Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 47: Caine: Knock Like a Normal Person

The campground entrance is easy to miss, hidden in the darkness without any streetlights to mark it. Thankfully, many of the campers parked here have LED lighting strips along their rigs, and I slow before I miss the turn.

"Where?" I demand.

Thom closes his eyes, concentrating. "Keep going. She’ll be on our left. I’ll know when we get closer."

I drive deeper into the campground, wheels crunching on gravel. Rolling my window down seems like a mistake at first. The place reeks of humans—their food, their waste, their cheap alcohol. But beneath it all, I catch hints of her scent, growing stronger.

"That interference," Thom mumbles, seemingly to himself. "It’s stronger here. Almost like..."

"Like what?" I snap.

"Like something’s deliberately masking her." He opens his eyes, pupils dilated. "Something old."

Jack-Eye opens his own window, shoving his head outside to breathe in deep. "There’s a shifter... Blue Mountain."

I can smell him, too.

"There." Thom points to a large RV. The lot next to it isn’t empty, but only holds a blue sedan and a tent. "She’s there."

I park the car on the opposite side of the road and kill the engine, and Jack-Eye slides out of the car with languid ease. "I’ll deal with the traitor."

I grunt at them both, reaching for Grace’s pillow with fingers that itch to crush something. One brief caress over the soft fabric. One deep breath of her scent—blueberry muffins, mixed with fabric softener.

My chest loosens as the pillow’s scent cuts through the noise in my head.

"Stay here," I tell Thom without looking at him.

warlock slumps in

into the night, vaguely irritated

system,

large black dog rather than a monstrous wolf. Even his ethereal blue glow has dimmed to almost nothing, just the faintest shimmer visible

says as he pads beside me.

I mutter through

you? Your face suggests

force my features to relax, though the effort feels like trying to reshape stone. If I approach her with all the rage burning inside me, I’ll only drive

are things I’ve done to reassure her she’s safe. I didn’t kill the Forest Springs Alpha. Or her boyfriend. I wanted to, but I didn’t; I even held Fenris back. This should be enough

self-restraint rises, just in time for the crunch of gravel to draw my attention to the

young man emerges, his scent far too familiar. What

sound carrying through the quiet night

movements are cautious, deliberate; he’s not stupid. He’s caught our

first, but then his eyes land on me. His body

his posture relaxed. Andrew approaches with his head slightly bowed, then drops into

he murmurs, voice

the snarl building in my throat. His scent is all over the area and around the camper—all over Grace’s space. The rage bubbling beneath

then I remember how Grace trembled when she walked into my suite, and I

understand the violence

will be time to repay

wanting to linger. Not with Grace within reach.

"Got it, boss."

dart between me and Jack-Eye, weighing his options. Smart enough to know there aren’t many. "Alpha Wilder asked me to protect her," he says quietly. "To make sure

not in

spikes, filling the air with the sour smell of fear. "She... she decided