Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 108: Caine: Get Them Out (END BOOK TWO)

CAINE

Owen’s cave is, strangely enough, located in a run-down neighborhood. Half the lawns are overgrown, and most families use their yards as storage instead of a decorative display.

The building housing Owen’s strange cave system looks the same as the rest. Several sun-bleached gnomes decorative what used to be some sort of garden, and more windows are boarded than not. Before Owen had given us access, the house was as empty inside as it looked from the outside.

Dirty, dusty, and bare of any life or even basic furniture.

I haven’t asked what strange magic connects the cave to this place. Lyre and those connected to her seem to live by strange rules. While magic isn’t necessarily unfamiliar, the strength and breadth of their powers are leagues beyond what any normal wizard could ever dream of accomplishing.

I circle the perimeter a third time, scanning for anything out of place, but nothing pings my radar.

The silence is absolute. Too absolute.

Animals go quiet when predators approach. Right now, not even the birds call.

"Something’s coming," Grace had said with absolute certainty. Not a question, not a fear—a fact.

She senses things she shouldn’t be able to sense.

Fenris’s voice is sluggish in my mind, weakened from our battle at Fiddleback. He’s quiet most of the time now, conserving strength, but Grace’s warning roused him.

His power is great, but the price of its consumption is equal in measure.

I grunt. He sounds a little too thoughtful, but I have no interest in questioning things further. There are more important things to deal with. I don’t question it.

It’s more than a feeling. The wolf’s curiosity ripples through our shared consciousness. A human shouldn’t detect danger before a wolf. She’s showing traits she shouldn’t possess. Don’t you wonder what that means about who she really is?

My jaw clenches. Don’t care. She’s Grace.

That’s not an answer. She could be—

that matters right now. If there’s a threat incoming, we

huffs, a grudging concession rather than agreement. His fascination with Grace is no less than mine, but it feels as if our roles have reversed since

of my phone cuts through the tension. Jack-Eye’s

beside the front door. I’ll go in soon, but I don’t want the

back your way, I think," Jack-Eye replies, his voice tinny through the

wolf on my pack

you coming here, or looking for something

that." There’s a hesitation. "She hasn’t exactly shared our exact destination yet. Driving blind.

woman’s defining trait

the cave. Grace has...

pause, too long to be casual. I hear

responds. "She says Grace should take her truck and camper. There’s a remote boondocking site—whatever the fuck that is—about forty miles northeast. Secluded enough to hold you

eyes narrow at the quick response.

met her, right?" There’s a dry note in Jack-Eye’s voice. "I’ll text the coordinates. We’ll meet

goodbye, ending

have no idea what boondocking is, but I’ll figure it out. The priority is moving now, not

give the neighborhood one last scan before heading inside. Overhead, the clouds gather, thick and gray. Rain will hide our scent if something is

a small backpack, expressions solemn. Even Bun,

eyes dart nervously toward the entrance as I enter, her hand clenched around something. Ron stands tall, his

at the contents visible from the open top—diapers, wipes, formula, a small stuffed rabbit. Baby supplies for Bun. His attention to detail makes something in my chest tighten

these kids will make formidable pack

claimed them as pack. Regardless of

ask, meeting Grace’s

tightly. I miss the brown,

need it with the kids. I only have a

hook on the wall and head to the small kitchen area. I don’t bother with selection—just

me, reaching past to grab a purple sippy

indirect contact sends a jolt through my system. The bond between us doesn’t care about timing or circumstance—it happily urges me to throw her down on the nearest flat surface and tear off every last shred of fabric

time, but a wolf’s mating bond has