Bonds Of Silence

I DON'T own any of the images used in this story or cover (unless otherwises specified), all images come from pintrest so I'm not entirely sure of the true owners.

Deep in the wilderness, far from the noise of roads and the weight of human expectation, Lucia Woods has built a quiet life among the forgotten. In a weathered cabin nestled between trees and mist, she tends to injured wildlife with steady hands and a guarded heart. Known only in passing by the nearby village, Lucia speaks little, trusts less, and has long since stopped expecting the world to offer her kindness. Her solace lies in routine-tea left to steep too long, charcoal sketches of the animals she's saved, and the silent comfort of solitude.

But something in the forest is changing.

Strange tracks in the forests. A stillness in the trees that feels too intentional. Animals gone missing. And sometimes, when the wind is just right, she swears she isn't alone.

Above and beyond that quiet world, Ka'renok watches. A veteran Yautja of gray-honor, cast to walk the border between honor and duty, he has no home but the hunt. Bound by silence and shaped by war, Ka'renok moves through shadow with reverence and precision. He distrusts humans-loud, deceitful creatures who glorify weakness and destroy what they cannot control. But in his path, one quiet human lingers like a flaw in his focus. She should be meaningless. Instead, she unsettles him.

Sent to this world on a mission that requires to kill, observation and patience, Ka'renok expects nothing from Earth but complication. What he doesn't expect is Lucia.

As their worlds begin to brush-first in glimpses, then in something deeper-they are both pulled into a quiet, dangerous bond neither understands. In a forest hiding more than scars and silence, hunter and healer must decide whether what connects them is worth the cost of being seen.