Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 207: Grace: Tolerate

My command, unsurprisingly, falls on deaf ears.

Rafe lunges forward, completely ignoring how hard I’m trying to shove him away, even with every ounce of strength I can muster. My skin crawls where it contacts his chest.

He moves—forward, though. Not backward.

Inexorable and manic, his eyes darting all over my face.

"I’ll allow that slap, and even this—" his voice drops low, his familiar voice now unfamiliar and nauseating, "—just this once, Grace. I understand you’re angry with me. I’m letting you vent. But I won’t tolerate it in the future."

Won’t tolerate it.

The words echo, bouncing around my head like a toxic cannon ball.

Won’t tolerate it.

As if he has any right to tolerate or not tolerate anything I do.

To Rafe, I’m a silly girl throwing a tantrum, not the wronged woman he cheated on.

What a scumbag.

My mouth goes dry. I stare at him—really stare—and wonder how I ever looked at this man and saw someone worth loving. His perfectly symmetrical face, those blue eyes I used to craft embarrassing mental poetry over, and the now-greasy golden hair I used to run my fingers through.

All of it makes my stomach churn.

It’s like Prince Raphael of my memory turned around, grew up, started smoking, and became a sleaze.

"Are you even hearing yourself?" The words come out faint, because it’s honestly hard to even believe the level of delusion this man’s operating under. My first impression, of him being some drug-addled nitwit from a TV show, slithers back into my head. Seriously, is he on drugs?

Then again, I don’t think any drugs work on werewolves.

Behind me, Ron’s barely holding himself back, the air practically vibrating with his frustration.

And the kids are watching all of this unfold.

I can’t let this keep going.

Won’t tolerate it,he said.

What a fucking dick.

like bile in my

held the highest position. I didn’t want to shame the man I considered my stepfather; didn’t want to shame the

twisted myself into mental and emotional pretzels for

is bitter as

from somewhere dark inside me, and it sounds happy. Too happy.

the hard lines of his face. Then he smiles beatifically,

I’m

What an idiot.

My stomach twists violently, revulsion crawling across my skin like a million tiny spiders, but I force

eyes light up, a wolf-bright gleam of victory.

so familiar, as his hands reach

gives me the perfect opening. I bring my knee up hard between his legs, putting every ounce of my body weight behind it. At the same instant, I slam both palms against his chest in another

catches him completely off-guard. His eyes bulge, face contorting in shock and pain as

their balls are

tumbling, arms windmilling as he falls off the RV steps to the ground below, like a scene from a

lips as I stand in

and apologize to her for being such a

is wrong with you, Grace?" Even though every word comes out through gritted teeth

eyes; I can’t help it.

for an answer and you don’t know

out a breath and grinds out the rest of the sentence in one

seconds to unravel his meaning, and

of the

earnest explanation for Rafe’s stupidity helps ease the frustration and fury simmering beneath my skin, and I scrub my hands absently against the sides of my legs. They no longer tingle, but I feel... dirty.

"Grace—!"

calling her name." The teenager in front of me no longer looks like a child as he glares down at Rafe, completely oblivious to the power the other man holds in this pack. Or maybe he

My lips twitch.

to talk

glance at me as he lowers

No wonder.

really loud rodent, if I have to specify. Which I don’t. But I do anyway, because