Born and raised in the Divisions, Jade was destined to be a fighter. A Protector. But the life chosen for her was not the one she wanted to die for. An Alpha for a mate would be the very thing that flips her world on its axis. He'd either be the very reason for her untimely demise or the only being that could give her the life she always wanted. Slate Parker would move the heavens above and the earth below to have her as his own. And that very instinct would see her fighting against the fabric that held their fragile bond.

When a murder shakes her tiny village, Alera will discover a horrifying link between the scars on her arms and the werewolves and vampires that stalk her home. ***** Nineteen-year-old Alera has grown up in the village of Adaymos, listening to stories about the monsters that live in the forest that surround her home. Labelled an outcast because of the scars on her arm, she's an easy scapegoat after one of the villagers is found murdered, but when newcomer Will is framed instead she's forced to question everything she knows about the mysterious outsider. Could he really be the killer? Or is he hiding more about the werewolves and vampires that live in the forest -- and the truth behind Alera's scars -- than he lets on? [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]