Description: Elliot Carter is only ever the replacement. When his Omega brother runs from an arranged marriage, Elliot-an ordinary Beta from a failing family-is shoved into the wedding in his place and tied to Adrian Sterling, an S-class Alpha who should have had everything he wanted. In public, they become the perfect couple. In private, they are strangers sharing a bed, a contract, and years of resentment. Adrian never wanted a Beta. Elliot never had a choice. So when Elliot finally walks away, he means to end it cleanly. No more cleaning up his family's messes. No more being the stand-in for someone else. No more mistaking heat, possessiveness, and late-night tenderness for love. He starts over in a quiet dessert shop, determined to build a life that belongs to him for once. But Adrian refuses to stay gone. He keeps showing up-at Elliot's work, outside his door, in the spaces Elliot is trying to reclaim-and the more Elliot pushes him away, the harder it becomes to ignore the truth. His runaway brother is back, old misunderstandings are cracking apart, and the arrogant Alpha Elliot thought he understood may have wanted him all along. If Elliot lets himself believe that, he risks becoming a replacement again. If he doesn't, he might lose the first person who ever tried to choose him. When a love built on obligation starts turning into something real, can Elliot trust it-or is he about to be used one more time? Author Biography: Award-winning romance author specializing in dark suspense and forbidden love. Her stories feature complex heroes and fearless heroines who find redemption through love.