A king bound by ambition. A girl scarred by fate. And a matebond powerful enough to bring a kingdom to its knees. Narine never expected to survive. Not after what was done to her—body, mind, and soul. But fate had other plans. Rescued by Supreme Alpha Sargis, the kingdom’s most feared ruler, she finds herself under the protection of a man she doesn’t know… and a bond she doesn’t understand. Sargis is no stranger to sacrifice. Ruthless, ambitious, and loyal to the sacred matebond, he’s spent years searching for the soul fate promised him, never imagining she would come to him broken, on the brink of death, and afraid of her own shadow. He never meant to fall for her… but he does. Hard and fast. And he’ll burn the world before letting anyone hurt her again. What begins in silence between two fractured souls slowly grows into something intimate and real. But healing is never linear. And love? Love is a war. With the court whispering, the past clawing at their heels, and the future hanging by a thread, their bond is tested again and again. Because falling in love is one thing. Surviving it? That’s a war of its own. Narine must decide, Can she survive being loved by a man who burns like fire, when all she’s ever known is how not to feel? Will she shrink for the sake of peace—or rise as Queen for the sake of his soul? Their love is fated. But fate never promised it would be kind. For readers who believe even the most fractured souls can be whole again—and that true love doesn't save you. It stands beside you while you save yourself.