The Outcasts by Michael Murray
The woods were never the thing to be afraid of.
For a long time, Valley Ridge believed itself out of reach—a small Virginia town nestled in the Blue Ridge, where neighbors were close and Friday-night games mattered. The darkest thing in the woods was supposed to be the woods themselves.
Then Alex Trent disappears.
One moment the high-school star is celebrating the biggest win of his life. Hours later, all that’s left is a shattered phone, bloodstained grass, and tracks that look almost human.
Almost.
Two teenagers the town overlooked sense the truth first: A boy whose bones break easily and another boy blinded by tragedy, discover a gift within them that rises up to meet a threat the world has never encountered. An aging police chief feels it too—and he’s been hiding a secret of his own for years.
What hunts Valley Ridge chose them. Finding out why may cost them everything.
“My lieutenant thinks you’ve created a werewolf. Is he right?”
Francis laughed. “That question is exactly why you wear a badge instead of working in a lab.” He shook his head. “Werewolves are folklore. What I made doesn’t wait for a full moon and doesn’t turn back. Tell your lieutenant it’s worse.”