Vero, a Yowlumne with black ears and tail, hides a dangerous secret: the church seeks him as their prophesied Black Wolf god. Raised by the late Ulrika’s family, Vero serves as head servant to the new Ulrika, a rebellious Yowlumne who fled his father’s court to train under the legendary Master. Returning after his father’s death to claim the throne, the Ulrika brings Ylva, a white-haired, white-tailed Yowlumne warrior he met under the Master’s tutelage. Ylva, unaware of his true identity until now, reluctantly agrees to marry him, and Vero is tasked with teaching her the ways of a noble to rule alongside the Ulrika.
Ylva’s fierce spirit and mastery of forbidden languages make Vero’s job perilous, but her reading of the church’s secret scriptures reveals a plot to destabilize the kingdom. As Vero guides Ylva to temper her warrior instincts, they uncover hints of the church’s twisted teachings about the Black Wolf.