Two Possums From Ice Age

She was nothing but a pawn in a wealthy marriage, trampled under the cold indifference of her husband and the shadow of his beloved white moonlight. Silent and subdued, she hid her brilliance and endured every humiliation—until the day she revealed her secret identity, unleashing the power of the “Starlight Group” to turn the business world upside down. From a discarded substitute to a queen who commands the board, she tears apart the lies and reclaims her dignity, step by step. And when the man who once scorned her is filled with regret and desperate to win her back, she is no longer the pawn he thought he could control. —She is the Queen.

"It's just...I don't think this is working out,” he gestured at the empty space between us. My mind reeled. "What do you mean? We're fine, aren't we?" I asked, holding onto hope. "Honestly, Kalynda, I deserve better." "What's wrong with me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Jake's gaze dropped to my body, and he didn’t even try to hide his disgust. "It's just...your weight, Kae. It's...unattractive." Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. "You're ashamed of me," I stated, my voice cracking. Jake shrugged. "I'm just being honest, Kae. You need to lose weight if you want to keep a guy like me.” "You're breaking up with me because of my weight?" I asked, incredulous. Jake nodded. Kalynda hits rock bottom when her boyfriend breaks up with her and she realized he’d been using her all along. The bullying and ridicule from her peers, including her step sister, increased, and Kae wants to end it all. But the brooding Max steps in and stops her. She sees life in a new light and works in herself. What happens when she returns as a completely different person?

My mate-to-be, Ethan, said he had some urgent work come up right before our planned full moon trip. He bailed. I was missing him like crazy, so I immediately drove for over ten hours to his city. I hadn’t told Ethan I was coming. There I was, flowers in hand, standing outside his mansion, ready to give my destined mate a sweet surprise. But then I caught the mixed scent of Ethan and another female werewolf. The scent was sickeningly familiar. Amber Collins. Ethan’s ex-mate. I fought back the burn in my nose, my eyes already red, and pushed the door open. And what did I see? Them, sharing a glass of red wine, cuddled up, practically on top of each other. When Ethan finally noticed me, he jerked his arm away from Amber, walked stiffly over, his voice laced with panic. "Scarlett, why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Two men. One was her best friend. The other was her infuriating boss. One is the man she has loved for twelve years. The other is the man she despised with everything in her. Yet on her wedding day, they both stood there, one as the groom, the other as the man who would never let her go. “I tried to bury you. I told myself it was nothing. But watching you love him? That was the first time I understood what hatred really feels like.” One said, his voice filled with resentment sharp enough to cut steel. “I don’t need you to choose me,” the other whispered. “I just need you to know that no matter whose name you take… You will always belong to me.” Forbidden. Addictive. A love so wrong it tastes like sin. A hatred so raw it feels like desire. A twelve-year devotion. A buried obsession. Two brothers. One bride. Some loves are safe. Some loves are reckless. And some are powerful enough to tear a family apart.

Julio adalah pewaris muda dari keluarga kaya yang hidupnya dipenuhi pesta, kemewahan, dan kesombongan. Ia tak pernah tahu apa arti kehilangan dan perjuangan hidup, hingga hari pernikahannya berubah menjadi mimpi buruk. Sebuah kecelakaan membuatnya buta juga menewaskan seorang remaja laki-laki bernama Bayu, yang ditabraknya saat mencoba menghindari kereta bayi yang meluncur ke jalan. Bayu bukan siapa-siapa bagi Julio. Tapi bagi Laras. kakak Bayu. ia adalah segalanya. Mereka yatim piatu, dan Bayu adalah harapan terakhir Laras dalam hidup yang keras dan penuh perjuangan mereka. Ketika Julio menerima donor mata dari Bayu, penglihatannya kembali. Namun, dunia yang ia lihat kini berbeda. Bukan hanya karena mata itu milik orang lain, tapi karena hati Julio mulai berubah bersamaan dengannya. Ia melihat bayangan Bayu dalam setiap kedipan matanya seperti cermin, seperti film yang diputar ulang … bahkan Julio bisa melihat air mata Laras. Dari pria manja, kaya raya yang tak pernah tahu betapa susahnya hidup ini, Julio perlahan menjadi seseorang yang belajar mencintai hidup dengan cara yang berbeda, lewat mata Bayu. Namun saat kebenaran terungkap, bisakah Laras memaafkan? Mampukah ia mencintai laki-laki yang membawa sepasang mata adiknya… tapi juga perlahan mengisi kekosongan di hatinya? From Your Eyes Only adalah kisah tentang kehilangan, pengampunan, dan cinta yang datang dari arah yang tak terduga, dari mata, turun ke hati.

Lagi akong ikinukunsidera ng pamilya ko na tagapagdala ng kamalasan. Dahil ito sa nakikita ko ang countdown bago mamatay ang mga kamag-anak ko. Sinabi ko sa kanila kung kailan mamamatay si lolo, ama, at ina. Nagkakatotoo ito dahil sa iba’t ibang mga aksidente. Ang tatlong mga kapatid ko ay kinamumuhian ako mula sa kaibuturan nila dahil sa tingin nila isinumpa ko ang mga magulang ko at lolo. Ang nanay ko ay namatay matapos iluwal ang nakababata kong kapatid na babae, pero ang mga kapatid ko ay walang tigil siyang iniispoil. Sinasabi nila na siya ang suwerte nila dahil nagiging okay ang lahat para sa pamilya sa oras na iluwal siya. Pero hindi ba’t namatay si Ina noong iniluwal siya? Sa ika-18th kong kaarawan, nakikita ko ang death countdown kapag tinitignan ko ang sarili ko sa salamin. Bumili ako ng urn at naghanda ng pagkain. Gusto ko kumain ng huling beses kasama ang mga kapatid ko, pero walang nagpakita sa kanila noong nag zero na ang timer...

The day I confirmed my mate at twenty, I was stunned to find the Moon Goddess had arranged two mates for me. Alpha Amos put their photos in front of me: two heirs to the pack’s Alpha line. One was the proud and powerful Glen Wolfe, the elder brother, famed as the strongest werewolf in the north. The other was the quiet and mysterious Ryan Wolfe, the younger brother everyone whispered about because he still hadn’t awakened his wolf; they called him a useless runt. “This is the Moon Goddess’s decree,” Alpha Amos said solemnly. “Whoever you choose will be your mate and the next Alpha of the pack.” Without hesitating, I chose the younger brother, Ryan. My choice shocked everyone. After all, everyone knew I was madly in love with Glen and that I would only ever marry him. However, they did not know the truth. In my last life, I’d chosen Glen, only to discover he was having an affair with his secretary, Fawn Albertson. Alpha Amos flew into a rage and banished Fawn from the pack. Glen, convinced I had betrayed him behind his back, turned his hatred on me. From then on, he deliberately made a show of being intimate with his mistresses in front of me, forcing me to taste the pain of the mate bond. I was tormented and humiliated by those mistresses until I felt less than dirt. When my unborn pup was poisoned by one of them and died, I couldn’t take it any longer. I chose to end my life. I never expected the Moon Goddess to give me a second chance. This time, I resolved to step aside so that Glen could be happy with Fawn. However, he had also been sent back in time to relive his life, and instead of calm, he broke down.

“I have no intentions of being your partner. I would reject you over and over again-” Before I could complete my statement, he slapped my hand away and grabbed my jaw forcefully, staring intensely into my soul. “If you dared to reject me I would forcefully mark you, Athena.” *** She was a human, Athena Becker. A human who killed the mate of a merciless Alpha for revenge; Alpha Darius Alfonso of Scarlet Moon pack. Heartbroken at the death of his Luna, he went on a path of vengeance to give her twice as much suffering for killing his mate. He was ready to torment her. Make her his slave, her, do the worst to her. But, there was one obstacle in his path. Athena was the special huntress of the King of Alphas of that land. She had his protection but when he was determined to take revenge, he would break all boundaries too.

Luke finally agreed to bind with me, urged by his mother Monica on her deathbed. Moonlight spilled through the window, casting a glow on his golden-brown fur. He stood by the bed, his amber wolf eyes deep and seemingly nervous. As soon as he stepped out of the room, his expression returned to its usual calm, and he said to me coldly, "Emma, let's wait a little longer." "I need to bond with Alina first," he continued, his wolf eyes distant, his tone neutral. "Her mother is seriously ill, and I promised her." "What about your mother? She wants to witness our bonding too!" "I have to bond with Alina first. You don't need to worry about my mother’s health," he said, as he effortlessly removed the vow ring Monica had given me from my finger, then turned and walked away. His little wolf followed, its tail wagging happily, showing no sign of reluctance. But as soon as he left, his mother suddenly took a turn for the worse. By the time Monica passed away, I was the only one by her side. Weakly, she squeezed my hand and whispered, "Emma, don’t wait for him anymore. Find someone who truly loves you." Her hand fell limp, and in the quiet darkness, I made two calls. The first was to the church, changing our marking ceremony to a funeral for his mother. The second call was to my best friend. Her brother was the Alpha of another pack, with dark fur and sharp green eyes. "He once said that if I was willing, he would bond with me... Is that promise still valid?" There was a pause on the other end before a deep voice, full of natural authority, came through: "Emma, have you finally figured it out?"

The first story in Two Goddesses tells the life of one of the two goddesses who is adopted as the owner of the universe's most powerful book, The Origin. Besieged by tragedy since birth, the "fake" Princess Mavellin fights for her own harsh life to regain freedom and exact revenge on those who have caused her pain. She realized, as she swam alone in the vortex, that all of her pain stemmed from an event that shook the Holy Mountain Velsi on the day she was born... "The mind is as strong as steel, but the heart is constantly on fire."