Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 56: Grace: I Can't Let You Go We stay like this for what feels like forever.

Desire once boiled in my veins, but now simmers, left untended. Mundane issues shove away the fog of arousal and obsessive cataloguing of each breath he takes.

My back hurts.

He's gotpartially bent over his arm, and the unnatural position leavesoff-kilter, my balance thwarted and my core muscles begging for a gym membership.

I pat Caine's back gently at first. A tentative tap-tap against rigid muscles, warm and soft beneath my hands. No response. His face remains buried in the crook of my neck, his breathing deep and ravenous, like he's inhalinginto his soul. Sometimes, I almost feel like he really is—like something inside ofis being absorbed into him. But it's just my addled imagination going haywire.

"Caine," I whisper, my voice barely audible over the aggressive drone of all three of the RV's air conditioning units.

Another grunt. He nuzzles closer, his stubble scraping against the sensitive skin below my ear. A shiver runs through me, desire spiking sharp and hot before fading back to a dull throb.

My pats turn firmer. More insistent. The gentle rhythm becomes an urgent drumming against his broad back. "Caine." Louder this time, my voice steady even as my legs tremble beneath their demand. "Caine, please." But he's lost somewhere I can't follow. His grip tightens fractionally, and I feel the hard planes of his chest press against mine with each breath he takes. A tremor passes through him, and an answering shiver of want flares dangerously low in my abdomen.

And then it's gone again, doused by the growing ache in my spine.

"You're going to snapin half," I finally gasp, shoving against his shoulders. I'm desperate for relief. "Please, letgo. My back hurts!" His entire body goes stiff.

For one blessed moment, I think he's heard me. That he'll releaseand let blood flow back into my cramping limbs and ease my body's muscle failure.

Instead, his arms constrict further, an iron vise crushingagainst him. His grip becomes almost painful, bordering on desperate.

"No." His denial is hot against my skin. "I can't let you go." The anguish in his words is enough to stem my rising irritation. This isn't the terrifying Lycan King speaking. This isn't even the overbearing Caine who stormed into the camper moments ago.

This is another him entirely, something broken and vulnerable. My chest hurts hearing him.

Reluctantly, I wrap my arms around him again, patting his back gently as I sigh. "At least letstand up straight." When he first ripped off my shirt, my mind had gone straight into the gutter, assuming a much more sordid situation to come. Unfortunately, he hasn't done a thing except... breathe. A lot of hot, heavy breathing. Wait-did I just say that's unfortunate...? Caine grunts, which is not an answer to my question at all. Then his hands drop lower, fingers curving around my ass and pressing dangerously close to the sensitive area between my thighs.

My breath hitches.

He suddenly liftsoff the ground. Instinct kicks in, and I tighten my embrace around his neck, my legs flying around his waist on their own accord. A small shriek escapes my lips, echoing through the cramped camper.

But my back finally has the relief it was begging for.

"What are you-" He doesn't answer, doesn't even look at me. His face remains buried in the crook of my neck, puffing out hot breaths as we walk the few steps to Lyre's daybed. Each movement jostlesagainst him, creating delicious friction.

The simmer returns to a boil.

My thighs clench tighter around him for stability, and he lets out a tortured groan.

"Stop," he growls against my skin, his voice rough like gravel. "Stop, or I'll lose what little control I have left." The absurdity of his statement hits me. He tore off my shirt.

"Control?" I ask blankly. "You consider what you're doing right now 'in control"?" His only response is to tighten his grip on my ass, fingers digging into the soft flesh there. The daybed creaks under our combined weight as he lowers us down, somehow managing to keepstraddling him. The position feels dangerously intimate, yet he still hasn't looked at my face even once.

"Caine," I try again, fighting against the fog of desire clouding my judgment. With the relative safety of the bed against my back, I slide my arms from around him and press my hands against his chest, attempting to create sspace between us. "This isn't normal. You can't just burst in here and-" "You're drivingcrazy," he interrupts, pressing soft kisses against my neck.

I grind my teeth together, fighting my body's debauched insistence on letting him do whatever he wants with me. "You tore off my shirt." He finally lifts his head from the crook of my neck, staring down at me. It shouldn't be as sexy as it is, but here we are, drowning in an ocean of sexually gray boundaries. "It was in the way. I need your skin against mine, Grace. I need your scent. Your warmth." The possession in his voice sends a contradictory thrill through me. Part ofwants to slap him for his arrogance, while another part—a part I'm not particularly proud of—has already given him the keys to my body, giving him full ownership.

"No," I manage firmly, though my body betraysby melting further against him. "You can't." "You're mine," he rumbles, ignoring my protest. "Mine to protect. Mine to..." He trails off, his eyes darkening as they roam over my face.

"To what?" I challenge, my heart hammering against my ribs. As if I'm waiting for a specific answer.

Am I?

Instead of answering, Caine brings his hands to either side of my head before lowering himself onto his elbows His nose bumps mine. His lips brush against my lips. Once. Twice. Then there's space again as he pulls back, watchingwith pupils so dilated only a thin ring of gray remains. "Just mine," he repeats, his voice rougher than before.

Limbo hasin a chokehold, leavinghovering between desire and reason.

"What if I don't want to be yours?" His lips quirk into something almost resembling a smile-the first I've seen from him.

Ah. When did the scary aura around him fade?

"Then why are your legs still wrapped around me?" he asks, light and es teasing. Like he's a whole, different person from the man who foundin the forest. From the one who dominated an entire pack with his fury. Who toldI was his prisoner.

A fierce blush suffuses my cheeks and I turn my head away from his tempting face. But when I try tom unlock mydegs, they just... don't listen. They remain wrapped around his waist as he rocks his hips forward, shoving against the most sensitive part of me. Lyre's shorts, which were already a questionable length to begin with, have ridden up until they barely cover what's necessary. My thighs are completely bare against the heat of his skin, even hidden behind denim.

A soft moan comes out ofunbidden, and Caine chuckles. The sound is dark. An invitation to sin.

"Look at me, Grace."