He was supposed to be her enemy. He was never supposed to be her mate. Ophelia didn't come to Blackwood to find love. She came to negotiate a treaty, represent her pack, and get out—preferably without killing anyone. But the moment Alpha Calix Blackwood looks at her, she feels it. The pull. The bond she never wanted with a man she has every reason to hate. Then he rejects her. Publicly. Coldly. Without hesitation. Humiliated and forced to remain in enemy territory for weeks of negotiations, Ophelia refuses to break. She's survived worse than one arrogant Alpha who looked her in the eye and chose politics over fate. But Calix isn't as indifferent as he pretends—and the more time they spend circling each other, the harder it becomes to remember why she's supposed to despise him. Some bonds can't be burned. Some betrayals can't be forgiven. And some choices will destroy them both.