Alyssa ana'Raisa, the reluctant princess heir to the Gray Wolf line, is a hardened warrior, more comfortable striking with a sword than sitting at court. After a brush with death, Lyss resolves to end the war that has raged her whole life, and goes on the offensive. She knows that if her gamble doesn’t pay off, she could lose her queendom before she even becomes queen.

Across enemy lines in Arden, Halston Matelon has been fighting for his king since he was a lytling. Lately, though, he finds himself sent on ever more dangerous assignments. Between the terrifying rumors of the wolflike warriors to the north and his cruel king at home, Hal is caught in an impossible game of life and death.

Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a thrilling story of the unfathomable costs of war, the perils of power, and two principled and conflicted characters, drawn together despite everything they stand to lose.