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.

was that?" he demands,

No wolves

air that catches him square in the chest, propelling him backward out the door. Another flick of my wrist slams it shut, and I engage every magical lock I’ve built into this

banging starts immediately. "Lyre!

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

"But why—"

see it. The interface is perception-filtered. 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 see what he can’t, the system will auto-correct the plausibility

together. "What

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

settles on her face. She

than I would have expected from someone who just had a mini-meltdown over learning she could control

to go back to your old pack. To Blue Mountain." The

goes up

can’t go with you. I’m pinned

get

no

Damn it.

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

with a grimace. This is not how I expected today to

of filling him with arcana if this stupid fucking mission is in

I tried to stay

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

grows more threatening. I hear Fenris’s deep, warning growl join Caine’s demands. The kids are shouting, too, and Grace doesn’t like it. Her hands

my finger

worry; they’re still outside banging and yelling away. But now at least Grace can’t hear

she asks quietly, and something in my chest twists at the fear in her voice.

work on

your boyfriend will be with you. And if you

at me. "Why would I bring

up the annoying and mysterious Rafe. It looks like Caine’s finally eclipsed her

What a

girl still

Grace. More than you even

I hope.

Caeriel lets

eyes darken. I’ll have to send him a warning,

eyes flicker down to the phone, to the notification there. It won’t go away until the mission