Rogue Defender. Defenders of the Forbidden City, #1

He was never meant to lead. Now he might be the only one left who can. Briar Valeran was born into power but raised in its shadow. While his sisters fight monsters and lead dragons, he drinks too much, smiles too easily, and plays the fool at court. Then they vanish near the Forbidden City. The old magic is stirring. Wardens are disappearing. Creatures shaped from shadow strike without warning. And someone is hunting the Valeran bloodline.
To find his sisters, Briar must leave behind the palace walls, step into a dying world, and face the truth of his own mixed blood. Lykae. Wyvern. Fae. Druid. Each part holds power. Each part has a cost. But the deeper he goes, the clearer it becomes-this isn't just a rescue. It's a war. And he's already part of it.