Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 196: Grace: Unwanted Interruption Seven minutes. That's all I have left.

I sprint down the street, phone clutched in my sweaty palm as I check the map for the fifth tin thirty seconds. The little blue dot of my location inches painfully slowly toward the destination marker. Thisdoesn't bother with luxuries like street names or turns—just a straight line cutting through buildings, yards, and whatever else stands betweenand this mysterious Guardian.

My lungs burn, legs already turning to jelly. I'm no stranger to running away from danger, but there's a huge difference between running on demand and running out of fear.

When I'm afraid, I don't notice things like how my thighs ache and I have a stitch in my side and how my breathing's getting too short and shallow. Adrenaline takes over and I just go until I can't go anymore.

But now I'm forcing every extra step. Running for thirty seconds? Doable. A minute? Sure. Three minutes straight? Torture.

Had I known this was going to happen, I would have started working out days ago. Maybe trained like I was going to enter a marathon.

Behind me, there are shifters shadowing my every move, probably not even breathing hard. They've been followingsince I burst out of the camper, probably watching my every move to feed gossip to the pack. Or maybe wait until I'm even farther and more isolated to bullyto tears.

Too bad. There's a scary littlein my phone far more terrifying than the shifters I grew up with.

I cut across someone's front yard, earning a startled curse from an older shifter out watering her herb garden. "Sorry!" I gasp, not slowing down.

My destination is still too far, and— A hand clamps onto my arm, yankingbackward with enough force I nearly topple over. The world spins as I'm whirled around, meeting vicious green eyes.

Ellie.

She's exactly as beautiful as I remember-long black hair framing a perfect face, emerald eyes, pretty nose. But now her flawless features are twisted with something feral, something unhinged as her lip curls into a snarl. "Letgo!" I snap, trying to wrench free.

My arm doesn't budge an inch in her grip. My human strength is nothing against hers, and we both know it. I glance at my phone screen-6:42 and counting down.

"Why the hell are you back?" she hisses, her nails digging into my skin. They're the sharp, pointy kind of manicured nails, and they hurt like hell when paired with her level of power.

I pull again, fighting back a wince as her grip tightens. "Why do you care? I'm not going after your precious mate, so you don't have to worry about that." She can have Rafe in all his disgusting glory.

Her face contorts as she demands, "What did you say to my father?" "Your father?" I blink, genuinely confused, temporarily pausing at trying to regain ownership of my own limb. "Seriously? I've never even met your father." How she expects a human girl to contact the alpha of another pack, I just can't fathom.

Her eyes narrow dangerously. "Don't lie to me, you wicked little bitch." As if anyone on this plwould think I'm lying...

She starts draggingsideways, toward a narrow alley between houses. For the first time, I realized her hair's a mess instead of neatly brushed, and there are dark purplish bruises on her arms and legs.

Strange.

Not quite as strange as how she's acting, though.

"It all started with you, and I'm going to end it," she mutters, and I flinch.

Panic floods my system. The shifters who were followinghaven't moved a muscle to help, of course. They're loyal to Rafe, which means they're loyal to their Luna.

A quick glance at my phone shows she's wasted twenty seconds of my precious minutes.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about!" I struggle harder, digging my heels in. "Leavealone, for fuck's sake! You can have Rafe-I don't want him!" The back of Ellie's hand connects with my face so fast I don't even see it coming. My head snaps sideways, and I hit the ground hard, my knees scraping against the pavement. Blood fills my mouth as my lip splits open. Still, she doesn't release my arm, and I'm left dangling awkwardly from her grip.

"Shut up! I know what you are. You filthy little whore. What tricks have you pulled?" I can't help but flinch when she raises her hand again, but I meet her gaze squarely. "I haven't pulled any tricks."

But my heart beats traitorously as I wonder what she means when she says she knows what I am. Does it же mean Ellie knows about the App? About Anchors and Chaos and all the crazy shit still making my mind twist into pretzels to understand?

A contemptuous laugh bubbles from her throat. "No? Then explain how a caught n worthless human like you caught not only my mate's attention but the Lycan King's as well?" Her voice drops to a silky purr. "Don't worry though. Once I've mangled their precious little human-maybe taken a limb or two-they'll both lose whatever ardor they hold for you."

My blood freezes. This isn't just bullying or intimidation anymore. The gleam in her eyes tellseverything need to know-Ellie has completely fucking lost it. Cuckoo and bonkers, but with the ability to kill someone and hide the evidence if she so wishes. "Letgo!" I scream, true panic flooding my system. She starts draggingacross the ground toward the alley, and I swear I can feel my shoulder socket straining. My free hand claws at the pavement, fingernails breaking.

Something hot and electric pulses under my skin, building with my desperation, and I snap, "Get off me, you psycho bitch!" The words tear out of my throat with the taste of coppery blood and with it all comes a rush of... something.

It surges through my veins, races under my skin, and aims straight for the place where her slender fingers bite into my flesh.

There's a crack like thunder in my ears. A flash of blinding light. And Ellie is suddenly airborne.

Her body flies backward, slamming into a parked car with enough force to dent the door. She crumples to the ground, momentarily stunned, her face a mask of shock and rage.

I stare at my arm where her fingers had been. There's no mark, no bruise-nothing to explain what just happened.

For a single moment, nobody moves. The shifters who'd been followingstand frozen in disbelief. Ellie blinks atfrom the ground, her expression morphing from surprise to murderous fury.

I don't wait to see what happens next. I grab my phone and run.