Y/N has spent his entire life in a small village ruled by an ancient tradition: whenever the village needs protection or good fortune, a young person is sacrificed to the terrifying dragon said to live beyond the mountains. This year, the chosen sacrifice is Y/N’s younger sister. Y/N refuses to let them take her. When the elders realize he won’t back down, they decide to sacrifice him instead. His wrists are bound, he’s taken deep into the mountains, and he’s thrown into the forest to face the dragon alone. Aurelian is everything the village warned Y/N about—a massive, ancient dragon feared for his cruelty and power. When he finds Y/N, he genuinely intends to kill him. But the more Aurelian learns about why Y/N was brought to him, the more something doesn’t add up. The village has been hiding the truth. And Y/N may be connected to the dragon’s past in ways neither of them could have expected. What begins as predator and prey slowly becomes something far more complicated.