Novaria Santiago lost everything in just one day—her job she had fought so hard to find, the fiancé she shared half her life with, and the fragile connection she still had with her twin sister.

The only thing she couldn't afford to lose was what little dignity she had left—especially not at a wedding that should have been hers.

That's why she found herself needing him—the handsome stranger across the street but what she didn't realize then that he was there to stay.


Zion Ashcroft, soon-to-be Alpha of Oregon City, couldn't believe his eyes. The crazy woman yelling at his assistant had his wolf growling possessively for the first time in twenty-five years. He'd never thought he'd be capable of loving anyone else, but something about her drew him in. Why was he so inexplicably pulled to her? Why did his emotions bubble over whenever she was near?

He preferred solitude—had always been that way—but suddenly, being near her, even as she drove him nuts, felt different. They shouldn't be together. He was an alpha, and she was a human. It was supposed to be impossible.Yet, despite all that, he found himself falling head over heels for her.

With his dark past and a host of enemies, he struggled to protect her from both external threats and his own demons. Could their bond be strong enough to conquer everything? Or would they lose each other—and themselves—in the process?

Zion had barely managed thirty minutes of relative peace on the terrace, his mind wandering through the labyrinth of what his life would look like after the coronation. Since his father's departure, he'd struggled to focus on anything else—the weight of leadership, the endless expectations, the rituals like the hunt that loomed over him. But inevitably, his thoughts drifted back to Aubigo, to the whirlwind of that trip and the woman who'd left an indelible mark. Her face flashed in his mind, unbidden, stirring something deep in his chest that he couldn't shake. Gunther, his wolf, was relentless, obsessing over her day and night—her scent, her eyes, the way she moved. It was maddening.


Chapter 31 - Chapter 31