Chapter 11 · Don't Touch the Bracelet

The woman calling herself Mara pressed a hand over my mouth before I could scream.

"Quiet." Her voice was low and sharp. "They'll hear you."

I shoved her hand away and stumbled back against the corn stalks. My legs were shaking so hard I could barely stand. The silver light on my palm was fading now, just a dull glow under the skin like I'd swallowed a LED bulb. The wolf I'd killed was still out there in the clearing. I could smell the burnt flesh.

"You're not Mara," I said. My voice came out hoarse. "Mara's dead. Ethan told me she's been dead for two months."

The woman tilted her head. She had Mara's dark eyes. Mara's sharp cheekbones. But something about her was wrong. Too still. Too calm. Like she'd forgotten how to blink.

"Ethan says a lot of things." She held up the bracelet. The silver caught the moonlight filtering through the corn. "You recognize this, right?"

I did. Mara wore that bracelet every single day for three years. I'd helped her fix the clasp twice. The little silver charms were all there—