Zeno Stoic

The Crown’s Bargain Emilia Valoria has spent her life in the shadows of her royal lineage, content to be overlooked as the second princess of the Kingdom of Avariel. But when her elder sister defies tradition and elopes, Emilia is thrust into the spotlight, forced to fulfill the royal obligation her sister abandoned: an arranged marriage to the stoic and enigmatic Prince Kael of Arindale. Determined to protect her kingdom from the fragile alliance's collapse, Emilia reluctantly agrees to the union. However, her first encounter with Kael proves more tumultuous than she expected—his cold demeanor hides a kingdom scarred by betrayal, and his heart, she suspects, is locked away behind impenetrable walls. As Emilia navigates the intrigue of a foreign court, political machinations threaten to tear the kingdoms apart. Bound by duty but drawn together by fleeting moments of vulnerability, Emilia and Kael must decide whether their marriage will remain a mere contract or evolve into something neither of them dared to hope for: love. Caught between loyalty to her kingdom and the desires of her heart, Emilia must find her voice in a world that demands silence, proving that even in an arranged marriage, she has the power to rewrite her own destiny.

They say fate chooses your mate. But what if fate is cruel? Aiden has always been a nobody—abandoned, cursed, forgotten. Raised by Jake, the stoic professor who saved him once. Aiden vanished at sixteen after confessing the one truth that shattered everything: “he loves him.” Now twenty-five and hiding a deadly secret—a feral lycan curse counting down the days—Jake walks into Aiden’s college classroom as his student. Aiden was older, obviously. But, he was bitter and still hurting. Jake left his pack, his title, and his past behind for a quiet life of just books and lectures. But nothing prepared him for Aiden’s return—or the soul-deep pull that threatened to destroy the walls he had built. As the time for curse creeps closer, only one thing can save Aiden- his true mate. Jake’s not just the professor. He’s the one thing Aiden can’t have… and the only one who can save him.