Dark Frost (Mythos Academy #3)(24)
Author: Jennifer Estep

More images zipped through my mind, of snow and trees and the wolf running through the forest, along with the creature’s feelings. There was only one emotion, really-happiness. Pure, fierce, intense happiness that it was finally free of the Reapers who had caged it, hurt it, tortured it for so long. Tears burned my eyes at the intensity and depth of the wolf’s elation.

Then, the image of another wolf popped into my head, a second Fenrir wolf, although this one didn’t have the Reaper red tint to its gaze or fur. It must be one of the wild Fenrir wolves that Metis had told me about, the ones who lived deep in the mountains and were rarely seen by members of the Pantheon. At first, my wolf was cautious around this other creature, but soon, the two of them were hunting through the snow together. Playing, mock fighting, even snuggling together.

For the first time, I realized my wolf was actually a she, and I also got the sense that it-no, she-wanted me to help her.

"I don’t understand," I murmured, opening my eyes and staring at the wolf. "Why are you here? Why did you leave your mate? You were so happy with him. What could you possibly want here with me?"

The wolf let out a little snort, like she couldn’t believe I was so dense. Kind of sad when a mythological creature thought it was smarter than you. The wolf pulled away and walked back and forth in front of the gate, almost like she was parading around for me. I stared at the creature, wondering what she was doing, what she was trying to show me.

After a few seconds, I realized the wolf was much fatter than I remembered her being before-especially around the middle. I reached out and put my hand on the creature’s stomach. It took a second, but another little flicker filled my mind, another little spark that told me the wolf wasn’t exactly by herself anymore.

"Oh," I said. "Oh. You’re going to have a baby puppy … or whatever."

I didn’t know how much of my words the wolf understood, but she almost seemed to nod her head, like finally, the silly mortal girl understands what I’m trying to tell her.

I didn’t know much about animals, but it seemed to me the wolf was much bigger than she should have been, given the fact that I’d only seen her a few weeks ago. Did mythological creatures have their babies faster than regular animals did? Was that why the wolf was so large already? How soon would she have her puppy? I didn’t know the answers to any of the questions swirling in my mind.

"But I still don’t understand. Why come here? How did you even find me in the first place?" I asked.

The wolf made a loud snuffling sound, and her black nose quivered.

"So … you smelled me out? You somehow … tracked me all the way back here from the ski resort?"

Again, the wolf nodded. Okay, so the Fenrir wolf had been following me. That was kind of freaky.

My eyes narrowed as another thought occurred to me. "Were you outside my Grandma Frost’s house last night? The big purple house with the gray steps?"

Another nod.

"Why?"

Instead of nodding, this time the wolf made a growling sound in the back of her throat-the sort of low, harsh growl that told me that she’d like to sink her teeth into something and not let go until it was good and dead. I kept my hand on the creature’s stomach, reaching out with my Gypsy gift, trying to figure out what had angered her enough to make that sound, but all I could see and feel was the puppy moving around inside her.

Frustrated, I dropped my hand and crouched down beside the gate. Thinking. Okay, so the Fenrir wolf that I’d helped weeks ago had somehow tracked me down, going over several mountains and a lot of miles to do it. Now, said wolf was here at Mythos Academy, pregnant, and apparently expecting me to take her in, like she was just a cute little corgi, instead of a mythological creature with more teeth than I had brain cells.

I’d seen and done a lot of freaky stuff since I’d come to Mythos, but this was rapidly moving to the top of the list of weird.

The wolf stared at me, almost like she could tell what I was thinking. Her ears drooped, and she let out a sad whine that pierced my heart like a Reaper’s sword. I had to do something to help her. Yeah, maybe the creature had originally intended to kill me per Preston’s orders, but the wolf had kept me warm after the avalanche, and she’d kept Preston from putting a crossbow bolt through my chest. I owed her for that.

As for why she’d come to the academy, well, I didn’t know. Maybe she didn’t want to have her puppy in the mountains. Maybe there were Reapers after her. Or maybe there was something else going on that I was completely missing. Either way, the wolf had helped me as best she could. I figured I should return the favor. It was the right thing to do.

First, though, I had to clear it with the Powers That Were-namely, the two sphinxes perched on the stone wall on either side of the iron gate. I’d been so focused on the wolf I hadn’t noticed that the sphinxes seemed to have grown larger and more imposing in the last few minutes, their features becoming sharper and more pronounced, their claws glittering in the weak winter sun, as if whatever was lurking beneath their stone facades was a breath away from leaping down and tearing the wolf to pieces.

Professor Metis had told me the sphinxes were designed to keep things out of the academy-Bad, Bad Things like Reapers, Nemean prowlers, and, well, Fenrir wolves. I didn’t know exactly how well they worked, though, since Jasmine Ashton had said there were other Reapers at Mythos besides her-kids and professors. I suppose the Reapers had some way of hiding their true nature from the sphinxes, some sort of loophole that let them walk by the statues without getting attacked. There were lots of loopholes like that at Mythos, especially when it came to all the magic mumbo jumbo stuff.

But Metis had also claimed the statues wouldn’t hurt me or anyone else who was supposed to be here. I just hoped they’d give a pass to my new furry friend as well.

"The wolf’s with me," I told the sphinxes. "She doesn’t belong to the Reapers. Not anymore."

The sphinxes glared down at me, their stone eyes seeming to narrow at my words, as if they were judging whether or not they were true. I waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. The sphinxes didn’t relax their rigid stance, but they didn’t spring to life and attack the wolf either. Instead, they just kept staring at me. Okay, it looked like it was up to me to make the next move.

I stretched my hand out through the bars and gestured at the wolf. "Come on, girl. Come here."

The wolf paced back and forth a few seconds, eyeing the sphinxes in much the same way they were her. Finally, though, the wolf stepped forward. I dug my hand deep into her shaggy fur and gently tugged her toward the gate, keeping contact with her body the whole time. My theory was that if the sphinxes wouldn’t attack me, then maybe they wouldn’t harm whatever or whomever I was touching either.