Chapter 144
“Baby, no,” I cupped her face, begging her to hear me. “You are the strongest person I know.”
“Then what?” Her voice broke. “I’m not worthy enough to have Lycan? Am I that broken?”
“You are beyond worthy, my love,” I tried to comfort her, but I knew nothing I said would be good enough. “Maybe when you partially shifted, it took a lot out of her. Maybe she just isn’t ready to make an appearance. She seems to be a bit of a showoff, breaking out of the bonds at important moments.” I tried to tease, but as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew they had fallen flat.
“Come on, we have meetings to attend.” Grace said, ignoring my words because she didn’t believe them.
“Gracie…”
She didn’t answer, and I knew her well enough to know at this time she wasn’t going to talk about it anymore. I reached out for her hand though, and she didn’t pull away, so I took that as a win.
We walked into the packhouse, and the mask of being a leader slipped on like it was second nature. The usual scowl that i wore painted itself on my face without me even realizing I was doing it. Grace’s eyes were still rimmed red, and everyone stared at us, but to her credit, she didn’t falter. She just walked right past everyone and up the steps to my office
Well, actually, right past my office into Leon’s where everyone was sitting on the floor with books and papers scattered
between them.
“You’re back!” Maizie exclaimed happily, jumping to her feet to wrap Grace in a hug.
Grace stiffened for just a moment but then relaxed in the younger girl’s arms, hugging her back.
“What are we working on?” I asked, as they pulled a part and Maizie returned to her spot on the floor.
“Two different things actually,” Maizie answered. “Michael and are currently mapping out what we know the program looks like. Where they sleep, where the kids sleep, where we know things are, and what we know they hold there. Sawyer and Leon are currently doing a deep dive into some of Sawyer’s med books to find –” She trailed off looking at Sawyer and Leon. I wasn’t sure she actually knew what she they were looking up, or if she didn’t want to say it for some reason. “Something.” She finally said with a shrug.
“What are you searching for?” Grace asked them quietly.
“I’m looking for case studies on the effects of trauma on the wolf.” Sawyer told her.
I felt myself stiffen, no wonder Maizie wasn’t sure if she should say anything, but Grace just nodded and sat down on the floor near Maizie and Michael and began to skim one of the books that was on the floor.
I grabbed a chair and my laptop from my office and began answering emails. Being away for the last week had put me more than a little behind in work. I was lucky to have great people who worked for me and took care of a lot of stuff in my absence, but I was the pack leader and there were things that I was needed for.
Around 5 o clock everyone started putting their things away, but I was still pretty engrossed in work. Grace, who normally waited for me, came over and kissed my check, saying, “I’m going to grab dinner with Alana and Maizfe, is that okay?”
“Do you want me to come with?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
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Chapter 144
“No, that’s okay, You can keep working. I’ll meet you upstairs later.”
I nodded, but my stomach clenched. I didn’t want her to leave my sight. I knew that was unreasonable, but I kept almost losing her. And as she walked through that door, I wondered if we would ever be okay again…
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
