Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

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.

who?" Ron asks. "Same

looks to me, allowing me to make the call. It’s a small thing, but it doesn’t escape

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

"That works. Sara, Jer, Bun

the dog!" Jer protests, his

my tone firm enough to prevent further argument. "The cat stays

adult pair of hands to wrangle it is better than leaving it up to Ron while Caine has to focus on towing

handing it to Caine. "Got these on my way back. Old school, but they work. Better than using the phone during

walkie talkie over in his

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

the

his

chorus of "yes" and "yeah" fills the camper. I do one final sweep, making sure we haven’t forgotten anything essential, then scoop

* * *

walkie-talkie crackles to life. "We’re pulling out now," Caine’s voice comes through, slightly

and says,

feel like they’re two boys playing with

better," he comments, keeping his eyes

"Better than what?"

than you did earlier. You looked pretty pale, but there’s some color

surprise. "Oh. I guess I was just a

"Hmm."

cat shifts in my lap, kneading its paws against my thighs before settling into a tight, if still oversized, ball. Its fur feels impossibly soft under my

little thing,

twitch but it

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

over my shoulder 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 have their heads tilted toward each other, both leaning against Bun’s car seat. Bun’s head has drooped forward, her mouth slightly open, a tiny puddle

picture of the peaceful scene. After the chaos,