Some bloodlines are born to rule. Others are born to break the curse.In the heart of New Orleans, where ancient families rule from behind gilded doors and the Louisiana bayou guards secrets older than the city itself, Elle Dubois has spent her entire life preparing to become a queen.Born into one of the five founding bloodlines, Elle has always known her future was never truly her own. Her marriage to Victor Marcello, the next Alpha King, was arranged before she was born, a sacred union meant to preserve the power of their families and uphold an ancient blood oath.But on the day she is supposed to become his queen, everything falls apart. Noah Baptiste, the boy who once knew her heart better than anyone, returns from the wetlands carrying a dangerous secret. His blood holds a power that the Alpha Council fears, and his return threatens to expose the dark truth behind the traditions that have controlled their families for generations.Then, before the eyes of New Orleans' most powerful bloodlines, Noah publicly rejects Elle and shatters the last piece of her heart.Betrayed by the two men who have shaped her future, Elle walks away from the throne she was born to inherit. But the ancient oath binding her bloodline will not release her so easily.Deep beneath the cypress trees, something has awakened. The wolves are howling. The old magic is stirring. And the secrets buried in the bayou are beginning to surface.As Elle uncovers the truth about her ancestry, the Rougarou legend, and the real purpose of her arranged marriage, she must decide whether to surrender to the destiny her family chose for her—or become the very force that brings their kingdom to its knees.Because the girl they betrayed is not destined to remain broken.She may have been born to wear a crown. But she was never meant to bow.And when the Bayou Queen finally rises, every broken oath will demand its price.