When Princess Ilyana was twelve years old, she met the boy who would change her life.

Corvus, a beast-kin prince with golden eyes and a gentle smile, came to her palace as part of a peace treaty.

They were betrothed by politics, but they chose each other in friendship. For one perfect year, they were inseparable. Climbing trees. Sharing secrets.

Then the curse awakened. The Shadow Spirit, an ancient weapon forged from blood and rage, had slumbered in Corvus's bloodline for centuries.

But when it erupted to life, it turned the boy she loved into a monster she couldn't reach.

He was taken from her in the dead of night, dragged away to learn control before he killed someone. Before he killed her. Seven years of silence. Seven years of waiting. Seven years of wondering if he had forgotten her.

Now he's back. But the awkward boy who blushed when she smiled is gone. In his place stands a warrior king, brutal, powerful, and dangerous. The beast inside him is barely contained, and every instinct screams that she's his to claim.

Ilyana isn't the helpless princess he left behind either. She's learned to fight. She's grown claws of her own. And she's not sure she can forgive him for leaving.

But when enemies close in from all sides, mages who want to weaponize the curse, rival clans who see her as a weakness, kingdoms that want them both dead, they'll have to decide:

Can they trust each other again? Or will the shadow between them consume them both?

Before you begin, I want to give you a brief roadmap of what to expect from this story.


The first 10 chapters focus on Corvus and Ilyana's childhood.


This is intentional and essential to the story. These chapters establish the deep bond between them, the friendship, the innocent love, and the heartbreak that comes when they're torn apart. 


You'll see them meet at ages 12 and 14, grow close over nine months, and then face a devastating separation when an ancient curse awakens within Corvus. 


These early chapters are the foundation that makes everything that follows matter. 


When they reunite as adults after seven years apart, you'll understand exactly what they lost, and what they're fighting to reclaim.


The main story begins after this childhood arc. That's when we get the reunion, the political intrigue, the mature romance, the battles, and all the drama you came here for. Ilyana will be 20, Corvus will be 22, and neither of them will be the children they once were.


If you're tempted to skip the childhood chapters, please don't. The emotional payoff of their reunion only works if you've seen what they were to each other before everything fell apart. Trust me, the wait is worth it.


- Childhood friends to separated to strangers to lovers


- Beast-kin romance with political intrigue


- Strong female lead who becomes powerful in her own right


- A love story that spans from childhood innocence to adult passion


Thank you for giving Taming the Shadow Leopard a chance. I hope you fall in love with Corvus and Ilyana as much as I have.


Author's Note