Direbound – by Sable Sorensen
Book 1 in The Wolves of Ruin series

Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them…

Meryn Cooper never wanted to be one of the Bonded—elite warriors who share a soul-deep connection with feral, deadly direwolves. But when her sister is stolen across enemy lines, Meryn has no choice but to enlist in the king’s army. Her only chance of saving Saela lies in surviving the Bonding Trials—an ancient, brutal test that kills as often as it crowns.

Thrown into the castle’s training grounds, Meryn must endure four months of lethal classes, glittering yet treacherous court politics, and rival soldiers who would love nothing more than to see her fail. Worse still, she’s bound to a direwolf who refuses to acknowledge her—an unbreakable silence that might destroy them both.

Her instructors are merciless. Her enemies are everywhere. And while the dangerously alluring crown prince offers her protection, his heart may be the deadliest snare of all.

Survival means everything. But in a castle filled with secrets, Meryn must decide if she’s willing to risk not only her life—but her heart.

✨ Tropes: enemies-to-lovers tension, reluctant bond, deadly competition, court intrigue, found family, forbidden romance
✨ For fans of: Fourth Wing, The Serpent & the Wings of Night, When the Moon Hatched, and A Court of Thorns and Roses
✨ Features: vicious direwolves, dangerous trials, a commoner heroine fighting the odds, a cold rival instructor, a dangerously charming prince, and a kingdom steeped in immortal war
✨ Dark, action-packed romantasy where survival is never guaranteed—and neither is love

"To be Bonded is to be claimed by ruin. To survive it is to rewrite your fate."