Blood Upon The Snow

Prince Jasper has always been told that monsters cannot be reasoned with.

So when a stranger is dragged into the castle in chains-a man who refuses to speak, bears the scars of a hard life, and is said to become a monstrous bear beneath certain nights. Jasper expects to find something fearsome.

Instead, he finds someone unbearably lonely.

Matthias has spent years running from the curse that stole his family and convinced him he deserves nothing but solitude. Silence is safer than words. Distance is kinder than love. He dreams only of escaping the walls built around him and disappearing into the forests, where no one can be hurt by the beast he carries inside.

Yet the prince keeps returning.

With fresh bandages for a broken arm. A warm meal shared in silence. Stories read aloud to fill the quiet. Little by little, distrust softens into familiarity, and familiarity into something neither of them is willing to name.

But some hearts are harder to free than iron chains.

As whispers spread through the kingdom and old lies surrounding cursed men begin to unravel, Jasper is forced to question the world he was raised to inherit, while Matthias must decide whether he is more than the monster he believes himself to be.

In a kingdom that has always feared beasts, the greatest act of defiance may be allowing oneself to be known.