At the Gloamridge Claiming Board, Eden Harker waits for Joss Carey to name her. Instead he names her half-sister Odessa, and the pack laughs while Odessa spills ink on Eden’s dress.
Eden hides in the old bell tower and finds a wounded stranger in the storm. Mating heat takes over. By dawn he is gone, and a secret bite burns on her shoulder.
The feared Alpha Varek Lorne needs a bride for the council. He chooses Eden. His bargain is cold: she will stand at his side, her sick mother will be cared for, and he will never love her. His aunt and brother give her a warm room. Varek gives her rules.
He is still searching for the lost woman he calls his mate. Eden hides the bite that could prove she is more than a contract. If Varek learns the truth, his cold vow may be the least dangerous thing between them.
