Page 10 of Grace of a Wolf 1
Our eyes lock one final time, and I swear I see something like regret in those dark gray depths. Then he's gone. The massive form melts into the shadows of the forest, leaving me alone once more.
I slump against the nearest tree, suddenly exhausted. All my adrenaline dumps in an instant, leaving me shivering against the rough bark. My hands shake as I run them through my tangled hair, wishing I didn't feel like sobbing at my protector's absence.
The pack is coming. With all of them here, at leastoneof them should have the presence of mind to bring me back to Alpha and get me away from this hunt. It should be long over by now.
But home doesn't feel very much like home anymore.
Rafe was my only ally in this pack. Without him, I'm a miserable and lonely human, adopted on a strange whim even Alpha's never fully explained. Just that he knew my parents long ago.
He takes care of me well enough, I guess. But he isn'thome. Not like Rafe.
And now I'm alone, without even a furry furnace to keep me company.
Chapter four
Grace: A Sudden Change
"Grace."
Alpha's commanding voice has my head snapping up before my brain is even functioning. I must have fallen asleep.
A threadbare blanket falls to the floor as I sit up; someone covered me when I fell asleep on the couch. Several adult wolves had swarmed the clearing only minutes after my protector fled, and—thankfully—were not a part of the sexual haze of the MateHunt, but established and mated adults who quickly dragged me home, like a recalcitrant child.
What were you doing?they all asked me in exasperation, like I wanted to be there.
No one listened when I tried to explain what happened.
"Alpha," I greet my adoptive father, clearing my throat when my voice croaks. "I'm sorry. I must have fallen asleep."
He waves one massive hand, scrutinizing me with a frown. "Tell me what happened."
Alpha's piercing gaze bores into me, and I can't shake the feeling something's off. His usual stoic demeanor has morphed into something unsettling. I swallow hard, my throat dry as sandpaper.
"I woke up in the middle of the forest during the Mate Hunt. My clothes were gone. I don't know how I got there."
He's shockingly unaffected by the words coming out of his mouth, looking more impatient than anything. "What else?"
"It wasn't safe, so I ran. I was trying to get home, but got lost. A strange wolf found me and kept me warm when I got lost. Andrew found us a while later and they both fought, and the wolf ran away."
With each word, Alpha's frown deepens, etching harsh lines across his face. The air grows thick, oppressive, making it hard for me to breathe. Oxygen makes it into my lungs with shallow, open-mouth breaths as his aura presses down on me.
I'm dizzy. And confused.
Alpha's never used his aura on me before. He says humans are too weak to stand up to it. Now, I see why.
It's like he's stealing the air from around me. Black spots dot my vision.
"Are you hiding anything from me, Grace?"
His tone makes me shudder. He doesn't sound like my adoptive father. He sounds… angry. "What do you mean?"
Alpha's eyes narrow, his jaw clenching. "Are you hiding a shift from me, girl?"
I stare at him, mouth agape, struggling to process his words. "I... what? I'm human. How could I possibly hide a shift?" What insane question is that?
The change in Alpha is instantaneous and terrifying. His face contorts, features twisting into something inhuman. Gone is the stern but caring father figure I've known all these years. In his place stands a stranger, regarding me with cold disdain.
"Alpha?" My voice quivers, barely above a whisper.
