Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 23: Grace: Not Clear At All

I press my lips together, not sure what to do. If I tell him Ellie hurt me, he might... hurt her, right?

No, wait. This line of reasoning has no basis in reality. He doesn’t care about me. If he was going to get upset over someone grabbing my wrist, his beta wouldn’t have stood there so calmly while she did it. Ergo, there’s no point in protecting Ellie. I don’t even like her. She’s an objectively terrible person.

Sighing, I tug my arm out of his grasp, mildly surprised when he lets go. His brow creases as he stares at my hand. "I just had a little altercation with Rafe’s mate earlier. Since I’m human, I get hurt pretty easily."

"Altercation?" Brooding eyes shift from my wrist to my face. "Didn’t I make it clear you’re mine?"

I stare at him, my mind blank. The absurdity of his claim only rises after yesterday. "No? I don’t think it’s very clear at all, actually."

His tense jaw goes slack, his narrowed eyes now wide at my response. He opens his mouth, then closes it, tilting his head as he inspects my face. "What did you say?" he finally asks, his voice much higher than normal.

He’s probably not used to being contradicted, but what does he expect with his strange behavior? Nothing’s clear at all! "I said no, you didn’t make it clear. What does being yours even mean?" My hands shake, and I clasp them into my lap tightly. I can’t keep looking at his face, so I look at the wall behind him instead.

This is a terrible idea. He’s going to kill me for going against him. He doesn’t like his authority challenged. But my mouth keeps going. "First, you tell the entire pack I’m yours—which I’m not. Then you tell them my presence here is illegal and I’m the problem between the packs. So which is it? Am I your property, or am I a criminal you need to get rid of?"

His nostrils flare. The muscles in his jaw work as if he’s grinding his teeth. "I never said—"

illegal then, but it makes sense now. So how can you be angry at Alpha if you’re also saying you’ve laid claim to me? Your actions are contradictory, don’t you think?" Please don’t

His hand rises to his forehead, and he releases a long sigh while taking a step

see your

the air as he walks back to his chair, dropping into it with a fluid motion that reminds

And awkward.

in my left hand. Each bite is a challenge, but I chew on autopilot, the weight of Caine’s stare making it

I jump,

investigate your situation." He sounds almost triumphant, his entire face relaxing as he stares at

a few seconds to process what he’s saying and understand he’s explaining himself. Meanwhile, his finger jabs through

"You. You’re my

with clear enunciation as he emphasizes every syllable. "No one else can lay their hand on you until my investigation is

he storms out, the door slamming behind him with

fork suspended in mid-air, bits of egg dropping back to my plate. What kind of captor gets territorial over their

man is a lunatic, and

least he

and penchant for murder,