With the discovery of the Ddraigs, the land of Cassè is changing. Finding warriors and building an army are now Iris's top priorities. Yet these tasks are difficult, clashing with the traditions of the major houses and the skepticism of the nameless unchosen. Hoping to smooth the way for change, Iris appoints Wolf the mission of creating a master house, unifying the nation under his leadership.

However, this decision is a perilous one. Who is Wolf really? Is he the sweet savior Iris recalls from her days in the House of Vultures? Or is there a deeper, more diabolical personality lurking under the mask? Just exactly how has his pack managed to maintain their wealth while the rest of the country grows poorer?

As terrifying truths are revealed, Iris must decide where her loyalties lie.

After learning of Wolf's atrocities, a rattled Iris finds herself questioning her own judgment. How could she have been so blind to Wolf's underhanded dealings? Can she make wise decisions to lead the Ddraigs? Or should she give up and let the power hungry red Ddraig take control?
Meanwhile in Déchets, Alaric grows desperate in his endeavor to annihilate the Ddraigs. He frees a prisoner named Helena, a traitor to the crown with her own mysterious secrets. Cruelly blackmailing her to maintain her loyalty, Alaric hopes to use her as a spy and assassin, sending her into Cassè to find and kill the leader of the Ddraigs.
As their worlds collide, and war draws inevitably closer, Iris learns that a good leader must make personal sacrifices. The question is, can she bear the loss of everything she has grown to love?

After the land of Cassé was destroyed, the survivors banded together to create the House alliances. Only the strongest, most cunning, and useful are accepted. For the Houses, there are only three laws:
1) Never remove your mask.
2) Never share your true name.
3) Survive.
Anyone denied membership into the Houses is considered a Nameless Unchosen and is to be killed on sight. No exceptions.

Yet when Mynah, a tortured soul who has lived in the House of Vultures since she was seven years old, finds an unmasked boy in the forest, she is faced with a terrible choice: follow the law and kill the child, or show him mercy and risk war?

A boy's life hangs in the balance. And Mynah's decision will forever change her world.