For fated mates, going from friends to lovers should be a smooth transition, but Ladon and Magnus have never had things easy.



Ladon has to be alpha. How is he supposed to do that? At twenty years old, Ladon knows he's too young to be Saint Lakes' Alpha, but no one listens. Not even his mate, Magnus, and he's Ladon's best friend.



Magnus is a vampire in trouble. He's out of town on a dangerous investigative mission when Ladon shifts into his dragon for the first time. They've waited years for this day. It's means they can complete their bond. But Magnus's mission goes sideways, and he's stuck in a lab with a crazy doctor wanting to use him as a pin cushion.



Ladon wonders if bonding with his fated mate just isn't in the cards. And Magnus can't think about anything but the pain the lab doctor inflicts.



Can Ladon get to Magnus in time to save his life?



Contains mature themes.