The Strays Pack shifters are being attacked by their own kind under the influence of a potentially deadly virus. All the commotion draws unwanted attention from the government and also from neighboring packs, specifically the convocation of bird shifters. Sent by his alpha, Takoda Blackwing flies into Strays Preserve to deliver a message then beat feet, or feathers as the case may be, back to his home turf. He doesn't desire a social life with his own kind and has even less interest in any other species of shifter. Jason "Jase" Thatcher snags Koda just as he is about to take off and delivers a bomb in the form of this introduction- "I'm your mate." Koda won't mate a pup and leaves Jase confused and hurt but unwilling to be tossed aside. Both men are battling past hurts. Can they help one another embrace what fate has given them, or will the past make the future impossible?