Vargan They call me "beast" for a reason. Violence runs in my blood—a primal force I've spent my life containing. One wrong move, one moment where I lose control, and I become everything humans fear about orcs. After that night in New York, I'm a wanted man with nothing but my bike and the open road ahead. Then a breakdown lands me in Shadow Ridge, where Savvy Greene offers something I'd forgotten kindness with no strings attached. Her fierce determination to save her family's legacy awakens something dormant inside me—a need to protect, to stand my ground, to fight for something beyond survival. But men like me don't get second chances, and the longer I remain, the darker the shadow I cast over everything she's built. Savvy Saving my family's diner from Victor Hargrove has consumed my life for three years. Every day is a battle against time, money, and the crushing weight of responsibility for a town that's slowly dying around me. I don't have room for distractions—especially not six and a half feet of green-skinned, broad-shouldered distraction with amber eyes that see through my carefully constructed walls. Vargan is everything I should an outlaw, a drifter, a living reminder that some fights can't be won alone. He's also the first person since my parents died who makes me feel like I'm more than just the keeper of a fading legacy. But as I open my heart to him, I discover the truth of why he's here—and how his presence might cost me everything I've spent years fighting to preserve. Will our forbidden connection become the strength we both need, or the catalyst for our mutual destruction? This steamy, small-town romance features a protective alpha orc, a determined curvy heroine, enemies-to-lovers tension, found family dynamics, and a guaranteed HEA.