Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 160: Grace: Mentor

"And leave them where, exactly?" Owen asks, his massive form somehow fitting into Lyre’s cramped bedroom without bumping into everything. Bun clings to him like a koala, her tiny face buried in his neck. Her chubby fingers twist into the collar of his shirt, refusing to let go.

"With Grace, far from this territory. I already explained this." Lyre paces the tight space, which is about three steps long on the other side of the bed.

Outside the door, there’s a shuffling of small feet and not-so-hushed whispers.

"It’s not fair," Sara whines. "Owen just got here and she’s hogging him."

"Is she gonna turn him into a toad again?" Jer’s voice rises with curiosity.

"Shut up," Ron hisses. "Get back to the living room and just wait patiently."

I focus back on the conversation in front of me.

"What are we even looking for?" Owen asks, patting Bun’s back. "The notification was vague at best."

Lyre turns, her cat eyes flashing and sharp teeth more apparent than normal as she snarls, "If they know there’s an agent of Chaos, they should damn well say what it is."

Owen’s reply comes out measured and calm, but the bass in his voice still sends a chill down my spine. "They won’t. It’s up to us to figure it out."

I really can’t get over how someone who makes candied fruit for children can sound so much like he’s planning a murder. Nature’s cruel joke—giving the gentlest soul the voice of a hitman.

"No shit, Sherlock," Lyre snarks.

Owen flinches a little. He’s not pale and cringing every time she looks his way anymore, and I wonder how they got so close after the toad incident. Still, it’s clear he has fear of the rainbow-haired woman by the way he avoids her anger.

I would, too, if she ever turned me into something croaky.

"Is this connected to the massacre? Or perhaps the sanguimancer?" Owen asks after an awkward period of silence.

"No." Lyre’s eyes flick to me as she frowns. "It’s probably not about the massacre. It’s about the arcanic storm Chaos threw down when he came to visit our girl here."

Owen’s head jerks toward me, his silver-gray eyes going wide. "You met Chaos?"

other, suddenly feeling like a kid who accidentally started a forest fire—and didn’t know about it. "Seems

his movement causing Bun to lift her head and stare in my direction. His voice drops to a scary rumble.

a laugh. "I’m fine. It was just a dream. Nothing

anything. A person.

open rift," Owen chimes in, bouncing Bun gently as she

sensation of not understanding what they’re saying.

opens his mouth to answer, but Lyre cuts him

his mouth

me. "She doesn’t have full access

me, his intimidating frown somehow managing to look

jaw tightens.

cryptic bullshit I’ve ever heard. Almost worse than the drivel coming out of Rafe’s mouth when he tried to convince me to

Ugh. Rafe.

to see him again, too, when I

not looking forward to

old in that moment. "Sorry, Grace. I know it’s irritating. It isn’t fun for us,

Owen nods.

this is why he’s a man of few words. I’d naively assumed it was due to his scary voice, but being

of. In

me.

danger of failing the mission. Okay, Grace? Your safety

catching on her

occurred to me. I’d been so focused on the fact I was being sent back to Blue Mountain Pack territory—back

wouldn’t know what to do, but hadn’t quite followed up

if we fail?" I

grimaces on their faces send a cold prickle

of imposed penalty," Lyre says reluctantly. "But it shouldn’t be terrible for someone like you, who’s listed as

hands fidget with the hem