Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 3: Grace: Protector

Chapter 3: Grace: Protector

The wind steals every bit of the warmth the strange wolf had gathered, and I crouch behind a tree to block the worst of it.

A slinking shadow skulks forward, slowly coalescing out of the abstract darkness of the forest.

Andrew.

His lithe wolf body slinks forward, lips curled back in a snarl.

My mysterious protector tenses, fur bristling along its spine. Another low, menacing growl rumbles through its chest.

Andrew's head snaps back, releasing a bone-chilling howl that echoes through the forest. Answering calls rise from all directions. I know those sounds. The pack is coming.

Whoever my furry furnace is, he isn't known to the pack. Which means he's an intruder—which means...

The massive wolf at my side snarls, snapping its jaws at the air between itself and Andrew. A clear warning for him to keep his distance.

"Shit." My soft whisper is enough for my protector's ears to swivel in my direction, and I press myself against the tree trunk, hoping I don't get in its way. No, not it. Him, I think.

His identity might be a mystery, but he still kept me warm and safe, at least for the last few hours. I don't want him hurt.

whisper, "You need to go. They're all going to come

beside me throws back his head, unleashing a howl that shakes the very earth beneath my feet. The sound reverberates through my chest, a primal force that steals the breath from my lungs.

fade, an eerie silence descends

The predatory sounds have goosebumps erupting, as if they weren't already pimpling my skin,

fangs as he snarls. My protector responds in kind, hackles raised and muscles coiled tight beneath his

fight, but I'm somehow caught

me. Some signal I don't recognize has them both darting forward in a whirlwind of fur and fangs,

him an advantage, but Andrew is quick and nimble. They tumble across the forest floor. Andrew

defense, even to someone like me, who's rarely

the action, but even I can see the moment the tide turns. My protector's jaws close around Andrew's hind leg, and the smaller gray wolf lets out a

me, but he's still Rafe's best friend. Still someone I've grown up with

away. His yelps of pain fade into the distance as he flees, leaving behind tufts of fur

second. Reality slaps into

pack is coming. I can hear them drawing closer, their howls growing louder with each passing second.

no time for that now. He needs to leave, to get as far away from here as

us both. "Go!" I yell, my voice cracking with desperation. "Run! You need to get out

there's no time

me. A wolf's gaze is intense, but this time I almost

presence to him that even