Brotan They made me a weapon years ago. I've spent my life fighting—in the camps, in the pits, on the streets. Violence is the only language I truly understand. When Hammer assigns me to protect the new town doctor, I tell myself it's just another mission. But Maya Johnson isn't like other humans. She sees past my scars, my tusks, my rage—straight to the heart I thought died in those camps. Her gentle hands and unflinching courage make me want impossible peace, belonging, a future worth fighting for. But someone's targeting her to get to me, and the closer we become, the greater the danger I bring to her door. I'll burn the world down to keep her safe—even if it means walking away. Maya Running from New York was supposed to be my fresh start. Shadow Ridge needs a doctor, and I need redemption—a chance to practice medicine without the ghosts of my failures haunting every corridor. What I don't need is a massive, brooding orc with amber eyes and battle scars shadowing my every move. Brotan is everything I should dangerous, damaged, a study in barely leashed fury. He's also gentle in ways that break my heart, protective in ways that make me feel alive again. But as fires erupt around town and threats close in, I realize his demons aren't buried in the past—they're hunting us both in the present. The question isn't whether I can heal him, but whether either of us will survive long enough to try. Will this wounded warrior and determined healer find salvation in each other's arms, or will the past they're both running from destroy their chance at happiness? This steamy, small-town romance features a protective alpha orc, a strong-willed doctor heroine, forced proximity, grumpy-sunshine dynamics, slow-burn heat, and a guaranteed HEA.