The tribes were his to lose...and theirs to regain. History taught that rebels executed the imperial family, including young Prince Nika Marisek, and hid the bodies in an unmarked grave. History was wrong. Decades later, yarn shop owner Nick Goode reclaimed his identity to see his long-dead family decently buried. He'll do whatever he must to persuade elders who now rule the tribes...even offer to abdicate. Some, however, seek to capitalize on Nick's survival. Who better to drag the tribes from corruption into freedoms the rebellion had promised if not the prince who became one of the peasantry in exile? Arit hates politics. When Elder Benjic, his estranged sire, shows up with the celebrity prince to fulfill a pre-war mating pact, Arit refuses. He craves strength on strength, the challenge of an alpha mating another alpha. A damaged omega who knits won't do. Arit will guide them on an adventure tour exploring their wolf instincts; that's his job. But that's all he'll do. Except Nick isn't an omega. He isn't damaged. And if he seduces Arit to win Benjic's support, Nick won't give up his throne, either. He'll risk everything to realize the ideals of the rebellion...and end his fate as the tribes' last emperor. CONTENT WARNING: palace intrigues, mpreg themes, shifter knotting, and two stubborn alphas who must learn to work together to save an empire