Mara wanted one thing on Christmas Eve: to forget she had ever been loved.She wakes the next morning with no memory of the man who held her—only the echo of his control, and a body that remembers what her mind cannot. He lets her go without a name, without a claim, without mercy.lucian remembers everything.An Alpha who rules by restraint, he knows claiming her too soon would break her. So he watches from the shadows as the bond tightens, waiting, patient and dangerous.When mara discovers she’s pregnant, the truth becomes impossible to outrun. The child awakens the mating bond fully—and with it, enemies, hunger, and a desire that borders on ruin. Each passing holiday pulls them closer, each act of resistance making Lucian's control more fragile.Because some Alphas don’t chase.They wait—until walking away is no longer an option.