Kawakami Gift Guide

On my 18th birthday, my triplet brothers adopted a fifteen-year-old orphan girl. To make their newly adopted sister happy, Matthew gave her my coming-of-age gift, Daniel sent away the dog that had grown up with me because she was allergic, and William coldly told me to get out of the house and stop making their little sister upset. I didn't say another word. I just packed my bags and left. They all thought I was just throwing a tantrum and would be back in a few days. My three brothers canceled their busy work schedules to take the orphan girl abroad to relax her nerves. They went to see the Northern Lights in Alaska – the place I had always dreamed of visiting. Many days later, when they returned from their vacation, they suddenly learned that I had volunteered for a twenty-year medical research mission in a remote frontier. I would never be coming home again. That night, they fell apart.

Layla was always separated from her pack group, not by her own will. He suffered prejudice from his brothers and parents for not being able to transform into the wolf he was born with. The village at the South Pole is in danger, a new threat surrounds all regions where lunar beings live. And only the strongest Alpha of ancient descent can save them from death, and as a bargain, the elders decide to donate a gift to the lone wolf. Lucien is the last of the lineage of wolves from the ancient clan, called "Mixed Fists" due to the fur of his ancient ancestors. Being the only alpha in his extinct family, he decided to live in the North Pole, alone and without a suitable companion. With the threat of another race killing all the villages of their species, one of them sends a seemingly unrefusable proposal. And now? Will Layla accept this fate so easily? Will Lucien put his loneliness aside to protect those who are no longer part of his new life?

When a young girl named **Emilia** moves to an isolated, fog-drenched city in search of a fresh start, she quickly discovers that something is terribly wrong. The streets echo with silence, residents vanish without a trace, and time itself begins to twist and collapse. As doors appear in places they shouldn’t, and her own reflection begins acting on its own, Emilia realizes she’s trapped in a place that is not just haunted — it’s alive. Each chapter peels back a new layer of horror: shadowy watchers, eerie apparitions, underground tunnels, and ghostly echoes of past inhabitants. But the real terror lies within — the city seems to feed on fear, loneliness, and the feeling of failure. It reflects Emilia’s own anxieties back at her, warping her reality into a trial of the soul. As she searches for meaning, and later for escape, Emilia uncovers the city’s sinister purpose: it traps those most vulnerable and forces them to confront their darkest selves. With the help of other survivors — some real, some echoes — she must navigate psychological mazes and make impossible choices to survive. But survival isn't enough. Emilia must transform — not by escaping her fear, but by embracing it. In doing so, she becomes something more than a victim of the city. She becomes a guide, a witness, and eventually, a keeper of the door. *Trapped in the Hollow City* is a suspenseful, haunting exploration of inner demons, resilience, and the eerie beauty of choosing to become — even when the world seems built to break you.

Hamlet Creek University, just by the name itself, already speaks prestigiousness and rarity. It is the most competitive secondary school within the busy borders of the metropolis of Jordan. Sprouted in the heart of the crowd-pleasing city, Hamlet Creek University has everything you could have experience in your life. And by saying everything, that includes mystery. This has been proven by a group of friends who, without them having a pinch of clue, have taken their high school life to a way more complicated adventure that not everyone has given the opportunity to experience. They should be thankful, though. Because high school is meant to be memorable in a way that it would remind you of your low scores and cheating moments with your seatmates, and not of the cold mysteries waiting to be unravelled, and the deaths of random people on random hours. Everyone knows that it all started on the Dean’s murder. But that’s the only thing they know. The Dean has died. After that, they are devastated, clueless, unaware that the Dean’s is just the starting point of a death chain. A lot more has to follow. The entire Hamlet Creek has only seen it as a normal and unfortunate event of dying and bidding goodbyes, but as for Travis and friends, it’s more than just that. Some of them has died, too, and that simply tells that it isn’t coincidence because it’s a hunting game and the culprit is on loose. The group knows nothing on how to stop the killer. They just have one thing that will serve as their guide—pictures. And with this, they will come to seek for the culprit and put period to this labyrinth of death and mystery. They will succeed. But not everyone can make it to the end.

"This realm is your only chance of coming back to life in the mortal world, and if you attract those consequences, take note that you will die.” “Death?” I ask, mostly to myself. And to the voice, “What do you mean by 'I’m on my way to death'?” ~~~ Nova was having a bad day, and all she wanted was for the day to end already. But the universe seemed to have misunderstood her wish, because not only did her day not end, but she met with an accident that left her in a coma. As if that wasn't bad enough, she became trapped in a dimension between life and death, where she had to face a series of trials that would determine if she wakes... or fades from existence. Enter Zephyr, the spirit assigned to guide her to the light – her recovery. The spirit who never tried to disguise his want for her failure. The spirit she should've never fallen in love with. But in a world where survival is determined by the number of challenges a soul can conquer, the heart still found its way around love. With her complicated feelings in an already complicated world, Nova must decide what she's truly fighting for – her life, or the one being who's capable of ending it. *** In a short time, the remaining one hundred and twelve souls are pushed out. When we’re complete and standing, a voice – different from on the bus – greets us. “Welcome, Souls, to the survival games.”

Barbara always gets what she wants except for one thing, freedom. She must not leave the house alone without being accompanied by at least one of her parents.Like a child.On the other hand, everything changed after she met Saga who claimed to be a vampire.Barbara is a wolvire, a crossbreed between wolf-shifters and vampires. However, that is not what makes it bad.She has holy blood targeted by some who are oriented towards evil. One of them is the Cursed.Will Barbara manage to escape or even hide from him? Will she manage to keep herself from being controlled by the devil to summon darkness?One day in a city in Indonesia, chaos struck. Darkness hung in the sky and seemed to be fog in the air. What is wrong? Is it related to Barbara?__________________________A gift is a gift.What makes it a curse is the apparent human desire for dark power. Fight, or all will be destroyed._____________________________Chapter "A" for first-person narrative (I)Chapter "B" for third-person narrative (he/she)Chapter "AB" for narrative in two points of view at once (I, he/she)

When my husband returned home to visit his parents, I noticed that he forgot to bring back the specialties he had bought. I ran after him, only to find him getting out of a car in a suit. His childhood friend stepped forward to welcome him. They held hands and smiled as they looked into each other’s eyes. They looked like a happy, newlywed couple. Only when my husband saw me standing not too far away did he hurriedly distance himself from his childhood friend. “Her mother’s critically ill, and her mother’s only wish is to see her get married. I’m just helping her.” I simply smiled. I pushed him right back to his childhood friend’s side and started cheering with everyone else. “When’s the baby coming?! I’ll be sure to wrap a nice gift!”

Fate bound them. Secrets tore them apart. Love made them whole again. Alpha Jacob Wood's mission was simple — dismantle the rogue king's illicit auction of defenseless she-wolves. But when his gaze met Natalie Myers, something primal awakened. Claiming her as his destined mate was easy. Winning her trust? That was the real battle. Haunted by betrayal, Natalie vowed never to submit again. Yet Jacob's unwavering patience and fierce protection broke through her walls, unlocking a rare power within her — a gift only her true mate could awaken. But when treachery strikes, tearing them apart and hiding the truth of their child, fate weaves them back together six years later. Old wounds resurface, enemies rise, and dark secrets threaten everything they hold dear. Can love conquer lies, betrayal, and bloodlines... or will destiny claim its price?

The day Candice Larsen received the letter for her successful admission in Harvard University was also the day the news reported the involvement of her parents in a car-crash. Even after this fateful incident she refused to look at the world with bitterness. However, as she faces the real world, she discovered that in order to live, some dreams must be sacrificed. After failing the entrance exam to one of the world's prominent university attended by all of his older siblings Dylan Hearst certainly knew that he had also failed to make his father proud. Being a member of a historically rich family, known for their wits and creative inventions that has catalyzed the technological advancement of today, Tristan's existence was a shame. As their lives come into an unexpected encounter, it was not long when Tristan figured out that Candice complimented him in every way. Her weakness is his strength, and her strength is his weakness, and he certainly knew that breakthrough is set if they mastered how to use each other's gift for their own benefits.

My wolf has a rare gift—she can detect lies and reveal the truth about what anyone tries to deceive. My Alpha—Theron Shadewound—loves me dearly. For as long as I've known him, he's never once lied to me. However, a month before our mating ceremony, my wolf catches a whisper of truth from his heart. He had thought, "I'm holding the mating ceremony with Mirelle next week, and Arynn must never find out." I freeze when I realize something. He'll be using the ballroom I spent two months meticulously setting up to host a mating ceremony next week with his childhood sweetheart, Mirelle Hollowmaw. As it turns out, my mating ceremony, scheduled a month later, is nothing but a joke. Quietly, I pack my belongings and book a ticket to leave the Nightcrest pack. On the day Theron and Mirelle pledge themselves to each other, I walk away without looking back.