Harlan Mundelein, the Knotted Wolf, the soldier at heart who used to be the guy who got things done, is fading. It's been a long and pointless battle, and he can finally see the day coming that he'll be eternally reunited with his Eventine. He's ready and his mind is made up: he is not getting a One True Mate. His mate is gone. So why does Leilani, a female who has mysteriously appeared to him twice in his lifetime, stir his blood in a way that makes no sense at all... especially when he knows she is not his mate?