A grouchy orc who has given up hope in finding his fated mate is forced to tend a ball with his tribe when a human dressed as a fairy literally falls into his lap.

Valpar was over it.

There were no longer orc females, all dead of unknown causes. Orcs had to look elsewhere. For ten years, they were present at all the mating balls of the realm. No orc had found their mate yet, and he had lost hope.

As second in command of his tribe, Valpar had to lead the males into one of the kingdoms to attend the Fae Kingdom's ball. He hated those balls. The dancing, the flirting, the women wanting to see what was beneath his cloth. But most of all, he hated what came at the end of the night.

No female and no hope for a brighter future for him or any of his brethren.

Valpar had already decided. None of their tribe were getting their miresas. It was all a lie from the Moon Fairy. So he drowned his misery in the corner like every ball and ate whatever he liked.

Calliope's aunt and fated mate rescued and adopted her when she was fifteen years old. They whisked her away to another realm to keep her safe from her past. With the help of some magic, Calliope forgot about the terrifying moments she had lived through as a child.

Which they might have used a little too much magic...

Since the spell, Calliope grew and experienced a life that was nothing short of fun. With a child-like innocence and a peculiar personality, she remained blissfully ignorant of the many dangers that surrounded her as a human in a realm full of different species. While her aunt was a wreck keeping her safe, the mischievous Fae King believed Calliope would do well with having a mate of her own.

With the help of a witch, or as Calliope would have said-a Fairy Godmother-Calliope snuck to the ball against her aunt's wishes. Her clumsiness didn't keep her out of trouble though, and plunged into the lap of the grumpiest orc of the ball, trying to eat his dessert in peace.

Or maybe she would be the new dessert?