
Ravenous Souls
gabrielabatista.1996 · Ongoing · 30.3k Words
Introduction
On the night of the highly anticipated opening, her plans are destroyed when she becomes the sole witness to a sadistic crime. Spiked to the shelves of her bookstore, Coraline discovers a corpse with its face carved into a grotesque smile.
As new victims are found and an unexpected connection between Coraline and the killer is uncovered, it becomes clear that she’s not just a witness, but a key figure in the investigation. Her once quiet life transforms into a horror story, and Coraline is forced to assist the police in the hunt for the criminal. However, as she becomes more involved in the case, she begins to be stalked and watched by the man she is trying to capture, threatening not only the resolution of the case but also her very life. In this scenario, understanding how their lives are intertwined becomes crucial.
While trying to uncover the killer’s motivations, Coraline realizes that she is caught in a complex web of violence and attraction, slowly forming a dangerous connection with the one man she should never become involved with – her stalker. At a crossroads between duty and desire, she must unravel the mysteries surrounding her pursuer and stop the cycle of deaths, all while fighting not to succumb to the dark longing for what is most terrifying in him and, worse, within herself.
Chapter 1
POV Coraline
"You know how it works, darling. Make a move."
Darling.
Darling had nothing to do with us.
What we had was hunger.
Hot tears streamed down my cold skin, which curled and agonized under the weight of his gaze, that hungry, disturbed, and uncontrollable look. Although his voice sounded controlled, his eyes and soul leaked excess. I couldn’t see myself, but I knew my body was leaking the same disorder that possessed him, albeit for different reasons: he felt pleasure; I felt fear.
"I don’t want to play."
He smiled at me, but didn’t answer immediately.
His silence heightened my discomfort, forcing me to look away. The problem was, what surrounded us was almost as violating, as visceral, as the darkness in his black eyes.
"If you don’t make a move, I’ll understand it as you giving up your turn to me. Do you understand what’s going to happen if I win?"
I looked at the chessboard. I didn’t want to play, really didn’t want to, but my options were limited. Reluctantly, I examined each of my pieces and thought about what to do. He was great at chess, which meant that if I wasn’t careful, his next moves could destroy me.
Destroy us all.
I bit my lip harder than I should have. I moved the next piece, knowing that any mistake could be fatal.
"Very well."
I received another smile.
In silence, we conducted the game for what seemed like hours. Each of his moves increased my discomfort and fed my paranoia. I couldn’t stop analyzing his plays, trying to understand his possible strategies and traps. My pieces seemed to be well-protected, safe, and well-positioned. I became so focused that, for a while, I forgot where we were and what was happening around us – it was just the two of us at that table, each trying to beat the other, just like the old days. As the game progressed, I managed to capture most of his pieces and gained a numerical advantage.
He was a good player, but so was I.
"That’s the magic of chess," he said before his next move. "You can be an excellent player, but skill alone isn’t enough. You need to predict the other player’s behavior, foresee their actions, act before they can see what you’ll do next."
I furrowed my brow, inspecting each piece once again. He made his move, moving the queen, but I still didn’t understand what he was trying to do with that. Searching for flaws, I tried to anticipate his next move, but I couldn’t foresee any risks for me. The game was practically won.
"Your turn," he reminded me.
He left his bishop unprotected. Smiling, I took his piece, leaving him with only the king and the queen. I still had two rooks, four pawns, a knight, a bishop, my king, and my queen. Ten pieces against two.
I shook my head and looked at him.
"I think the odds are against you."
"You’re a good player, Coraline," he complimented. "My turn."
He moved his queen, putting my king in check. I moved my king to H2, gaining the possibility of checkmate on the black king, which was on H8. He attacked again with his queen, putting me in check once more. Annoyed, I searched for another piece to move, but with the way the board was destroyed, we’d just keep going in endless loops. For the third time, I moved my king to another position.
When I saw what was about to happen, I hesitated.
He put my piece in check again.
"I want to start over," I asked.
He refused, standing up.
"We already have a result."
"No."
I denied more vehemently, but he just stood there, ignoring the humanity in me. Around us, in the vaulted room lit by the dim yellow light, a corpse stained the floor with scarlet while four people watched in absolute horror. Each of them represented part of a result I refused to accept, a condemnation, a sentence.
He had played with me in the dirtiest way, and I, in my eagerness to win, hadn’t realized. His intention was never to win but to distract me enough to do something else – something much, much worse. This was the outcome of a game that began months earlier in that dark room full of books and amidst an unspeakable tragedy. There was no redemption for him, and now, there was no salvation for me. It wasn’t checkmate; it was worse. When I looked at him, I knew I had lost the twisted, piled remnants of my soul, because, even though the game had come to its final end, the game seemed far from over.
Last Chapters
#22 Chapter 21
Last Updated: 1/17/2026#21 Chapter 20
Last Updated: 1/17/2026#20 Chapter 19
Last Updated: 1/17/2026#19 Chapter 18
Last Updated: 1/17/2026#18 Chapter 17
Last Updated: 1/17/2026#17 Chapter 16
Last Updated: 1/17/2026#16 Chapter 15
Last Updated: 1/17/2026#15 Chapter 14
Last Updated: 1/17/2026#14 Chapter 13
Last Updated: 1/17/2026#13 Chapter 12
Last Updated: 1/17/2026
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Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.
When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.
For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.
Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.
But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.
And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.
Especially him.
She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.
Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.
From Substitute To Queen
Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.
Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.
In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?
From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
The Contract Wife: Marriage Of Malice
He didn't finish. He didn't need to.
I didn't tell him to stop.
Instead, my fingers curled into his shirt, clutching the fabric as though it was my only anchor. Something in him snapped—something he had been holding back for too long. His mouth found mine in a kiss that wasn't tender, but hungry, desperate.
I gasped into him, his hand sliding up to cup my jaw, holding me as if afraid I might vanish.
"You drive me insane," he breathed against my mouth, his lips trailing to my throat. "I can't lose you, Ella. Not you."
My head fell back, a soft sound escaping me as his fingers memorized my waist. My anger melted beneath his desperation.
"James..." I whispered, more plea than protest.
His hand caught mine, fingers threading together tightly. "I'll bring him back. I swear it. Just... don't turn away from me. Please."
The word please—low, ragged, almost broken—undid me more than anything else could have.
Ella never imagined she would marry the man she had secretly loved for years in such a way.
When her brother Theo faced twenty-five years in prison for massive embezzlement, the ruthless business tycoon James Lancaster offered her a deal: marry him in exchange for her brother's freedom.
This wasn't a fairy tale proposal, but a carefully orchestrated revenge. Because in James's heart, Ella was the culprit who had killed his sister Cecilia. He wanted her to pay the price—to atone with a lifetime of suffering.
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She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
Ruined : You will always be mine.
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“You need to learn to be obedient” he said as he kept thrusting into me. When I felt his hands on my clit my body shook.
“Asher please, it’s too much”.
“No. if I really wanted to punish you, I would give you all of me”, he said against my ears and my entire body froze. Suddenly he moved and I was standing again. This man was insane.
I felt him behind me. “Ten Lashes for your disobedience”, he said
“Asher please”,
“No”. His voice was cold and void of any emotion.
Asher was what I wanted , what I truly craved until it was too late. An orphan should never fall in love with someone out of their reach. I thought loving him was the right thing to do until he revealed his true identity and Ruined me. I was ruined for everyone one else . I could still feel his touch, it was as if it was etched into my skin. I tired to avoid him but fate wouldn't let it happen.
The Sterling's were the most powerful in Havenwood and Dorian Sterling was off limits.
As an orphan finding out you still have people looking for you is hard to take but when it turns out to be people of wealth and standing I took the other road and ran, but running led me right back to the place I was avoiding and the person I was avoiding.
Asher and Dorling Sterling one and the same. When his first love shows up and along with everyone that has set out to ruin me, I prayed that he could protect me.
A pack of their own
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Omega Bound
Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life.
Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
The Deadly Mafia Princess
Her gang take the matter in their own hands, to try to save their leader from the horror of her home. What none of them know, they wasn’t her real parents, and now Ro will be sent away to live with her real family. That makes her closest members in her gang pack up and move as well. They don’t want to be far away from their leader.
HER ALPHA, HER SAVIOUR
Kane Hellboud, charm and wealth personified, wanted only me in exchange for her treatment. No cameras, isolation, or noose-like rules were part of the deal. Behind his smile? Cold, violent possessiveness that destroyed our fake marriage.
Most of all, I didn’t know the supernatural walked among us, hiding in the cracks of ordinary life. Not until Abel Stone stepped into mine—dark-eyed, sharp-tongued, and oozing dangerous promises. He’s my new boss. He shouldn’t make my skin tingle or my pulse race. I shouldn’t feel this primal pull, this illogical recognition that tugs at something deep in my bones.
Around him, lights burst, electronics fry, and something ancient in me awakens.
Kane feels it. His grip tightens, punishments turn brutal, and he hides the truth of what I am.
Trapped between two powerful men, I’m no prey, no pawn—no helpless victim.
Prisons burn. Monsters bleed. As for me? I'm the storm in skin—deadly beyond suspicion.
A Queen Among Tides (Book 5 in the Gods' Saga)
Shocked to find he's been bound in more ways than one to Sebastian, the future King to the Kingdom of Atlesper, Lemuel resists Sebastian's advances at every turn, believing this may be one pairing Goddess Zarseti got wrong.
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A Queen Among Tides is the 5th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.
Books in the series order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Gen Coming Soon)
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That roar stole my eighteenth birthday and shattered my world. My first shift should have been glory—blood turned blessing into shame. By dawn they'd branded me "cursed": cast out by my pack, abandoned by family, stripped of my nature. My father didn't defend me—he sent me to a forsaken island where wolfless outcasts were forged into weapons, forced to kill each other until only one could leave.
On that island I learned the darkest edges of humanity and how to bury terror in bone. Countless times I wanted to surrender—dive into the waves and never surface—but the accusing faces that haunted my dreams pushed me back toward something colder than survival: revenge. I escaped, and for three years I hid among humans, collecting secrets, learning to move like a shadow, sharpening patience into precision—becoming a blade.
Then, under a full moon, I touched a bleeding stranger—and my wolf returned with a violence that made me whole. Who was he? Why could he wake what I'd thought dead?
One thing I know: now is the time.
I have waited three years for this. I will make everyone who destroyed me pay—and take back everything that was stolen from me.












