Koha’vek by Clarissa Lake

She ran from a predator in human skin… and found safety in the arms of something not quite human at all.

Ava Blake fled into the wilderness to escape a corrupt mayor’s grip—but what she found there was even more unexpected: Koha’vek, a reptilian warrior from an enemy alien empire. Once a reluctant soldier, he now lives in exile, haunted by the war he never wanted to fight.
Threatened, hunted, and utterly alone, Ava has no reason to trust anyone—especially not a towering alien with claws and a tail. But Koha’vek doesn’t try to tame her. He protects her, shelters her, and offers something she thought she’d never have again: a choice.
As the war-ravaged world heals in uneasy silence, Ava and Koha’vek build a fragile life together in the forest shadows. But when their love draws the attention of allies and enemies alike, they become the quiet heart of a secret that could change everything.

They weren’t granted peace. They made it—with their own hands, in defiance of two worlds.