Grace of a Wolf (by Lenaleia) novel Chapter 211

211 Grace: Ron’s Not Like the Others

“Oh, that’s sweet,” I tell Ron, meaning it despite the hollow feeling spreading through

1. me.

Meanwhile, the Lycan King stares at us with a deep frown before he steps over to my side. He leans down, his hot breath brushing my ear as he whispers, “Were you planning on leaving me, Grace?”

“You think that’s a good idea, too?” Ron asks Caine, his voice steady but excitement visible in his shining, dark eyes. His hands keep clenching and unclenching, and I’ve never seen him so animated. 1

I stare at the now–conscious Lycan’s mangled shoulder. Blood flows freely from the bite wound, and yet both men are standing there like it never even happened. He’s

even smiling.

I squint at Ron, not sure if I should believe him or not. On one hand, he than I am. On the other, he’s literally grown up as a shifter, so he would not what they taught in class here.”

“Was it peaceful?”

“Alpha… sorry, Brax always said violent wolves were uneducated wolves. Did Fiddleback have a lot of alpha challenges…?”

“She won’t need a place in your pack.”

n younger

1. w. “That’s

“Of course not.” He rolls his eyes. “Why would they teach a weaker pack they’re weak? He was probably hiding it to seem like he was a strong alpha.”

Oh.

I hesitate before nodding. Brax’s reputation is what it is, even if it’s starting to feel a little… spoonfed, compared to what Ron’s saying. “Yeah. He was.”

“Right.”

“Yeah, so?”

“You should probably just go inside,” I tell Ron uncertainly. New to parenting or not, even I know children shouldn’t be exposed to this level of violence. I very clearly

211 Grace: Ron’s Not Like the Others

remember my dad covering my eyes and my mom covering my cars during certain parts of superhero movies at the tender age of six, and those were the ones made for

kids.

I smack his hands away, a lump forming in my throat. How is it possible to feel proud and heartbroken at the same time? “Okay. I’ll hold you to it.”

The possessive edge in Caine’s voice could easily be annoying, but something warm flutters in my heart instead. But he isn’t the problem here, so I focus on the teenager.

“How do you know all this?”

His expression doesn’t change. “An alpha’s heir learns starting before the age of ten. He’s already late.”

He shakes his head with the certainty of someone much older. “I need to start planning my future. I need to make a safe place for people like us. Like you, too. Fiddleback isn’t the only place we’re in danger.”

They both ignore me completely.

And he probably has. It does give me a little pause, but I defend his inn ence to the death with a faint, “That’s not the point.”

He rolls his eyes. “Who doesn’t?”

I blink. “No. Isn’t it completely from bloodline?”

Ron ruffles my hair with a grin. “Don’t worry. You’ll still be my big sister even when I’m the alpha of my own pack.”

Ron’s finger taps against the back of my hands, where I’ye plastered them over his eyes to save his innocent teenage soul,

Rubbing at my eyebrow, I let out a little sigh. “Okay. I get it. This level of violence is nothing and normal and I shouldn’t overreact.”

Caine’s gaze flicks to me, then back to Ron. “In five years he’ll be the perfect age to spread his wings. Don’t you want him to be successful?”

My shoulders droop.

All this time, while I’ve been thinking of him as just the oldest of the children, he’s been

<

211 Grace: Ron’s Not Like the Others

carrying this burden. This vision… How many nights has he lain awake, planning how

to protect the others if and when Owen can no longer do so?

Ron leans forward with a strange gleam in his eye. “Was your Alpha really considered strong in this area?”

“Isn’t that because they’re… Lycans?”

“But he’s so young…” I protest weakly, knowing I’ve already lost this argument.

He snorts. “I can assure you, I’ve seen worse.”

Something in my chest twinges–a strange mix of pride and loss. When did my reliable, protective Ron start thinking about being an alpha? About leading? I look between them, feeling suddenly like I’m watching something being snatched from my grasp.

“You didn’t even have a chance to be a kid,” I murmur, my heart twisting painfully. “You deserve a chance to be a kid. Is it really time to be worrying about this?”

“Nah, he’s weak. If your ex is the the new alpha of this pack, it mean strongest after your alpha, right?” 1

was the

My spine stiffens as I look between them. The subtext isn’t even subtext–it’s practically written in neon. “Are you trying to say Ron should challenge and take over one of these packs?”

Ron claps my shoulder, his expression unexpectedly serious. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure there’s room for you in the pack, too.”

I blink. “How is that so?”

you mean?”

My heart warms a little.

“With his passing, the alliances he’s created will fall over the next few continues, his gray eyes fixed meaningfully on Ron. “It will be a good c who want to take it.”

s, Caine

ce for those

“I can keep Bun safe,” the Lycan King interjects, sounding genuinely insulted that his protection would be questioned.

Ron looks at me with unexpected amusement. “How old do you think I am, Grace?”

Caine comes toward us then, with the/Lycan now nowhere to be seen. It’s a little relieving to know he isn’t around; his hatred toward me isn’t the kind of thing to subside so easily, right? No matter what orders Caine gives.

He’s thinking five years ahead, and I’m still struggling to adjust to today.

But my voice trails off as I realize I’m still speaking like Alpha’s proud daughter,

without even thinking about it. My tongue twists like it would from eating sour candy and I grimace.

He nods. “I’m not a kid like the other three.”

“Fifteen?” I venture, suddenly unsure.

“Actually, it kind of is,” Ron argues, then wraps his fingers around my wrist and pulls

211 Grace: Ron’s Not Like the Others

my hand down by force. He’s stronger than I expected him to be, leaving me a little nonplussed.

“Can I look yet?”

“Yes!” My attention successfully diverted, I fight the childish urge to stomp my feet. It won’t help me gain some sort of parental authority in his eyes. “I lived here for six years, under the previous Alpha.”

The question makes me feel too selfish. Of course I do. But this feels too fast, too I just found these kids, and already one’s planning his departure.

soon.

“Um. Having a strong leader raises strong wolves. We’re all attracted to a strong alpha, which means we grow up stronger ourselves. Didn’t you know a strong alpha’s leadership causes more alphas to be born?”

“Don’t you think he’s a little young?” I try again.

ection, leaving

nearly as

Caine and the Lycan both look a little too smug when they look in my me feeling a little uneasy, like I’m missing something. But the feeling strong as the shock from watching Fenris take a bite out of someone’s shoulder. “There’s no such thing as a strong wolf pack without violence. Even I know that.” The Lycan only catches his interest for a second. “Oh, it’s not even that bad.”

My heart drops a little at the dark turn our conversation’s taken. Try saving a kid from seeing some gore and suddenly things go sideways.