

Five years ago, after a night of drinking, Sylvia Snow accidentally stumbled into the wrong room and spent a passionate night with a man she didn't know—Eric Payne. That night led to the birth of their son, Noel Snow. When Noel turns four, he starts showing strange symptoms and is locked away, treated like a monster. Just when things seem hopeless, Eric shows up and saves Noel. Sylvia soon discovers that the man from that night isn't just any man—he’s a legendary werewolf, and the secret behind their son's condition is far more extraordinary than she ever imagined.

Noah Sterling, the Sterling clan's prodigy, awakened a Black Gold Core at thirteen. But a fire drained it, making him a "Dead Core" outcast. At his awakening test, his fiancée rejected him, his cousin crushed his pride, and he lost inheritance. Then his mother's ring awakened; Orion revealed half his core was stolen—the rest sealed the Eclipse Flame, a city-destroying blaze. Using that fire, Noah reforged his body, made elixirs, broke arrays, slew enemies. He rose against seven great houses, uncovering the truth about his parents and the usurped Star-Ash Throne.