A royal secret. A dangerous power. And a love that may conquer all-or destroy everything. Still reeling from the deaths of her father and brother, Ary Gold survives only by sheer will in the icy wilds of the North. But when friends arrive with stories of long-lost magic and a power buried in her newly discovered royal blood, Ary is thrust into a fate far larger than her sorrow. The realm of Nyrida is under threat. An ancient shadow wielder has risen, determined to claim Ary's power and plunge the world into corrupted darkness. To stop him, Ary must marry the commander she's been promised to-a man whose army could help them win the war-and train to fight alongside him. But her fiercest challenge may not be on the battlefield. Assigned to shape her into a warrior is a man cloaked in violence and secrets. Cold, commanding, and maddeningly unreadable, he isn't her betrothed... but he may be her undoing. As sparks fly and loyalties are tested, Ary must decide whether to follow the path laid out for her-or risk everything for a love as wild and dangerous as the power awakeninginside her. Power is awakening. Love is a liability. And the fate of the world rests in the hands of a grieving girl who never asked to be chosen.