Family Reading Night

When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in the town of Smiths Hollow, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won't find the killer. After all, the year before her father's body was found with his heart missing, and since then everyone has moved on. Even her best friend, Miranda, has become more interested in boys than in spending time at the old ghost tree, the way they used to when they were kids. So when Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging the remains of the girls through the woods, she knows she can't just do nothing. Not like the rest of her town. But as she draws closer to answers, she realizes that the foundation of her seemingly normal town might be rotten at the center. And that if nobody else stands for the missing, she will.

On the night of my awakening, which was also my 18th birthday, my parents locked me in a silver cage in the basement while my foster sister Emma prepared for her ceremony upstairs. Then, the Blood Moon Eclipse struck, forcing every member of the pack to evacuate. Emma urged our parents to help. My heart warmed, and I thought they would come to save me. However, the only thing my father carried out was Emma’s stuffed wolf doll. They clutched Emma and fled for their lives, leaving me behind in the collapsing basement. When I crawled out of the ruins, they were already in the safehouse, celebrating Emma’s successful awakening as a White Wolf. Ten years later, I became the heir to Blackstone Consortium, controlling half of the werewolf world’s economy. When we met again, the former leader of the Silvermoon Pack knelt before me. “I've finally found you, my daughter.” My gaze was cold as I faced the stranger in front of me. “You’ve got the wrong person.”

It is a one night mistake, a mistake that she will never regret. Nagbunga ang isang gabing pagkakamali na nagawa ni Mikaya kasama ang estrangherong nakilala niya sa bar. Nang matuklasan niyang siya'y buntis ay agad siyang nakipaghiwalay sa kanyang kasintahan at piniling umuwi ng probinsya dahil na rin sa kagustuhan ng kanyang mga magulang. Naging masaya ang buhay niya kasama ng kanyang anak. Ngunit sadyang mapaglaro ang tadhana, dahil walang sikretong hindi nabubunyag. Nalaman ng kanyang dating kasintahan na mayroon siyang anak at handa nitong panagutan ang bata sa pag-aakalang siya ang ama nito. Handa na ba siyang sabihin ang katotohanan? O hayayaan niyang kilalanin ng kanyang anak ang taong hanggang ngayon ay mahal pa rin niya. But love cannot make two person stays with secrets and lies. Would a woman like her ready to reveal the whole truth?

My name is Elena, and I died at twenty-two. My parents forced me to take my foster sister’s place and traded me for a territorial alliance. My mate was the most volatile heir of the wolf packs. Beaten bloody and fading fast, I made my eighth call for help. At my adopted sister Seraphina’s birthday party, she played the recording of my final, groveling plea—and laughed. My parents listened to those desperate calls with nothing but irritation, dismissing each one as theatrics, an inconvenience unworthy of their time. My brother snarled over the phone, “Then just die already!” So I did. In the end, it was my three-year-old daughter who made the final call—using her smartwatch to video my mother, live-streaming the freezer where my severed head lay. Now, my spirit watches from above as they all, one by one, begin to unravel.

Zachary Smithson was my uncle in name. When I was seventeen, I confessed to him, but he rejected me fiercely. He tore up my love letter and told me to give up on such thoughts. When I was twenty-two, I graduated and attempted to move out. To my surprise, I found a dress I had lost. He had hidden it under his pillow.

When the heat wave hit, I was working at the National Weather Service and was the first to spot the climate irregularities. I warned my family to get ready ahead of time. My parents trusted me without question. They even proposed starting a "family survival fund." They told me to use the savings I'd built up since graduating to stock up on supplies, promising that they and my little sister would chip in every dollar they had too. If we were going to make it, we had to stick together as a family. I smiled. "Sure. I'll take care of the plans." That same night, I converted every penny into gold and locked it in a safe. I also went all out into building an apocalypse-proof bunker. When doomsday finally came, they showed up demanding the money we'd pooled together. "Hand over all the gold," they said coldly. "A deadweight like you is just wasting resources by staying alive." Smiling, I tossed them the safe with the gold inside, then sealed the bunker, locking them out completely. Laughing triumphantly, they opened the safe… and stared in shock at what they saw inside.

The remnants of the pack gathering had barely faded when my whole world changed. My best friend, Hallie Richmond, vanished, snatched away by rogues. Only for her to reappear the next day, found bruised and bitten near the pack borders. My heart ached for her, so I went to her with her favourite apple pie. But the solace I intended to offer shattered into a million pieces the moment I heard the words of my boyfriend, Camilo White, our pack's beta. "...Hallie's family will destroy her if they learn of this. I have no choice but to mark her first.” "What about me, Camilo? I'm your girlfriend!" The words tumbled out. "You can be my secondary mate, Violet. It's just a small favor. Surely, if you truly loved me, you wouldn't hesitate to help?" Camilo's words ripped my heart out, breaking up with me and replacing me with Hallie for the marking ceremony we had both anticipated with such joy. From that moment forward, I became a shadow. The pack whispered words of how I was deflowered before my true mate could claim me. My family now regarded me with disappointment. My father's anger was a physical force, driving me to my knees beneath the icy waterfall. Then, the following day, a figure emerged from the mist. Alex Skye, the Alpha's son, pulled me from the water. He leaned close, his sky-blue eyes holding mine, and whispered the words that offered home: "I'm your true mate, Violet. Break up with that vile, idiotic boyfriend of yours. I believe you will be the perfect future Luna."

In the darkness of the night, a 26-year-old fashion designer counters the murder of an innocent woman in the city of love. She is confronted with the most horrific scenario by the biggest mafia in France, which gets her in trouble. Daniel Richman, 28, is MI6 agent assigned to find the head of French mafia gang leader Tiago Pablo. However, he is backstabbed by someone he must investigate, he meets a mysterious woman named Rania. She doubts him yet at the same time is attracted to the English man and cannot stop thinking about him. Daniel is drawn to the lady and he finds himself drawn to her within these short hours, and before he knows it, he's in love with her. What will happen when the night is over? Will they stay together or will they part ways like strangers do?

Most women fall for rich businessmen, dashing doctors, or genius lawyers… pero ako? I fell hard for my bodyguard. *** Akala ni Caroline, one-night stand lang 'yon. A reckless escape from an arranged marriage to the cold and powerful Alexander. Mas gusto pa niyang ibigay ang sarili sa isang estranghero kaysa itali ang buhay sa lalaking 'yon. Pero paano kung ang stranger na 'yon… ay si Miguel—ang tahimik pero mapanuksong bodyguard ng pamilya niya? She thought it ended that night. But fate had other plans. As sparks turned into something deeper, Caroline finds herself falling for the one man she's not supposed to love. Sa mundo kung saan ang pangalan, yaman, at status ang sukatan ng halaga, paano kung ang puso niya’y pumili ng isang taong hindi niya ka-level? Will she defy her family's expectations and fight for a love that’s as dangerous as it is forbidden? Or will she walk away from the man who made her feel alive—just to keep everyone else happy?

***Book 1 of the Estranged Souls Series: One Night Marriage!*** Naira loved Zain for as long as she could remember. Being his fated mate was all she had asked for from the Moon Goddess. When this wish went unanswered, and the man she loved found his fated mate, she fell in a void of despair. Unexpectedly, the she-wolf ran away, leaving Zain alone on the wedding altar. Feeling fate was finally on her side, Naira accepted when the man proposed. After a night of consummating their marriage, the she-wolf returned and flew into her husband's arms. "Ira, Jules didn't abandon me. She was kidnapped. I'll give you a check to make up for what happened. So please, sign the divorce paper." Just like that, her dream of their beautiful future shattered into a million pieces. For years, Naira loved in silence. For years, she prayed for him to be hers. But when he finally became her husband, she didn't expect her heart to ache ten times deeper than when he saw her as nothing more than a friend. Swallowing her tears, Naira signed the divorce papers and took a major decision. She was done loving Zain Adeel. She was done with the Moonlit Pack. Packing her bags, she left her pack in the middle of the night. Just as Naira Karim arrived in a new country and decided to put her past behind her, she got a shocking news. She was...pregnant! So much for leaving the past behind... ------------------------------------------------------------- Follow me on my socials! Early releases on Patreon, sneak peeks on Instagram, fun activities, contests, and chats on discord. Patreon: patreon.com/Raising_Moon Discord: https://discord.gg/6kEsGuaqfg @ raising_moon#3913 Instagram: @ raising__moon Follow any of my socials to connect with me!