She waited three years for him to complete the mate bond. Instead, he raised the Unbonded Tax, mocked her poverty, and promised “next year” again and again. When Alice can no longer afford the tax, the Pack Council assigns her a stranger—Silas, a quiet academy teacher. But Silas is no stranger. He remembers the girl who once warmed her hands in the snow outside his classroom. Night after night, he secretly fills her flour sack and leaves venison by her door. Now bound by fate, Alice must choose: keep chasing a liar’s empty promises, or embrace the silent wolf who has been loving her all along.
