Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 179

Chapter 179: Grace: Not Wolf Enough For Him

"Is something wrong?" Caine asks, and I shake my head immediately, swiping the notification away.

He shouldn’t be able to see it, but I’d rather avoid situations where I have to outright lie to him.

"Nothing, just an annoying notification. I’m looking now."

I pull up the map on my phone, pinching and zooming while everyone bustles around me. Sara zips around gathering toys for Bun, Jer searches for his missing shoe, and Ron’s already standing by the door with Bun, who’s got her hands filled with carrot sticks.

It takes under three minutes to find exactly what we need. I zoom in on the blue dot marking our salvation.

"There’s another Walmart about one hundred seventy-four miles away," I announce, turning my phone to show Caine. "They’ve got a massive parking lot, and it’s right off the highway. No rivers in sight, so hopefully no flooding, either."

Caine stares at the screen with a frown. "Another Walmart? Why is it always Walmart?"

I shrug. "Lyre says they’re the best choice for overnight parking. They don’t hassle RVs. Well, most of the time."

He grunts. "She would know best, I guess."

"She’s lived in that camper for god knows how long. So yeah." I zoom in further, showing him the satellite view. "I was going to look for a truck stop with hookups, but this is better because we need to get cat supplies, too."

"Good call."

His approval sends a flutter through my chest. Being useful is such a nice feeling.

"Andrew, pull up the directions." Caine hands his phone to the other man without skipping a beat.

He takes it, his expression unreadable. "Sure thing."

The next ten minutes are a flurry of activity—securing the cabinets we opened, tucking away loose items from play, and washing the dishes we’d used. It’s now our third time doing this, and we’ve found a bit of a rhythm to our chaos.

Everyone knows what to do, and it makes a big difference. Well, that and we didn’t exactly camp out like we were expecting to stay here.

riding with who?" Ron asks. "Same as

to make the call. It’s a small thing, but it

locked in the bathroom. "I’ll take the cat with us. Sadie can go with

Jer, Bun are still with

the dog!" Jer protests, his bottom

I say, my tone firm enough to prevent further argument. "The cat stays with us, and

might cause. Having an adult pair of hands to wrangle it is better than leaving it up

pulls a small black rectangle from his pocket, handing it to Caine. "Got these on my way back. Old school, but they work. Better

talkie over

a two-mile range," he explains. "Better than nothing if

no guarantee the

clears his throat.

the camper. I do one final sweep, making sure we haven’t forgotten anything essential, then scoop up the soaking wet cat out of the bathroom, where it’s hidden itself

* * *

"We’re pulling out now," Caine’s voice comes through, slightly distorted, but

grabs it and

feel like they’re two boys

comments, keeping his eyes on

"Better than what?"

looked pretty pale, but there’s some color

my cheeks in surprise. "Oh. I guess I

"Hmm."

kneading its paws against my thighs before settling into a tight, if still oversized, ball. Its fur feels impossibly soft under my fingers. I stroke along its spine, and a rumbling purr vibrates

a strange little thing, aren’t

cat’s ears twitch but it doesn’t open its

can’t shake the feeling that it’s not just a cat, just like I’m positive Sadie’s not just

after ten minutes have passed, surprised by the quiet from the back. The kids are all zonked out, their little bodies surrendering to the exhaustion of the day. Sara and Jer

a quick picture

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