Our Broken Howls

Seraphina Rowe never wanted a mate. She wanted freedom, a job in the city, her own apartment, and a life far away from the endless traditions of wolf society. But when her father’s sudden illness forces her back to her hometown, she is caught in an ancient custom she can’t refuse: the Marriage Lottery. Every year, unmated wolves from allied towns are bound into arranged unions chosen by the Elders, meant to keep peace among families. Seraphina’s name was never supposed to be drawn. But when it is, she finds herself betrothed to Kaelen Ardyn, the boy who once humiliated her at school, the arrogant son of a respected family, the wolf who made it clear he would never want her. Kaelen rejects her on the night of the ceremony, in front of the entire community. Shattered and desperate, Sera leaves the town, carrying his child in secret. For three years she raises her daughter in silence, building a small, quiet life far from the suffocating traditions of her kind. But fate has its claws. When the Marriage Lottery is threatened by rebellion and the wolves demand accountability for the “failed bond,” Seraphina is summoned back. This time, Kaelen is not allowed to reject her again, he must claim her, or their families will pay the price. Trapped in a marriage neither of them wanted, bound by a child Kaelen doesn’t yet know exists, they must navigate lies, jealousy, betrayal, and the dangerous pull of a bond that refuses to break. And when Kaelen discovers her secret, the rejection that once shattered her may turn into his greatest regret or their only chance at salvation.