The Wolf Code Reloaded

by Angela Foxxe

He arched a brow at her, and she took a breath and closed her mouth so he could continue.

  “Occasionally, a Sentinel would find that a person in their inner circle was superstitious, or at least believed the werewolves were creatures of hell and should be killed. They would go to great lengths to kill us, and when their standard methods of killing didn’t work, they used more creative methods.”

  “What were they called?”

  “What?”

  “There’s the Sentinels, Guardians, Shifters- What were the bad guys called?”

  “They weren’t called anything. They weren’t important enough for a title.”

  “Ahh. So when someone says that ‘they’ are doing this and ‘they’ are controlling that, this is who people are referencing.”

  “I feel like you’re aggravating me on purpose.”

  “And I feel like you’re spinning a tall tale for your amusement.”

  “Do you want to hear it?”

  “Of course, I do.”

  “Anyway, the Sentinel would sometimes be followed, sometimes by a well-meaning villager and other times by someone who started a friendship or affair with the Sentinel to gain their trust and to find the shifters.”

  “An affair?”

  “Women can be conniving manipulators just like men.”

  “Or they can be Sentinels, and the conniver can be the man.”

  “I haven’t met a female Sentinel.”

  “There’s always a first time for everything.”

  “When the traitor found the wolf and had enough proof, they would run to the village and cry wolf basically, sounding the alarm and sending the people to hunt us down. We would fight them off as much as we could without harming them, but some people gave us no choice. We would relocate then, and we would start fresh. Many times, our Sentinel would get killed in the fighting, and soon, human Sentinels were unwilling to put their lives and their families at risk.”

  “I can see why they would be scared. All of the responsibility without the powers. Why didn’t you just bite them and make them wolves?”

  His shocked expression made her regret asking the instant the words were out of her mouth.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be crass.”

  “I get it. It’s hard to understand when you’re trying to pick apart my story and poke holes in it.”

  “That’s not what I’m trying to do.”

  “We can change a human with our bite, but it’s not something that we just do. There have to be extenuating circumstances, and when we do bite, we’re putting our own life in danger.”

  “How?”

  “We’re giving up a part of ourselves and transferring it to you. It seems like a small thing, but it’s a bit like giving blood. You give some, and your body slowly regenerates what you’ve given until you return to normal.”

  “That makes sense and-”

  “Except turning someone into a werewolf is more like giving blood and donating vital organs. We are weak afterwards, and we risk dying before our body can recover.”

  “Oh.”

  “That’s why it is so aggravating when humans claim that we change people to build our armies. I don’t need to change a human to build up our populations; mating accomplishes that just fine. And we’re more about quality than quantity. Because we’re so large and strong, we don’t need as many of us to fight and win.”

  “Why do humans think that you’re doing that then? I mean, humans from hundreds of years ago? Obviously, people nowadays don’t believe in wolves.”

  “You do.”

  “That’s different.”

  “I don’t see how, but okay. I don’t know why they thought that. But it caused an uproar and many epic battles. We eventually hid ourselves away, even from the Sentinels.” He paused and looked at his watch. “We should be going. We’re going to run out of daylight in a few hours, and I don’t want to startle anyone when we show up. Ethan has no idea that we’re coming. With everyone on alert, we’re already taking our lives in our hands showing up uninvited.”

  “Maybe you should have told me that before you almost drowned me in the waterfall.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” He put his hand out to help her up. “I know you’re tired. We’re almost there. Let’s go.”

  She took his hand and allowed him to help her up.

  They began walking, Ty in the lead and Senora following right on his heels. The cave got darker as they went deeper into it, and within a few minutes, Senora found herself reaching out in the dark and grabbing onto the tightening strap on Ty’s backpack.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked without slowing down.

  “I can’t see a thing.”

  “Why not?”

  “What do you mean, ‘why not?’ I can’t see in the dark.”

  “You can’t?”

  “You’ve been around shifters too long. No, I cannot see in the dark. I feel like I’m trapped in a nightmare with my eyes closed.”

  “I’m right here; you’ll be fine.”

  “Do you have a flashlight?”

  “I do, but I wouldn’t advise using it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Let’s just say that there are a lot more critters hanging out with us than you probably think. Well, I guess I should say hanging up with us.”

  “Oh hell. There are bats, aren’t there?”

  “Hundreds of them.”

  “You’re lying,” she said.

  “Just a little. There are a few bats, but they’re off to the side, and they are unbothered by us.”

  “But they are there.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll pass on the flashlight. How much further?”

  “We’re going through the mountain peak and onto the other side, which is only visible from the air, and even then, the trees cover the nest. I hope you didn’t think we were going to go through the cave and come out on the other end in a few minutes.”

  “Nope. Can’t say a cave behind a waterfall came up when I was thinking of all the ways we could possibly get to the dragon’s nest.”

  Ty chuckled.

  “I like your sense of humor.”

  “My humor is a little dry for most people.”

  “I’m not most people.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his backpack to give her some semblance of balance. She still felt lost and a little panicked at what felt like an incredibly tight space, but she knew that it wasn’t forever. She just had to relax, focus on her breathing, and pretend that there weren’t bats hanging from the ceiling on each side of her.

  She froze, backpack straps still gripped tightly in her fingers.

  “What?” Ty asked.

  “They’re not vampires, are they?” she whispered, wishing the thought had never crossed her mind.

  “I thought you were a skeptic.”

  “I was. I mean, I am.”

  “Okay. Well, vampires aren’t actually real.”

  “They’re not?”

  He chuckled.

  “Just kidding. All the vampires live in Canada. It’s much too hot in the US.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “I’m not joking.”

  Ty started walking again, and Senora went back to her spot, holding onto his bag and staring blindly into the pitch-black cave.

  She didn’t notice the black begin to turn gray for several minutes, but once she did, she sped up.

  “What are you doing?”

  “We’re almost outside. I can finally see a little.”

  “Man, humans are blind.”

  “Hush. Am I right? Are we almost there?”

  “We are.”

  “Thank goodness. I don’t think I could take another minute of that darkness.”

  Ty chuckled again but said nothing. Senora was expecting some quip about how strange her kind were, but as she watched, Ty became tenser and more focused. He was in the zone and on high alert. Senora decided that t
he time for friendly banter was over and to follow suit. She didn’t know what they were watching for, but she was going to be ready when she saw it.

  There was a hiss and the sound of stone rubbing across stone. Ty grabbed Senora, pushing her down just as something whizzed over her head. She felt the minuscule displacement of air, and knew that whatever the tiny object was, it had been very close.

  “That was close,” he whispered.

  “What was it?”

  “Tranquilizer darts. You must have stepped on the stone with an ‘x’ on it like that one.”

  “I don’t see an ‘x’,” she said, peering into the dark grayness ahead.

  “That’s probably why they work on humans. Stay close and only step where I step.”

  “Got it,” she said.

  She followed him, watching every move and repeating his steps on her tiptoes just to be safe. The light continued to brighten, and a few yards later, she was able to make out her first gray stone with a gray x that was only a shade darker.

  “How in the world was I supposed to see that?”

  “We’ve passed ten of them. I think there are a dozen total.”

  “I feel like anyone who gets this far probably deserves to see the dragon’s nest without a dart embedded in their shoulder.”

  “So true.”

  They made it the past the final two, and Ty relaxed visibly.

  “That was the hardest part.”

  “But there are still some parts to get through?”

  “Just one more.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You seem to deal with things better without preparation.”

  “I hate surprises.”

  “You keep saying that, but you excel at dealing with them.”

  “What’s next?”

  “A hop, skip, and a jump.”

  “Oh crap.”

  “What?”

  But she didn’t hear him. She was focused on the sight in front of her, and the end of the cave. He followed her gaze and laughed, but Senora was not amused.

  “Can you swim?” he asked, speaking louder to be heard over the water as they moved closer to it.

  “I hate you right now,” she seethed.

  “As long as it’s just right now, I’ll take it.”

  “If I find out that there was another way to get here, I’m going to be pissed.”

  “Just by air and through here. Why do you look scared? This is my favorite part.”

  “We should have skydived.”

  He laughed.

  “You’ll be fine. I’ll hold your hand.”

  “You’re a bad friend,” she said as he grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the edge.

  “Your backpack floats,” he said, tightening it on her arms until it was impossibly tight. “It’s made to slow your descent in the water, then bring you back up, and it will help you float. The water is deep, so you might want to hold your nose.”

  Before she could protest, he grabbed her and flung her out and away from the edge, then jumped in after her, laughing the entire way down.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The water felt like iced concrete when she hit it, and the shock almost took the breath she held away from her. She kept her mouth clamped shut and nose plugged, arms pinned to her sides to help hold her backpack straps on her arms.

  She felt the tug when the water hit the bag, and it reminded her of her parachute catching when she’d skydived for her twenty-first birthday. She went from free falling to suddenly being yanked upward, but that wasn’t really what happened, and she knew it. She wasn’t going upward so much as the descent just ceased.

  This moment felt about the same, except instead of fresh air, she was surrounded by water.

  She let her body go limp, hoping that would help her conserve air and let the flotation device do its job. Her descent began to slow, the water pressure building in her ears as she struggled not to panic.

  She kicked her feet, and she finally stopped, then began to slowly rise upward. She looked up and began kicking frantically, desperate to reach the water surface that seemed so far away.

  A shadow swam by her, and she had to force herself not to scream. She was going to die. She just knew it. And it was all Ty’s fault.

  His hands were on her in the next moment, and she felt him yank hard. Her head broke the surface, and she took the deepest breath of her life and almost cried out in relief.

  “You’re alright,” he said in her ear. “Relax, I’ve got you.”

  “How the hell is that your favorite part?” she said angrily.

  He chuckled.

  “You get used to it.”

  “You get used to it. I’m never setting foot in this place again.”

  “Never say never.”

  He held her so her head was on his shoulder, and she leaned into him.

  “This is nice,” she said, eyes closed. “I like this part.”

  “That’s good,” he said. “But I wouldn’t open your eyes just yet.”

  She sat up quickly, ignoring his suggestion and doing just that. A few yards away, on the bank of the pool of water they’d jumped into were half a dozen men, all armed and looking quite angry.

  “Friends of yours?” Senora asked, too exhausted to panic anymore.

  “They aren’t,” he whispered, then turned his attention to the men in question. “I’m here to see Ethan,” he said loud enough for them to hear.

  “Who are you?” the man closest to them asked.

  “Ty Mahigan,” he said.

  “Mahigan? You’re a wolf?”

  “That would be correct,” Ty answered sheepishly.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I need to see Ethan.”

  “For what?”

  “To save his life.”

  And how are you going to do that?” a voice said from behind the rustling trees as he moved into view.

  Ty smiled.

  “The same way I always save your life, you winged bastard.”

  The two men laughed, and Ethan waved the others to stand down.

  “I see you’ve brought me a prize,” Ethan said, eyeing Senora.

  “No way, Friend.”

  Ethan shrugged.

  “I guess your mother never taught you to share.”

  Senora shot Ty a look of pure terror as her stomach clenched at their playful banter, but Ty shook his head.

  “We’re joking, Senora,” he said.

  “Senora?” Ethan asked, eyebrow raised.

  “The one and only,” Ty said.

  “Well, then. Welcome, Senora. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  She looked at Ty, but Ty held up his hands.

  “Not from me,” Ty said. “I told you. You’re famous.”

  Ethan stepped into the water and held out his hand to help Ty out.

  “I was hoping when I saw an APB out on myself that they would send you, Ty. I couldn’t have dreamed that they would send you and the famous Senora.”

  “I wish you guys would quit saying that and tell me what’s going on,” she said, stepping onto the grassy shore and resisting the urge to kiss that ground.

  She turned and looked at the opening in the side of the mountain. She shook her head.

  “If Ty would have called me, I could have had you flown in like a civilized human being.”

  “I didn’t have time to call. Kaden was at the base of the mountains and in our hotel.”

  “That definitely put a damper on things,” Ethan laughed. “That man is relentless. We should get going.”

  “Is anyone going to explain the ‘famous Senora’ comments?”

  “No,” Ethan said. “It’s far easier to show you, and I think you’ll want to get out of those clothes first. Dinner will be served soon, and we have a lot to talk about.”

  “But you’re in danger of being found,” Senora said, stopping and letting her arms fall loudly to her sides in exasperation. “Are you just going to go on as if you have nothing to fe
ar?”

  Ethan turned, and she expected him to be laughing or maybe even angry at what she was insinuating. Instead, his eyes were soft. She found herself lost in them, like she was diving into the emerald green depths and soaring through the skies all at once. She was rooted to the ground, but she could feel the winds blowing around her, and she knew that she was flying.

  “Ethan, knock it off,” Ty said.

  The image shattered and fell around her, and all at once, she was back in the woods, and Ethan was smiling.

  “Sorry. It’s a habit. That’s why I wear the colored contacts to hide my eyes when I’m out and about. It’s easier to avoid enchantments that way.”

  “What just happened?” Senora asked.

  “I thought it would help you relax, but it looks like you don’t respond the way most women do. I’m not surprised, but at least we’re already here.”

  “What?”

  Senora turned, looked behind them and was shocked to see that the pool was gone, and so was the cliff cave they’d jumped out of. She ran her hands through her hair and stopped, looking up at Ethan and feeling the heat build.

  “My hair is dry,” she said, trying to keep herself under control. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing,” he said. “You looked stressed and tired, and like the altitude was getting to you. You should feel better now. Take a deep breath.”

  Senora did it, even though she didn’t mean to. For the first time since they’d parked at the overlook, she didn’t feel dizzy when she inhaled.

  “I’m sorry. I should have asked you, but I thought you could use a little help.”

  “What did you do exactly?”

  “I enchanted you and let your mind rest while we walked through the woods. One, so you could rest, and two, so you wouldn’t remember how we got here. I’m sorry, but I have to protect our secrets, even from you.”

  “You keep saying that.”

  “I do. And now, you’re about to see why.”

  Ethan raised his arm and motioned. A slender girl no more than twelve or thirteen handed a younger girl the basket full of beans she was picking from the garden, and the younger girl continued the work.

  The girl hurried over, her long black hair flowing behind her in tight ringlets down to her waist. Her bright green eyes shone from the distance, and Senora heard herself gasp as her hands went up to her mouth in shock.

  “Impossible,” Senora whispered.