Elena and her younger brother Tobias vanish without a trace, only to find themselves trapped in the decaying, nightmarish realm of an ancient witch. The Hollow Mother-an entity of whispers and shadows-hungers for more than just their fear; she wants their souls. As the siblings fight to escape, they uncover the witch's dark history, the twisted magic that binds her, and the terrifying truth-leaving her domain doesn't mean she lets go. Even as they flee back to the real world, Tobias bears a mark, a scar that pulses with something unnatural. The whispers don't stop. The shadows still move. And the witch is never truly gone. A chilling horror story filled with creeping dread, eerie suspense, and the lingering terror of something watching from the dark. Even if you escape... she will always find a way back.
The trees loomed like twisted skeletons in the fading light, their gnarled fingers reaching for the sky. The Hollow Wood had always been a place of whispers-a cursed stretch of forest where the ground never quite felt solid, where the wind always seemed to carry the sound of unseen voices.
Elena Whitmore shivered as she stepped past the last of the village lanterns, their warm glow unable to pierce the darkness ahead. She had promised herself she would never set foot in the Hollow Wood. But promises meant little when her younger brother, Tobias, had vanished inside it three nights ago.
The villagers had warned her.
"He's gone, Elena. If the Hollow Wood takes you, it doesn't give you back."
But she couldn't accept that. Tobias was only ten-too small, too scared. He wouldn't have run away on his own. Something had lured him in.
Clutching a lantern in her trembling hands, Elena stepped forward. The cold air wrapped around her throat like unseen fingers. Every step felt heavier, as if the ground was swallowing her whole.
Then, she heard it.
A whisper. Soft. Almost gentle.
"Elena..."
She spun around, but the path behind her was empty. The lantern's flickering light barely held back the suffocating dark.
"Tobias?" Her voice cracked.
The whisper came again. Closer.
"Elena, come see..."
Her breath hitched. That wasn't Tobias. The voice was too smooth, too knowing. It slithered through the trees like smoke, curling around her ears.
Her pulse pounded as she moved forward, lantern shaking in her grip. Then, she saw them-strange symbols carved into the trees, oozing a thick black sap. They pulsed as if alive, as if breathing.
And then, from the shadows, a figure stepped forward.
Tall. Cloaked. A face hidden beneath the folds of a deep hood.
A whispering voice curled into her mind, bypassing her ears entirely.
"You shouldn't have come here, child."
The lantern's light flickered violently. The darkness pressed in, swallowing the trees, the path, everything.
And then, the world went black.
Plot Summary Evelyn, a woman guarded by past heartbreak, has built a quiet life in a rain-soaked city. She believes love is fleeting-until Adrian reenters her world. Adrian, haunted by loss and afraid of feeling too much, struggles with his own fears of attachment. Their connection begins slowly-shared walks, late-night talks, and fleeting touches that speak louder than words. But just as Evelyn starts to open her heart, her past returns in the form of Daniel, the ex who once shattered her trust. Meanwhile, Adrian wrestles with his fear of losing someone he loves again. When Evelyn and Adrian confront their fears-her fear of abandonment and his fear of vulnerability-they must decide: will they run from love, or finally choose to stay? Amid the endless rain, their whispered confessions and quiet moments lead them to one truth-love isn't about certainty. It's about choosing each other, every day, despite the fear.
A story of chance encounters, whispered confessions, and the way love finds us when we least expect it-"Whispers in the Rain" is a romance that lingers long after the last page
Trigger warning!!! Intended for mature readers who enjoy morally complex, slow-burn, poseesive, forbidden, dark romance that pushes boundaries. ***EXCERPT*** Blood everywhere. Trembling hands. "No!" My eyes blurred. His lifeless eyes stared back at me, his blood pooling at my feet. The man I loved-dead. Killed by the one person I could never escape - my stepbrother. *** Kasmine's life was never hers to begin with. Kester, her stepbrother, controlled and monitored her every move. At first, it was all sweet and brotherly until it began to turn into an obsession. Kester was the Alpha, and his word was law. No close friends. No boyfriends. No freedom. The only consolation Kasmine had was her twenty-first birthday, which was supposed to change everything. She dreamt of finding her mate, escaping the sickening control of Kester, and finally claiming her own life. But fate had other plans for her. On the night of her birthday, not only was she disappointed that she wasn't mated to the love of her life, but she found out that her mate was none other than him - Her tormentor. Her stepbrother. She'd rather die than be mated to a man whom she had known as her big brother all her life. A man who would do just anything to make sure she was his. But when love turns to obsession, and obsession turns to blood, how far can one girl run before she realizes there is nowhere else to run to?
"You're pathetic!" Brenden sneered, each word cutting deep into Corinna's heart. Years of emotional wounds had drained every ounce of love she once held. "I've wasted enough time on you. If there's a next life, I hope we never meet again." Her words severed the bond between them like a blade. From that moment on, Brenden was haunted by her absence—unable to sleep, longing for the warmth he took for granted.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Alyssa never expected her life to get this bad. A sudden rogue attack wiped off her pack, turning her into a mute and wolfless orphan. She once believed that being mated with her crush Ezekiel was compensation for her miserable life. However, it just made her life worse. What could be more suffering than your fated mate unwanting you and even your child? Ezekiel already picked himself a perfect Luna but fate gave her a mute mate. And owing to his father's last words, he had to marry Alyssa to get his rightful Alpha position. He married her yet kept their relationship unpublized. He hated her but wasn't ready to let her go. Everyone believed Alyssa would bear and wait like she always did until Ezekiel finally could make a decision. He's her husband, her mate, and her Alpha, and taking in everything he wanted without complaining was her duty. No one expected she would be the one who asked for a divorce and even dared to run away carrying his heir. Ezekiel swore to make this little omega pay but why did his heart break when she returned smiling at some other guy?
"Lucien, let's get a divorce," I said in a peremptory tone that was long overdue, the most decisive farewell to this absurd marriage. We had been married for exactly three years-three years that, for me, were filled with nothing but endless loneliness and torment. For three years, the husband who should have stood by my side through every storm, Lucien Sullivan, had completely disappeared from my life as if he had never existed. He vanished without a trace, leaving me alone to endure this empty, desolate marriage. Today, I finally received his message: "I'm back. Come pick me up at the airport." When I read his words, my heart leapt with joy, and I raced to the airport, thinking that he finally understood my love and was coming back to me. But his cruelty was far worse than I could have ever imagined-he was accompanied by a pregnant woman, and that woman was Carla, my closest and most trusted friend. In that moment, all of my previous excitement, all my hope, and all of our shared laughter and tears turned into the sharpest of daggers, stabbing into my heart and leaving me gasping for air. Now, all I want is to escape from this place that has left me so broken-to lick my wounds in solitude. Even if these wounds will remain with me for the rest of my life, I refuse to have anything to do with him ever again. He should know that it was his own hand that trampled our love underfoot, that his coldness and betrayal created this irreparable situation. But when he heard those words, he desperately clung to this broken, crumbling marriage, unwilling to let it end-almost as though doing so could rewind time and return everything to how it used to be. "Aurora, come back. I regret everything!" Regret? Those simple words stirred no emotion in me-only endless sadness and fury. My heart let out a frantic, desperate scream: It's too late for any of this!