Introduction
Share the book to
About Author

Naila Rais
Chapter 1
Holly Winters has always hated Christmas. While all around her became a glittering wonderland of lights and laughter, she submerged herself in deadlines, empty bank accounts, and memories she preferred to forget. Her small apartment in the center of the city had no traces of decorations; there was a single snow globe that she was too weak-hearted to get rid of.
It was on this very evening that Holly came home after another tiring day at The Daily Chronicle, where she worked as a junior journalist. The editor-in-chief had reprimanded her for missing a typo in her latest article—a piece she had written overnight on an empty stomach. Tiredness weighed upon her, but something caught her eye as she approached her door: a red envelope sitting on her doormat.
Her brows knitted in confusion. She wasn't expecting mail, much less one that looked so ornate. The envelope was sealed with gold wax stamped with a snowflake emblem.
She picked it up carefully, turning it over in her hands. There was no return address, only her name in elegant cursive: Ms. Holly Winters.
Curiosity got the better of her. She stepped inside, tossed her bag onto the couch, and tore open the envelope. Inside was an invitation on thick, ivory cardstock:
You are cordially invited to the Annual Christmas Gala at Victor Noel's Mansion.
Date: December 22nd | Time: 8 PM
Dress Code: Festive Formal
A car will arrive to pick you up at 6 PM.
At the bottom of the invitation, a handwritten note read:
Uncover the secret before Christmas Eve, or all will be lost.
Holly's heart was racing as she read the note again and again. What secret? Why her? She had never met Victor Noel, though she had heard the name whispered in hushed tones around the city. The reclusive billionaire was famous for his lavish Christmas celebrations and infamous for his mysterious disappearances from the public eye.
Holly had been a journalist for years, running after stories that went nowhere. But this was different. This was not an opportunity; this was a challenge.
Then, the doubts began to creep in. Was this some kind of prank? And why would Victor Noel, the man who hosted the city's elite, invite her—a nobody who couldn't even pay her rent?
It ate at her like a puzzle that refused to make sense. She put the invitation on her coffee table and started pacing around her apartment, trying to figure out what was happening. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe it was for someone else.
Her phone buzzed her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the screen: a text from her best friend, Mia.
Mia: "U coming to karaoke tonight? We need ur terrible singing skills ????????"
Holly typed back quickly: Can't tonight. Something weird just happened. Call u later.
She sank onto her couch and picked up the envelope again. The golden snowflake emblem glimmered under her dim lamp. Her gut told her to go. If nothing else, it could make for an interesting story.
The next two days blur together. Holly did not get much sleep, so caught up was she in the mystery of the invitation. The night of December 22nd found her in her closet, rummaging through clothes that could pass as "festive formal.
She finally settled on a red velvet dress she had thrifted years ago but never worn. It was simple yet elegant, paired with a pair of black heels she hoped wouldn't give her blisters. As she finished her makeup, a knock echoed from her front door.
When she opened it, a sleek black car waited at the curb. A uniformed driver stood beside it, tipping his hat.
"Ms. Winters?" he asked.
Holly nodded, wrapping her coat tightly around her.
"Your ride awaits."
The drive to Victor Noel's mansion was uneventful yet nerve-wracking. Holly stared out the window, watching the city lights fade as they ventured into the countryside. Snow began to fall, blanketing the world in a soft white glow.
When the car drove up to the estate, Holly's breath caught. The mansion was a masterpiece - a sprawling structure adorned with twinkling lights, wreaths, and an enormous Christmas tree in the front courtyard. Pine and cinnamon scented the air.
She moved quietly out of the car and entered a line of impeccably dressed guests. There were people awaiting them from every direction as the staff ushered them into the mansion.
The grand foyer was even more impressive. Holly barely had time to admire the towering Christmas tree or the shimmering chandeliers before a sharp voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Welcome, Ms. Winters."
She turned to see a tall man in a tailored suit. His sharp features and icy blue eyes were unmistakable—it was Victor Noel himself.
"I'm glad you could join us," he said, his voice smooth but laced with something she couldn't quite place.
"Thank you for the invitation," Holly replied, trying to sound confident.
Victor studied her for a moment before leaning in slightly. "I hope you're ready for a night to remember."
Before she could respond, he moved on to greet the next guest, leaving her with more questions than answers.
The evening wore on dreamily. Holly moved among her guests, a fascinating lot by anyone's count: Clara Frost, antiques dealer with tales to tell for days; Nick Hart, brainiac and entrepreneur with the technological wherewithal, although rather incongruous among people of this order; and finally Mr. Yule, very elderly historian to speak in enigmas for his pains.
Just as Holly was beginning to feel she might actually enjoy the evening, the lights suddenly dimmed. A hush fell over the crowd as Victor stepped onto a small stage at the center of the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, his voice commanding attention. "Tonight is not just a celebration of the season. It is a test. Somewhere in this mansion lies a secret—a secret that could change everything."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"To uncover it, you must work together. But beware—time is not on your side. Midnight on Christmas Eve is the deadline. Fail, and you may lose more than you realize."
Before anyone could react, the lights went out completely.
In the darkness, Holly's heart pounded. Then a scream came from somewhere in the room, then the crash of shattering glass. When the lights flickered back on, Victor was nowhere to be found.
Latest Chapters
#26 Bonus Chapter 3: The Heirloom’s Secret
Last Updated: 04/17/2025 15:18#25 Bonus Chapter 2: The Silent Heirloom
Last Updated: 04/17/2025 15:18#24 Bonus Chapter 1: The Forgotten Letter
Last Updated: 04/17/2025 15:18#23 Chapter 22: The Upshot of Love
Last Updated: 04/17/2025 15:18#22 Chapter 21: The Last Stand
Last Updated: 04/17/2025 15:18#21 Chapter 20: The Confrontation
Last Updated: 04/17/2025 15:18#20 Chapter 19: The Silent Threat
Last Updated: 04/17/2025 15:18#19 Chapter 18: The Game Begins
Last Updated: 04/17/2025 15:18#18 Chapter 17: The Hidden Enemy
Last Updated: 04/17/2025 15:18#17 Chapter 16: The Guardian of the Legacy
Last Updated: 04/17/2025 15:18
Comments
You Might Like 😍
The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride
Yet Alexander made his decision clear to the world: “Evelyn is the only woman I will ever marry.”
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
The Prison Project
Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?
Fresh out of high school and suffocating in her dead-end hometown, Margot longs for her escape. Her reckless best friend, Cara, thinks she's found the perfect way out for them both - The Prisoner Project - a controversial program offering a life-changing sum of money in exchange for time spent with maximum-security inmates.
Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.
Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...
At the centre of it all, meets Coban Santorelli - a man colder than ice, darker than midnight, and as deadly as the fire that fuels his inner rage. He knows that the project may very well be his only ticket to freedom - his only ticket to revenge on the one who managed to lock him up and so he must prove that he can learn to love…
Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?
Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?
What starts off as denial may very well grow in to obsession which could then fester in to becoming true love…
A temperamental romance novel.
Crowned by Fate
“She’d just be a Breeder, you would be the Luna. Once she’s pregnant, I wouldn’t touch her again.” my mate Leon’s jaw tightened.
I laughed, a bitter, broken sound.
“You’re unbelievable. I’d rather accept your rejection than live like that.”
As a girl without a wolf, I left my mate and my pack behind.
Among humans, I survived by becoming a master of the temporary: drifting job to job… until I became the best bartender in a dusty Texas town.
That’s where Alpha Adrian found me.
No one could resist the charming Adrian, and I joined his mysterious pack hidden deep in the desert.
The Alpha King Tournament, held once every four years, had begun. Over fifty packs from across North America were competing.
The werewolf world was on the verge of a revolution. That’s when I saw Leon again...
Torn between two Alphas, I had no idea that what awaited us wasn’t just a competition—but a series of brutal, unforgiving trials.
Author Note:New book out now! The River Knows Her Name
Mystery, secrets, suspense—your next page-turner is here.
Mated by Contract to the Alpha
William—my devastatingly handsome, wealthy werewolf fiancé destined to become Delta—was supposed to be mine forever. After five years together, I was ready to walk down the aisle and claim my happily ever after.
Instead, I found him with her. And their son.
Betrayed, jobless, and drowning in my father's medical bills, I hit rock bottom harder than I ever imagined possible. Just when I thought I'd lost everything, salvation came in the form of the most dangerous man I'd ever encountered.
Damien Sterling—future Alpha of the Silver Moon Shadow Pack and ruthless CEO of Sterling Group—slid a contract across his desk with predatory grace.
“Sign this, little doe, and I'll give you everything your heart desires. Wealth. Power. Revenge. But understand this—the moment you put pen to paper, you become mine. Body, soul, and everything in between.”
I should have run. Instead, I signed my name and sealed my fate.
Now I belong to the Alpha. And he's about to show me just how wild love can be.
The Biker's Fate
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Dani," he pressed. "Do you get me?"
"No, Austin, I don't," I admitted as I pulled my robe closed again and sat up. "You confuse me."
He dragged his hands down his face. "Tell me what's on your mind."
I sighed. "You're everything my parents warned me against. You're secretive, but you're also honest. I feel wholly protected by you, but then you scare me more than anyone I've ever known. You're a bad boy, but when I dated a so-called good one, he turned out to be the devil, so, yeah, I don't get you because you're not what I expected. You drive me crazier than anyone I've ever met, but then you make me feel complete. I'm feeling things I don't quite know how to process and that makes me want to run. I don't want to give up something that might be really, really good, but I also don't want to be stupid and fall for a boy just because he's super pretty and makes me come."
Danielle Harris is the daughter of an overprotective police chief and has led a sheltered life. As a kindergarten teacher, she's as far removed from the world of Harleys and bikers as you could get, but when she's rescued by the sexy and dangerous Austin Carver, her life is changed forever.
Although Austin 'Booker' Carver is enamored by the innocent Dani, he tries to keep the police chief's daughter at arm's length. But when a threat is made from an unexpected source, he finds himself falling hard and fast for the only woman who can tame his wild heart.
Will Booker be able to find the source of the threat before it's too late?
Will Dani finally give her heart to a man who's everything she's been warned about?
My Marked Luna
"Yes,"
He exhales, raises his hand, and brings it down to slap my naked as again... harder than before. I gasp at the impact. It hurts, but it is so hot, and sexy.
"Will you do it again?"
"No,"
"No, what?"
"No, Sir,"
"Best girl," he brings his lips to kiss my behind while he caresses it softly.
"Now, I'm going to fck you," He sits me on his lap in a straddling position. We lock gazes. His long fingers find their way to my entrance and insert them.
"You're soaking for me, baby," he is pleased. He moves his fingers in and out, making me moan in pleasure.
"Hmm," But suddenly, they are gone. I cry as he leaves my body aching for him. He switches our position within a second, so I'm under him. My breath is shallow, and my senses are incoherent as I anticipate his hardness in me. The feeling is fantastic.
"Please," I beg. I want him. I need it so badly.
"So, how would you like to come, baby?" he whispers.
Oh, goddess!
Apphia's life is harsh, from being mistreated by her pack members to her mate rejecting her brutally. She is on her own. Battered on a harsh night, she meets her second chance mate, the powerful, dangerous Lycan Alpha, and boy, is she in for the ride of her life. However, everything gets complicated as she discovers she is no ordinary wolf. Tormented by the threat to her life, Apphia has no choice but to face her fears. Will Apphia be able to defeat the iniquity after her life and finally be happy with her mate? Follow for more.
Warning: Mature Content
The mafia princess return
Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate
What? No—wait… oh Moon Goddess, no.
Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
But she's not. I can feel her excitement bubbling under my skin, while all I feel is dread.
We turn the corner, and the scent hits me like a punch to the chest—cinnamon and something impossibly warm. My eyes scan the room until they land on him. Tall. Commanding. Beautiful.
And then, just as quickly… he sees me.
His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
Fangs, Fate & Other Bad Decisions
After finding out her boyfriend cheated, the last thing she expected was to stumble across a wounded man in an alley. And definitely not one with fangs. But thanks to a mix of cocktails, shame, and her questionable life choices, she takes him home. Turns out, he’s not just any vampire—he’s a king. And according to him, she’s his fated mate.
Now, she’s stuck with an overprotective, brooding bloodsucker who keeps rescuing her, a growing list of enemies who want her dead, and an undeniable attraction that’s making it very hard to remember why falling for a vampire is a terrible idea.
Because if she’s not careful, she won’t just lose her heart—she’ll lose her humanity.
The CEO's Contractual Wife
Off Limits, Brother's Best Friend
“You are going to take every inch of me.” He whispered as he thrusted up.
“Fuck, you feel so fucking good. Is this what you wanted, my dick inside you?” He asked, knowing I have benticing him since the beginning.
“Y..yes,” I breathed.
Brianna Fletcher had been running from dangerous men all her life but when she got an opportunity to stay with his elder brother after graduation, there she met the most dangerous of them all. Her brother's best friend, a mafia Don. He radiated danger but she couldn't stay away.
He knows his best friend's little sister is off limits and yet, he couldn't stop thinking of her.
Will they be able to break all rules and find closure in each other's arms?
About Author

Naila Rais
Download AnyStories App to discover more Fantasy Stories.













