Claire survives within the Shadowfang clan carrying a fractured spirit that leaves her unable to shift, enduring endless mockery as an unworthy defective. Her domestic life becomes unbearable when her mother marries the pack elder, placing Claire under the daily gaze of Alpha Ilia, her brooding, merciless new stepbrother. Although they exchange cutting insults by day, an ancient fated-mate connection sparks undeniable heat whenever they are alone.
As rival werewolf factions launch brutal border raids, Ilia sheds his aloof exterior, placing his own throat on the line to defend Claire from pack elders seeking her execution. Refusing to yield to clan traditions that ostracize the weak, Ilia confronts his entire council with bared fangs. He vows to crown Claire as the undisputed supreme queen of their territory or burn the pack down trying.
