Jayla knows there’s something wrong with her. All the other women who volunteered for the Bride program have met their matches and settled down. It’s been five years, but Jayla is still alone. The closest she’s ever gotten to a connection is with Frey, a sexy, solemn warrior who seemed interested for a while, but he’s made it quite clear he won’t have her. Not that she cares. If he doesn’t want her, that’s his problem… at least, that’s what she keeps telling herself. Desperate to understand what’s holding her back from finding a true bond, Jayla books an appointment with a doctor who might be able to help. It’s a risk, but it’s one she has to take. Unfortunately, the answers she seeks may be far more disturbing than she could have expected. This is a bad idea, and Frey knows it. He should give Jayla the distance she needs. They’ve had five years to form a bond, but it has not happened. Five years of orbiting around each other, sparking and snapping at each other, with no pair-bond in sight. Where once they looked at each other with interest, now they fight every time they try to talk. Frey knows Jayla hates him by now; she wants nothing to do with him. But when he hears that she’s planning a dangerous journey alone, he knows he has to go with her. Even if they aren’t meant to be together; even if she hates the sight of him now; he can still protect her. And when he learns that her condition is even more dangerous than he imagined, Frey will be there to help her… whether she likes it or not.