Val has only ever known a Seattle surrounded by the deadly Wilds. But it's when she encounters Rune that she learns how dangerous the Wilds truly are. He’s a wildling, more vicious and beautiful than any beast, and he has a deal for her: Val will use her unique magic to help him take the unclaimed high throne of the Wilds. In return, he’ll give her all the power she craves. If Val agrees, she could save herself and those she loves. Or she may be the very thing that destroys them all.