Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 86: Grace: Honey, I’m Home

The kids race toward the entrance of the cave and I trail behind, arms sore from handling the little shifter tornado, who now twists in my grip at the promised arrival of food.

"Pah! Pah!" Bun chants, kicking her legs against my ribs as she giggles.

The exhaustion hits me in a wave. Between Bun’s shifting frenzy, the bizarre rumors about Caine and me, and just the general chaos of being trapped in a cave with hyperactive shifter children—my body’s tapped out. Done. Dead.

My hospital stay seems like a lifetime ago, and yet it’s only been hours.

Owen staggers inside, arms loaded with the promised holy food, and Jer shouts, "Did you remember cheese?"

The man grunts, his eyes darting around the room until he sees me. Then he glances behind him.

He looks paler than when he left, a sheen of sweat visible on his forehead. The unflappable, impassive man is...

Nervous.

My stomach drops.

"Pizza!" Sara and Jer practically tackle him, grabbing at the boxes, oblivious. Despite their excitement, Owen remains rigid, jaw tight and eyes wide.

"What’s wrong?" I ask, shifting Bun to my hip as she makes grabby hands toward the food.

Before Owen can answer, another figure steps into the chamber.

I blink.

"Honey, I’m home." Lyre’s rainbow hair catches what little light filters into the cave as she saunters in like she’s arriving at her own dinner party instead of a hidden shifter hideout. She waves at me with casual flippancy, cat eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

Behind her, the massive form of Jack-Eye ducks through the entrance, his red hair tied back, expression as bewildered as I feel.

in disbelief.

she says with a shrug. "Oldest trick in

speaks, practically jumping backward. The pizza boxes

commands, and Owen

cave wall and maintaining at least ten feet of distance between them. His eyes never leave her, tracking her every movement like she might explode at any moment.

I blink again.

hallucinating. Maybe Bun ran into my head while she was flying

Owen says to the suddenly silent

observant one,

steps back, as if she’s afraid Lyre’s going to snatch it out of her hands. "Are they going

out with a shriek. "Pah!

to the stack of pizza boxes now on the floor and flips open the top one. "Pepperoni. Basic, but

face with her chubby

Nope. I’m not unconscious.

"Ron, can you..."

her." The older boy plucks the toddler out of my arms. "Jer, go get her

pauses a millimeter from a

His eyes flick from Lyre to me and back again. "Caine’s on his

Oh, dear.

about Bun. And the kids.

a slice of pizza. Sara’s eyes follow her every move with

Ron and mouth, I don’t think he

My lips twitch.

herds the children toward the food, his movements stiff. "Everyone

tone, gather slices and retreat without argument. Even Bun allows herself to be guided away by Ron, who looks back at us with suspicion as

has to turn around with the chair he just brought in,