nine astra skies

I came home a day early from my business trip and hid in the closet to surprise Eric Carter. At seven, he told the housekeeper to cook several dishes. At nine, he told me hoarsely that he had taken a bath and changed the bedsheets in my room. He was sure that I would love it. I did not believe him because I had heard him moaning in bed with Willow Summers for three hours from the closet. Willow Summers was his childhood sweetheart and my sister. I clicked on a webpage from my cell without hesitation. "Miss Summers, your appointment for creating a fake death has been confirmed. Time of Death: One week later Location of Death: The wedding hall on the top floor of the Century Building Cause of Death: Suicide from jumping off a building!"

By six, Amelia had whipped up a six-dish dinner with soup—Chad Felton's favorites, of course. By seven, she'd prepped his bath, complete with rose petals and candles. By eight, his slippers were perfectly lined up by the door. At nine, Chad finally strolled in. Amelia stepped up, taking his suit jacket. "Eat first or bathe?" she asked, setting the slippers in front of him and hanging the jacket. "Bathe," he muttered, eyes glued to his phone.

In the heart of Cedar Grove, shadows conceal more than secrets— they whisper truths. Dr. Isla Rivers never thought she'd return to her small hometown, let alone to the clinic her father built. But after his mysterious disappearance, Isla steps into his shoes, seeking solace among furry patients and the echoes of a life she left behind. The quiet town holds more than nostalgia, though. Strange sounds haunt her clinic, shadows stretch unnaturally, and whispers from her childhood dreams beckon her toward the unknown. When a journal marked with her father’s enigmatic crescent moon symbol appears, Isla is thrust into a world she never imagined—one where werewolves roam the woods, a prophecy threatens to unravel reality, and her own bloodline holds a secret more powerful than she’s ready to face. Guided by a cryptic stranger named Astra and an unwelcome connection to Luca Moreau, the brooding alpha of the local pack, Isla must confront the truth about her father’s disappearance, her heritage, and the prophecy that ties her fate to the Crescent Moon pack. But as passions ignite and dangers close in, Isla must decide who to trust and what sacrifices she’s willing to make—for love, for family, and for the truth that could reshape both the human and werewolf worlds forever. Welcome to Cedar Grove. The wolves are waiting.

In the fifth year of Gwyneth Payne's marriage to Asher Crowe, he tells her thrice that he wants to bring Liana Quayle along with them when they migrate. Gwyneth puts down the dishes she's just prepared and asks him why. He's frank with her. "I don't want to keep this from you anymore. Liana lives in the residential area beside ours. She's spent nine years with me, and I owe her too much. I must bring her with me when we migrate." Gwyneth doesn't cry or kick up a fuss. Instead, she books a ticket for Liana on their flight. Asher thinks she's finally seen sense. On the day they leave the country, Gwyneth watches Asher and Liana board the flight. Then, she turns and boards another flight that will take her back to her parents' home.