Deanna Thomas

A king bound by ambition. A girl scarred by fate. And a matebond powerful enough to bring a kingdom to its knees. Narine never expected to survive, not after what was done to her body, mind, and soul. But fate had other plans. Rescued by Supreme Alpha Sargis, the kingdom’s most feared ruler, she finds herself under the protection of a man she doesn’t know… and a bond she doesn’t understand. Sargis is no stranger to sacrifice. Ruthless, ambitious, and loyal to the sacred matebond, he’s spent years searching for the soul fate promised him, never imagining she would come to him broken, on the brink of death, and afraid of her own shadow. He never meant to fall for her… but he does. Hard and fast. And he’ll burn the world before letting anyone hurt her again. What began in silence between two fractured souls slowly grows into something intimate and real. But healing is never linear. And love? Love is a war. With the court whispering, the past clawing at their heels, and the future hanging by a thread, their bond is tested again and again. Because falling in love is one thing. Surviving it? That’s a war of its own. Narine must decide, Can she survive being loved by a man who burns like fire, when all she’s ever known is how not to feel? Will she shrink for the sake of peace, or rise as Queen for the sake of his soul? For readers who believe even the most fractured souls can be whole again, and that true love doesn't save you. It stands beside you while you save yourself.

If you ask my Alpha father to tell you about anyone in the pack, then he will speak about them in high esteem. If you talk to him about me, then he will deny even knowing me. While parents are supposed to love and protect their children, my father does the exact opposite. No one in our pack even knows that I'm alive. They all think that I died in childbirth. Along with my mother. And he's hated me for that ever since. And he's told me that the pack would hate me for killing their Luna. Only if they really knew the truth. But approaching my 16th birthday our pack had visitors come to help with training the warriors. My father thinking that our pack was becoming an easy target. And well, it was. Until the Alpha of the Protectors Pack found me and declared that I was his and not my fathers. But is that enough to stop my father from trying to get me back? Is there more to my story than I know? Is there a reason why my father kept me beaten and secluded? I guess I was going to have to find out what his real motives are. And how far he is willing to go to get his own way.

"I'm an ordinary waiter, but I can see people's fate, including Shifters. Like all children, I was tested for magic when I was only a few days old. Since my specific bloodline is unknown and my magic is unidentifiable, I was marked with a delicate swirling pattern around my upper right arm. I do have magic, just as the tests showed, but it has never lined up with any known Magic species. I can't breathe fire like a dragon Shifter, or hex people who piss me off like Witches. I can't make potions like an Alchemist or seduce people like a Succubus. Now I don't mean to be unappreciative of the power I do have, it's interesting and all, but it just really doesn't pack much of a punch and most of the time it is just pretty much useless. My special magical skill is the ability to see threads of fate. Most of life is annoying enough for me, and what never occurred to me is that my mate is a rude, pompous nuisance. He's an Alpha and my friend's twin brother. --------------------------------------- “What are you doing? This is my home, you can't just let yourself in!” I try and keep my voice firm but when he turns and fixes me with his golden eyes I shrink back. The look he gives me is imperious and I automatically drop my eyes to the floor as is my habit. Then I force myself to look back up again. He doesn't notice me looking up because he's already looked away from me. He's being rude, I refuse to show that he's scaring me, even though he most definitely is. He glances around and after realising that the only place to sit is the little table with its two chairs he points to it. “Sit.” he orders. I glare at him. Who is he to order me around like this? How can someone this obnoxious possibly be my soul mate? Maybe I'm still asleep. I pinch my arm and my eyes water a little from the sting of pain."