How Did Hashirama Died

Mara Wolfe has clawed her way from humble beginnings to the top of the city’s legal world, building a prestigious law firm brick by brick-while hiding her true nature as a chubby, fiercely intelligent werewolf. Her world shatters when she uncovers her husband’s betrayal: he’s plotting to siphon her hard-earned fortune with the help of his cunning, much younger assistant. Refusing to become a victim, Mara unleashes her sharpest instincts-both human and lupine-to turn the tables. Just as she sets her trap, an enigmatic new associate, Lucas, offers his help. His price? Just one date. But Lucas is more than he seems, and his unexpected loyalty forces Mara to confront what she truly wants from life and love. As secrets unravel and loyalties shift, Mara must decide whether vengeance or vulnerability will define her future. In the end, when a woman becomes the queen of her fate, she always has the chance to rewrite her love story.

She was his mate. But what’s the point of fate… if the Alpha doesn’t choose you? Bella stayed. She waited. She loved him quietly, hoping one day Ethan would finally see her. He didn’t. Not when she needed him. Not when she was breaking. Not even when she was carrying his child. And when he finally realized what she meant to him… It was too late. Because by then, Bella was already gone and he had lost everything he never knew he had.

“I desire you in the most maddening way,” Kael growled, his lips just a breath from mine. “Then show me,” I whispered, heart racing, already undone. *** In a world ruled by instincts, some bonds go deeper than blood. Eira Vale is a quiet healer with secrets buried deeper than the forest she’s summoned to. When duty forces her into the territory of the Blackridge Pack, she doesn’t expect to survive long—especially not under the cold, watchful gaze of Alpha Kael Thorne. Feared. Respected. Untouchable. Kael is everything Eira was taught to avoid—dominant, dangerous, and far too tempting. But something ancient stirs between them, something primal neither of them understands… or dares to name. As the wild begins to close in, Eira must decide what’s more terrifying: the bond tying her to a man with the power to break her—or the truth that’s been hunting her all along. Dark, seductive, and emotionally charged, "Beneath the Howl" is a slow-burn romance where fate is a curse, desire is dangerous, and nothing is as it seems. ***

On the day I get released from prison, Joshua Caldwell's adoptive sister, Madeline Caldwell, hosts a live stream to welcome me home. She makes sure to shove the phone right in my face. "This is my older sister, Victoria. Even though she has gotten violated by 13 people, she still has the courage to continue living in this world." The comment section explodes instantly. Joshua frowns slightly, but Madeline merely sticks her tongue out at him with a cute smile on her face. Instead of going hysterical like I did three years ago, I just smile at everyone. "A woman's body is never her weakness. The offenders are the ones who deserve to die, not me." After returning home, I don't stop Joshua from letting Madeline visit our parents' graves on their death anniversary on my behalf. I don't mind Joshua giving my room away to Madeline and telling me to stay in the storeroom. Even when Madeline pushes me into the water once again, Joshua chooses to save her despite her knowing how to swim. After I get rescued by a passerby, I just go home on my own silently. Mixed feelings swirl in Joshua's eyes as he looks at me. "That three-year sentence has changed you for good, Vicky." I just smile softly in response. All I've done is finally see reality for what it is and not harbor any hopes for him at all. Moreover, the system, which I've lost contact with, has finally returned three days ago. It told me that it could take me home in seven days. But why is it that Joshua loses his mind after I've left this world for real?

Studying abroad can be incredibly lonely at times. That night, I was in my room, indulging in a little treat for myself, when my best friend suddenly burst through the door. "Doing it yourself is no fun. Come on. There's a super cool cabaret show going on. Let's go see it together!" On stage, my friend was reclining in a chair behind the curtain, with two strong-looking men on top of her. "Come on. Join us for a group dance..."

Raina Gonzalez thought she'd found her savior in Castor Rowland, a charismatic politician who swept her off her feet and rescued her family from financial ruin. Their whirlwind romance ended in a fairy-tale wedding that made headlines. But behind the mansion's gleaming doors and beneath his polished smile, Raina discovers the man she married is a monster in a tailored suit. Her wedding vows weren't promises of love. They were chains binding her to a life of lies. Forced to play the perfect political wife while her husband builds his empire on corruption and destruction of lives, Raina feels hope slipping away. Until she meets Sylvester Brian, Castor's mysterious rival who lost someone he loved to men like her husband. Together, they forge a dangerous alliance to expose Castor's criminal network. But somewhere between stolen moments and whispered secrets, their partnership ignites into something neither expected: a forbidden love that could destroy them both. Just when Raina thinks she's found an ally she can trust, Sylvester's carefully constructed lies begin to unravel. The man she's fallen for has been using her all along, and she's caught between two devils: the one she married and the one who captured her heart. With election day approaching and innocent people's lives hanging in the balance, Raina must make an impossible choice: stay silent and complicit, or risk everything. Her family, her safety, her heart... Because sometimes, the only way out of a cage is to burn it down.

The day my husband left the country on a business trip with his assistant, I learned—by sheer accident—that his archenemy was plotting revenge overseas. Without a second thought, I raced to the airport and stopped him from boarding the plane. But his assistant went ahead, alone. And over there, she was killed brutally. Not a trace of her remains was ever found. When my husband received the news, he fell apart. Wracked with guilt, eaten alive by remorse, he spiraled into a relentless, violent mania. In the past three years, I'd been in and out of hospitals more times than I could count because of him. And this time, he pushed me so far—I lost our child. Then I overheard a conversation between him and his secretary. "Sir, Casey is still alive. Why keep pretending you're sick? Aren't you afraid your wife will find out and leave you?" "Leave me? What right does she have to be angry?" He laughed coldly. "If she hadn't stopped me from going abroad, Casey would've never been lured away by that bastard. Everything Linda's suffering now—she brought it on herself."

​Amelia Hayes has 30 days to save her niece. ​A judge’s ruling demands the 35-year-old heiress present a stable family unit to win custody of her niece, or the child returns to her abusive father. With time running out, Amelia rushes to secure the only perfect solution: her own bodyguard. ​Her solution? Adrian Cole. ​He’s 25—loyal, quiet, and financially desperate. For a staggering sum, he agrees to a two-year contract with one unbreakable rule: No love, no intimacy, strictly business. ​But when their fake wedding night turns into a real assassination attempt, Amelia realizes her calculated bargain has made them targets. Now, fighting a vengeful ex-friend and a killer lurking in the shadows, Amelia and Adrian must fake their way through a deadly war. ​The contract was just a lie. But the way he risks his life to protect his 'wife' might just be the terrifying truth.

My sister, Gabriella Rutherfurd, is the richest female CEO in Brightshire. Her male secretary, Freddie Morgan, mentions that he wants to see a real-life version of the Squid Game, so she builds the venue and spends 100 million dollars to make it happen. The lure of a gigantic cash prize draws in countless desperate souls. Even the bodyguards responsible for protecting my brother-in-law, Cyril Harding, abandon their posts to participate. Cyril has no choice but to go to the hospital without the bodyguards for his medical appointment, but he is abducted halfway there. In my previous life, I found Gabriella and asked her to stop the game and send people to rescue Cyril. After hesitating, Gabriella agreed. She stopped the game and managed to save Cyril just in time. But the few players who had made it to the final round were furious that the game was canceled. To vent their rage, they took Freddie and beat him to death. Gabriella acted like it had nothing to do with me. Yet, on the day Freddie was buried, she ordered her men to beat me up. When I open my eyes again, I am back to the day that Cyril was abducted. This time, Gabriella gets what she wants, and the Squid Game is held as planned. By the final round, a masked man is dragged onto the high platform. Freddie announces that whoever slices the man's head off will win the 100-million-dollar prize. When Cyril's head rolls to Gabriella's feet, she finally snaps.

Zyra had always been an outcast, despised by everyone in her pack for her parents' sacrifice. Her dear ones had died while saving a stranger who was wolfless and mateless, leaving Zyra alone and isolated. Despite her kindness and helpful nature, she was constantly bullied and enslaved by her packmates, living in a constant state of fear and isolation. One day, the moon goddess finally gave her a mate. But he despised her and rejected her, despite coveting her beauty. Anguished and heartbroken, Zyra kicked the hell out of him and had a one-night stand with a stranger, resulting in an unexpected pregnancy. But even with her pregnancy, her mate still had his eyes on her, causing Zyra to fear for her life and the safety of her unborn children. When the Lycan King came to claim her as his mate, she saw it as a chance to escape her current situation. Bullied, enslaved, and alone, Zyra fled in the middle of the night and raised her babies in secrecy. But the truth behind her parents' death was far from what she had been told. As Zyra delved deeper into the mystery, she discovered a shocking conspiracy that involved the very people she trusted the most. As she began to uncover the truth, she realized that the Lycan King may be the only one she could trust, despite fearing him at first. But with her mate and her pack still on the hunt for her, Zyra knew that she needed to keep her true identity a secret, even from the man she could come to love and trust the most.