Lady Rachiele, 18, has spent the last eight years dreaming of a life at court with a loving husband. Then her parents sell her hand in marriage to a stranger. Sir Telon of Yovren is handsome enough, and seems charming at first. But when Rachiele learns he’s a drunkard and in love with someone else, she grows determined to escape and chart her own destiny. She’ll even brave the dangerous, monster-infested woods surrounding castle Yovren if she has to.

For Sir Telon, life has gone from bad to worse. When his lover scorned him for a more advantageous match, his parents immediately tricked him into signing a betrothal contract for Rachiele, a complete stranger. Now duty to his unwanted bride prevents him from winning back his former love. Worse, Rachiele seems to hate him for some mysterious reason.

After his bride vanishes inexplicably from a locked room at the top of a tower, Telon finds himself the prime suspect in her disappearance. To clear his name, he has no choice but to hunt her down. But the woods outside castle Yovren are full of beasts both creature and human. As the runaway bride and her knightly husband work together to survive, they both begin to realize how happy their marriage could have been. Finding the strength to admit it before it ends forever will be a difficult feat: one requiring more than wits, brawn, or magic.