The Wolf Code

“Maybe you can shift again, and we can enjoy peace and quiet.”

“You get so snippy when you’re the only clothed person in the forest,” he chuckled.  “Come on, now.  We’re out of harm’s way, but we’re still vulnerable here.  We have another mile or so to go before we get to the den.”

“What’s at the den?”

“Food, clothes, shelter, safety.  Any number of things you could want when you’re running from murderous enemies.”

“Is that what you call your house in the woods?” she asked. 

He started walking, ignoring her request to let her lead and leaving her following him with a clear view of his backside.  She focused on a spot between his shoulder blades, but every now and again, her eyes traveled south and she let herself enjoy the view as his muscles bunched and stretched with each long stride. 

They walked in silence for what seemed like an eternity, and already, Senora’s clothes were bone dry and sweat trickled down her back.  Each step was torture, the air so thick and hot that she felt like she was walking through water.  She stopped and bent at the waist, trying to catch her breath.

 Senora pulled the hem of her shirt up and wiped the sweat from her face.  The heat in the forest was oppressive, despite the shade and the gentle breeze that blew through the trees every now and again.  The fresh air and the birds in the trees did nothing to lift her mood.  She was tired, she was hot, and her mouth was bone dry. 

Grabbing the water bottle from her backpack, she took a drink before offering it to Ty.  He waved her offer away with a smile.

“I’m fine.”

She nodded.

“How much further?”

Ty gave her a soft smile. 

“Are you alright?” he asked.  “I know you weren’t prepared to go traipsing through the woods all day.  We’re almost there, and then you can rest and eat.”

“It’s not that,” she said.

“Then, what is it?”

“I need to get somewhere with a signal so I can talk to J and let him know what’s going on.”

“Do you think that’s wise?”

“Why?”

“What information do you have to give him at this point?  And what if he calls you back to D.C.?  Then what?”

He was right.  J would call her right back to the office to protect her.  He would leave the locals to deal with this mess, perhaps getting State Troopers involved, but either way, Senora would be off the case.  In all the corruption and mess of the Sheriff’s office, Addie’s kidnapping and murder would get pushed to the wayside and possibly left unsolved.  Plus, there was the kidnapping in her childhood that still hadn’t been solved.  No one was going to advocate for Addie, and Senora knew that this would eat her up.  There was nothing worse than an unsolved case, and Addie’s would bother her for years to come.  She couldn’t let Addie down when so many others had failed her.

She just couldn’t do that.

Addie deserved better than that, and so did Mabel.  Senora wasn’t giving up on Addie until she knew the truth, even if it meant keeping things from J for just a little while.

“You’re right,” she finally admitted.  “But where do we even start, and how are we going to find out anything with the Sheriff and his men on our trail?”

“You leave that to me.  This county is huge, and Dale can’t be everywhere.  We’ll start in Granbury where she last faked her own disappearance.  I’m sure someone saw something.  But first, we need to go through those files from Robin’s office.  Something in that file was worth dying over, and I want to know what it was.”

Something in his words struck her, and she realized in that moment that there was so much more to this than Ty had shared.

“Did you know Robin?” Senora asked.  “I didn’t even ask you if you’re alright after witnessing that.”

 “I knew her well enough to be surprised.  It’s a small town.  We pretty much know everyone, even those of us who are considered outsiders.”

“And you’re an outsider?”

He nodded.

“Not that I cared about it, but it came up a lot in school.  You’d be surprised how many kids want to try their hand at bullying the Lycan children.”

“That seems dangerous.  Couldn’t you just shift and win any fight?”

“It’s not that simple.  We weren’t allowed to shift within the city limits, and never in front of a human.  Breaking the rule caused huge problems for our tribe, and we couldn’t risk it.  For the most part, we coexisted without issue, but there were always problems.”

“Where does Robin fit into the picture?”

“She’s the school counselor, too.  When children are troubled, they get sent to her for therapy, and that keeps them from getting kicked out of school.”

“Did a lot of children get sent for extra therapy?  That seems rather odd for a small town like this.”

“Mostly just Lycan children.  They get sent there to deal with their ‘anger issues.’  But no one takes into consideration that they’re angry because they’re being bullied.  It’s been such an issue that a few of our young adults have come back from college ready to teach, and we’re starting our own school on the preserve.”

“Won’t that keep them from being able to integrate into society later on?”

“Not as much as having a juvenile record will.  Our children were being disciplined more harshly and more often than the others without any proof of poor behavior.  There have been a couple times that the town has voted on whether we should be allowed off the preserve at all and our freedom has been a few votes away from being taken away.”

“Yet the Sheriff has no problem calling you in for a consult when he needs you.”

“That’s only because some of the wolves in that enclosure are endangered, and he wasn’t allowed to shoot them.  He knew I could get in and get out without getting injured.  Sending you in with me was just to amuse himself.”

“See, that doesn’t make sense to me.  He sent you in when he could have left her there for the wolves to finish off.  Wouldn’t that have made more sense?”

“Not really.  The wolves had already destroyed most of the evidence, if not all of it, by then.  If he had delayed removal of her body, that would have raised suspicions.  Not that I think he killed her, because that’s not how he works.  He doesn’t get his hands dirty, and he maintains plausible deniability throughout.  He’s not an idiot, and he’s not going to put himself in the position of getting caught.  If I hadn’t been able to help him, then he would have called a vet to tranquilize the wolves, and the end results would’ve been the same.”

“It sounds like there’s no love lost between you two.  Why did you help him?”

“Because I knew you would be here.  Your reputation in the field is well-known, and I wanted to get a look at you for myself.”

Senora could feel herself blushing, and she was glad that he was still walking slightly ahead of her on the wide trail and couldn’t see her face.