Before the grand pairing, House Ashford crosses out their true daughter Vera's name, throwing her to Alaric—the city’s crippled, feral Black Lion—so the fake daughter can steal the heir. Instead of begging, Vera publicly accepts the doomed match. Banished to the desolate Grey House, Vera uncovers a deadly secret: Alaric’s beast is chained by his own family's poison. While her abusers forge a decree to enslave her as a maid, the hidden apothecary brews the antidote. The crippled Alpha opens his eyes, and the true slaughter begins.Before the grand pairing, House Ashford crosses out their true daughter Vera's name, throwing her to Alaric—the city’s crippled, feral Black Lion—so the fake daughter can steal the heir. Instead of begging, Vera publicly accepts the doomed match. Banished to the desolate Grey House, Vera uncovers a deadly secret: Alaric’s beast is chained by his own family's poison. While her abusers forge a decree to enslave her as a maid, the hidden apothecary brews the antidote. The crippled Alpha opens his eyes, and the true slaughter begins.