
A hidden throne. A hunted mark. A secret that could set the world aflame.
For nearly twenty-one years, Seren has lived the life of "tomfoolery" and rigorous training in the rugged wilds of Glen Affric, Scotland. Raised by Aspen, a solemn hunter who pulled her from the tangled roots of an apple tree, her world has been defined by the safety of the woods and the playful, intense bond she shares with Bryn. Butr Seren is not like the others. She bears the star-mark-- the rarest sigil in the land-- a symbol that the Three Courts have whispered about, feared, and fought over since the day she was born.
Seren believed her origin was merely a fortunate rescue, but her twenty-first birthday looms, the truth can no longer be hidden behind training sessions and forest banter. Her mother didn't just leave her by the Afanc pool by chance; she placed her there- in the shadow of a legendary monster notorious for devouring the unwary- as a final, desperate act of protection.
Now, the "morning dread" is no longer about getting out of bed. It's about the handcrafted leather book and satchel left in her room- the keys to a heritage that involves a lost throne and a kingdom that once hunted her as an infant. As the Seelie and Unseelie forces begin to stir, Seren must realize that her mark is more than a curiosity; it is a power that threatens the very balance of the faerie courts.
With Aspen's secrets finally surfacing and her relationship with Bryn shifting from childhood companions to something much more deeper and more dangerous, Seren must choose: will she remain hidden in the shadows of the trees, or will she embrace the starlight that once nearly drowned her?

