My whole body shudders as I back away from the stalking wolf. I’ve never been more scared in my life. I edge closer and closer to the mine shaft. Killer Paw creeps forward, letting out a growl that sounds like the rumble of thunder.

“You were right about Justin.” I try to sound brave but my voice trembles. “He’s very close.”

FOOM! The ground behind the wolf explodes. Dirt and pine needles fly everywhere. Justin jumps out of the hole we’d buried him in and bursts from the cloud of dust. He tackles Killer Paw and they both hit the ground. The black wolf snarls and sinks his fangs in Justin’s arm.

“Aaaahhhhh!” Justin cries out in pain. But he doesn’t loosen his grip on Killer Paw. He holds on like his life depends on it.

All three of Killer Paw’s boys step forward into the clearing. They haven’t transformed into their wolf forms, but they bare their teeth like mad dogs. They want to help their alpha wolf, yet something stops them. They back away, not wanting to get any closer to the mine.

Stay! I say to myself—like I’m giving a command to my dog Bizbee. Wish I had the guts to say it to the werewolves out loud. Luckily, they keep their distance.

Tangled together, Justin and Killer Paw roll down a slope and tumble between the wooden frames of the mine shaft. Once inside, they break apart, stumbling away from each other. Killer Paw whines like a sick poodle. He tries to crawl towards the mine opening but doesn’t get far. The wolf flops down on his belly, thrashing and clawing at the ground.

It’s working! When the wolf first attacked me on that camping trip, I wondered why it never followed me into the mine shaft. I had a theory, but I wasn’t sure until now.

It’s a silver mine!

Even after all these years, there must be little traces of silver deep in the rocks. Enough of the stuff to keep a werewolf away.

It’s midnight dark in the mine. So dark I can barely see Justin falling to the ground. He tries to pull himself to the entrance but doesn’t have the strength. The traces of silver deep in those cave walls is hurting him. I take a deep breath and rush into the darkness.

The second I step into the cavern, my skin begins to boil. Oh jeeze, it hurts. Wincing in pain, I grab Justin by the collar and drag him towards the mine’s opening. The silver must be sapping my new werewolf strength, because it feels like I’m pulling an elephant. Eventually, I manage to haul him outside.

Instantly, my skin begins to cool and the pain fades. Breathing hard, I glance back at the wolf boys. They snarl at me, but they haven’t taken a step closer. They don’t want to get any closer to that old silver mine.

Whirling around, I face the mine shaft again. A big crack marks the wooden frame, like a lightning bolt carved into its rotting wood. I’d noticed it the night I was attacked, but didn’t think much about it. Now, I kick the frame as hard as I can, stomping on it with the heel of my foot. Dad showed me how to kick that way. He told me it was how cops kick in doors.

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The frame shakes a little. A spray of dust rains down into the mine.

Inside the tunnel, Killer Paw keeps crawling forward—inch by inch. Saliva drips from the big wolf’s snarling jaw. Soon he’ll be out of the darkness and under the moonlight. If he gets out of the mine, I’m dead meat.

I kick again and again. If I was a normal girl, the kicks wouldn’t do a thing to such a thick post. But I’ve got werewolf blood running through my veins. The crack in the frame opens wider. The wolf boys howl at me and close in. Justin struggles to his feet and faces off against them.

“Back off,” he snarls.

I hear them whine in response. The wolf boys must’ve listened to Justin, because a second later, he is at my side, kicking the wood frame too.

“Keep at it,” he yells.

Our feet bounce off the thick wood. THUD! THUD! THUD! Killer Paw has almost dragged himself out of the mine’s opening. One black paw stretches into the clearing. The moon shines down on a furry claw.

A whisper growls inside my head. “Should’ve joined the pack, Kat. Now I’m gonna make you pay. Then we’ll visit that family of yours.”

Letting out a ferocious howl, I kick the frame once more. I put everything I have into it—every last drop of strength. Something goes “CRUNCH” under my foot. The crack opens wide and the whole frame leans over. Dirt pours down from the cave’s ceiling like a waterfall, followed by big, jagged rocks. Killer Paw whimpers as stones rain down on him.

“Kat, move!” Justin yanks me backwards. We both fall to the ground in the clearing. A split-second later, the whole mine caves in with a massive CRASH! It sounds like the whole world just exploded. An avalanche of rocks seals up the entrance for good. A huge wave of dust spits out and rolls over us.

Coughing, I glance towards the tree line. The wolf boys don’t say a word. They just slink off into the forest with their heads hanging low. I rub dirt from my eyes and look at Justin sitting next to me. “Why didn’t they attack us?”

Justin wipes dust from his eyes. “It’s a pack thing,” he says. “They don’t know what to do without their alpha.”

“So, is it over?”

Justin nods as he stares at the sealed mine shaft. For a second, he looks more like an old man than a thirteen-year-old.

“Killer Paw is finished,” he says.

***

Pinecones crunch under bare feet. The wolf boys wander among the trees, not saying a word to each other. They’re not in a talking mood. The moon hangs above them, strong and bright. Normally, on a night like this they’d transform and run wild through the woods—hunting and playing. They’re not in the mood for that either.

One of the boys tips his head back and let out a long mournful howl. It echoes through the valley. The others join him, wailing their sad wolf song to the moon. Afterwards, the forest goes quiet. Nothing stirs. Until…

The giant white wolf creeps out of the shadows. The boys hear her growling whisper in their heads.

“Why so sad boys?”

The oldest of the boys steps forward. He gazes down at his bare, filthy feet. He can’t look the white wolf in the eyes. “It’s Killer Paw. He’s… He’s…”

“He’s dead,” says the second boy, finishing his brother’s sentence. The boy trembles with every word. “Justin and the schoolgirl killed him.”

“What’re we gonna do?” asks the third and youngest boy. Tears stream down his dirty cheeks.

The white wolf doesn’t look at any of the boys. Instead, she gazes at the pale moon above, glowing in the cold blackness of space.

Finally, the wolf glares at them. Her black eyes gleam in the darkness, like the moon. “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do” she whispers. “We're going to plot our revenge.”