The police officer had his hand on his gun. The athletic board lady had her tablet up, still playing Jace's livestream. My mom was standing between me and them. Karl was still in my lap, blinking slow, trying to sit up.And across the lake, the silver-eyed wolf was swimming straight for us."Everybody on the ground!" the cop shouted. "Now!"Silas, bleeding on the floor, laughed wetly. "Too late. He's here."My mom turned white. She looked out the window at the wolf cutting through the water. "No. No, it can't be."Karl grabbed my hand, hard. "Theo, get behind me."I couldn't move. The silver cuff on my wrist was ice cold now. The black root ash was still on my palm.The wolf reached the shore and shook water off. Then, in front of all the humans with their phones out, he shifted.Not like Karl's half-shift. This was smooth, fast, bones cracking and reforming in seconds. One second a huge silver wolf, the next a man in his forties, soaking wet, wearing torn jeans.He had my face. Older
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