Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 195: Grace: Buzzles

Out of nowhere, Caine was suddenly in a downright awful mood and wouldn’t stop glowering at his Lycan friends. But at least he finally left, even if he did basically stomp out of here with a dark cloud hanging over him.

I stand in the doorway watching them go, my feelings a jumbled mess of relief and something that feels suspiciously like abandonment. The camper seems emptier without his overwhelming presence filling every corner. Quieter.

Lonelier.

My eyes follow Caine’s broad shoulders as he marches away with his men, his entire body rigid and his fists clenched at his sides. Even from here, I can feel the waves of anger radiating off him.

Suddenly, he stops, spins on his heel, and strides back to me with purpose in every step.

I stiffen.

Did he notice how I felt?

My heart jumps into my throat as he looms in front of me, one step below where I’m standing. Close enough I could reach out and brush my fingertips against his long, silky eyelashes, with the perfect amount of curl mine require tools to replicate.

"Don’t worry about what they said," he murmurs, his voice pitched low so only I can hear.

I blink down at him, mouth opening to explain that his terrible acting is what I’m worried about—but he’s already gone, stalking back the way he came.

His shoulders look even more tense than before, if that’s possible.

I rub my face with my palm and sigh. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. Caine playing the role of "not my mate" looks an awful lot like Caine is my mate and going to murder people if they hurt my feelings.

Not exactly subtle.

A few yards away, several Blue Mountain wolves linger, watching everything unfold. Their faces carry familiar expressions, the kind weighing me down year after year. I didn’t realize how oppressive they all were until I’d left.

Smug superiority. Disgust. Disdain.

But for once, those looks don’t make my stomach twist with shame.

One of them—a shifter I vaguely recognize but can’t name—catches my eye deliberately. His lip curls in a sneer, and he spits on the ground, giving me a smirk before sauntering away.

My terrible, plummeting mood rises immediately.

It worked. Our terrible acting job actually worked.

Fighting the smile threatening to curve my lips, I step back inside and close the door, watching as more Blue Mountain shifters stare with smug, awful faces in our direction.

They’d started out curious and now look down on me. They’d never do that if they were scared of the Lycan King’s reaction.

Caine’s inexplicable bad mood out of nowhere saved the day.

The brief victory is great, even as it feels hollow. I know what comes next—the insults will get bolder, the "accidental" shouldering in hallways harder, the whispered comments louder. They’ll push until they find my breaking point, and I’m not exactly looking forward to living under this pressure again.

it’ll be fine. I’ve survived this treatment my entire life. I can handle it again, especially when

won’t be

my best life

asks the moment

was that?" Jer echoes, practically vibrating with indignation. "Aren’t you the Queen? Why’s he

Bun shouts gleefully, bouncing on her pudgy legs. Thankfully, no ears sprout out of her hair today.

But we don’t

I snap automatically. It’s starting to feel like second

eyes are trained on me with varying degrees of bewilderment. Even Ron has joined the

my voice to steady. "That was weird, right? Everything’s a little... complicated

not his mate," Sara says, crossing her skinny arms over her chest. "But that’s

"Which is totally crazy because

Ron just looks curious.

catch it. Without breaking eye contact, Sara pulls her off the table and sets her on the ground, leaving her free to toddle

it’s... We’re pretending, okay? Caine and I are pretending we’re not together, and he’s

"So you’re our mom?"

Sara a disgusted look. "She said we’re pretending to

who’s our mom?

nods, with a faint smile twitching at his lips. "It’s

start, but

just said she’s

he’s our dad, Grace is definitely the

"Yeah, she’s

head. "You two are the idiots. She’s definitely

Jer challenges. "Maybe

the mom, Jeridiot." Ron

thoughtful. "I think

new life with children. "I don’t know about that, but the important thing is this pack doesn’t need to know anything about us and Caine, okay? If they think I’m in a relationship with him, I’m not going to learn what

It feels awkward and

the kids seem to understand, all nodding in unison. Sara and Jer both look very serious,

face scrunches. "But why

much. They especially

you’re human?" Sara asks, something

"I grew up here. They never really accepted

Jer declares, his loyalty heart-warming.

My throat tightens. "Thanks."

her arms, demanding to be lifted. I scoop her up, grateful for the distraction. Her weight is solid and warm, grounding me

says clearly, patting my

sweetie. We’re just pretending,

insists, more forcefully

snickers. "I think she