She was groomed to be the perfect mate for another man. Now, she belongs to the Elder who trained her. Adinah did everything right. As a rogue orphan taken in by the Candle District, she followed every rule, learned every custom, and prepared to pay back her debt by mating the son of a powerful family. But when he rejects her at the altar and his family demands her exile, Adinah is left destitute, humiliated, and alone. Elder Maya is the clan’s enforcer of tradition. For two hundred years, she has stood as a pillar of discipline, emotionless and solitary. She doesn't take mates. She doesn't break rules. Until she sees her former student about to be thrown to the wolves. In a move that shocks the Council, Maya claims Adinah, offering her name and protection to save her from banishment. But the arrangement comes with a it’s a marriage of duty, not desire. Maya is ancient, dangerous, and set in her ways. Adinah is young, soft-hearted, and craving love she’s never known. Living in Maya’s secluded estate, the lines between mentor and mate begin to blur. And as the heat between them rises, they realize the only thing more dangerous than breaking tradition is falling for the one person you were never meant to have.