When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras.

That’s what our mayor said after a series of bloody attacks rattle the citizens of our otherwise quiet town of Widow’s Peak.

My fiancé is a deputy and they are all firmly behind the Mayor’s claim that there’s a pack of feral wolves who have settled on the outskirts of town. The police say they’ve got it under control and given how much Hunter was working, I believed them.

Until the fateful night I was up comforting our colicky baby and he stumbled home with his clothes in bloody tatters. His eyes were glowing faintly in the moonlight, and my breath caught in my chest when it hit me.

Hunter is the monster.

It took me months to plan an escape for the baby and I, but somehow, we managed to make it out alive without him tracking us down.

I knew we would need a refuge so we didn’t have to stay on the run forever, but I didn’t know it would be the small mountainside town of Moon Creek where I grew up.

My grandmother welcomes us with open arms and before long, we are safely settled in my grandfather’s old hunting cabin, but she makes me promise to heed her warnings if I’m going to stay.

Her words echo in my head as I fall asleep every night:

Hang silver on the door.

Don’t leave your house on a full moon.

Whatever you do, stay away from the Murphy boys—they’re animals.

I am my mother’s savage daughter…

My darkness comes with hell-fire and an impossibly sharp sword—all the better to rule when I take over my Grandfather’s throne.

The elders insist the dark days are behind us, but something is stirring in the Underworld. I can feel its sinister tendrils like the blood in my veins, but the source remains hidden. Whatever this festering mass in the Wraith is, I vow to lead the hunt to destroy it and protect my people.

That is until my mother presents me with the worst five inches I’ve ever received—my invitation to society and the key to ascending to the throne.

Being the Death Incarnate and a queen isn’t easy, but if I want to rule, I have to balance my thirst for vengeance and my royal persona.

Hell won't know what hit them…

Loss… War… Retribution…

You know the final straw? The one that makes everything snap and then all hell breaks loose?

Lucifer crossed that line tenfold.

He stole my daughter…

Killed my grandfather…

I’m out for blood, and there will be no force in Heaven or Hell able to stop me. My sights are set on the Prince of Lies and I will bring him to his knees.

Lucifer will pay for all the pain he’s caused.

I was created for a reason, molded to be the Destroyer's perfect successor. With my inherited knowledge of Hell and the Shadow Realm I am building my army.

I am ready to reign on all nine circles, time for war.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Blasphemy... abomination... disgrace...

Beware the Children of the Moon, for their power is beholden to no man.

When we stepped into the Ascension circle, my sister and I expected to gain our magic so we could solve the mystery of her past. Our parents carried the knowledge of what happened to her family to their grave, and to our surprise, my sister isn’t a powerless witch—she’s a wolf.

“This witch and this wolf are worthless—no mates or powers to speak of. They will remain in the lower echelon.”

The High Mage’s declaration of our unworthiness means we may never have the resources to find out what happened to her pack.

The Goddess intended for this night to change our lives--while we were being shamed in the circle, an unknown adversary came out of the shadows to leave an ominous threat in the ashes of our home. The sole survivor from the attack on our home was left with a message carved into his back: We are coming for you, Children of the Moon.

No one knows what the warning means and after the High Mage’s decree, no one cares. Our only solution is to sink deeper into the seedy underbelly of Briarvale to investigate, even if it means letting everyone underestimate us.

After all, what can one worthless witch and wolf do?

Life... Death... Rebirth...

Confidence… Stability… Acceptance…

Death is not destined to unite our species, but Fate is a fickle b!tch.

My parents' marriage united the five elements by bringing a death walker to the throne. No wolf was able to contest their power with my mother at his side—especially after she gave birth to twins.

Ryker was destined to succeed my father as the King of the Spirit Wolves after the War Games, but a surprise orc attack leaves him unfit to rule.

Enter me, the discarded hybrid wolf with the touch of death in her veins.

A relaxing visit to the pack turns into a royal matchmaking tour, leaving me to watch as my quiet life turns into a political nightmare.

My father believes he’s securing the future of our wolves by elevating me to the throne, but there’s something he doesn’t know.

I am Death Incarnate, and I will destroy any threat to our people—even him.