Sloane devotes fifteen long years to Grant, proposing ninety-nine times to the foster ward her noble family sheltered from poverty. When Grant finally consents to an official mating ritual, Sloane waits in full bridal finery from sunrise to sunset, only to learn he ditched their ceremony to attend to a servant's sick pet. Exhausted by decades of humiliating neglect, Sloane draws the line and refuses to wait another second.
Turning toward Rowan, the fearsome lion prince who silently desired her for years, Sloane asks him for a binding alliance on the spot. Rowan rushes to the ceremonial hall before the gates close, sealing their eternal union. When Grant arrogantly assumes Sloane will crawl back begging, he walks into Hartwell Manor to find the supreme apex beast staking his sovereign claim.
