Someone is trying to kidnap the leader of the Were world, Sebastian Arnou, and it's not hard to figure out who. The powerful Clan Rand just lost their chieftain, who challenged for the top spot and lost—both the fight and his life. Now his clan is out for revenge and has split the Were community in two.

To make matters worse, Rand has allied with the dangerous mages of the Black Circle, who have already plunged the magical world into war. One of the organization's leaders has taken an interest in Lia de Croissets, a newly turned werewolf. As a member of the War Mage Corps, the police branch of the world's leading magical organization, the Silver Circle, she stands against the dark, but the mage's interest appears to be more personal.

In fact, the kidnapping attempt on Sebastian and later moves against Lia's new little clan all appear to be geared toward getting something from her. But she has no idea what the mage wants, or why she and her clan of former outlaw wolves should be of such interest to the dark. And once she finds out, the answer could change not only Lia's own life, but the course of the entire war.