Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 93: Grace: With Me

The way he phrases it makes my soul want to simultaneously crawl into his lap and drop kisses all over his face, and run screaming into the night so he can never find me again. It’s a dissonance of free will/bonding desire, and I don’t really know how to feel about it.

This whole fated to be with each other thing is a little... much. Until Lyre had broken it down, I’d been under the assumption humans can’t have fated mates. Everyone says so, therefore it must be true—only... it’s not.

Shifting my weight so my left buttcheek doesn’t go numb, I answer, "She’s staying with me."

The words come without conscious thought or consideration of consequences. Not angry, not defensive—just a simple statement of fact. Like saying the sky is blue or water is wet.

She’s mine now. I’ll put my life on the line to make sure she’s safe. I know it from the hair on my head down to my tiniest toenails. This child has wrapped herself around my heart. Learning she has no parents had the decision cemented before I ever consciously thought about it.

Bun snuffles against my shirt, her little fingers curling. It feels right to have her weight and warmth in my lap, like she’s always been meant to be here. Children were never a priority for me. It wasn’t as if I didn’t want to be a mother—of course I do, someday—but it was an abstract future for a much older Grace.

Tiny puffs of warm breath hit my collarbone as she falls back into deeper sleep.

Caine’s eyes narrow slightly. "Then we’ll make arrangements when we return to my territory."

There it is.

The assumption.

We. Us. Together. A package deal.

back while I choose my next words carefully. This isn’t about picking a

yet. I said she’s

tightens. In the dim lighting, the shadows of his face are more pronounced, making

talking about

don’t," I acknowledge, keeping my voice soft for Bun’s sake.

"I never said—"

I wiggle into a slightly different position. Now my right cheek wants to go numb. "Look,

Just one little dip of his head to acknowledge my words, even as his eyes

it doesn’t mean I’m going to hand over my life, my choices,

For a moment, he says nothing, just watches Bun’s sleeping form so intensely I hold

you," he finally says, like

need to get to know each other. I don’t know what I’m getting into, and you don’t even know what my

voice falters a little as his eyes gleam in the

way too innocent for

"You know... meshing."

you talking

at his face with one hand. I miss

privately?" he finishes smoothly, as if he wasn’t about to

"Yes. That."

nods. "Then I agree. Our bodies

if-he-touches-me-I-might-die thing, but it seems the great Lycan King isn’t willing to talk