Betrayal by So-Called Friend

Trust shatters when a deep betrayal by a close companion plunges a group into a modern-day nightmare. In this chilling mystery, the line between ally and enemy blurs as horrific secrets emerge from the shadows. As the psychological tension peaks, the protagonists must navigate a web of deception to survive the night. Every choice leads to darker revelations, proving that the people we trust most are often the ones hiding the deadliest intent.

Chapters

Chapter 1

Late into the night, the doorbell rang, jolting me out of sleep. On the video screen was April, her face bruised and her voice raw from crying.

"Winona, please help me. Kyro hit me again."

I was about to open the door when a series of messages appeared before me.

[Don't let her in, or you'll be caught up in their mess!]

Suddenly, a chill swept over me, chasing away any lingering drowsiness.

[Her husband resents you for taking her in each time and plans to marry you off to his vile brother. April agreed to this to appease him!]

[If you open the door, they'll force their way in, attack you, and drag you to a remote village!]

[You'll end up like those women in old folktales, trapped and isolated, with no hope for rescue, forced to bear children!]

Warnings flashed before my eyes, making me pull my hand back from the doorknob.

April and Kyro had been together for three years, and within our group, Kyro was seen as the ideal boyfriend. But just a week into their marriage, April showed up, tearful, confessing that Kyro had hit her.

Only then did I learn that Kyro's kind and attentive behavior during their relationship was just a façade; underneath, he was volatile. Any disagreement from April led to a beating. Every time, she would escape to my place in tears, and within three days, Kyro would come, apologizing and take her back.

I begged April to leave him, warning her that the abuse would only continue. But she clung to their three-year history, and Kyro's repeated apologies always softened her resolve.

Could it be that my advice sparked Kyro's resentment against me? Yet, looking at April's sorrowful face on the screen, I hesitated.

Should I really abandon my friend of ten years because of these uncanny messages?

As I deliberated, my phone rang. I quickly silenced it and stepped into the back room to answer.

"Winona, you must have been deep asleep; why didn’t you answer when I knocked?"

"I’ve been hit again, and I have nowhere to go. Please let me in; it’s so cold outside."

[Don’t open the door—she’s deceiving you!]

Better safe than sorry...

I decided to feign a trip out of town to test April's response.

"I'm not home right now; I'm in San Francisco for work."

"Why don't you find a hotel for the night? I can wire you some money if you need it."

April clearly wasn't buying it. "A trip? You always tell me when you're traveling and ask if I want something brought back. Why didn't you this time?"

"It was a last-minute thing; my boss called me at five this evening. I had no time."

"Is there anything you want me to bring back?"

"Never mind, it’s okay."

April hung up, obviously displeased.

I quickly checked the surveillance footage from the new camera outside my door; April wasn't aware of it. If those messages were true, I should see her husband and brother-in-law.

Sure enough, after hanging up, April moved toward the emergency stairs and called out:

"Come out, she’s not home."

Kyro and his brother Everett appeared, cursing.

"What are the odds? Just as we're set, she takes off?"

Kyro eyed April suspiciously and slapped her head: "Did you tip her off? Pretend to agree with my plan while secretly helping her?"

April's face showed a mix of dread and compliance: "No, I didn't tell her."

Everett spat angrily: "I swear I heard something inside when sis-in-law was on the phone."

Kyro contemplated briefly: "Maybe she's onto us and trying to trick us."

I watched as April's expression shifted, and she offered eagerly: "I can track her location!"

Continue to next part

At the absolute summit of her pop-star career, the stage collapsed beneath Catherine's feet, plunging her into a mechanical black hole. When she opened her eyes, she wasn't in a hospital, but a savage, primitive forest. Before a fire-breathing beast could tear her apart, a massive black snake crushed it with a single strike. The terrifying serpent then transformed into Amon, a towering, heavily scarred man with golden slitted eyes, who swore his life to protect her. He brought her to his tribe, but instead of safety, they were met with ravenous hunger and disgust. The tribe's males stared at Catherine's fragile human body like a rare breeding prize, while treating Amon like garbage. "He's a cursed, cold-blooded freak! His rut will tear you to pieces!" The Chief sneered, pointing a thick, accusing finger at Amon. "By tribal law, you must mate with our strongest tiger and bear shifters to give us powerful cubs!" Humiliated, Amon's broad shoulders slumped, his fists trembling in suffocating shame as he prepared to back away. Catherine's heart pounded with fierce, burning anger. When she was about to be eaten, Amon was the only one who bled for her. Where were these arrogant bullies then? Why should she let them treat her savior like a monster? As the tribe's strongest warriors swarmed forward to claim her, Catherine stepped directly in front of Amon's lethal claws. "I don't need any of you," she declared, her voice cutting through the chaos. "I will mate with Amon and take his beast mark today!"

Fantasy Horror Werewolf

9.0

Claimed by the Damned Alpha King

9.0

"What do you want, Aveline?" The Alpha King's silver eyes burn into mine as he drops to his knees, his hands gripping my thighs like he owns them. His voice is a command, not a request, and I'm trembling, unable to form words. "Say it properly, or I walk away and leave you like this." The night before our wedding, I discover that the man sworn to hate me is also the only one who can bring me to my knees. All Aveline ever wanted was a mate who would protect and cherish her, someone to take her away from a pack that rejected her the moment they discovered she was wolfless. Instead, she gets public humiliation when her fated mate rejects her, then gets sold as a bride to the cursed Alpha King-a man whose hatred runs deeper than she could ever imagine. Alpha King Thorne doesn't just despise weakness. He despises her. The moment he sees her face, he's reminded of the mate who betrayed him, the one who chose death over being his. Her only purpose? To bear his heir. Nothing more. Stripped of her title and thrown into a world of dark politics and ancient prophecies, Aveline must survive not just his cruelty, but the dangerous obsession growing between them. Because the man determined to break her is the same one who makes her body sing with a single touch. "You're mine, Aveline. Tomorrow you become my wife. My Luna. My breeder." What happens when duty becomes desire, hatred transforms into possession, and the girl meant to be broken becomes the only one capable of bringing the most powerful alpha to his knees?

Horror Romance Werewolf

8.8

His World Crumbling To Dust

8.8

My husband thought I was just a docile wife, easily controlled. He didn't know I'd spent five years meticulously dismantling his life. Tonight, his world would finally crumble into dust. For five years, I endured Jackson's entitled demands and his family's greed, silently funding their lavish life in our Beverly Hills mansion. My illusion shattered finding his mistress Amber's lingerie in his suitcase. My attorney just severed all financial ties, making Jackson's arrogant demands hollow. I tossed my diamond ring into the trash, summoning an industrial compactor. Jackson, his mother, and mistress watched in horror as their designer luggage, bought with my money, was crushed, turning their lavish trip into garbage. A cold, dead smile marked my cathartic release from five years of betrayal. How could they be so blind to the woman they dismissed? Stepping into an armored Maybach, I left them in chaos. My iPad confirmed Jackson's credit cards freezing. This wasn't just divorce; it was a calculated demolition, making their pampered lives very real.

Horror Modern Romance

9.6

Reborn To Reign: Choosing The Monster Over The Prince

9.6

The bullet tore through my chest, ending my life as the perfect mafia princess. My fiancé, Connor Walls, watched me bleed out on the cold tile floor while he calmly cleaned his gun. Standing beside him was my cousin Jana, the girl I trusted with my life, looking at him with adoration as I took my last breath. I died realizing that the "Golden Prince" of the Chicago Outfit was actually a monster who had beaten me behind closed doors for years. And the man I had been terrified of—his brother Brannon, the "Butcher"—was the only one who had ever truly protected me. I died full of regret, hatred, and the metallic taste of blood. But then, I gasped, my body jolting upright on a blue gym mat. My skin was smooth. My heart was beating. Connor stood above me, young and arrogant, offering me a hand. I was twenty-one again. The beatings, the betrayal, the murder—none of it had happened yet. Connor smiled, thinking I was still the naive girl he planned to break and discard. He thought I would walk into the Rite of Choice tonight and obediently become his property. He was wrong. That night, under the crystal chandeliers, the Don asked me to pledge myself to the heir. The entire room held its breath, waiting for the rehearsed "I do." I looked at Connor, then turned my gaze to the terrifying shadow in the corner. "The debt requires a union with the Walls bloodline," I said, my voice steel. "It does not specify the heir." I pointed at the monster everyone feared. "I choose Brannon Walls."

Fantasy Horror Mafia

8.3

Rise Of The Silver Wolf

8.3

Ashley Parker's world shatters when her Alpha, Adrian Rodrigue, publicly rejects her, branding her unworthy and choosing another as his Luna. Humiliated and cast out, Ashley becomes a target for the new Luna's jealousy-fueled assassins, barely escaping with her life. Broken but unbowed, she was taken in by a rogue Alpha who sees the fire in her soul-a strength even she didn't know she possessed. Under her guidance, Ashley rises, transforming into a fierce and feared Luna, her silver wolf a symbol of power and defiance.

Fantasy Horror Werewolf

7.6

She Returned: A Mafia Boss’s Nightmare

7.6

The man who swore he would burn the world down for me has been married to another woman for three years. I found out the day I was finally discharged from the Swiss clinic he'd sent me to. I flew home to surprise him, only to discover my release was a year overdue. He had forged my medical reports, painting me as a fragile, broken thing just to keep me locked away while he built a new life. His new wife, Isabella, hit me with her car. He defended her, calling me hysterical. She stole my art portfolio and claimed it as her own, and he forced me to take the blame to protect his family's reputation. She even killed her own puppy to frame me. While I jumped into a freezing river to retrieve my father's medallion that she'd thrown in, he stood on the terrace pointing out a meteor shower to her. The final betrayal came when Isabella faked her own kidnapping and named me as the culprit. I didn't understand. This was Dante Moretti, the Devil of the East Coast, my guardian, the man who had sworn to be my shield. Why was he letting this woman destroy me piece by piece? Believing I was the kidnapper, he had me tied to a helicopter, dragged across a field, and left me for dead. But I didn't die. I survived. Five years later, I have a new name, a new life, and a husband who loves me. And today, I just ran into Dante on the street. He looked at me like he'd seen a ghost.

Horror Mafia Romance

Betrayal by So-Called Friend

Chapter 1

You may also like