Once, Raphael Cruz was the most infamous Shape Shifter in New York City. Hitwolf for the Brooklyn Dire Wolves, Raph was the guy you didn't want to see in your shadow. . .especially if you'd just landed on the bad side of the Brooklyn Packmaster, Salvatore Moretti. Loyal, lethal, and vicious, Raphael Cruz was a nightmare to Brooklyn's enemies.
And then everything changed. A hit goes south, and Raph calls it quits with Brooklyn. He lays a false trail and vanishes, eventually taking up residence in Cincinnati, Ohio. He settles in and determines to stay well below Brooklyn's radar. He meets a woman, Julie, and is immediately infatuated with her. He finds peace in his new surroundings, solace in his anonymity.
But a guy like Raphael Cruz doesn't stay anonymous for long. He crosses paths with a monster -- a half-man, half-something straight out of a horror movie. He insults the local Rat pack, and then violates Coyote territory while chasing down the monster who attacked him. Before he can settle those scores, he gets caught up in the pack politics of the Gray Wolves, who rule Cincinnati's northeast quadrant.
And then his past catches up with him.
Surrounded by people who want to kill him, Raph quickly learns what it means to have your friends close, but your enemies closer.