In the borderlands, halfling wolves are relegated to subservient positions in their packs. For Kaien, a halfling wolf of mixed, magical heritage, it's unacceptable that he can never rise to the stature his instincts tell him he so richly deserves. Attached to a half-pack as an advisor and runner who receives an occasional pat on the head from his alpha, Vigor, when he secretly yearns for more, the underling begins pushing the envelope around the brawny, fire-haired wolf. Behavior that earns him swift, hard discipline and the unexpected tangle of a passionate connection neither can lawfully actualize as mates in the current power structure. What will they do when they realize neither of them wants to let go of the other? A short m/m, alpha male, shifter romance prequel in the 'Dark Moon Pack' series with extremely steamy, domination elements set in a world of post-apocalyptic magic and high intrigue.