Maera has never been soft, never wanted to be saved, and certainly never asked for a mate —especially not a cold, commanding Alpha who thinks silence is power and distance is discipline. Gripped by a restless temper and a wolf as prickly as her own heart, she's content on the edge—unseen, unneeded. So when fate ties her to a stranger with haunted eyes and a pack of his own, her instinct is simple: bark first, deal later. But destiny doesn’t care how bad her mood is. In the shadows of duty and identity, where instincts clash and trust is hard-earned, Maera is forced to face the truth she’s long avoided: that her snarls are shields, and the real battle is inside. As she learns to listen—to her wolf, her instincts, and the quiet strength she's buried—Lira begins a slow, painful unraveling into the woman she was always meant to become. Not just a mate. Not just a Luna. Herself.