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

that shakes the very earth beneath my feet. The sound reverberates through my chest, a primal force that steals the breath from my lungs. Even Andrew, cocky and aggressive moments ago, shrinks back, his

an eerie silence descends upon the

erupt from every direction. The predatory sounds have goosebumps erupting, as if they weren't already pimpling my skin, and I shudder

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

I'm somehow caught in the crossfire all

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

nimble. They tumble across the forest floor. Andrew occasionally escapes the strange wolf's jaws, darting away a few steps with

screams that he's on the defense, even to someone like me, who's rarely seen a

turns. My protector's jaws close around Andrew's hind leg, and the smaller gray wolf

but he's still Rafe's best friend. Still someone I've

free, limping badly as he scrambles away. His yelps of pain fade into the distance as he flees, leaving

for a second. Reality slaps into me as my

rest of the pack is coming. I can hear them drawing closer, their howls growing louder with

for that now. He needs to leave, to get as far

My palm connects with his hindquarters in a resounding smack that startles us both. "Go!" I yell, my voice cracking with desperation. "Run! You

whirls around in a sleek movement that has me cringing, preparing for retaliation. But there's no time for regrets. "They're coming. All of them. You need to

as he inspects me. A wolf's gaze is intense, but this time I almost feel like prostrating myself to the ground and lifting my neck. Like I'm a wolf

a presence to him that even Alpha