Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 18: Grace: Pillow The next morning dawns with somber silence and a pile of bodies in front of the main lodge.

Alpha's is on top for everyone to see, but it's the sheer number that makeswant to vomit every tI look out the window. I was right when I thought the Lycan King was a serial killer. He instigated a riot and caused the death of... how many? Twenty? Thirty? He's a madman.

And I still don't understand why he did it.

Alpha's dead. So is Beta. I don't know where Rafe is, but I did see Andrew this morning, limping as he helped gather the bodies.

The door creaks. I whirl around, heart in my throat, expecting the mass murderer in question to be standing there.

A red-haired Lycan stands in the doorway, the sone who smirked at my predicament last night. His posture is formal, almost stiff. "Caine thought these might fit you." He extends a stack of fabric.

I don't move to take it, watching him with suspicion. Caine must be the Lycan King's name, but that's just an assumption. It could be any of them.

After standing there for a solid ten seconds, he sighs and walks inside, not bothering to ask for permission as he brushes by me. He places them on the bed before backing away with measured steps. "There's a bathroom through that door if you'd like to freshen up." I already know that. It isn't my first tin the main lodge's guest quarters, though I've never stayed in them overnight. It's interesting, though, that he's so concerned about me. Bringingclothes, urgingto shower? He and his kin-massacred my adoptive pack. The Lycan King himself boundwith rope before draggingto this place.

It's strange. So strange.

The door clicks shut behind the red-haired Lycan and I sigh, heading to the bed to inspect what he brought. Shirts, blouses, jeans, and slacks. I guess so I can pick whatever I'm most comfortable with? There's a pair of sneakers underneath them all, black with rose gold accents, and they look brand new. No socks, though. Or underwear. And yet there's a bra, though a quick glance at the tag says it's a little too big, both in bust and cup. A soft thump outside the door remindsI'm trapped in here, with a guard stationed in the hall.

This is insane. People don't just get kidnapped by wolf shifters anymore. They don't witness massacres, have their entire city get taken over, or get claimed by the king. This isn't a movie, or a book. It's my life.

As a normal human, I would be worrying about college and my future. As a human in a wolf pack, my life is already different from other people-but not this different.

I grab the plain black t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans from the pile. Simple, comfortable, and not tainted by the events of last night. Perfect for whatever nightmare awaitsnext.

The bathroom door's lock clicks into place, but I test it three times. A flimsy barrier betweenand whatever guards lurk outside, but it's something. The sound of running water fills the space as I turn the shower on full blast.

Steam rises, fogging the mirror. My reflection blurs, and for a moment, I see the ghost of who I used to be— Alpha's daughter, Rafe's girlfriend, part of a pack. Now what am I? A prisoner? A prize? Who fucking knows. Enlighteningdoesn't seem high on anyone's priority list.

The hot water stings my skin, but I keep it quick. No tto contemplate my situation under the spray. My muscles ache from being bound, throat still tender from... everything.

The thought of putting on dirty underwear makes my skin crawl, so I wash them by hand in the sink. Soap suds swirl down the drain as I scrub them clean, along with my bra. Both items end up hanging over the shower rod to dry.

My long, wet hair goes into a messy bun, where it'll take forever to dry-but at least it won't soak my shirt. The only towel in the bathroom was a hand towel. It is what it is.

Comfortable, dressed, and clean—at least as clean as soap and scrubbing hard can do, though it feels like everyone's deaths will forever stain my skin-I open the door to my jail cell.

A scream tears from my throat before I can stop it. The Lycan King lounges on his side, on my bed, like he owns it-which, technically, he probably does now. But that's not what makes my blood run cold.

He's holding my pillow to his face and sniffing it.

"What are you-why are you-what are you doing ?!" Outrage outweighs fear in this absurd moment, as I clutch the doorknob and stare into the eyes of this murderous stranger.

His cold gaze slowly lifts to mine as he takes a deep whiff.

My fingers flex and curl at my sides. The urge to snatch my pillow from his grasp wars with the instinct to stay perfectly still and keep from antagonizing a killer. And worse than either is the part ofwanting to get closer and sniff him back, bury myself in that cologne-ad scent of his.

It's like my mind's gone as insane as the man in front of me, even as it catalogues every part of his face to memory, while lamenting the fact he's clothed. Casual clothes, just like yesterday. Shirt. Pants. All black.

What am I thinking? The man's a murderer. What does it say about me, when my brain can be so obsessed with his beauty while the evidence of his misdeeds is literally piled outside this building? His face remains buried in my pillow, and the silence stretches thin between us. Each inhale of his makes my skin crawl. What kind of person-king or not-breaks into someone's room to smell their pillow? A psychotic person, that's who.

The mattress creaks as he finally sits up, gray eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that pinsin place. "I hate muffins." I blink. Once. Twice. My mouth opens, but no sound comes out.

"Especially blueberry ones." His nose wrinkles with distaste.

What in the...? Why would I care about his breakfast preferences? I want to point out that I didn't ask, or that this is the strangest conversation opener I've ever heard, but my throat closes up. Because this isn't just sweird guy with boundary issues. This is the Lycan King. The sone who had Fenris rip out Alpha's throat last night.

Maybe he's tellingbecause he plans to makehis slave? That makes sense, I guess. Doesn't explain why he's smelling my pillow, but one problem at a time.

So I stand here, dripping water onto the carpet, staring at him like he's speaking another language. Which, honestly, he might as well be.

The Lycan King crosses one leg over the other, his arm draped across his thigh with casual elegance that doesn't match the predatory gleam in his eyes.

Seconds continue to tick on as he doesn't move or blink.

My wet hair drips down my neck. The silence stretches until it feels like a physical thing between us, heavy and thick. I wonder if I'm going to die today, and the thought is almost casual as it flits through my head.

Fear is strangely distant, even as it keepsfrozen. Maybe it's shock. Does shock last this long? "Your hair is brown," he says suddenly, and for sreason I actually roll my eyes up, like I'm trying to see for myself.

Of course my hair's brown. It's been brown since the day I was born. "Yes..." "But your eyes are green." My hand twitches; another strange reflex where I want to touch them, as if that will confirm his statement. "Ah- yes." He grunts. "I thought they'd be blue. Like blueberries." There's no particular animosity in the way he speaks or watches me, though my skin still crawls under his attention.

Maybe...

Maybe he's not evil, but just completely unhinged. The way he's N fixated on my pillow, rambling about muffins? It remindsof sof the more unstable wolves in the pack. The ones who go missing after a while, never to be seen again. Alpha said it was from spending too much tin their wolf form, where they lost touch with their human side. I clear my throat. "Are you is your nCaine?" May as well get that bit of curiosity out of my head.

He inclines his head in a slow, regal gesture. I think it's his way of saying yes, but it's the most arrogant way I've ever seen it done.

"Could I have my pillow back?" Caine's eyes flicker. "No." Then he stands in one fluid motion, my pillow clutched to his chest like a trophy. Without another word, he strides to the door and leaves, taking it with him.

I stare at the closed door, mouth hanging open. What just happened? Did the Lycan King the most m powerfulshifter in existence, the man who just orchestrated a e bloodbath-seriously just steal my pillow?

The absurdity of it hits me, and I sink onto the now-pillowless bed. A hysterical laugh bubbles h bubbles upin my throat. Of all the scenarios I imagined when I woke up, the Lycan King becoming a pillow thief wasn't one of them. "I wish he'd just killand get it over with," I mumble, staring out the window. At the sky, so I don't focus on the bodies.

It's blue. Fluffy clouds pass by, indifferent to the suffering below, and I wonder-again-what he's going to do with me.