, the woman who lived across from me finally stepped out into the hallway. "Miss, stop banging on the door. He died long ago." "He's dead?" The woman sighed. "Yes. I hear it goes back to that fraud case years ago. The victim's family wasn't happy with the sentence, so as soon as Finn was released, they had him run over and killed.” My wife's face turned stark white upon hearing the truth. However, barely a few seconds passed before she let out a cold scoff, confident this was all just a scheme of mine. "Great. He's willing to fake his death just so he can get out of helping Joe. Does he really think I'm helpless and powerless against his schemes? Tell him that his parents are dead meat if he doesn't show up in three days!" She then violently kicked the metal grills of my door before strutting away on her high heels. The woman watched her walk away with bloodshot eyes, shaking her head in pity as she muttered under her breath, "Poor guy. His old man died soon after hearing of his death..."

I had been married to Adrian Foster for six years when I finally conceived his child. However, the doctor’s reaction upon hearing Adrian’s name left me frozen. "I clearly recall that Mrs. Foster already gave birth to a son here two years ago. She’s a famous actress, and she and Mr. Foster made the perfect couple." I stared at her in disbelief. "What are you talking about? We’re legally married. We have a certificate!" "There’s no mistake. Mr. Foster is someone notable, and he doted on his wife. He was always by her side." I stormed out of the hospital in anger, but my hope was shattered when the lawyer confirmed that my marriage certificate was a forgery. The world tilted into darkness. My ears rang, my surroundings blurred, and I could no longer hear a thing. At last, I understood. He had never been my husband. He had never once looked forward to the child growing within me. With shaking hands, I dialed my family’s number, and in my heart, I swore that this merciless liar would burn in hell.

In a world where the Goddess’s power has been shattered and the wolves silenced, Sena Duneshadow, a young Mute Wolf, is thrust into a destiny that could reshape everything. For centuries, the Temple has kept the wolves under its control, severing their connection to the Goddess and enslaving them in silence. But when Sena discovers she is the Moonmarker, the key to restoring the Goddess’s power, everything changes. With the first fragment of the Moonmark in her hands, Sena becomes the symbol of a revolution. Alongside Caelum Ashveil, a fallen Battle-Priest with a past as shattered as her own, she rallies the oppressed and the forgotten, leading them in a battle for freedom against the Temple’s unyielding grip. As she embraces the power within her, Sena must learn to control her abilities, balance her emotions, and face the devastating truth that the curse placed upon her people runs deeper than she could ever imagine. In this epic tale of rebellion, self-discovery, and transformation, Sena must fight not only for her people’s freedom but for the very soul of the Goddess herself. The Starfire ignites, and with it, the dawn of a new era—one where the wolves are no longer slaves, and their voices will be heard once more.

It was Christmas Eve. Once again, my parents left me alone at home, chasing triple pay at work. However, after twenty years of the same lonely holiday, I couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to sit in the quiet house by myself again, so I packed up some sandwiches and went to them. What I didn’t expect was to see them stepping out of a luxury car, arms linked with a boy who looked about my age, laughing like they didn’t have a care in the world, heading straight into a five-star hotel. “Mom, Dad, is it okay to leave Suzie all alone at home like that?” My mom waved it off and said, “It’s fine. She’s used to it.” My dad just brushed it off with a chuckle. “She’s nothing like you. You're our real treasure.” Upon hearing that, I turned and walked away. They'd been pretending to be broke all these years, lying to me about working overtime, about scraping by. Well, fine. If they don’t want me, I’m done wanting them, too.

My younger sister, Mindy Sampson, has a rare blood condition. She needs regular blood transfusions and a bone marrow transplant. My husband, Ian Huffman, and I are matches. My mother says we should draw lots. Whoever draws the short stick will become Mindy's blood donor. In the next five years, I am always the one who draws the short stick. Because of constant blood draws and bone marrow extractions, my body breaks down. Before I die, I stumble upon Ian holding Mindy and saying, "Cindy is so stupid. There are only short sticks in the container. Every time, we let her draw first. How could she ever get a long one? "She is going to die without ever knowing you are not sick at all. Once she dies and we get the insurance money, we can travel the world." When I open my eyes again, I am back in the fifth year after Mindy is diagnosed. I look at the container of sticks on the table and smile. Then, I look at Ian and say, "This time, you draw first."

A crazy killer is targeting babysitters and no one can catch him. Until he comes upon Stacy who has a secret that no one knows about.

Jade Warring is a brilliant interior designer committed to her faith and craft. Her friend Blake Duffy, who works at the prestigious Black Corporation, boasts of her expertise to the company's CEO, Tristan Black, who quickly hires her to decorate his new home. Upon meeting Tristan, Jade is surprised as he's young, handsome, and charming. His mesmerizing crystal clear, teal-blue eyes were enough to sweep anyone off their feet. Then he asked, "Have we met before?" Those three words heightened her curiosity even more because she had seen Tristan once before, in a dream. Despite various unexplained women and their relationship hanging on by a thread, Jade agrees to marry him. Soon he reveals he is far from the ideal husband, man, or even human. Clinging to the hope that love will conquer all, Jade begins an emotional rollercoaster with Tristan. His fetishes and unfaithfulness ultimately wear on her heart and mind. She is far from crazy, but everyone has their limit, and amidst all the drama, chaos, and confusion she struggles to determine what's real or merely a dream.

“I do not want to stay here! Tell that to your lord!” She yelled at him. “He will take me back to Dragonsbane right now or I will bring this whole castle down!”---- Once every six hundred years, a ruling descendant of Axeris must offer up a pure breed daughter of Khione to the ancient spirits to keep the seal over the undead army of Osyron from breaking open and unleashing the wrath of the blood thirsty god upon the people of Astaroth and the other six kingdoms. Lord Ryder's rule falls under this year and he has his eyes set on Lyra, a pure breed descendant and princess of Dragonsbane, but there are complications when he tries to get her, she cannot remember him and he cannot offer her up if she is not in love with him. Time is running out, the seal is very unstable and everything seems to be working against him as he is soon caught up in a whirlwind of impossibilities and forced to make a difficult choice. There are secrets and twists as this is a tale woven into a maze of labyrinths, with each turn unlocking a new and unpredictable play out, until he is left standing against all he had ever believed in.