Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 216: Grace: Inside the Wash-N-Were

Inside the Wash-N-Were, several machines are in use, but no one’s inside.

A little strange, I suppose, but it isn’t uncommon for shifters to go for a little run while they wait for cycles to finish.

Still, it’s creepy to be in an empty laundromat.

Thankfully, Andrew’s staying in the car, though the animals are determined to follow me inside.

Sadie prowls around, sniffing every inch of floor as her fluffy tail swishes back and forth.

The white cat—still nameless, despite the many suggestions ranging from "Snowball" to "Death Claw"—jumps from machine to machine with effortless grace before settling on top of a washer mid-spin cycle. It curls into a comfortable ball, eyes half-closed, clearly preparing to sleep.

Super fucking helpful. A part of me had kind of assumed these two strange animals-but-clearly-more-than-just-animal-beings would be a little more help with the way they tagged along against my will, but nope.

Just a mundane cat and a mundane dog, doing shit-fuck for my mission.

Ignoring them both, I take the time to do the most pressing assignment: shoving our disgusting laundry into three separate machines. Thankfully, Wash-N-Were has detergent provided for those of us who forget to bring it (or don’t know where Lyre has it stashed).

Coins clank as I feed them into the slots, and the washers rumble to life, blending into the sounds of already-running machines.

I glance out the window. Andrew’s still in his car, head down, probably scrolling through his phone.

His loyalty’s welcome, but confusing. He was Rafe’s shadow, his wingman, for years. I’m tentatively positive he’s a safe ally, but it still just seems... strange.

Loyalties can’t change so easily, can they?

Or were they never as close as I thought they were?

I don’t have the mental bandwidth to solve that puzzle right now. I have a quest, like I’m some

my pocket. I pull it

Something.

Anything.

A message. A

off sale for diabetic supplies. I don’t know a

spam text with fierce prejudice, I glance around the laundromat with a

hell am I looking for? A magical sword hidden in a dryer? A cursed amulet taped under a folding table? A haunted sock magnet that gathers missing socks from every washer and

Who fucking knows.

the outside and incredibly clean, with signs on every machine explaining how to use them.

back, there’s a small alcove with vending machines and a bulletin board

what I’m looking for, I’ll have to search every inch of this place

bulletin board is a chaotic collage of cards—lawn care services and babysitting offers being the most prevalent. For some

my fingers along the edges of the board, feeling

Nothing.

check behind the vending machines as best I can without moving them, but all I find are dust bunnies and a single ancient peppermint candy still in

The lights flicker on

Empty.

main room, Sadie has moved to the far corner, her nose pressed against the baseboards, tail straight as an arrow. The cat hasn’t moved, still

I ask

me, intent on

The cat’s ear twitches.

methodically down the row of washers and dryers, opening doors and peering into empty

even a speck of

about the wall behind it. There’s a slight discoloration, a rectangular patch about the size of a sheet of paper

nothing—maybe they patched a hole, or hung something