Dark Frost (Mythos Academy 3)

My gaze roamed over the creature, and my eyes caught on its ear. A small V was grooved into the wolf's right ear, and I knew it was my wolf after all. The one I'd met at the ski resort, the one that had kept me from freezing to death after we'd both been caught in the avalanche Preston had set off. The wolf had gotten the V-shaped scar that day.

"Um, puppy?" I asked in a tentative voice, since that was all I'd ever called the wolf. "Is that really you?"

At the sound of my voice, the Fenrir wolf sprang to its feet, and its muzzle creased back into what looked like a-a smile. Okay, that was a little creepy. Usually, mythological creatures weren't any happier to see me than I was to notice them stalking me and licking their chops at the thought of sinking their teeth into my body. But the wolf actually seemed glad I'd noticed it, like-like it had been waiting here for me to walk by.

The wolf let out a soft whine and crept closer to the gate, making the leaves crackle underneath its enormous body. I walked over to the iron bars. I hesitated, then stretched my hand out through one of the gaps. The wolf paced back and forth for a few seconds before heading toward me and shoving its head underneath my hand.

As soon as my fingers brushed its fur, images of the wolf began to fill my mind. Flashes of the crushing avalanche that had almost buried us both, then one of the branch that had pierced the creature's leg and of me shoving the sharp wood out so the wolf could walk again, even a memory of me facing down Preston and the wolf spoiling the Reaper's aim when Preston had tried to kill me with a crossbow.

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.

The wolf crept forward and stuck her head through the gate. Maybe it was my imagination, but the sphinxes seemed to twitch, and a few chips of stone slid off the top of the wall and banged into the iron bars. The wolf flinched at the harsh, ringing sound, but I kept my hand on her back and looked up at the sphinxes.

"I told you that she's with me."

The sphinxes continued to glare at me, but no more stone chips tumbled off the wall.

A few seconds passed. When nothing else happened, I tugged on the wolf, urging her forward before the statues changed their minds. She tentatively slid one of her front paws inside the gate, then the other one.

"That's it," I whispered. "They won't hurt you as long as you're with me."

The wolf let out another huff, like she didn't really believe me, but she kept moving forward. It was a tight squeeze, especially around the middle, but the creature shimmied through the iron bars to the other side, knocking me over in the process.

Then, she plopped down on her butt, her long tail slapping from back and forth, like she'd just done the coolest trick ever. Maybe she had.

I looked up at the sphinxes, who were still glaring at me, their lidless eyes narrowed to slits. "Thanks," I said. "You know, for not ripping us both to pieces."

The sphinxes didn't do or say anything, but for a second, I felt that force stir around them-that ancient force that seemed to hover around all the statues on campus. Then, it faded away, and the sphinxes were just stone once more.

Beside me, the wolf let out another low, threatening growl, like she was showing the sphinxes that she wasn't really afraid of them.

"Come on," I said, rubbing her ears. "Let's get you settled in my dorm room before anyone sees you. Scary stone sphinxes are one thing, but professors are another."

I got to my feet and set off through the trees, with the wolf loping along behind me.

Chapter 10

It wasn't easy, sneaking the Fenrir wolf across campus to my dorm, but I managed it, mostly by skulking from tree to tree. Really, I was way easier to spot than the wolf. With her dark fur, the wolf was able to almost completely blend in with the shadowy landscape. Me in my purple coat, jeans, and sneakers? Not so much.

Once we got to my dorm, Styx Hall, things got much easier, since my room was the only one on the third floor, stuck in a separate turret that had been tacked onto the rest of the building. A bed, some bookcases, a desk, a small fridge. It looked like your typical dorm room, although I'd added my own personal touches, like the framed photos of my mom that stood on my desk, right next to a small replica statue of Nike.

Vic had said he wanted to take a nap, so I'd brought him back to my room before myth-history class. The sword hung in his black leather scabbard in his usual spot on the wall, right next to my posters of Wonder Woman, Karma Girl, and The Killers. His eye snapped open at the sound of me opening the door and stepping inside.

"Well, it's about time you got here-"

Vic's twilight-colored eye widened at the sight of the Fenrir wolf, and his mouth fell open. Actually, I imagined that it would have fallen off completely if, you know, it wasn't forged together with the rest of his face. I sighed. I knew what was coming now.

"Gwen Frost, have you lost your bloody mind?!" Vic roared.

"Sshh!" I put a finger up to my lips. "Do you want everyone in the whole dorm to hear you?"

"What is that-that thing doing here?" Vic snapped, glaring at the wolf.

The wolf's eyes narrowed, and she let out a low growl, her eyes fixed on the weapon like she wanted to leap up, snatch Vic off the wall, and give him a vicious shake.

"It is not a thing, it is a wolf. A female wolf, as a matter of fact. One who is going to have a, um, puppy very soon."

"Well, I can see that," Vic sniffed. "She's as big around as a bloody cow."

The wolf's growl got a little deeper and uglier. I put a hand on her back and started stroking her fur. That seemed to calm her down, although she kept growling at the sword.

"Well, apparently, she's decided that she wants to stay with me ... or something," I said. "I found her down by one of the gates, like she was waiting for me to show up."

Vic's mouth dropped open again. "So you let her inside the academy grounds? Why would you do that?"

"I didn't let her inside," I said in a cross voice. "The sphinxes did ... after I told them that she was with me."

The sword stared at me.

"If I had a hand, I would slap it to my forehead in disbelief," Vic grumbled. "No, actually, I'd use it to slap some sense into you, Gwen. That is a bloody Fenrir wolf, not a puppy with sad eyes that you spotted at the pound and just had to bring home. In case you've forgotten, that is the same wolf that would have been more than happy to make mincemeat out of you at the ski resort."

I sighed. "I know all that. I also know the wolf kept me from freezing to death during the avalanche, and she kept Preston from killing me with his crossbow. Surely you remember that, since you were there."

Vic sniffed again. "I recall no such thing. Except that I was brilliant in battle, as always."

"Anyway," I said through clenched teeth. "If the wolf wants to stay here with me for a while, then I'm going to let her. At least until I can figure out what she really wants. She's gone through a lot since she escaped from Preston, and I don't exactly speak wolf."