I wait patiently while the family arrives. Rowan, Fern’s older brother, comes in and laps noisily at the lifted water bowl by the sink. He ignores me. So does Acacia, Fern’s older sister, but she’s carrying grocery bags and trying to wrangle her two-year-old, so she gets a pass. Aunt Poppy, Uncle Grover, Sage and his wife Lacey, and a few more cousins crowd into the house. Lacey makes polite conversation with me, but most everyone else is preoccupied with grumbling about the emergency meeting. I keep quiet that the emergency is me.

  Everyone falls silent when Uncle Alder arrives. Everyone in wolf form lowers themselves to their bellies, and everyone in human form bows their heads, me included. He’s the pack leader, but mostly by default; he’s just the oldest one here. I always thought Aunt Poppy would do a better job (but I wouldn’t dare say that aloud). Still, since he’s the oldest, he deserves respect. Same with Aunt Magnolia, his wife.

  Uncle Alder waits for what feels like forever before releasing us. I hold my head up and rub my neck, and everyone returns to their sitting or standing positions. Aunt Magnolia returns and so does Fern. I try to catch my cousin’s eye, but she’s staring down at the floor. Also not a good sign.

  “What’s the meaning of this, Magnolia?” Uncle Alder rumbles. He’s a huge wolf, almost as tall as me in human form. It’s a perk of being pack leader; most of us are the size of regular timber wolves, if a bit bigger. His fur is a darker brown than everyone else’s. He’s originally from a pack in Oregon, but he’s lived here so long he has our southern accent.

  Aunt Magnolia stands beside him. She’s a big wolf too, but he’s still a head taller than her. “Malia was struck by lightning this afternoon.”

  Murmurs of surprise ripple through the room. Lacey asks if I’m okay and Violet, my thirteen-year-old cousin, says, “that’s awesome,” under her breath. I wish, Vi.

  Uncle Alder flicks his ears dismissively. “She seems fine. Not worth calling everyone here for.”

  Wow, okay. I could be dying! How many people get struck by lightning every day? Uncle Alder’s never liked me, but this hurts. He could at least pretend to care.

  “That’s not the issue.” Aunt Magnolia takes a shaky breath. “She’s been marked by Death.”

  All the adults gasp, but all my cousins and the babies just look confused. I sit rigid, suddenly hot all over. Umm…what does that mean? That sounds bad. That sounds extremely not good.

  Now Uncle Alder is paying attention. He stiffens, then storms to the kitchen. Everyone slinks out of his way and I cringe. “Show me. Now.”

  “I-it’s not that bad! It doesn’t hurt.” Still, I lift my shirt so he can see. His golden eyes widen and he backs away. Okay, really not a good sign.

  “Is it really the Death one?” Aunt Poppy asks. Her voice is level, but her ears twitch anxiously.

  Uncle Alder stares at me, but his gaze is distant, like he’s thinking. “It is.”

  “What should we do?” Uncle Grover says. He paces in a circle, his nails clicking on the tile.

  “Umm, I’m lost,” Rowan speaks up behind me. “What’s a Death mark? And why does this loser have it?”

  I flip him off behind my back and he snaps at my hand.

  Aunt Magnolia ignores him. She meets her husband’s eyes, hers deeply serious. “We need to do something immediately. The whole family could be in jeopardy because of this.”

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  “Let’s not panic,” Aunt Poppy says soothingly. “Surely there’s a way to—”

  “There is no way.” Uncle Alder’s voice booms over the room. Everyone shuts up as he walks to the door to stand by Aunt Magnolia again. He turns his golden eyes to me. “Malia, did you go anywhere you weren’t supposed to?”

  “No,” I squeak. Now definitely doesn’t seem like the time to confess my trespassing crimes.

  Uncle Alder glares at me like he doesn’t believe me. “We still have to take drastic action. Death is coming for our pack.”

  The adults whimper and the babies start whining too, sensing a shift in energy. I meet Fern’s eyes, but she shakes her head wildly. No confessing, even until the end.

  “I don’t understand,” I say tentatively. “I’m not hurt. My paw is black, but—”

  “What?” Uncle Alder’s voice creeps up in pitch. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. I’ve seen it,” Aunt Magnolia answers, her tone grave. “It’s a curse.”

  Oh, that’s just great. I guess that security system theory is confirmed. I can’t believe a dead old wizard cursed me! All because I was fixing his garden for free. Ungrateful.

  “There’s a way to reverse it, right?” I say.

  “No. Once Marked, you are until your death. Until then, you’ll bring cursed energy onto the family. Some of us might die along with you.” Uncle Alder paces as everyone whispers. I feel like he’s dumped a bucket of cold water on my head. Wait a minute—until I die? That’s not for a while, surely. I’m only fifteen. I exercise and eat my meat, even the gross livers and spleens. But everyone’s freaking out, so maybe it’s sooner than I’m thinking.

  “Malia’s fine though, right?” Fern asks her dad. She’s practically on her belly, even now. “She’ll be okay?”

  Uncle Alder stares into my eyes. “No, she won’t. The question is if we can allow her to take us down with her.”

  “Wait, wait.” I jump to my feet, my body shuddering with fear. All the fine hairs on my arms are standing up. “This doesn’t make any sense! I’m not hurt, I don’t feel sick. I’ve never even heard of a death mark! I’m not taking anyone down. You’re my family.”

  The room is eerily silent. It’s dark now, the summer sun finally exhausted of its heat-based reign of terror. The moon is full tonight, and that would normally mean a night of feasting and hunting, but the mood is drastically different. My pack, my family, are all looking at me like I’m a stranger. Uncle Alder looks like I’m a cornered deer.

  “We can’t allow the Death to spread,” Uncle Alder says. “When my brother died, I promised I’d look after his only child. But I have my own children to protect.”

  “Dad,” Fern says. She’s on her belly before him, begging. “Dad, please. Malia didn’t do anything wrong! She—”

  Uncle Alder shoots Fern a withering look and she flinches. Her ears flatten against her skull and she looks away.

  The room is as silent as Fern. All eyes are on me, once friendly, or at least indifferent, suddenly focused and tense. Not even the babies are crying. I pant, my body shaking and shuddering, the extra electricity making my heart rate jump and stagger in uneven beats.

  There’s a moment during a hunt where the prey sees us. Their eyes widen, and they give off a sickening scent of intense terror before making the run for their lives. I smell it now, pouring out of my pores despite my nose being human. Dimly, my brain registers that I should not be in human form right now. I lower myself slowly to the floor and shake my head until I’m a wolf again. Part of my instincts are soothed, but I’m on high alert again as Lacey, Acacia, and Reed also change into their forms. We’re all wolves now, the full moon streaming light into the kitchen window.

  “Look at the mark!” Uncle Alder cries. I want to hide my left paw, but it’s too late. They’ve all seen the black stain on my fur. “We can’t let her taint the family.”

  To my left, Uncle Grover lifts his lips over his teeth. Fern whimpers at her father’s side, still cowering. Aunt Poppy looks from me to Uncle Alder, clearly distressed.

  “Alder, we need to talk about this. The moon is making our emotions run high, let’s discuss this tomorrow—”

  “And risk the mark spreading to us?” Uncle Alder says. “No. I’m doing what a leader should, and that’s protect my family.”

  And then he growls at me.

  The intent is clear. It’s a growl used for rival packs, for intruders, for aggressive, dangerous prey. Get out. You’re not one of us.

  A piece of my heart shatters, but my panicked brain shoves emotion to the side. I don’t wait for the rest of the pack to follow his lead. I tense my muscles and dodge my uncle’s sharp teeth and tear out the front door as fast as I can.

  My family yelps in surprise, but I don’t stop to see if they’re following me. Uncle Alder raises his voice and the others join him. It’s the howl for the hunt to begin, but it’s not a deer this time. This is the first ever hunt I’m allowed to join, and the prey is me.