At the Winter Solstice ceremony, Kael publicly severed our Mate Bond, slipping the Luna’s bone ring onto Selene’s finger. Without a second glance, my Alpha condemned me to the cursed Deadlands to be torn apart by mutated beasts. Now, as the True Wolf Queen, I stand before a dying pack. I must make an irreversible choice: ignite my pureblood to resurrect the ancestral wards, or let the abyss consume them all. Yet, wielding this ancient magic demands a brutal cost. Suppressing the corrupted ley lines means I will suffer soul-tearing bone agony every Blood Moon. Stripped of his authority by the Blood Vetting bowl that exposed his false Luna, Kael crawls at my boots. He begs me to reconnect our bond to cure the venom ravaging his veins. Will I save the mate who left me to die?