
Shay's revenge hookup binds her to cursed Alpha Mal. Unless he marks her as his mate and fathers her child, the curse kills him.
A curse-driven fated-mates drama — the variant where the bond comes with a death clock, so the usual will-they courtship is replaced by a forced timetable. The revenge-hookup opening is the trope's cold open of choice: one impulsive night, permanent consequences. The deadline does the pacing work that rival suitors handle in gentler entries.