Breaking The Code

Chapter Two

Poppy. With her waist-length golden locks and eyes as blue and bright as the deep ocean, she made everyone's heads turn. Gay and straight, wolf and human, everyone marvelled at her beauty. Her plump lips, painted with bold red. Her long, dark lashes. Her twinkly laugh and supernova bright smile. Her carefully manicured fingernails, painted the same shade as her lips. Her tight, pink top which highlighted and accentuated her hourglass curves. Her swishing skirt which made people imagine what was underneath. Her small round ears, pierced with sparkling diamonds. I knew when she entered my boutique by her vanilla and cinnamon scent, and the sound of her pumps clicking against the floor. 

"Hi, welcome to Designs by Dizzy. Can I help you with anything?" I greeted her, unable to tear my eyes away. 

"I hope so," she smiled warmly at me. "I've just moved here and I feel a little out of place. I'm sure shopping where the locals do will help me fit in. And I'm guessing these clothes make me look like a foreigner?" She twirled to show me every angle of her outfit. 

"You look gorgeous," I told her before I could stop myself. "But folks around here will definitely be able to tell you're from the city." We spent hours going through almost every item in the store, finding her the perfect jeans, tops, coats and boots to help her feel more at home. She told me about her new home in the suburbs just outside the town centre, her new job at the bookstore across the street, her plans to visit all the cafes and restaurants and stores, and about the reason she moved here. 

"My family disowned me after I came out as a lesbian," she told me as I scanned all her items. "I needed a place to feel like I belong and a small country town seemed like the best bet. You guys here have the most beautiful waterfalls and forests I've ever laid eyes upon. I'm an aspiring travel photographer so I'm all about beautiful nature and interesting people." 

"I'm sorry to hear about your family," I handed her the bags. "I know how you feel."

"Did you get disowned too?" she asked, curiously. Normally, I wouldn't talk about my personal life with strangers, but something about Poppy made me feel like I could. 

"No, I'm no even out yet," I heard myself say. "But if I did, they definitely wouldn't be happy. I'm not ready to face the consequences of what would happen if they found out."

"Well you can always feel free to come and talk to me about anything," she smiled her brilliant smile. "I'm over on Gilbert Lane. The house with the blue roof and yellow windowsills. Or you can pop in to Books Adore and ask for Poppy." She offered her hand to me. 

"Tamaska," I shook her hand. "Mention my name to anyone else working here and they'll give you a discount." 

"Now that's a name I haven't heard before," Poppy's hand lingered in mine. "It sounds so exotic."

"It's Hungarian."

"It's awesome." Poppy picked up her bags and waltzed out the door, waving goodbye as she left. I could still smell her in the air when I locked up the store and headed home. My best friend Lupita could smell it too when I got back to the pack's house. 

"I heard a rumour that there was a new face in town," she smirked at me. "So who is Miss-Vanilla-and-Cinnamon?"

"Her name's Poppy Freeman," I informed her. "She came into the store for clothes that would make her look more like a local."

"The humans may be able to be fooled by her attire, but our lot will know she's new before she's even in sight. By the way, what did she buy?" Lupita went under the alias Dizzy when she was in town. She said she did it for the mystery. People knew that she was Dizzy and she designed all the clothes they wore, but nothing else.  

"The jeans with the red flowers on the pockets, a few plain jeans, a whole bunch of tops, two coats, a pair of boots and a handbag." I made my way to the kitchen, Lupita following behind me. 

"Tamaska, you are brilliant," she grinned. "That's like, four hundred dollars we made from one customer."

"Better get Rudi and Lycandra to get a wriggle on with your new works. I have a feeling Poppy will be coming back more often. And Mrs Connery came in asking about a new line of dresses. Her grandson and his fiancée are coming to visit and she wants to make a good impression. Apparently the fiancée is a bit uptight about country towns."

"I'll let her know that I'll design something extra special just for her," Lupita started cutting vegetables whilst I prepared the meat. 

"How's Lowell doing in school?" I inquired. He was our youngest pack member, the only child of Rudi and Lycandra and he often struggled with feeling out of place at school. 

"I got a 90 on my history test today," the cub appeared from the other side of the kitchen counter. "And Lizzy swallowed a bug on the playground. She coughed it up and it was all slimy." 

"That's good news about your test," I ruffled his unruly hair. "This mane needs to be either brushed or trimmed. Go see Lycandra and tell her which one you want, okay?" I watched him bound upstairs to his mother's bedroom. 

"He needs to be around cubs his age," Lupita whispered to me. "His teachers called Lycandra earlier today and said they were worried about his behaviour. He's lonely."

"He's eleven years old," I whispered back. "The closest person to him in age is you. Besides, we can't home-school him. He needs to be around humans. He needs to learn not to attack them."

"But he has learnt control," Lupita argued. "He's much better now than he was four years ago. And he needs to start learning the Code. He needs to learn our history, not human history."

"He will finish this school year and then we will home-school him," I declared. Lupita nodded. As Alpha, my decision is final and must be obeyed. This would give Lycandra enough time to prepare herself as Lowell's teacher. I knew she would rather help Rudi and Lupita make the clothes for Designs by Dizzy but the Code states that cubs must be home-schooled by their mother for some time before and after their initiation to help them adjust to werewolf lifestyle. I'm still trying to get in contact with the Council of Six to see if that Code can be changed to any wolf with the knowledge to home-school. I know for a fact that my mother, Raula, would be the best option for teaching our cubs. 

The Council of Six is a group of six human families who know about the existence of werewolves. Moore, Freeman, Hopeton, Brooks, Porter and Walker. The first Council of Six wrote the very first Code, and only members of the Council of Six can appeal to the Leaders of the Council of Six (the eldest of each family) for Great Codes to be changed or removed. The Great Codes are the very first Codes that were written. Throughout the years, more have been added, amended or removed by the Leaders. Alphas can only appeal for newer Codes to be changed or removed. Only Codes that have been established for as long as the pack has. I'm lucky that my pack, the Lightfoots, was established not long after the Great Codes were. We also have one of the largest territories in the country, which gives us greater power and influence on the Council than some of our smaller neighbour packs, such as the Barkbiters. A lot of smaller packs have actually asked my pack for help with appealing to the Council. Appeals take longer to register for packs than for members of the Council, and larger packs get given greater priority. 

"I'm still waiting for the Council of Six to register my appeal," I confided to Lupita, throwing the meat in a frying pan and watching it brown. "If they approve it, I'm sure my mother would be happy to teach the cubs."

"Raula has always loved children," Lupita agreed. "She keeps talking to me about when she'll get grandchildren. Speaking of which, please tell me you have your eye on someone in the pack." I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes and took a breath. 

"Rendall would be the best guy to have cubs with," I started. 

"I know right," Lupita interrupted. "I could stare at those abs for days on end. He was definitely blessed in the womb. His genetics are unbelievable. Your cubs would be spectacularly beautiful and athletic."

"But I'm not sure if I really like him in that way," I finished. Lupita stared at me blankly so I continued. "Yes he has good genetics that would be powerful for a future Alpha, but I don't think I want to marry him."

"Maybe you could have cubs with one of the other packs' Alpha," Lupita suggested, tipping the vegetables into the frying pan with the meat. "It'd be a good way to merge the two packs and grow our territory. And you'd both be Alpha until one of you dies or retires and when the other does too, your cubs will be ready to take over and lead the new pack. I heard the Greatjaws Alpha is about your age and he also doesn't like any females in his pack. He's been looking at Alphas in his neighbour packs. He might have his eye on you. I caught a glimpse of him once. He is so tall I could climb him like a tree."

"Lupita!" I admonished. "Get the sauces and shut your mouth please. I don't want to hear another word about finding my mate until I say so, understood?"

"Understood," Lupita retrieved the sauces for me before slinking away to set the table. I felt bad for yelling at her - I felt like I was abusing my power as the  Alpha - but I couldn't listen to another word of her trying to set me up with some guy. I just wished that I could be true to myself, without judgement, and still be Alpha. It was too bad that the Code about no gay Alphas was one of the Great Codes.