Clara Evans was discarded by her pack the day her mate rejected her for her own sister. Labeled a defective, wolfless burden, she was the easiest thing to give away when the pack could not pay their financial debt to the exiled Alpha of the western mountains.Julian Hayes is a monster. He lives in a heavily guarded, isolated estate because a dark affliction makes his wolf violently unstable and impossible to touch. He does not want a mate. He wants isolation, and he makes it clear that Clara is just a servant to clear a debt. She is to clean his home, leave his meals, and never look him in the eye. But Clara is used to surviving monsters. Julian's cold, quiet house feels like a sanctuary compared to the pack she left behind. When his affliction triggers a violent episode, Clara breaks his only rule and approaches him. Instead of tearing her apart, her touch does the impossible. It quiets the beast in his mind. Julian soon realizes the broken girl he accepted as a debt payment is hiding a dormant power that can cure his affliction. But her old pack just realized what they gave away, and they are coming to take her back.