Before the Control Cracks
(2027)(The third book in the Magicbound Protectors series)
A novel by Lia Davis
When a dire wolf shifter’s restraint is tested and a Valkyrie refuses to retreat, one choice will determine what survives when control begins to crack.
My wolf is a dire wolf. He is larger, more aggressive, and harder to rein in than the others. I learned early how to keep him steady and how to hold the line when instinct pushed too hard. Discipline isn’t a choice. It’s survival.
Then Balder Eldridge decides to see what happens when control is compromised. He sends a squad of eitrborn to Briar Glen, but they aren’t here to kill me. They come to destabilize me.
Whatever spell they use on me sharpens every instinct until my wolf rides closer to the surface than ever before. Reactions hit faster. The beast lingers longer after every shift. Holding myself together starts to feel like a fight I can’t afford to lose.
The logical response is distance.
Containment.
Isolation.
Nicky Valen refuses all those options.
She doesn’t flinch when my control slips. She doesn’t try to command my wolf or calm the edge out of me. She meets me head-on, unyielding, fearless, and steady in a way that makes it impossible to retreat.
Balder believes shifters are ruled by instinct. That bonds exist only to restrain us. He wants to fracture what keeps us balanced and prove that, under enough pressure, control always fails.
He’s betting everything on my wolf breaking loose. But control was never something that could be stolen from me. It’s something I choose.
And when the pressure finally becomes too much—when instinct surges and the line starts to crack—I won’t lose myself.
I’ll decide what rises. And I’ll decide who stands with me when I do.
The one thing Balder hasn’t considered is my wolf hates him more than I do.
Before the Control Cracks is a dark, emotionally intense paranormal romance where discipline is tested, instinct is sharpened, and love is forged through choice rather than fate. When control becomes the battlefield, survival depends not on power, but on who you choose to stand with when everything threatens to break.
Perfect for fans of:
My wolf is a dire wolf. He is larger, more aggressive, and harder to rein in than the others. I learned early how to keep him steady and how to hold the line when instinct pushed too hard. Discipline isn’t a choice. It’s survival.
Then Balder Eldridge decides to see what happens when control is compromised. He sends a squad of eitrborn to Briar Glen, but they aren’t here to kill me. They come to destabilize me.
Whatever spell they use on me sharpens every instinct until my wolf rides closer to the surface than ever before. Reactions hit faster. The beast lingers longer after every shift. Holding myself together starts to feel like a fight I can’t afford to lose.
The logical response is distance.
Containment.
Isolation.
Nicky Valen refuses all those options.
She doesn’t flinch when my control slips. She doesn’t try to command my wolf or calm the edge out of me. She meets me head-on, unyielding, fearless, and steady in a way that makes it impossible to retreat.
Balder believes shifters are ruled by instinct. That bonds exist only to restrain us. He wants to fracture what keeps us balanced and prove that, under enough pressure, control always fails.
He’s betting everything on my wolf breaking loose. But control was never something that could be stolen from me. It’s something I choose.
And when the pressure finally becomes too much—when instinct surges and the line starts to crack—I won’t lose myself.
I’ll decide what rises. And I’ll decide who stands with me when I do.
The one thing Balder hasn’t considered is my wolf hates him more than I do.
Before the Control Cracks is a dark, emotionally intense paranormal romance where discipline is tested, instinct is sharpened, and love is forged through choice rather than fate. When control becomes the battlefield, survival depends not on power, but on who you choose to stand with when everything threatens to break.
Perfect for fans of:
- Valkyrie–Shifter fated mates
Morally Gray Hero
Fearless Heroine
Forced Proximity
Touch-Her-and-Die Energy
Slow-Burn, High-Tension Romance
Ongoing Villain Arc
High-Stakes Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Genre: Paranormal Romance