Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 12: Caine: She's Not Mine

CAINE

My wolf's glower burns into my back as I finish tying his little human obsession's hands together.

"Will you stop that? I'm not going to hurt her." Not yet, anyway. Or maybe ever.

"She was running away."

"Yes, and isn't that interesting?" Grunting, I push myself off the ground, stretching my back. My entire body's sore from sparring, and I just had to chase my wolf's little rabbit through the woods for no reason at all.

I wasn't even trying to scare her. She just ran for no reason.

Fenris scoffs. "You know what effect you have on others. You should have treated her more gently. She's going to hurt when she wakes up."

One little tackle to the ground and she even lost consciousness. She's pathetically weak, and the faint prick of guilt against my conscience is unwelcome. "Not my problem, Fenris. We agreed you would stay away from her until I finished my investigation."

To his credit, Fenris doesn't argue, instead padding over to rub his head all over the human girl.

Her obnoxious blueberry muffin scent wafts through the air, and I grimace. It's mixed with the scent of other wolves; one stands out stronger than the rest. My skin crawls and tightens, and I tell myself it's because human scents should never mix with wolves. "We'll have to find a place to put her until tomorrow."

A distinct sense of disapproval emanates from my bond with Fenris, but I ignore it.

"Just keep her with us. Is that so hard?"

"Stop it. You know the restrictions. I'm only here to investigate why they hid her existence and brought a human into a Mate Hunt. This is Bran's second time flaunting law."

Fenris scoffs. "You would be hard-pressed to find a pack who hasn't broken this one. Humans are historically desirable."

"Humans are weak, and bringing them into any pack is considered kidnapping under international laws—"

"Only if they don't like it."

My eyes narrow as I stare down my wolf. "This investigation will proceed lawfully. Get your obsession under control, Fenris. Humans only bring trouble to a pack. And stop marking her." My voice comes out rougher than intended as Fenris continues rubbing his massive head over the girl's unconscious form. "You're acting like a pup with a new toy."

"Her scent is tainted with other wolves."

concern." The words are like rotten blood in my mouth as I get another whiff of the foreign wolf scents clinging to her skin. The one is particularly strong, and I want to scrub her skin raw

"Make me."

sweet scent floods my nostrils—warm blueberries and fresh-baked muffins. Nauseatingly sweet. Artificial. Wrong. My body responds anyway, and I blame Fenris's obsession seeping through

my boot.

"Gentle," Fenris growls.

wolf scent hits me. Someone's been all over her, marking her like

"Now who's obsessing?"

her arm, hauling her over my shoulder. Her body molds against mine, soft and warm. I have to ignore how perfect her body

it too. There's only one explanation for

warning. "She's nothing but a legal headache. Focus on the

of me when he manifests

against mine. Her curves press into my shoulder, soft and warm. Blood

"Fuck."

smug satisfaction bleeds through our

"Shut up."

my other hand to stabilize her at the waist. And if a few

could always carry her

"Not happening."

I must

know nothing about this girl or why she's out here. For all we know, she could

echoes through my skull. She's been outcasted. Can't you see she's the victim

my hand a little higher up her thigh. It's just to keep her steady, to limit her bouncing around up there. Nothing more. "An outcast wouldn't reek

stretches,

matter who thinks they have a claim on her. His voice turns

chuckle escapes my throat; his true self is finally bleeding out. "What do you think she'll do when she realizes you

matter. She's

comforting, making me almost feel like he's right. Like he's

Is it?

"Yes."

to the wolf who's laid his claim

thigh. It's impossible to ignore the alien scent coating her body. She's saturated in it. There's a level of intimacy there... Red bleeds into