Two dying packs. One dangerous lie. And a bond neither of them can escape. The war between the Steelclaw and Riverbend packs has raged for centuries- and now it's destroying them from the inside out. Wolves are dying faster than they can be replaced. Pups are no longer being born. Extinction is no longer a possibility... It's a certainty. Peace comes with a price. Elizabeth of Riverbend is given to the enemy Alpha in a forced union meant to end the bloodshed. Her mate-in-name is Arlo Steelclaw- cold, powerful, and feared by every wolf who speaks his name. Their marriage will bind the packs under one treaty... if they can keep the lie alive. They must convince everyone they've been secretly, obsessively in love for a year. Every touch practiced. Every heated look rehearsed. Every shared bed strictly for appearances. Until it's not. Arlo's dominance is suffocating-and intoxicating. Elizabeth's defiance makes him burn. What begins as obligation turns into temptation, then desire so fierce it leaves them shattered and gasping in the dark. Each stolen moment blurs the line between deception and truth, between enemies and something far more dangerous. But loving the enemy Alpha could cost Elizabeth everything. As rival wolves circle and betrayal threatens the fragile truce, one truth becomes clear: lies can ignite passion- but only love can survive the coming war.