Sheriff Ashton Rawling never expected to see Darius Lyall back in town. Five years ago, just as their friendship seemed poised to turn into something more, Darius fled the small northern town of Moon Lake under suspicion of murdering a local man who was found on Lyall property with his neck brutally snapped. Now Darius has returned to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of his youngest brother, Serge. What Darius doesn’t reveal is that he, Serge, and the middle Lyall brother, Caleb, are all werewolves who use their forest cabin as a retreat where they can transform safely. Unfortunately, the moment the two men confront each other, the old attraction sparks between them. Ash looks for a way to clear Darius of murder, even though he isn’t totally convinced of his lover’s innocence, while Darius must find a way to love Ash without accidentally tearing him limb from limb during the next full moon.

Caleb Lyall enrolls in college, hoping to research—and perhaps find a cure for—the lycanthropy that has afflicted his family for centuries. He finds a welcome ally in the form of Desmond Quinn, a graduate student who is more than willing to help Caleb adjust to his new life behind the ivy-covered walls of academe. Just as Caleb begins to wonder if Desmond might be his destined mate, strange animal attacks begin to plague the campus. Even worse, Caleb suffers frightening blackouts he can't bring himself to tell Desmond about. As he searches for answers, Caleb discovers he is not the only person on campus with a secret. Rumors suggest strange cultlike meetings attended by professors and students alike, bizarre underground experiments, and midnight rituals ending in madness. Each night, the beast edges closer and its hunger grows. Soon everything Caleb values is at risk, including the man he doesn't quite dare to love.

Serge, the youngest Lyall brother, wonders if he will ever find the kind of committed love his brothers Darius and Caleb now enjoy with their partners, Ash and Desmond. Then he meets Nicholas Starling, a mysterious newcomer to Moon Lake who hires him to restore an old house he has inherited, and an unexpected attraction sparks between them. Once he begins work on the house, however, Serge uncovers a surprising, centuries-old connection that links him to Nicholas, as well as a bizarre secret that may make a future for them impossible. As his feelings for Nicholas grow, and the full moon approaches, Serge worries that if he reveals his lycanthropy, he may lose not only his lover, but his life.