Who Could Learn to Love a Beast? (ONC2025) - atlasofwonderland - Wattpad

Who Could Learn to Love a Beast? (ONC2025)

atlas_of_wonderland

Reads 322
Votes 99
Parts 31
Time 2h 8m

Reads 322
Votes 99
Parts 31
Time 2h 8m

atlas_of_wonderland

beautyandthebeast enemiestolovers fairytaleretelling mentalhealth modernfairytale onc2025 opennovellacontest opennovellacontest2025 romance romcom secondchance

**For the Open Novella Contest 2025!**

"A tale as old as time..."

When she receives a cryptic but urgent text message from her father, Isla Lamborne returns to her childhood home in Long Island to find her family in crisis: the family business is failing, her mother is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's, and her father's normally lighthearted approach to life is threatening to crack under the strain.

Several years ago, Ned Dunfee was rendered paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident that he barely survived. Given up on the prospect of ever having a normal life again, all while hiding his past under a lie, the last thing he expects is the bookish, smart-mouthed girl that comes crashing into it, quite literally.

After a literal run-in at the family bookstore, at first Isla and Ned can't stand the sight of each other. She thinks he's grumpy and rude; he thinks she's clumsy and irritating. But one rainy afternoon, when she finds Ned caught in a sudden downpour, the sparks undeniably start flying. And they both realize that a second chance at life-together-is within their grasps. Finally.

(Using ONC prompts 120, 134, and 135, with 120 being the main plot arc.)All Rights Reserved

beautyandthebeast enemiestolovers fairytaleretelling mentalhealth modernfairytale onc2025 opennovellacontest opennovellacontest2025 romance romcom secondchance

31 parts

Sign up to add Who Could Learn to Love a Beast? (ONC2025) to your library and receive updates

or

#22modernfairytale

Content Guidelines

You may also like

Never Green | ONC 2023 by elmaloney

ONC Shortlister 2023! There are few rules in the Kingdom of Kadotaru, and punishment is not kind, even for the young prince who wishes he was anybody else. Tied to the crown, to his family, to his kingdom, there isn't much he can do. He isn't born to bear the crown, to rule over all the creatures of Kadotaru, but it still haunts him. He never thought to break a rule, there was too much fear deep in his heart. He never thought to break any rules, until she was able to see him. Humans. Humans don't have true sight. They aren't seers, or creatures of Kadotaru. So why can she see him? Why does she reach out to help him? And why did he have to break Kadotaru's most sacred rule? ------------------------------------------------------- This novella will include extreme violence. There will be warnings at the beginning of the chapters that include this show of brutality, but do not reach this novella if you do not wish to read horrific scenes. For the Open Novella Contest 2023 | Cover designed by me | Prompt 62 Word Count - 38,637 RANKINGS: #44 in High Fantasy - 27/04/2023 #90 in Fae - 10/02/2023 #79 in Dark Fantasy - 10/02/2023 #09 in opennovellacontest2023 - 10/02/2023 © elmaloney 2023 | all rights reserved

Forgotten Embers | ONC2025 by Lukinglass

A kingdom doomed to burn. A beast fated to rise. A love that should have changed everything. The curse that will never forget. Once every quarter year, on the same fateful night, the kingdom is reduced to ash. The people cower, the king grieves, and when the sun rises, the world is restored; perfect, untouched, and utterly unaware of the devastation that came before. No one remembers the ruin. No one questions the cycle. This time, though, something is changing. Fragments of forgotten lives claw at the edges of her mind. The king hesitates when he should be certain. Old wounds ache with memories that shouldn't exist. And for the first time in centuries, she has a choice: let the curse claim them once more, or break the cycle; no matter the cost. But to do that, they must remember. And if they do, she might lose him all over again. Because the past isn't done with them. And this time, when the flames rise, there may be no reset... only reckoning. Written for the open novella contest 2025. Prompt 129 : The ink of our souls binds us beyond the pages of time.

His Light ✓ by AzaleaOlive

*COMPLETED* Annalise(Ann) had a simple life. A loving family, and a roof over her head. But when that is taken away, when the king and his men destroy her village and take her life away. She is thrown into a life of servitude to the king. But What happens when the king develops a deep desire for her? Will she fall in love with the merciless King? 𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒕: I hear the king get up from his seat and start walking over to me. I see his shoes come into my line of vision. My senses are clouded by his strong scent of cedarwood. I refuse to look up at him. He gives off an aura that is dark and intimidating. My eyes begin to swell with tears at the thought that I will end up like the man before me. "Look at me," he commands in a deep voice. I refuse. He commands again this time more cynical, "Look. at. me!" His voice booms off the walls, echoing in the room. I flinch at the tone but still refuse. Then suddenly, he roughly raised my chin. My eyes meet his cold blue ones. His eyes seem to soften for a moment then quickly return to their cold state. He muttered something under his breath that I didn't catch. He lets go of my chin and walks around, scanning me with his eyes. "What am I to do with you?" He mutters to himself. After a few moments, he is back in front of me. He smirks, "I will make you my personal chambermaid." CONTINUE THE STORY INSIDE... 𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔: 🥇- 1st place - Mystical May Contest 🥇Winner in Historical Fiction - YT 2021 Book Awards 𝑯𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔: #1- 14th century(4/6/20) #4- 14th century(4/27/20) #6 - 14th century(5/18/20) #7 - 14th century(7/1/20) #13 - king(7/24/20) #1 - 14th century (8/25/20) #89 - Medieval (1/19/21) #1 - Medieval (1/28/21) #19 - Youngadult(5/20/21) © Copyright 2020

Skye and the City (A Romantic Comedy) by Pollyf79

Skye Templeton is sick of living in a small village in the Scottish Highlands where everyone knows every single little thing about her. She's tired of her dead-end "situationship". She desperately needs to escape . . . So when a chance encounter opens her eyes to the possibility of a different life, she decides it's time to shake things up a bit. Moving to Glasgow on a whim probably isn't her smartest idea, but Skye is determined to make the most of her new life. Unfortunately, life doesn't always work out the way you planned . . . Especially if you didn't really have a plan in the first place! ~~~~~~~~ I initially started this story with the intention of entering it into the Open Novella Contest this year - I've since found out that it wouldn't qualify but I'm still using one of the prompts all the same! The prompt I'm using is: Prompt 45- "Keep your happily ever after; it ain't mine." And, much like Skye, I really don't have a plan for it yet, so let's just see what unfolds! ;-)

A Distant Shore [ONC 2025] by JansOtherStories

When international superstar, Laila, decides to ignore all warnings and fly to her next gig in a storm, she finds herself lost on a mysterious tropical island with no hope of rescue. With only her uncompromising pilot for company, both women must learn the secrets of the island in order to escape back to the modern world. Preferably without killing each other. As the mystery deepens, however, the two find common ground and learn that certain others may be trying to stop their escape. But why? A gag romance mystery for ONC, using Prompt 47: "A famous singer and their pilot crash land on a tropical island. With no-one else around, survival isn't their only challenge."

Where there's a Will, there's a Tiara | Complete (ONC 2021 Longlister) by authorelizasolares

When her parents die in an accident, 27-year-old party girl, Adelaide Becker, sets her sights on inheriting the family fortune. But when the will is read, she is not surprised to find her parents are capable of ruining her happiness even from beyond the grave. If she hopes to inherit the family estate, she has to follow one not so inviting rule: move to the English countryside and live with a long forgotten grandmother. For a year. Begrudgingly, she packs her things and leaves the sandy shores of Greece for the small, ramshackle house her mother grew up in. Between the drafty room, the terrible food, and the young carpenter who seems more intent on sweeping her off her feet than fixing the roof, Adelaide is convinced her parents set the whole thing up just to punish her for indiscretions. She's determined to beat them at their own game and survive the year, but when her grandmother hands her a ring and a letter and declares her engaged, Adelaide might finally snap. *** ONC 2021 entry for prompt # 74. CW: Death of parent.

Hate Mates by iyahartwrites

[ONC 2023 SHORTLISTER] Prompt 63: A rivalry between two coworkers has unforeseen consequences. *** Down on her luck with a string of 12 unfateful heartbreaks following her, twenty-six-year-old Cate Miller, having accepted herself as a 21st Century spinster is satisfied being one of the best editors in a successful publishing startup, Pages Unbound. Her only problem in life? Her coworker Ryle Davis, owner of a gorgeous body and her rival for the managerial position that she has worked her ass off for three years. When an unfortunate incident during one of their fights leads to their boss being hospitalized, Cate and Ryle are placed in a difficult position - either prove in one month that they can move past their hatred and be friends or say bye to the promotion. In order to save her dreams from crushing, Cate accepts Ryle's offer for a new start between them. But soon she finds out that getting to know her rival closely might make her ultimate fear come true - one of her 13th heartbreak. [Previously titled 'Love Rivals']

The Vampire and The Ghost | ✔︎ by SammyE9

[BOOK ONE OF THE VAMPIRE AND THE GHOST SERIES] She's dead, he's undead. An unusual duo make their way through the modern world, and its modern challenges. Annalise Redwood had spent too much time alone, floating in a centuries old house. The very same house she was murdered in 5 years before. She'd watched people leave, come in, investigate and even squat in this house. Yet none of them stayed long. And more importantly none of them saw her. It was hell, and she swore she was cursed. But this all changes, on the 5th anniversary of her death when a seemingly normal young man walks in. And he sees her. Eugene Cubert was old. Too old. He was done with life, had lived, breathed (well not really) and seen too much for one soul to bare. Quite frankly all he wanted to do was find a nice house to live in and spend the rest of the century comfortably locked away from all of the supernatural and natural. He's visiting his 5th house that day, when he hears it. A woman, screaming to be seen. And then he sees her. And nothings quite the same after that. ---------------------------------------------------- #No.2 in paranormal 3/7/2021 #No.1 in ghost 9/7/2021 #No.8 in murder 2/8/2021 Updates weekly! (unless otherwise said)

The Lease Up by LJRae0328

Rescued from a blind date from hell, a career woman's one night stand with her would be savior has unforeseen consequences. **** Up and coming New York apartment manager, Vanessa Torres' life is going perfectly according to her five year plan. Well, everything except in the love department, but that will come later. On cloud nine from her recent promotion, she agrees to go on a blind date arranged by her friend. Little does she know her squeaky clean life is about to turn upside down, following a one night stand with a handsome stranger, who saves her from the disastrous set-up. Reputable, lease up closer, Gabriel Tate, loves to live life by the game of chance, with no long term plans in mind. Blessed with Adonis-like looks and a charming personality he's used to getting what he wants when he wants until one flip of a coin changes his life forever. Their lives become entangled in a heated competition to fulfill rental contracts for their respective employers, not to mention running in the same social circles within the apartment industry. They soon realize change and compromise are necessary not only within their careers but also life and neither expected to find love during the chaotic and dysfunctional rivalry. Open Novella Contest 2023 Prompts: #5 Flip a coin and make a life choice with it. Two choices, one coin, and no turning back. Do you dare? #25 "If he smiled at you, he'll break your heart. If she winked at you, she'll rip you apart. #39 On a blind date with a complete mismatch, you're increasingly uncomfortable , but too polite to leave. Then an attractive stranger comes over and gives you an out. © 2023 LJRae

The Taste of Iron by Easterhead

Humanity is struggling to survive in a world that's no longer theirs. Liv, a scavenger who leads missions into the city looking for food, medicine, and iron, is struggling to keep her team alive-and to follow the increasingly desperate orders from the elders. They haven't left the safety of the Scraper in years. The danger of the forest isn't ingrained in their bones like it is in hers. But telling them that is meaningless. And when a mission leads them into a trap and Liv wakes up on the wrong side of the tree line-alone, disoriented, and for some reason not dead-she learns the forest doesn't just kill people or take their souls. It changes them. Fighting the creatures of the forest is pointless. But at least it's fun. Murderbot meets The Cruel Prince My entry for onc2025, based on prompt 125: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. - Frank Herbert

You may also like

Slide 1 of 10

Never Green | ONC 2023 cover

Forgotten Embers | ONC2025 cover

His Light ✓ cover

Skye and the City (A Romantic Comedy) cover

A Distant Shore [ONC 2025] cover

Where there's a Will, there's a Tiara | Complete (ONC 2021 Longlister) cover

Hate Mates cover

The Vampire and The Ghost | ✔︎ cover

The Lease Up cover

The Taste of Iron cover

Never Green | ONC 2023

ONC Shortlister 2023! There are few rules in the Kingdom of Kadotaru, and punishment is not kind, even for the young prince who wishes he was anybody else. Tied to the crown, to his family, to his kingdom, there isn't much he can do. He isn't born to bear the crown, to rule over all the creatures of Kadotaru, but it still haunts him. He never thought to break a rule, there was too much fear deep in his heart. He never thought to break any rules, until she was able to see him. Humans. Humans don't have true sight. They aren't seers, or creatures of Kadotaru. So why can she see him? Why does she reach out to help him? And why did he have to break Kadotaru's most sacred rule? ------------------------------------------------------- This novella will include extreme violence. There will be warnings at the beginning of the chapters that include this show of brutality, but do not reach this novella if you do not wish to read horrific scenes. For the Open Novella Contest 2023 | Cover designed by me | Prompt 62 Word Count - 38,637 RANKINGS: #44 in High Fantasy - 27/04/2023 #90 in Fae - 10/02/2023 #79 in Dark Fantasy - 10/02/2023 #09 in opennovellacontest2023 - 10/02/2023 © elmaloney 2023 | all rights reserved