Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 22: Grace: Eat

There’s food heaped onto the plate in front of me, turning into a small mountain of breakfast. I was starving, but now the egregious stack of food—enough to feed three people—leaves me nauseated.

"I’m not hungry," I lie, even though I’ll regret it later.

"Eat," the overbearing monarch says, his voice so cold I swear there’s an icy breeze in my ear.

But who can eat when there’s a strange man standing over them, arms crossed, watching with a death glare? Nope. Not happening. My stomach roils and rebels, even though it was begging me for food just a while ago.

I must not move fast enough for his liking, because he takes back the fork he’d given me and stabs a large bite of egg, shoving it at my face like I’m a child. "You haven’t eaten. You need to."

He’s still waiting, acting as if he can wait all day for me to eat what he’s offering. It’s awkward—beyond weird, really—but I lean forward and open my mouth. Cold metal clinks against my teeth as I try to manage the massive portion of scrambled eggs. Half of it falls back to the plate while I struggle to chew what made it in, heat rising in my cheeks over the mess I’m making.

His pupils dilate as he watches me, and he spears a thick sausage link next, bringing it toward my lips.

No way. Once was enough.

"Wait." I hold up my hands to fend him off, though the effort feels futile. "I can feed myself."

"Your mouth’s too small." His voice comes out rough, yet his face betrays nothing but clinical observation.

My cheeks burn hotter. I grab a napkin and wipe away bits of egg from the corners of my mouth. "It’s not that my mouth is small. That bite was just too big."

"You just need practice." He doesn’t lower the fork.

hovers between us. It’s spicy, just the way Alpha always liked them. My stomach seems to have

little flustered when grease spurts out and drips down my chin. It isn’t the image of an independent adult woman I wanted to portray, but at least I’ve successfully gained control of

Or so you’d think.

a piece of bacon at me. "Try this,

between them. His storm-gray eyes fix on my mouth,

he really summon

His voice comes out low and rumbly,

wiping away grease, and my body betrays me with a jolt of heat. His touch leaves a trail of fire across

touch, face burning. My knees snap together under the table as I try to get myself under

Thank you, God. I think I need to see a priest and confess all my sins, but very few shifter packs allow a church onto

"Enter."

back now and give me

as if the person at the door doesn’t exist. His

Mountain Pack’s new Alpha requests an audience," a voice says from the doorway, and I recognize

chin before letting go of my hair, apparently

wonder if he’s smiling or still showing a deadpan face. He’d seemed friendly enough yesterday, before the

of egg. A thousand thoughts race through my mind—most of them cursing myself for being some strange style of pervert around dangerous men—and I don’t pay attention to what I’m doing, only to be

breath through the pain radiating from forearm to palm. Ellie must have sprained my wrist; it hurt

turn around to talk to his beta, frowning instead as his gaze lingers on my hand. I swear the temperature in the room drops ten

"He’s already—"