Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. But when her father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial abstinence pledge, she’s caught between Promises One and Three.

As a child, Gretchen's twin sister was taken by a witch in the woods. Ever since, Gretchen and her brother, Ansel, have felt the long branches of the witch's forest threatening to make them disappear, too. Years later, when their stepmother casts Gretchen and Ansel out, they find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina. Life seems idyllic, and they gradually forget their haunted past --- until Gretchen meets handsome local outcast Samuel.

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris– the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She’s determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.