As a genetically created shapeshifter, Gunnar Tersch has never met a man he couldn't defeat. There's no one stronger than this Viking come to life, and he knows it. When the team needs an extra push, he unleashes the berserker inside him and clears a path through the enemy. Except lately, it's all he can do to control the monster within. It's worse since he knows the truth about Ava Belle, the woman his beast, his berserker, and Gunnar, the man, want to claim as mate. Yet Gunnar can barely say the word "love" without sneering.A tragic event in his past has assured him he's not a safe man to be around: the violence that rages inside him can too easily hurt those he loves. But Ava won't keep her distance, convinced she can trick him into loving her. Too late, because he already does, though he has no plans to act on his feelings. Soon Gunnar has more to worry about than the crafty beauty, because there's deceit at the heart of their team. Only by trusting in himself and his feelings can Gunnar help avert the end of Dawn Endeavor and all he holds dear.