When the pack of increasingly feral pet dogs led by his sister clashes with a fiercer pack led by a wolf, Lucky's loyalty trumps his longing for independence, and he returns to help his friends. Later, falling in with his sister's plan by infiltrating the fiercer group, he learns a good deal about how packs of wolves and dogs function in the wild. His growing duplicity makes him miserable, though, and a double cross leaves him vulnerable. In the end, his life is, literally, at the mercy of the wolf. Written in third person from Lucky's point of view, the story reflects his interest in how the pack's rules and pecking order play out, as well as his drive to be on his own. Sensory details bring his experiences into sharper focus and create a greater feeling of reality within the scenes. The abrupt cliff-hanger at the book's end may leave avid fans eager for the third installment of the Survivors series, but many readers will be jarred by the lack of a satisfying conclusion here.

Leashed Dog Bella convinces Lucky to spy on the Wild Pack. Despite the Pack's brutal ways, Lucky forms attachments within it, and further questions his loyalty to the Leashed Dogs when he learns Bella has hidden motives. The large number of characters is hard to keep track of, but former Lone Dog Lucky is a sympathetic character and his dilemma adds suspense.