Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 156: Lyre: Assigned Missions

LYRE

Thankfully, Grace seems to have a natural affinity for arcana manipulation. It might seem as if it would be natural with her being an Anchor, but... surprisingly, it isn’t always.

I frown at my phone. No Plausibility warnings yet—which is suspicious in itself. My screen glows with a stomach-sinking alert.

It isn’t like I didn’t know it was coming, but still...

[ASSIGNED MISSION: Neutralize detected agent of Chaos in Region 23-BETA.]

The alert is region-wide, meaning Owen’s probably got the same message burning a hole in his pocket. At least he’s competent.

"What’s this?" Grace is staring at her own phone with a frown. When she sees me looking at her, she turns the screen toward me. "What does this mean, Lyre? It’s from that app."

The familiar interface of the Divinity App glows back at me. And a mission.

But this one is different.

[ASSIGNED MISSION: Investigate disturbance in Region 20-L. Locate and secure compromised artifacts. Report findings.]

Region 20-L. Blue Mountain territory. Grace’s old pack, and the same place she was running from.

"Let me see that." I snatch the phone, scanning for details. Grace is nowhere near ready for field assignments. She’s barely grasped the barest concept of her own power, for fuck’s sake.

Then my eyes land on the bottom of the screen.

[Temporary Guardianship Assigned By: Reaper Caeriel]

"That son of a bitch!" The words explode from me before I can stop them.

The camper shudders violently, dishes rattling in the cupboards. A few books tumble from their shelf. Grace yelps as her coffee cup slides across the table, grabbing it just before it tips over the edge.

"Earthquake? Do we even get earthquakes here?!"

I force my breathing to slow, pushing my rage back into the box where I keep all my other inconvenient emotions. "No. Not an earthquake."

That overdressed, obsessive bastard. Caeriel knows exactly what he’s doing. Assigning guardianship of an untrained Anchor without consultation? Sending her back to the place she just escaped?!

He’s trying to corner me, force my hand. And the worst part is I can’t follow her there—I’m bound by my own mission parameters.

Fuck!

Before I can explain anything to Grace, the door’s yanked open. Caine fills the doorframe, wild-eyed and bristling with protective fury.

the hell was that?" he demands, eyes darting

No wolves

out the door.

"Lyre! Open this goddamn

shock and wanting to let him in. "Listen to me very carefully." I keep my voice deadly serious, and she jerks her eyes away

"But why—"

If you start talking about missions and divinities, he’ll think you’ve lost your mind." I lean closer. "And if you push it, if you try to force him to

draw together. "What does

The banging on the door grows more insistent. "I don’t like telling you to keep secrets, especially from him. But this

her face. She nods slowly, reluctantly, as Caine continues his assault on

voice steadier than I would have expected

old pack. To Blue Mountain." The words feel like betrayal coming from my lips, and I don’t

There?!" Her voice goes up into a half-shriek; I can’t

can’t go with you.

I get it

the ass. There’s no way I’m going to find his agent on the

Damn it.

can’t—" Grace stammers, panic rising in her eyes. "They don’t want me there.

hair with a grimace. This is not how I expected today to go. I was hoping to grab the Sleeping Beauty of a

point of filling him with arcana if this

exactly why I tried to stay away from this damn app and its

cosmic eye socket. If that pretentious divinity hadn’t made direct contact

growl join Caine’s demands. The kids are shouting, too, and Grace

snap of my

banging and yelling away. But now

something in my chest twists at the fear in her voice. Doesn’t she realize she has

to work on

your boyfriend will be with you. And if you

frowns at me. "Why would

she would bring up the annoying and mysterious Rafe. It looks like

him. What

the girl still looks

now, Grace. More than you even understand.

I hope.

Caeriel lets her get

I’ll have to send him a warning, but it’s

flicker down to the phone, to the notification there. It won’t go away until the mission is completed, one way or another.