She was born to rule a world that no longer exists. Now, she must survive one that was never hers. Princess Xar'aya of Xarneith was bred for diplomacy, trained in command, and destined to lead her people into a new era. But when betrayal strikes at the heart of her empire, she and eleven companions are forced into a desperate escape, crash-landing on an unknown, primitive world in the shadow of war. Earth. The 1800s. Unmapped. Untamed. Unforgiving. Scattered and hunted, Xar'aya must adapt quickly to survive. Her rare abilities, kept dormant for her safety, begin to awaken, unraveling the boundaries between who she was and who she must become. Disguised among the trees, cloaked in stolen clothes, she encounters a human tracker whose instincts are as sharp as her own... and whose presence may threaten everything she's built to protect. But the forest holds more than enemies. It carries echoes of her people, of the other Eleven, and a resonance that calls her home, even as she questions if such a place still exists. The first book in a powerful sci-fi Western saga, Bound by Starlight: The Shape of Belonging blends survival, secrecy, and slow-burn romance in a world where one alien woman must redefine loyalty, leadership, and what it truly means to belong. One princess. One planet. One path to freedom.