Twenty-six-year-old Maya Thorne is given until sunset to marry—or lose the café shares her grandmother left her to the arrogant ex her family has chosen. Refusing to be traded, Maya makes a reckless proposal to Silas, a wounded stranger she finds outside a night clinic. She thinks she has married a broke street fighter with dangerous cheekbones. In truth, Silas is the Lycan King who was declared dead seven years ago. As Maya’s family, a discriminatory corporation, and Grayhaven’s elite try to humiliate her, she fights back with receipts, legal filings, and a talent for exposing what powerful people hide. Silas can destroy her enemies with one command—but to keep Maya, he must learn to protect her without controlling her. Their fake marriage grows dangerously real just as a royal crest awakens in Maya’s hand, revealing the lost Moonshadow bloodline and drawing the attention of Celeste, the regent who stole half the royal seal. To uncover what happened to Maya’s missing father and reclaim the throne, Maya and Silas must survive poisoned gifts, public trials, pack politics, and a bond neither of them will accept unless it is freely chosen.
