Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 87: Lyre: Embraced (?)

LYRE

There’s a special joy that comes from watching someone who once stood tall crumble into terrified submission. Owen—all six-foot-something of Order-aligned angelic muscle—keeps flinching whenever I so much as breathe in his direction. It’s adorable, really.

He’s young. Strangely young. Maybe mid-twenties at best. Seems odd, considering his bloodline, but I’m not about to ask. Knowing means involving, and involving means work.

No, thank you.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I fish it out while maintaining eye contact with Owen, just to watch him swallow nervously. Poor thing. I’d only turned him into a toad for a few seconds. Just enough to make sure he didn’t run away.

Didn’t think it would bother him this much, but it is a delightful bonus.

The text on my screen makes me roll my eyes.

[CAINE: Why aren’t you answering your phone? This is just an empty building. Where are you??]

The digital equivalent of a wolf’s howl.

Sighing, I turn to Owen. "Do they need a key?"

He nods stiffly. "Yes."

"Better go let them in before His Royal Broodiness tears this place apart with his bare hands."

"This isn’t—" He stops himself and blows out a heavy breath. "Okay."

Jack-Eye straightens. "I’ll go with you."

Of course he will. Any excuse to get away from the big bad witch who turned his new friend into an amphibian. Wolves are so predictable. So boring. Take away their agency once and they lose their ability to function.

Owen hesitates, looking from me to Grace and back again.

"Don’t worry," I tell him with my sweetest smile. "We’re best friends. Right, Grace?"

The angel-descendant looks at Grace, his silver eyes troubled. "Will you be—"

interrupts, her cheeks flushing pink as she looks at me.

my chest, mock-offended. "Just a friend? After everything we’ve

as she reaches toward me. "Oh no, I didn’t

with you." I

tension melting away as she exhales a long breath. "That wasn’t funny," she mumbles, but there’s no

a world determined to

of her fate, and

by

fates usually are. The Divinity call

hesitant Owen toward the exit, and I can’t help but twirl my

actually snarls at me before following Owen out. At least he has some spice to his fear. Doesn’t like being poked at, does he? Maybe he’ll be

Grace collapses onto one of the cushions scattered across the floor, her eyes wide. "You turned him

?"

second," I tell her with an easy smile. "I wanted to talk to him, and it’s the easiest way to

why Jack-Eye is afraid of

your mate, who bulldozes through life with all the

face does that endearing pink thing again. "He’s

sitting beside her, "we’re well past that particular

opens her mouth, then closes it, hands fidgeting in her lap. Her nervous energy fills the space between us—anticipation

really upset?" she asks

looking for you." I pat her knee. "In his own charming, homicidal

how someone so genuinely good could end up bound to a creature like Caine. The universe has a twisted sense

you," I add, "he might be a bit...

falters. "Intense

you can’t breathe’ kind of intense. After what happened

"Oh."

to explain to the hospital staff why you’re back in a coma." Though, I’m sure Caine will never let her out of his

going to be

a commotion echoes from the hallway—heavy footsteps and voices, one deep and

Caine.

sits up straighter, unconsciously smoothing her hair. It’s so painfully obvious how she feels, and I can’t help but sigh. All that beauty, tied to an emotional brick wall with anger

the mating bond’s peculiar sense of matchmaking. Though, Grace has her

Lycan King himself, filling the doorway with