Why Does Franklin Frog Leave His Pond?

As a healer, I keep taking in emergency patients around the clock just so I can save up enough money for a luxurious family trip. But after transferring the money into the family account, my mate, Leonard Cross, announces that he will be taking the entire family on the trip, whereas I'm required to stay at home. Everyone supports his decision. "Don't you always take overtime shifts on your day off? That's why I never considered the fact that you can go on this trip with us." I'm pissed, to say the least. "So, the four of you will be going, eh?" My sister-in-law, Rita Cross, pipes up, "Cassandra and Hannah will be joining us too." Cassandra Davis is Leonard's childhood sweetheart, whereas Hannah is the family's pet dog. It seems that everyone has received an invitation but me. After staying quiet for another beat, I nod. "Fine." Soon, I accept the three-year dispatch request to another place that's offered to me by my workplace. I also take the liberty to put the house—which I own the deed to—on sale. Since my family supports my career this much, I'm sure they will do the same when I decide to buy myself a new place to live for the sake of my business trip, right?

Sapphire's trapped in her uncle's pack. He hates her in so many ways. Everyone in the pack does, even her cousin Ivory. So, she gets the jobs no one wants to do while Ivory is the golden child. She's got everything and gets away with everything. While Sapphire must pick up her slack in the packhouse. All the while, suffering the hateful words and actions of the pack. Her emotions are mixed as she reaches adulthood. Sapphire expects being cast from the pack. She plans to leave on her terms. Little does she know Ivory wants to remove her from not just the pack, but the world. Magnus is the Alpha of a pack moving into the area. A pack her uncle doesn't want there, but it's small and can easily be crushed in her uncle's estimation. But Magnus isn't stupid. He's not showing his true numbers. He tried to get a non-aggression pact with Sapphire's uncle. But that fell apart after meeting Ivory and Sapphire. It wasn't repairable after the evidence he saw. What unfolds after that is fated mates, misunderstandings, hateful greed, and a poor unfortunate wolf caught in the middle of some dangerous politics. Read on to see what happens when Magnus kidnaps Sapphire and destiny has its way with them.

While I was on vacation with my parents, we stood on the deck overlooking the sea when my father suddenly asked, "Mother duck says quack, quack, quack, quack. But?" I was about to reply, "Only four little ducks came back," when he kicked me into the water. "What's taking you so long to finish a song? Are you cognitively arrested or what?" he barked. Cold water filled my lungs like lead as I bobbed in the waves. "Help me, Dad! I can't swim!" My mother told the captain to steer the superyacht away instead. "Then stay in the water a little longer. Self-preservation may finally make you learn to swim. That's what you need. Real grit and adversity to unlock your potential." I flailed my arms and fought to stay afloat, but panic took over. My right leg cramped and refused to move. I could only watch the superyacht fade into the horizon. I drifted for a while before I could catch up with my parents' superyacht. I wished I could tell them how many ducks came back, but they would never hear my voice again.

After the Ferguson family went bankrupt, I gave up everything I had and followed Ethan Ferguson to Stormbay. Five years later, he had fought his way back into the top three on the Forbes rich list. He rebuilt the empire everyone believed he had lost for good. He never mentioned marriage, no matter how much we had been through together. I did not understand the reason until the night before Memorial Day. I woke after midnight and saw Ethan standing alone on the terrace of our beachfront house. The cold ocean wind swept through the darkness while he lit three white candles one by one. Their flames flickered softly against the night. He faced the distant horizon across the sea and lowered his voice. “Mom, Dad… I’m sorry I couldn’t come see you again this year.” He paused, and his expression softened. “However, please keep watching over Vivi. Keep her healthy… and bless the two of us with a long, happy life together.” Warmth spread through my chest as I listened. My health had never been good, and every year near Memorial Day, Ethan refused to let me exhaust myself with the long trip home. He always went alone to visit his parents’ graves while I stayed behind in Stormbay. This year, when I saw the homesickness in his eyes, I decided to surprise him. I wanted to make the trip in his place. I never expected my entire world to collapse the moment I arrived at the cemetery. Ethan’s name was carved into the headstone. Beside it was the name of another woman. Olivia Ferguson. My gaze drifted lower. A framed family photograph sat at the foot of the headstone. Its edges had curled from the ocean wind. In the picture, Ethan held a little blond-haired boy in his arms. The child looked no older than three. Olivia stood beside him, smiling softly at the camera. A sharp pain cut through my chest. Only then did I understand the truth. The “Vivi” Ethan prayed for was never Vivian. It had been Olivia all along.

Tony finally realized I had stopped telling him everything. When the company assigned me to a business trip, I signed the papers immediately without consulting him. When my best friend invited couples to her wedding, I attended alone and gave her a nice wedding gift. Even when I fell ill and needed surgery, I booked the appointment without his consent. As a doctor, Tony frowned when he found out about the surgery. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick? Give me your medical records, I'll arrange everything for you." Without a second thought, I replied, "No need. I can handle it myself, I don't want to trouble you. Thank you." The moment the words left my mouth, both of us froze. Less than a month ago... I was completely dependent on him. Back then, I couldn't even choose an outfit for a date or decide what to eat for lunch without texting him first.

The world thinks The Fox is dead. That’s exactly how she planned it. Born to two of the most powerful superheroes on the planet, The Fox spent her life trapped behind mansion walls, brutal training sessions, and the crushing expectations of heroes who cared more about perfection than their daughter. To the public, General Storm and Lady Rose are icons. To The Fox, they’re the reason she learned how to survive bruises with a smile. So she vanished. With the help of the only person who ever truly loved her, The Fox fakes her death and disappears into the underground, determined to build a normal life far away from capes, cameras, and violence. New name. New city. New rules. But the world is falling apart faster than she can outrun it. Monstrous creatures are crawling out any crack. Entire cities are collapsing overnight. And when the Fox discovers the terrifying truth behind the outbreaks, she realizes her family may not be the heroes humanity believes they are. Now hunted by the people who raised her and haunted by powers she tried to leave behind, The Fox has two choices: Keep running. Or turn around and fight.