They told her the wolf was a monster. They lied about the man, too.
Audrei Valenor has spent her life in hiding—burying her magic, her blood, and the truth of what she is. But when violence shatters the fragile life she’s built, hiding is no longer an option.
Forced to flee across the continent with Kael Astrund, a man as dangerous as he is controlled. Audrei is pulled into a world unraveling at its seams. Power is shifting. Rulers are tightening their grip. And something long buried is beginning to wake.
Hunted for what she is and feared for what she might become, Audrei discovers she is not simply part of the coming storm, she may be the force that shapes it.
Kael knows exactly what destiny costs. Bound by silence and burdened by truth, he walks the line between protector and weapon. But the longer they run, the harder it becomes to keep the truth buried—and some revelations may destroy them both.
As rebellion rises and monsters stir, Audrei must decide: remain the girl who survived… or become the woman the world fears.
Because power demands a choice. And refusing to choose may cost her everything.
For readers of Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window and Carissa Broadbent's The Serpent and the Wings of Night.
562 pages of slow-burn romance, morally grey men, hunted heirs, and the quiet violence of fate.
Tropes:
- Don't touch her
- Morally grey MMC
- Hunted heir
- Hidden bloodline
- Forced proximity
- Unkind prophecy
- Slow burn
- Fate vs. choice
Heat: 3 / 5 — sexual content present, not graphic or explicit.
Content warnings:
- graphic violence and body horror
- death and bereavement
- captivity
- religious oppression
- war and political violence
- full list on author's website
