Festival Tanabata

Barry Ocason, extreme sportsman and outdoor travel writer, receives a magazine in his mailbox and opens to an ad for an adventure in the Bavarian Alps. Initially dismissing the invitation, which seems to have been meant specifically for him, he soon finds himself involved in a larger plot and seeking answers to why an individual known only as the elephant man is terrorizing his family. Barry and his daughter Kristen, who survived a twin sister taken from the family at a young age, travel from Juneau, Alaska to the sinister Spider Festival in Rio Tago, Brazil, before he ultimately answers the call to Bavaria, where the puzzle begins to come together. Amid tribulation, death, madness, and institutionalization, a document emerges describing a scientist’s bloody bid to breed a theoretical “third twin,” which is believed to have the potential, through its connection with its siblings, to bridge the gulf between life and afterlife. The godlike creature that soon emerges turns out to be Barry’s own offspring, and she has dark plans for the world of her conception that neither her father nor any other mortal can stop. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

My fiance is the best Neuro Healer among the werewolves. His first love is his little stepsister, who once took a fatal silver arrow for him. Now, her old condition has flared up, and she has a fatal silver venom disease. She only has 21 days left to live. In order to stay with her in her final days, he pours his newly developed "Memory Lock Potion" into me to eliminate all my memories of him by force. He says, "It's just 21 days. Once she's gone, I'll feed you the antidote myself, and you'll remember me again." In those 21 days, he holds a grand bonding ceremony for his stepsister, dances with her during the Moon Goddess Festival, and makes an oath swearing that they will become mates again in their next life. Finally, he sends her off. After 21 days, the potion wears off, and he kneels in the rain with tears and blood all over his face. He asks hoarsely in an accusing tone, "The potion only lasts for 21 days… why have you forgotten me completely?" I just look up impassively at him. "Sorry, but who are you?"

Alpha Fabian's first reaction to learning I was his fated mate? Rejection. But drunk at the bonfire festival, he couldn't fight the pull of fate. He marked me. Marking a rejected mate came with a price. His power weakened. Forced into a bond with me, he despised me. For two years, I bled for him. I did 100 impossible things, just hoping for a single glance. I snuck into forbidden lands for rare herbs. I negotiated with enemy packs. I fought on the front lines for him in pack wars, always coming back covered in scars. But the one he truly loved was my adopted sister, Gloria. Even my own parents, the pack's Beta, hated me. I was their lost daughter, raised by rogues for fifteen years. But they only had eyes for their perfect, obedient adopted girl. Then, on my 100th task, I nearly died in the Valley of Shadows. When I woke up, I had amnesia. I was done chasing a cold mate and a family's love I'd never have. And when I finally walked away, Fabian discovered the truth. It was never me who couldn't live without him. It was always him.

Elara lived a life of quiet suffering, an omega within a pack that scorned her as "broken" and treated her as a servant. Her adoptive parents exploited her, and her fated mate, Alpha Valerius, publicly rejected her for the manipulative, silver-tongued Beta, Lyra. But the truth was a venomous lie. On the day of her pack's moon festival, humiliated and cast out, Elara's dormant bloodline awakened. ​Suddenly, four powerful Alpha brothers descended, claiming her as their long-lost sister the true heir to the formidable Obsidian Pack, a lineage thought extinct. The eldest, a stoic and terrifying Alpha, vows vengeance. The second, a brilliant healer, meticulously unwraps the years of neglect and abuse. The third, a master of shadows, begins dismantling Lyra and Valerius carefully constructed deceit. And the fourth, a spirited warrior, teaches Elara to embrace her true, unique wolf, a power far beyond anything her tormentors could comprehend. ​From the ashes of rejection, Elara rises, shedding her past as the weakest omega to become the cherished, formidable Luna-in-waiting. When Alpha Valerius comes crawling back, begging for a second chance, he'll find not the timid girl he cast aside, but a queen guarded by four Alphas, ready to unleash a reckoning that will shake the very foundations of the shifter world.

At the sacred Moonfire Festival, Sera Vane suffers a betrayal that shatters her life and drives her from her pack in shame. In a moment of heartbreak and desperation, she disguises herself and takes part in a secret ritual meant for the Alpha and it changes her fate forever. No one speaks of what happens during the Moonfire Ritual. But five years later, the consequences have returned with sera as she returns to Crimson Hollow with a young son James whose striking resemblance to Alpha Aldric Thorne sparks whispers throughout the pack. Her unexpected reappearance threatens to disrupt the carefully guarded hierarchy, especially for those who once cast her out, and for the Alpha himself, who remains unaware of the truth behind that fateful night. Bound by duty Aldric agrees to Sera’s bold demand: a union that secures her son’s place… but keeps their hearts locked away. As political tensions rise and enemies close in, Sera must navigate a dangerous game of power, betrayal, and buried emotions. In a world where bloodlines determine destiny and love is both a weapon and a weakness, Sera must rise from the ashes of her past to protect her child, uncover the truth, and claim the strength she never knew she had.

My Alpha husband, Ryder, has always hated the sound of a crying pup. But recently, he started caring for my adopted sister's newborn pup, staying by its side in the nursery every night until dawn. Every time Ryder left our bedroom for the nursery, an inexplicable stabbing pain would pierce through my chest. This agony would last all night until dawn when he returned. I had finally reached my breaking point. At the Full Moon Festival, I announced in front of the entire pack that I was rejecting our mate bond. The pack's mind-link erupted with whispers that the battle had damaged my mind. A golden light ignited in Ryder's eyes as he stared at me in disbelief. "Because I was too busy to check on you when you were injured, you're rejecting our bond over a six month old pup?" I didn't meet his eyes. Instead, my gaze lingered on the faint lipstick mark smudged inside his collar. My voice trembled, yet it did not waver. "Since you love her pup so much, once our bond is severed, you can openly be the father."

I, Ginny Tremaine, have a written agreement in my mate contract with Tyler Kingsley, the chairman of the Werewolf Council. As long as I proposed to him 99 times first, he promised to personally show up at the Office of Werewolf Mate Affairs on the 100th time and complete our marking ceremony. However, Tyler doesn't show up on the promised day and instead appears on the main stage of the Silvernight Music Festival with his lover, Vivian Lowe. In the livestream watched by the entire pack, he leans down and kisses her so intimately that it's practically a declaration of ownership. The social media networks instantly erupt with excitement. "#ChairmanOfTheWerewolfCouncilOfficiallyRevealsMate." "Chairman of the Werewolf Council caught kissing his lover and showing PDA." At the same time, I become a trending search for standing in front of the Mate Affairs office for the 100th time. Everyone speculates about the identity of the mystery man who never showed up and wonders if I will try for a 101st proposal. Tyler, likely feeling guilty, promises me the next day, "Next time, I promise I'll be there on time." He arrives in a crisp suit with papers in hand, standing outside the Mate Affairs office. But all he receives is a short message from me, saying, "Alpha Tyler, there won't be a 101st proposal. We're truly over."

Even Gail Romero, the drummer of the band, Sublime Outlander met Prime Valencia at a very unexpected moment. She met her when she was tossing down yellow tulips on the cliff where Giyo Velasco's car, her boyfriend who passed away years ago, fell and crashed. She wasn't aware that on that same day, Prime will be applying as the new frontman of the band. When the latter got accepted, that's when she knew she'll be dealing with the guy who humiliated her for the next years of her life. Prime admired Gail since high school and was smitten even more when he knew of how thin Gail's thread of temper is. He finds it adorable, most especially when she rolls her eyes. He confessed his feelings to her during the Rakrakan Festival, an annual event for bands, in front of the crowd. He started courting Gail then and fortunately, they found comfort in each other's arms. They've got the best of their relationship not until lots of secrets were revealed. Everything seemed to be in chaos; her grades, the band, the friendship, their relationship, and the family Gail has were ruined. Gail thought that everyone was lying to her and think she should've faced her problems alone. She has lost trust in everyone. How will she be able to fix everything alone?

On the night of the Benedetto family's Harvest Festival, my Mafia husband, Salvatore, told me to bring our son, Giuseppe, to the family gathering. He said his madre had finally accepted us into the Benedetto bloodline. I was trembling with excitement in our little cottage as I dressed Giuseppe in his finest little suit. He had carved a single wooden rose by hand, a project he'd saved for over five years. He said he would present it to his grandmother at the celebration, a plea for her to accept our place in the family. But the moment we stepped into the stone manor, I saw Carmela. Salvatore had her pinned against an oak barrel in a deep, searing kiss. In the moonlight, her hand was undoing his tie. In front of everyone, Salvatore smiled and gently pushed her away. He walked toward the family members gathered in a semicircle and raised a crystal glass. "Tonight, in addition to celebrating the harvest, I have an important announcement." "I would like to introduce you all to the woman I have married in the eyes of God and the Church." "Miss Carmela Torrino." Before I could even process his words, Giuseppe tore his hand from mine and rushed forward. "Papa, what are you saying?" "Isn't my mother your wife?"

How can six souls be fated to one another? Is it a curse… or something divine? Tara and Taylor Park were born different. Twin sisters without wolves, raised by the Alpha of Regal Star Pack after tragedy tore their family apart. When their eighteenth birthday passes with no shift, no bond, and no sign from the Moon Goddess, the truth becomes impossible to ignore. They were never meant to belong. Then comes the invitation to the Crent Festival, a sacred island where packs from around the world gather to compete, celebrate, and sometimes find their mates. Tara senses danger, and Taylor clings to hope. But what they find instead is destiny at its most terrifying. Alpha Amarok of the ancient Frost Pack and his brother Geri, warriors from the icy north where old magic still breathes, awaken a bond the twins cannot deny. The pull is instant. Consuming. The situation is flawed in every aspect. When the twins try to run, fate tightens its grip. Two more strangers appear, carrying the same impossible scent. The same undeniable connection. Six souls. One bond. The prophecy is as ancient as the moon itself. As packs collide and secrets rise from forgotten bloodlines, the twins must face the truth of what they are and what their bond was created to unleash. Love will test them. War will hunt them. And the magic binding them was never meant to return.