The River Is Waiting

There's a saying that circulates among anglers: "If a dead fish still takes the bait… reel in and leave." The day I went fishing with my dad, we ran into exactly that. What unsettled me was not the fish. It was the look on my dad's face: an excitement that felt completely wrong. Then a message flashed across my livestream, and a chill ran down my spine. [Get out. Now. Your dad is about to trade your life for the one who died in this river a year ago.]

--- River Witch Some bloodlines are bound to water. Some debts are never paid in full. When Evelyn Blake returns to the remote riverside village of Elowen after fifteen years away, she expects grief and silence—but not the whispers that rise from the mist-covered water. As bodies resurface and ghostly lights drift through the fog, Evelyn uncovers a buried legacy: a pact made generations ago between her family and a nameless spirit that haunts the river. With the curse's final reckoning approaching, Evelyn must confront the sins of her bloodline, unravel the truth behind her ancestor’s forbidden ritual, and decide whether to escape the fate written for her—or embrace it. In a village where no one speaks of the drowned, the river never forgets. And it always collects what it’s owed.

There was a river that ran through our village. According to the legend, a river god dwelled in its depths, and every month on the 15th, the village had to send a young woman to enter the water and serve him. At first, everything seemed normal. After their service to the river god, the women would return to shore, go home, and eventually marry and start families. But this year, the peace was shattered. Every woman who spent the night with the river god turned up dead, their naked bodies floating to the surface. I secretly watched as they retrieved the corpses twice. The evidence of the violation was horrific. This month, I was selected. I had been chosen to marry the river god.

For centuries, the powerful House Shadowmoon and the Lycan Crown of Valtheris maintained peace through sacred alliances. From childhood, you and Silas Ashthorne—the future Lycan King—were destined to marry, but the arrangement never mattered because you were already best friends. When your wolf awakens and reveals a fated mate, you choose destiny over duty and leave Silas behind. Three months later, everything falls apart. After discovering that your fated mate, Darian Vale, has been secretly reconnecting with the woman he never truly forgot, your heart is shattered. With nowhere else to turn, you make one call home. Instead of judgment, you find acceptance. And instead of resentment, Silas offers only four simple words: *"I'll come get you."* Returning to Ashthorne Keep awakens old memories and forgotten feelings. Surrounded by the warmth of the Ashthorne family, you slowly begin to heal while Silas quietly rebuilds the friendship neither of you ever truly lost. Yet as political unrest spreads across the kingdom and ancient enemies gather beyond Valtheris's borders, your return becomes more than a personal matter—it may determine the future of the realm itself. Meanwhile, Darian refuses to let go, convinced that a mate bond gives him a claim over your future. But as the kingdom edges toward war and secrets from the past begin to surface, you're forced to confront a question far more complicated than fate: If destiny led you away from home... why does every road seem to lead back to the king who waited? And when the truth behind an ancient prophecy emerges, you may have to choose between the bond fate gave you—or the man your heart has already chosen.

Ashlyn hasn't spoken a word since the age of eight, and her heart's never felt more protected. But, when the confident and ever so charming Derek stumbles into her quiet little world, her emotions-and forbidden desires-have never been so loud. For twenty years, silence is all Ashlyn Holland has known. Haunted by the memories of her father, and the harrowing song of the ocean that stole him from her, Ashlyn maintains a safe distance from the rest of the world. Treading carefully the sea of fear and anguish that surrounds her, Ashlyn is determined to do all she can to protect her heart from such a tragic loss striking again. In silence, she grieves. In silence, she is safe. In silence, she finds the strength to breathe. But the silence can only last so long... Derek Moreno is charming and devoted, and quick to see through every wall Ashlyn erects. With his arrival in town, defences fold and walls begin to crumble, the songs of her heart reaching new heights. Together, they crest twin tides of fate, the silence she'd once sought engulfed by his gentle touch, and the whispers of a love thought impossible. For the summer, Ashlyn welcomes the noise. The disruption. But, the ghosts of Derek's past will no longer remain silent, and their deafening power has the potential to drag them both into a current strong enough to drown them amidst their heartache.

A civil war is on the verge of erupting in the western part of Africa, Nigeria. Two boys are lost in the shadow of the war and must make their way out of the dark shadows. No matter what it takes.