Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 202: Grace: Intruder Alert

The knock comes again and Sadie launches into another frantic round of guard-barking, making my already pounding head throb harder.

Holding the frying pan up sounds easy, but it doesn’t take long for the weight to start wearing on my wrist. It’s an eye-opening example of precisely how weak I am.

"Grace? Grace Harper?" The voice outside carries a rough edge of irritation now. It’s male, deep, and both generic and vaguely familiar.

But vaguely familiar could mean anyone; I don’t recognize every Blue Mountain pack voice. Just the ones I run into all the time.

I grip the skillet tighter, my knuckles aching and arms trembling. Partly from exhaustion, partly from the rush of adrenaline still making its way through my system, and a lot because what the fuck, I am so sick of this insanity and how I don’t get a chance to sit down and relax.

Seriously. Is a movie night too much to ask for?

Maybe lunch outside in a cool breeze?

But no, I don’t get family movies or pretty picnic lunches. I get chased through my old pack lands and strangers knocking on my camper door.

"Aren’t you gonna answer it?" Jer asks curiously, still watching me from his spot on the dinette bench.

Sara delivers a swift elbow to his ribs, making him yelp. "Read the room!" she whispers fiercely. "She’s going to kill him with the frying pan."

Her little brother rubs at his chest, looking thoroughly offended and also unimpressed. "Yeah, well, it isn’t Rapunzel’s frying pan, so I don’t think it’s going to work."

"It isn’t a special

frying pan, you dingus."

"If you want to get specific, it’s cast iron. Cast iron is heavy. Whatever Grace is using is just those cheap nonstick pans you get for like, ten dollars."

Reasonable Ron strikes again, but somehow he’s more irritating than the other two.

"Shut up," I hiss, waving the pan in a frantic shooing motion toward the living room area. "All of you, get back. Now."

Is it appropriate to tell children to shut up? Pretty sure it isn’t.

I think I’ve already

me from

"But—" Jer starts.

I repeat, my voice dropping to that deadly serious tone I’ve learned makes even

it

because they retreat with obvious reluctance,

door, though the urgency seems different than

door continues, his

scoot awkwardly across it until I make it to the window. My legs still feel like jelly and I keep smacking elbows and feet against different things, but I’m intent on keeping my frying pan up

of the blinds

eyebrows rocket toward

camper is a Lycan. Not just any Lycan—one of the ones who was here earlier, with the scarred face and permanent scowl.

through the window—his narrowed, mine wide—and a flush of awkwardness washes over me. I let the blinds fall back into place, then realize how ridiculous it is to pretend he isn’t there when he literally saw me

on, Grace.

him permission to use my first name? We’re strangers. He should at

you," I call through the blinds and

instead of a solid eighteen, but give me

you don’t open the door, I’m

the

claimed the children, but now their

if he

why I’m going to break down this door," he snaps.

demoted from a presumptive use of my first name to just being addressed

goes around calling people human?

behind me. "Does he think he’s some sort

and I say at the

to open this door,

head throbs even harder. "No, thank

don’t like humans very much," Ron explains calmly, continuing