A Crown of Wings & Wrath

I survived my first year at Thornwick. That was the easy part.

They moved me to Stormwind Squadron—the military's dumping ground for riders who are too dangerous, too valuable, or too damaged for regular units. My new squadmates include a griffin rider who steals memories and a pegasus rider whose healing magic sometimes kills instead of cures.

We're the ones they don't trust. The ones they can't afford to lose.

The Forsaken are hunting anyone with royal blood. And my ability to amplify other riders' powers? That's a signature trait of House Vaelthorne, the royal family everyone thought died twenty years ago.

Turns out, I'm not just some foster kid who got lucky. I'm the last heir to a throne that doesn't exist anymore.

And Kael knew. The whole time.

Captain Kael Blackwater—the man I'm falling for despite every warning sign—was there the night my family was massacred. He's been lying to me since we met, protecting secrets that could get us both killed.

Now we're forced to work together on missions that grow deadlier by the day. Our dragons sync in ways that terrify our superiors. And when we finally kiss, the resonance between our bonds creates a firestorm visible for miles.

But Hollowmaw are breeding in underground tunnels, feeding on stolen dragon blood. The military is conducting illegal experiments on captured riders. And somewhere out there, a man claiming to be my father is building an army using blood magic that corrupts everything it touches.

Why does Kael look at me like he's mourning someone I used to be?

Why are riders with Vaelthorne abilities disappearing, their deaths ruled training accidents?

Why are the Hollowmaw suddenly evolving, targeting me specifically in ways that suggest someone's commanding them?

Kael has answers. About the massacre. About a father who might be alive or might be the architect of every horror I'm facing. About what my power really does and why the military would rather see me dead than risk losing control of me.

He's keeping me alive by keeping me complicit.

And I'm falling for him anyway—for the man who kisses me like an apology while hiding the truth about why things with teeth keep finding me, who might have orders to eliminate me the second my bloodline becomes more valuable dead than alive.

Surviving first year was supposed to be the hard part.

No one warned me the real test is deciding who to trust when everyone's keeping deadly secrets.

Welcome to Stormwind Squadron, where:

Misfits bond over shared damage (or kill each other) Captains keep devastating secrets about your murdered family Something is building an army using corrupted dragon blood The man who saved you might be the one ordered to end you Royal blood isn't a crown—it's a death sentence

Perfect for readers who crave: Heroines claiming their power • Bonds tested by lies • Instructors with blood on their hands • Squadron dynamics built on necessity • Romance where truth is the ultimate risk • Betrayal that earns its devastation