Covenant of the Lunar Eclipse

In 1946, deep inside an abandoned silver mine in Black Pine, Oregon, young mine owner Walter Sinclair ventured underground and freed Kael Warren, the Wolf King, bound by silver chains in the Old Well of the Black Moon. Owing Walter his life, Kael swore a single favor: one deed, for Walter or his bloodline, and nothing more. Eighty years later in Seattle, Walter calls in that final vow on his deathbed. He commands Kael to guard his granddaughter Avery Sinclair as her husband for five years, long enough for her to secure the Sinclair Group until her thirtieth birthday. Kael agrees and steps into the Sinclair household as a ragged, nameless drifter. Forced into a marriage license, Avery watches him with sharp suspicion; she trusts no one. Her cold, cruel mother Helen closes in, and Julian Moran presses his relentless pursuit, while the ancient laws of the Moon Covenant hang heavy over them all. Kael must hide his true nature, quietly shielding her from silver poison, mine collapses, assassinations and ruthless corporate warfare. Avery pushes him away time and again, yet he keeps pulling her back from the brink. As the five-year term draws near, Kael’s secret unravels: he is the imprisoned Wolf King of the Black Moon. Helen and Julian conspire, using blood covenant nails, falsified ledgers and forged evidence to stage a coup. Avery rises from her breakdown, untangles every fraud, and stops treating Kael like a bargaining chip. Inside the Moon Covenant Hall, Kael reveals his royal ring and abolishes the old blood laws. Avery takes her seat as the head of House Sinclair. They part at the moon-track station of the old Black Moon fortress; Kael heads north for his pack, and Avery tells him, “I leave the door open, but I leave no escape route.” The story ends as she turns, lantern in hand, and walks toward her own battlefield.