
Once Upon A Stalker’s Nightmare
adanneeeee · Ongoing · 30.9k Words
Introduction
The school welcomes gifted students, bloodline heirs, and the children of old magical families. It also hides a forest full of sealed power, missing students, and a history everyone has been trained to forget.
Layla is the outsider from the coast, the scholarship girl with the wrong surname, the wrong accent, and a magic she cannot control. The moment she steps onto Blackwater Hall grounds, she feels eyes on her. Notes appear where they should not. Doors open behind her when nobody is there. Someone knows where she sleeps before she does.
The worst part is that the boy who keeps appearing whenever danger comes near her looks like the one who is doing it. Callum Reid is the academy’s golden enforcer, the respected heir with sharp hands, colder manners, and a habit of being too close for comfort. Layla decides he is the stalker. Callum decides she is a threat to the school and to herself. Neither of them is completely wrong.
As Layla digs deeper, she learns that Blackwater Hall does not merely educate students. It ranks them, watches them, marks them, and uses them. Students with the right bloodlines are pushed toward the hidden forest seal beneath the school. Records vanish. Names are being erased. People disappear.
The woman running the academy smiles through all of it. The archivist who keeps the records knows exactly how the old power works.
And the first boy Layla ever trusted in the academy turns out to be the real predator, the one who has been stalking her from the shadows long before she understood she was being hunted.
Chapter 1
Layla’s pov
The ferry ride left me cold all the way through.
Not the kind of cold you fix with a jacket, either. The kind that gets into your bones and sits there, waiting for your body to catch up with what your mind already knows.
I stood by the rail with my suitcase wedged against my leg and the letter folded inside my pocket like a thing that had teeth. Blackwater Hall. The name had been written in my mother’s hand, and that alone had been enough to make my stomach tighten the first time I saw it.
The school sat hidden in the Tasmanian mist like it had been waiting for me to arrive or to disappear, I could not tell which. From the dock, the place already looked too old, too neat, too certain of itself. Stone walls. Iron gates.
Tall windows that stared back at you if you stared too long. It looked less like a school and more like a private world built by people who did not like answering questions.
I dragged my suitcase behind me when we reached the grounds, and the wheel caught on the paving stones twice before I got it under control.
“Need help?” a boy called from behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder. He had a bright red duffel bag, a school badge pinned to his jacket, and the kind of face that said he was used to people smiling at him.
I did not.
“I’m fine,” I replied, almost politely.
He lifted both hands in surrender. “Right. Sorry for trying to be decent.”
“Try less.”
He barked out a laugh and kept walking.
That was my first conversation at Blackwater Hall, and it set the tone better than any welcome speech could have.
The woman at the front gate knew my name before I said it, which bothered me immediately.
“Layla Byrne,” she said, checking a list on a clipboard.
“That’s me.”
“Transfer intake,” she added, though I had not asked.
“Yes.”
She looked at me for a second longer than necessary, then turned and led me through the front doors. The entrance hall was broad and polished, with dark wood, banners, old portraits, and too many family names in gold frames. I kept my face steady, but I noticed everything. The way students stood in little clusters like they already knew where they belonged. The way some of them looked at me and then looked away too quickly. The way the school itself felt like it was holding its breath.
At the registration desk, another woman handed me a folder without smiling.
“Media and reporting track,” she stated. “Your housing key, your schedule, and your access card will all be in here.”
I opened the folder. “That’s a lot for day one.”
“That’s the point.”
I looked up. “You people always talk like that?”
She gave me a flat look. “You’ll get used to it.”
I doubted that heavily.
The induction briefing was already underway when I got there, and the room was full enough that I had to take one of the side seats. The headmistress was at the front, dressed so neatly she looked stitched into her own authority, speaking about discipline, tradition, bloodlines, and the responsibilities of being chosen for Blackwater Hall. I sat there with a straight back and a face that did not give away what I was thinking, which was mostly that the place sounded more like a court than a school.
Then the headmistress mentioned house rankings, and my attention sharpened.
“Lower placements will be monitored carefully for adjustment,” she said.
I heard the word monitored and immediately disliked everything about her.
Tahlia Freeman slid into the chair beside me halfway through the speech, leaned close, and whispered, “You look like you want to argue with the room.”
“I might.”
“Good. It means you’re awake.”
She was younger than I expected someone at this school to be. Quick eyes, easy grin, messy confidence. She looked like she knew all the hidden exits.
“You’re Layla, right?”
“Yes.”
“Tahlia. If you need a guide, a translator, or someone to lie for you while you run, I’m your girl.”
I looked at her. “That sounds suspiciously useful.”
“That’s because I am.”
Before I could answer, the headmistress started talking about student houses and bloodline placements. I caught the words, but not all of them, because I had the strange and irritating sense that someone in the room was watching me rather than listening to the speech.
I looked up.
At the far side of the hall, a boy stood near the wall with one shoulder slightly turned, like he did not need to take up more space than necessary. Dark hair. Clean uniform. Hands tucked into his pockets. Still enough to look dangerous without trying. He was watching the room like he had already counted the exits.
Then his eyes met mine.
Only for a second.
But it was enough to make my pulse do something stupid.
I looked away first, which annoyed me before I even understood why.
Tahlia saw the glance and grinned. “That’s Callum Reid.”
“Is that supposed to mean something?”
She lowered her voice a little. “It means you’ve already noticed the wrong person.”
“Why is he staring at me?”
“Because that’s what he does.”
“That’s not comforting.”
“It wasn’t meant to be. Trust me.”
The briefing ended before I could ask her more, and by the time people stood and started collecting their things, I had already decided I did not like Callum Reid on principle. Not because of anything he had done. Mostly because of the way he had stood there like the school was built around him and the way he had looked at me once, as if he had already decided I was a problem.
I followed the registration instructions, picked up my media access card, and headed for housing.
The accommodation block was quieter than the rest of the school. Smaller hallways. Dimmer lights. Clean doors. The woman at the desk handed me a key and a printed room sheet.
“Elite student room,” she spoke with a high pitched tone. An irritating one.
I blinked at the card. “Just one?”
She looked like she might be tired of questions already. “That is what the sheet says.”
I took the key and left before she could change her mind.
The room was up one narrow stairwell, at the end of a corridor that smelled faintly of polish and rain. When I opened the door, I stopped.
It was decent.
Too decent.
White walls. A bed already made. A desk by the window. A wardrobe. Fresh sheets. A quiet kind of space that looked as if someone had already arranged it for a person they expected to arrive. That made me uneasy, but I was too tired to question it properly.
I dragged my suitcase in, set it by the bed, and started unpacking because the fastest way to make a strange room feel less strange was to fill it with your own things. My clothes went into the wardrobe. My books lined up on the desk. My toiletries in the bathroom shelf. My charger near the bed. I was halfway through my bag when the zipper jammed and I had to tug it hard enough to irritate myself.
“Brilliant,” I muttered.
The room stayed silent.
I checked the window. Closed. I checked the lock. Fine. Then I showered, because the ferry, the rain, and the school had all started to feel like one long layer of grime I needed to scrub off. By the time I came out, I was exhausted enough to stop thinking for a little while.
I changed into comfortable clothes, sat on the edge of the bed, and stared at the letter from my pocket.
I did not open it again.
Not yet.
If I did, I knew I would think about my mother, and I was already doing enough of that without asking for it.
So I put the letter in the drawer, pushed the drawer shut, and told myself I had one night to survive.
That was all.
One night.
Then the quiet shifted.
Not loudly. Just enough for me to feel it. Like a presence moving somewhere beyond the room.
I froze, turning slowly toward the door.
Nothing.
Just hallway silence on the other-side.
But the feeling stayed anyway, curling at the back of my neck while I stood there with one hand still on the drawer and the other against the bed frame.
Blackwater Hall had already started making itself known.
And I had barely unpacked.
Last Chapters
#22 Chapter 22 22
Last Updated: 6/4/2026#21 Chapter 21 21
Last Updated: 6/4/2026#20 Chapter 20 20
Last Updated: 6/4/2026#19 Chapter 19 19
Last Updated: 6/4/2026#18 Chapter 18 18
Last Updated: 6/4/2026#17 Chapter 17 17
Last Updated: 6/4/2026#16 Chapter 16 16
Last Updated: 6/4/2026#15 Chapter 15 15
Last Updated: 6/4/2026#14 Chapter 14 14
Last Updated: 6/4/2026#13 Chapter 13 13
Last Updated: 6/4/2026
You Might Like 😍
The Hunted Human Mate
Accidentally His: The Billionaire’s Wife in High Society
Five years later, Freya Myers returns to the city with a pair of exceptionally gifted twins, desperately trying to conceal their existence from the world. But when she interviews for an internship, she unexpectedly encounters Declan Castle—the very same man from years ago—as her interviewer. From then on, Declan Castle becomes a persistent, demonic force haunting her!
Five years ago, a single, desperate mistake changed Freya Myers's life forever. Intending to secure a future with the man of her dreams, she ended up in the wrong room, stealing the 'seed' of the wrong man. That man was Declan Castle—the cold, ruthless, and enigmatic CEO of the world-renowned Castle Group.
Now, Freya has returned to the city as a struggling single mother, hiding a pair of genius twins from the world. When she lands an internship at the Castle Group, she hopes to remain invisible. But fate has other plans. Declan Castle, a man who has remained mysteriously untouched by any woman since that fateful night, instantly senses something familiar about the new designer. He has spent years searching for the woman who 'ruined' him, and now that he has found her, he has no intention of letting her go.
Forced into a high-stakes marriage of convenience with the domineering CEO, Freya must navigate the treacherous waters of high society while desperately guarding her children's true identity. Between a scheming stepmother, jealous socialites, and a series of deadly secrets, the walls are closing in.
What started as a game of cat-and-mouse and a quest for revenge soon ignites into a passion that neither can control. In a world where power is everything and betrayal is a way of life, can Freya protect her heart and her children, or will the relentless Mr. Castle claim everything she’s been trying to hide?
Billionaire love and pleasure
COLD (Ruthless Player)
“Please… Nick, wait.” He pulled out, thrusted back in. “How much? Twenty thousand? Fifty? Hundred?” With every question, he thrust harder and harder. My neurons are frying with the confusing feeling in my brain. Torn between pleasure, fear, and panic. I couldn't utter a single sentence to save my life.
His cold eyes pinned me in place while he plundered my body with deep thrusts, which only added to my confusion. My dumb body mistook the mixed signals, my pussy becoming even wetter than before.
“I hope she'd paid you well, because I'm going to fuck you all night long, hard,” he growled. “Sleep, then do it all over again. I want to feel you come for me, Andrea, want to feel you squeeze my cock, milking me.
Begging for me to give you the high only I can, I'm going to fucked you until I fuck all my wife's money's worth, I want you to remember how hard I took you while you're meeting her.” I sobbed, moaned, and tried to scramble out under him.
“No, please…Nick, let….let me explain.” Nick abruptly pulled out. His eyes were cold but hooded.
Andrea was sent to take down billionaire magnate Nicklaus Montgomery.
Her mission was simple: get close, seduce him, find the proof, and disappear. Instead Andrea finds herself exposed—cornered into signing a contract that binds her to Nicklaus's side as his lover. Now she’s living in his world of wealth, danger, and secrets… and the deeper she falls into his bed, the harder it becomes to remember what side she's on.
How Not To Fall For A Dragon
Which is why it was more than a little confusing when a letter arrived with my name already printed on a schedule, a dorm waiting, and classes picked out as if someone knew me better than I knew myself. Everyone knows the Academy, it’s where witches sharpen their spells, shifters master their forms, and every kind of magical creature learns to control their gifts.
Everyone except me.
I don’t even know what I am. No shifting, no magic tricks, nothing. Just a girl surrounded by people who can fly, conjure fire, or heal with a touch. So I sit through classes pretending I belong, and I listen hard for any clue that might tell me what’s hidden in my blood.
The only person more curious than me is Blake Nyvas, tall, golden-eyed, and very much a Dragon. People whisper that he’s dangerous, warn me to keep my distance. But Blake seems determined to solve the mystery of me, and somehow I trust him more than anyone else.
Maybe it’s reckless. Maybe it’s dangerous.
But when everyone else looks at me like I don’t belong, Blake looks at me like I’m a riddle worth solving.
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!
A pack of their own
Death By Breathing
Females are claimed. Controlled. Bred.
Alex swore she would die before becoming any man’s possession.
Fiercely independent and determined to escape the fate forced on women like her, Alex has spent years surviving under the radar. But everything changes when the powerful Vandicoff brothers—three ruthless Alpha rulers—discover she is their true mate.
The moment they claim her, war ignites.
Alex refuses to submit to their bond, their authority, or the dangerous pull between them. She fights every command, every touch, every instinct threatening to drag her under. But the more she resists, the more obsessed the brothers become.
What begins as a battle for control soon sends shockwaves through the entire Alpha world, threatening the Vandicoff empire itself.
Can Alex survive three possessive Alphas without losing herself in the process?
Or will the one thing she craves most—love—become the very thing that destroys her?
What the Heart Wants (Book 1 of the Alpha Faros Series)
Not loving him will cost more.
Derek has one goal: survive high school without drawing too much attention or pissing off his pack’s alpha.
As the youngest son of the alpha, his life is governed by lycan hierarchy, tradition, and politics. With no signs of awakening a lycan spirit, his only value is what he can do for the pack’s image. He knows he’s only ever one misstep away from exile… or worse.
Then, he finds a boy trapped in a locker on orientation day, and everything changes.
Derek shouldn’t want Nikolias. He’s off-limits. A risk Derek can’t afford.
So why does it feel like he’s the only thing worth fighting for?
Nikolias has just lost everything: his parents, his home, and any sense of peace. Sent back to the town his family left years ago to live with his prejudiced and controlling uncle, who wants nothing to do with anything—or anyone—not human, he’s trying to do everything in his power to get out quickly.
But then he meets Derek again, and all of his plans vanish in the soft, yearning flecks of gold in Derek’s green-hazel eyes. He’s drawn to Derek in a way that’s impossible to deny, and he thinks Derek feels the same way, despite the danger their relationship holds for him.
As Moonshadow's politics turn deadly, Derek and Nikolai are caught in the crossfire of a war that had started long before they were born, and their bond becomes a threat and a lifeline that neither can afford to sever.
Because the heart wants what it wants….
And it never asks permission.
TW: Graphic Violence, Suicide Ideation, Suicide Attempt, Child Abuse, Cult-Like Behavior
BROKEN TRUST
Neither of them knew she was carrying his child.
Emily’s affair didn’t just end her marriage—it erased the life she thought was guaranteed. Ryan left without looking back, carrying his anger like armor and leaving Emily alone with regret she would never outrun. Three years later, fate drags them back into each other’s world, along with a little girl who has Ryan’s eyes and a truth that shatters everything he thought he knew.
Old wounds reopen, grief masquerades as rage, and love refuses to stay buried. As parenthood binds them together and the past demands accountability, Emily and Ryan must face the question neither of them is ready to answer: is broken trust the end of their story… or the beginning of a love forged through loss, forgiveness, and brutal honesty?











