What if the monster you were sold to wasn't the real danger?

They call him the Monster. Nine wives. Nine graves. No heirs.

I was supposed to be the tenth.

Sold by my family to save a sister who betrayed me, I thought survival meant staying invisible.

 But when I healed Alpha Kael Cinderclaw in the snow, I accidentally bound us together, a mate bond neither of us wanted and neither can sever.

Now I feel his rage like fire beneath my skin.

 He feels my fear like a blade against his throat. And the fortress that buried nine wives is watching us both.

My family wanted me erased.
His enemies want me dead.

And Kael? He looks at me like I'm the one thing he can't afford to want—but can't let go.

They wanted a sacrifice.
They're getting an awakening.
In a world where power is everything, the wolfless girl just became the Alpha's greatest weakness, and his most dangerous obsession.

I stood at the edge of the training ring with my arms folded, staring at the empty floor as if Liora were still standing there.


The stone still held faint marks from the morning session. Scratches from Mira's blade. Drops of dried blood that hadn't been cleaned yet. The hall felt quiet now, but not calm. It felt like something had been left unfinished.


"She shouldn't have stayed standing that long," Mira said behind me. "Most people would have quit halfway through the second round."


"No," she replied. "She got slower, she got weaker, and she kept getting hit, but she didn't quit."


I turned to face her. "Is she improving?"


"Yes," Mira said without hesitation. "Faster than she should be."


Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: What it means now