Kawakami Gift Guide

North Harper, a brilliant yet unassuming third-year college student, finds solace in her books and late-night visits to her mother’s grave, escaping the torment of bullies who call her “turtle girl.” One night, she encounters Valentine, a mysterious Vampire Prince. Their connection deepens, but her life takes a dark turn when a rogue vampire attacks her on campus. To save her, Valentine turns her into a vampire, unknowingly creating a rare hybrid. North awakens with enhanced abilities and newfound confidence, but her unstable powers and hybrid nature put her in danger. Valentine becomes her guide, helping her navigate her new existence, but their growing bond defies ancient vampire laws. As the Vampire Council deems her a threat, a human faction called The Ascendants, an underground organisation bent on taking out Vampires, target her, seeking to use her blood to create superhuman soldiers. Amid rising tensions, The Ascendants infiltrate her college and attempt to abduct her. Forced to confront her dual identity, North must embrace her hybrid powers to protect herself and those she loves. In a climactic battle, North destroys the Ascendants' leader and their serum, saving both vampires and humans. Gravely injured, Valentine’s fate compels her to make a choice: she asks him to transform her into a full-blooded vampire to secure her place in his world. Though the Vampire Council allows her to live, they keep her existence under strict watch, marking the beginning of her journey as a powerful anomaly in both worlds.

On Christmas Eve, my six-year-old, Yule, was dying from cancer, and all he wanted was a gift from his dad dressed as Santa. I called Peter, my husband, begging him to come. His reply? "Can you stop blowing up my phone? I don't have time for this! I'm helping Tracey find Puffy. Do you know how upset she is?" Oh, Tracey. His first love. And Puffy? Her dog. I told him Yule might not make it through the night. His response? A straight-up dagger: "Don't act like this isn't your fault, Freya. If Yule hadn't kicked Puffy, none of this would've happened. Tomorrow, make sure he apologizes to Tracey." Then he hung up. That night, I sat with Yule, crying as I helped him celebrate his last Christmas. By morning, Peter's social medias were still full of posts about that freaking dog. Mine? Yule's obituary. Ten years of marriage, gone.

My fiance, Henry Gordon, was two hours late to our vows on our wedding day. Just as he was catching his breath and about to say ‘I do’, he received a call from his secretary, Yvonne Luther. After hanging up, he looked at me apologetically. “Honey, my useless team can’t handle the personnel appointment of the financial team on their own. They’re insisting that I head back! I’ll make it up to you with another wedding later on.” I told him that I understood though I felt disappointed, because he was at a critical stage in his career. However, the moment he left without hesitation, I tossed the ring on my finger into the venue’s flower bed and announced to everyone that the wedding was cancelled. I had to see for myself who would ask Henry, a mere minority shareholder, to make such a significant decision without consulting me, the chairperson. He did not know that just a few hours earlier, I had taken back the ‘gift’ I gave him and reclaimed my position as the company’s chairperson.

Just because my wolf mom scratched Ava Shaw's favorite dress, Noah Potter called a butcher. He punished her seriously. I found her dying body and screamed at him. "I told you before—I was raised by wolves. What you did to her is no different from killing my mother!" Noah stayed cold. He covered Ava's eyes and stared at me. "You are just a stray kid my stepmom picked up. Stop trying to fool me." My wolf mom was still bleeding as she dragged herself toward me. I crawled to her and held her tight. "I stayed here to repay Noah's family for helping the wolf pack. You chased me for miles because you could not let me go. I never thought I would end up hurting you instead." That night, I held my wolf mom and knelt in front of Aunt Wendy's memorial. "Aunt Wendy, the Potters' Zoo are everywhere now. They do not need my gift anymore. I should leave."

"Three years ago, standing at the altar under the admiring gaze of hundreds, Gabriel declared that he would love only Catherine, unwaveringly, for the rest of his life. Three years later, after receiving a diagnosis of infertility, he heartlessly threw divorce papers in her face and cast her out onto the streets with nothing. Three years ago, Catherine, in her kindness, saved a girl who was about to be sold into a brothel, taking her in as a beloved younger sister. Three years later, watching the very girl she once saved walk down the aisle on her ex-husband's arm, standing in the same place she once stood, reciting the vows she once made, Catherine could only muster a bitter smile. She gently touched her flat stomach, where an unborn life, a gift from heaven, was beginning to form. She vowed to herself that she would leave Gabriel far behind, but... 'Catherine, you are mine. Divorce or not, you will forever belong to Gabriel.' 'Catherine, be good. Stop causing trouble, okay?' 'Catherine! If you dare to leave, I will break your legs!' 'Catherine, stay with me, I beg you...'"

On my husband's birthday, I poured my heart into preparing a feast and selecting the perfect gift. Yet, he didn't come home. Instead, I received a picture message—a snapshot of him at the hospital, standing outside the OB-GYN ward, his hand resting tenderly on his childhood crush's belly. Beneath the photo, a message read: [The best birthday gift and a symbol of our decade-long bond.] Furious, I called her. "Don't you know he's married?" Before I could say more, my husband snatched the phone and lashed out at me. "Yvonne just wanted to share the joy of becoming a mother. Why are you overreacting? "Yvonne and I have been best friends for over a decade. Your petty jealousy is disgusting!" I once believed his busyness was for our future, but now I knew—he had been busy supporting the girl of his dreams through her pregnancy. Clutching my own stomach, I bit my lip to stop the tears from falling. Ten years of love had drained away. It was time to let go.

"You're too weak to be my Luna," Alpha Ryker spat, choosing my stepsister over me—his fated mate. I thought losing my mate was the worst pain imaginable. I was wrong. The worst pain came when I discovered I was pregnant with his child the same day he banished me. The worst betrayal came when my stepsister revealed she'd been poisoning me for years, keeping my true power dormant. Now I'm back, no longer the weak omega they discarded. I'm the mysterious healer who saved the Savage Alpha's life—the ruthless Alpha King who's claimed me as his. They want me gone, but they don't know my secret: I'm carrying twins with a rare gift that could change everything. My ex-mate wants me back. My new mate wants revenge. And me? I just want to survive long enough to discover why everyone seems terrified of what I'm becoming. Because sometimes the weakest wolf holds the strongest bite.

A story told from both sides of the blade. Eleanore: My husband rode off to war with a kiss and a promise. Days later, I received news of his death and the name of his killer—Perseus, the ruthless Lycan King. Now, I'm his bride. A pawn traded for a treaty. They say power demands sacrifice. I say vengeance deserves patience. I won’t scream. I won’t break. And I sure as hell won’t fall in love with the monster who destroyed my world. He expects a Luna. He’s getting a storm in a black dress and a sword in his chest. Perseus: I killed her husband. She’ll remind me every day. I ripped her black wedding gown. She hasn’t forgiven me. I gave her my name. She threw my gift into the fire. But I see it in her eyes—the fire, the fury, the pain, the heartbreak all that I made her feel. And it calls to something ancient inside me. She wants to bury a sword in my chest. Joke’s on her—I already gave her my heart.

A dangerous memory is worth keeping. Velgrave Academy is no ordinary school—it's a haven for the Bloodborn, gifted students with abilities most people could never imagine. But for Ophelia Wolfe, power isn’t just a gift; it’s a weapon—and her most guarded secret. Cold, composed, and unapologetically untouchable, Ophelia has no time for drama, distractions, or the infuriatingly charming Carl Maddox. He's reckless, sarcastic, and knows exactly how to push her buttons. He also remembers the one thing she’d hoped was buried: a secret moment shared one summer night. One they both swore to forget. Now, fate keeps throwing them together—class projects, whispered rumors, a growing mystery unraveling inside the academy. As tension turns into undeniable attraction, and playful rivalry turns into something far deeper, Ophelia and Carl are forced to confront what they’ve been running from: each other. But in a school where memories can be stolen and secrets are never safe, love could be the most dangerous risk of all. Because some secrets don’t just stay hidden… They haunt. They burn. And the most dangerous ones? They change everything.

Valentina was looking forward to spending the holidays with the love of her life, her fiancee Derek. She had put off joining her family at their ski resort this year as Derek had wanted it to be just the two of them, and with his work schedule, he couldn’t afford the time off. Her family, although disappointed, was happy for her, glad she had someone special to spend Christmas with. Derek was unfortunately not as special as he made out, which she discovered when she came home early one day and found him screwing a work colleague. She breaks off the engagement and decides to Surprise her family on Christmas day, taking a plane to their resort on Christmas Eve. Instead of letting them know she was there, she went for a few drinks in the bar, where she met a handsome stranger. He wasn’t exactly a stranger, but it had been so long since they had seen each other they had both changed so much they didn’t recognise each other. A few too many drinks and a night of passion, Valentina wakes up in the morning with an extra gift she wasn’t expecting this year.