Breaking Free by Layla Nash

Lacey Szdoka stays busy as the hyena queen, but after her fiancé’s death, nothing seems to matter. She wants to finish off the evil pack outside the city, hunt down the mastermind behind their dark crimes, and drag the hyena clan into legitimacy. Even the grinning Nick, with his smooth pick-up lines and bad boy attitude, isn’t enough to distract her from her duty. Until he claims to be her mate, which is impossible — her mate is already dead.

Nick prefers life as a lone wolf until Lacey walks into his life. His last mission, to free his employer and finally kill the man behind all the crimes in the city, should have been a piece of cake. Instead, he finds himself dealing with witches and sorcerers and an ill-tempered leprechaun, and fighting to convince Lacey that he’s her mate. As they attempt to free the victims trapped in between worlds, old enemies return to finish what they started. Nick will give anything to keep Lacey safe, including his own life.

Lacey must face an unnerving choice: stay on as the hyena queen and die young, or do what has never been done before — abdicate, walk away, and start life over. She aches to break free and find out what adventures the world holds, but can she really walk away from her family and responsibility? Can she trust Nick when he promises the world?