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."

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

"Make me."

blueberries and fresh-baked muffins. Nauseatingly sweet. Artificial. Wrong. My body responds anyway, and I blame

with my boot. No

"Gentle," Fenris growls.

up." My fingers curl into fists as another wave of that possessive wolf scent hits me. Someone's been all over her, marking her like she's his territory. It's

"Now who's obsessing?"

I grab her arm, hauling her over my shoulder. Her body molds against mine, soft and warm. I

feel it too. There's only one explanation for

"She's nothing

tattoos grow warm. There's always something missing inside of me when he manifests into his separate form; when he returns,

soft and warm. Blood rushes south

"Fuck."

Fenris's smug satisfaction bleeds through our

"Shut up."

around me with each movement. My fingers dig into her thigh to keep her steady. Another step, another shift of her body. My jaw clenches, and I use my other hand to stabilize her at the waist. And if a few of my fingers dig a little lower, into the soft flesh of her

always carry her

"Not happening."

must say, your struggle

she's out here. For all we know, she could be a

echoes through my skull. She's been

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 of another wolf's

quiet. The silence stretches, heavy with something dark

they have a claim on her. His voice turns eerily mild. She's

"What do you think

doesn't matter. She's

feel like he's right. Like he's brainwashing me with his

Is it?

"Yes."

wolf who's laid his claim all over

the alien scent coating her body. She's saturated in it. There's a level of intimacy there... Red bleeds into my