Some bonds are forged by blood. Others—by spirits and silence.

Alex Chen never asked to carry a family curse. But when an ancient pact resurfaces in a dream soaked with fire and prophecy, he's forced to confront more than grief. Something is stirring beneath his skin. Something watching from the shadows.

Back in Taiwan for Ghost Month, Alex discovers a secret buried within his family line—and a boy named Wai Le, who walks between worlds with eyes that see too much. As ghosts whisper and gates crack open, the two must navigate forbidden desire, ancestral magic, and a curse that was never meant to be broken.

Born of the Pact begins a haunting new chapter in the Echos of the Veil universe: a story of queer love, inherited power, and the thin line between protection and possession.

For readers drawn to mystical fantasy, soul-deep longing, and magic that cuts as deeply as it heals.