Vasilisa Sidkorolyavolkva is a Lycan of royal blood. She knows what is expected of her, but all she wants is to be out from under her family's watchful eyes. Every day she feels the weight of the legacy passed down through generations-the prophecy that says a man will come to claim her as his mate, and that she will guard his soul. But nothing seems real until the night she meets him in the flesh.... Afanasiv Belan is a Carpathian, an ancient one. In all the centuries of his existence, no one has ever affected him like Vasilisa. They both know they must reveal the darkest parts of their souls if they hope to survive and protect the ones they love. But if they claim each other as lifemates, it will change them down to the bone. They will become something more-something feared by both of their kinds....