The small, were-ruled kingdom of Aydori has long kept to its own ways, living under the protection of the powerful Hunt Pack and the wisdom of the Mage Pack, who have mastery of the six disciplines—air, fire, water, earth, metals, healing.
It is these very gifts that have drawn the wrath of the rapacious Emperor Leopald, whose soothsayer has prophesized a threat to his dominion about to be born from Aydori. Launching an all-out assault against the shapeshifters, he kidnaps five members of the Mage Pack who are with child, including the wife of the Pack Leader. With the Pack engaged by the Emperor’s army, the kidnappers believe they have a clear escape.
But they are already being harried by the unlikeliest of hunters—young Mirian Maylin, whose true magical potential has yet to emerge, and Tomas Hagen, the reckless younger brother of the Pack Leader. Both have much to prove to themselves and each other—and both are willing to risk everything to do so.
Their pursuit will take them into perils unknown and deep into the black heart of the Empire, where the fate of their people will be decided by the strength of their courage, sacrifice, and loyalty in this “seamless mix of steampunk, epic fantasy, and paranormal romance” (Publishers Weekly).
