Chapter 4 - Grace
I married a savage.
Dan continues to stare at me with such a fixed gaze, I start to wonder if he might have had a stroke. I turn away from him and try not to sigh, putting the strawberry back down on my plate without finishing it.
I’m too worked up to eat. Obviously, Dan isn’t having that problem.
Watching him inhale an entire plate of roast chicken in under three minutes was bad enough, but he did it entirely with his hands as well.
He didn’t even glance at the cutlery. Maybe he doesn’t know how to use it.
I look around the table, feeling completely detached from the entire event. At first, my nerves were so high, every sound clashed against me like poorly timed cymbals, but now I just feel completely distanced, like a thick veil has come down between me and the real world.
I have to do this. My sisters told me I have no choice.
A lump rises in my throat, and I try to swallow it, but it just makes my eyes water. I set my teeth stubbornly, refusing to cry.
Hazel’s right. I don’t belong here. This is crazy—a misfit outcast like me can’t possibly be a luna, no matter what the order says.
“Grace,” Dan says softly. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.”
I keep my eyes fixed somewhere in the distance and take a breath, trying not to sigh.
“Grace,” he says again, and I feel him touch my shoulder.
The second his skin contacts mine, a painless, thrilling shock runs through me. I have to close my eyes as heat pools between my thighs and my nipples harden against the soft fabric of my dress.
What the fuck is going on? Every time I touch his skin, my body lights up like the Fourth of July!
I turn around slowly, wanting to move Dan’s hand off my arm but not willing to touch him. The arousal I can’t stop myself from feeling collides with my disdain, filling my stomach with jitters as I look over at him.
“Did I offend you?” he asks.
I want to be polite and say he didn’t, but I do feel somewhat offended by the way he demolished his food like a caveman, so I end up saying nothing, and the moment stretches out, far beyond being awkward into flat-out painful.
I watch his face go through a series of small changes—a hardening to his angled jaw, pensive tightening of his high, narrow cheekbones, and his dark blue eyes widening, drawing me into their depths.
He’s so gorgeous. My sisters weren’t wrong about that.
Dan clears his throat suddenly and looks away. His face locks down, hardening up with a stern expression that sets his jaw and takes the warmth out of his blue eyes.
My heart flutters in my chest, and I realize that I’ve upset him. I feel bad about it now.
Fuck it. A gorilla like him can’t have complicated feelings. I refuse to feel bad about this!
A lingering thought nags at me that he did try to apologize, but I ignore it, focusing on the festivities instead.
Most people have eaten and paid their respects to us, so the area is emptying out now.
A new wave of anxiety hits me as I realize any minute now, this is going to be over, and I’ll have to be alone with Dan.
Fuck.
Alisha approaches with the other girls, and I want to open up to them for comfort, but I know none of them can really help me. No matter what we say to each other, it isn’t going to change the fact that within a few hours, I’ll be locked up alone with a man I barely know.
Apparently, it’s my grand destiny. Wow, I feel so lucky.
“How are you feeling?” Alisha asks, taking my hands as I get up from the table. “Looks like you were too excited to eat.”
“Not the word I’d choose, but sure, let’s go with that,” I mutter sarcastically.
“Come on, Grace,” Scarlett laughs. “It’s not that bad.”
I look over at her, biting my tongue at the last moment. I have nothing against Scarlett personally, but we have existed in two completely different worlds our entire lives. I know she can’t understand my situation.
When she showed up on her wedding day, it was to see the man of her dreams at the altar. She’d never stopped loving him, and she was desperate to see him again, even if she couldn’t admit it to herself. She doesn’t know what it feels like to be unwillingly harnessed to an uncivilized brute!
“Grace?” Alisha asks, putting her hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I almost gasp, smiling to cover my mood. “Just really nervous.”
“Understandable,” Alisha says. “We got the car packed, so we’ll walk you over there, okay?”
I nod, falling a step behind as Alisha and Scarlett walk in front. Sarah keeps pace with me, taking my hand and squeezing it.
“I know,” she says softly. “The others don’t, not really, but I do. I was terrified on my wedding day.”
“Yeah… I guess you would have been,” I reply, reminding myself that Sarah was in far worse circumstances than I. “Shawn was technically a conqueror.”
“He did conquer me,” she laughs. “I was surprised to find out that we liked the same books, and that he knew how to cook.”
“I have no such hopes,” I answer. “Did you see that uncivilized brute inhale his food?”
“I can think of worse crimes.”
“Give it time,” I say. “I’m sure he can do a variety of things terribly.”
“Give him a chance,” Sarah says. “Try to.”
“I am trying,” I sigh. “But I can just tell we don’t have anything in common. I can’t see this partnership as anything other than torture.”
“Then it’s going to be a hard road for you,” Sarah says as we stop by the car. We turn to look back at the courtyard, and the guys are walking towards us.
“Is there anything you like about him?” Sarah asks. “Does he have any redeeming features at all?”
I watch the boys approach, Dan in the center with the others by his side. He’s taller than the others, and even under his suit, I can see how muscular his shoulders are. A long fringe of dark brown hair falls across his forehead, and he shoves it back with annoyance.
“I know that look,” Scarlett says. “You can’t take your eyes off him, can you?”
“He’s pretty, okay?” I almost snap. “I’m not denying that.”
“I promise you, they are all really nice guys,” Sarah says. “I was worried, especially when we had some troubles at the start of our marriage. But the girls all vouched for Shawn. Even you did, if I recall.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “And I have to say, I’m really sorry that I didn’t fully understand the situation. I’ve got a different perspective now.”
The guys are too close for us to continue having a private conversation, so we just say our goodbyes, and I get into the car, trying to get control of my breathing so I’m not panting when Dan finally gets in as well.
When he slams the car door, my heart shoots up into my throat. I keep my lips clamped together so I don’t scream and try to smile as I wave goodbye to the girls.
Oh, God. This is really happening. Fuck!
Dan turns the car away from town, heading out onto the dirt track that joins Eccles to Rose Hollow. About halfway between the two towns, there is a fork leading west that will take us to our new home.
The silence deepens as we drive, and I don’t struggle too hard to find something to say. I just watch the scenery pass by and try not to think.
What would we possibly talk about? I don’t know anything about boys’ toys and war games, and he sure as hell doesn’t know how to grow roses.
“I’m sorry again,” he breaks the silence. “If I offended you. We need to be able to communicate, at least a little. Don’t you agree?”
I nod, but I don’t look at him.
“Grace, no one is expecting us to fall desperately in love, but you have to help me out here. We are going to be running the new pack, and it’s a huge responsibility.”
You don’t know the half of it.
“It’s very important for the stability of all four packs that we do this well, so if I’ve done anything wrong, please, just tell me so we can work through it.”
I try to suppress a sigh, but I fail miserably at it and turn to face him. I want to let out all my frustration in one screaming rush and tell him I wouldn’t be sitting here right now if my sister witches didn’t insist on it.
They forbade me from sharing anything about our true purpose yet. Dan may be a key piece of the puzzle, but we can’t risk spooking him. Capturing Sakesh is too important.
“It’s not a big deal,” I say, trying to keep my voice even. “I’m very nervous about this, and I just… I was surprised by how quickly you ate your food. That’s all.”
“Oh,” Dan replies, his eyes widening. He looks at his hands quickly, as if he can’t remember if he washed them or not. “I was nervous, too. That’s why I was so hungry. Don’t worry, I usually have much more restraint.”
“Do you usually use cutlery?” I shoot back. “Or do you always tear your food apart with your bare hands?”
Dan looks over at me, a genuinely confused expression on his face. “Is there another way to eat chicken? Or ribs? Or… well, anything, for that matter?”
I stare at him in disbelief, my jaw slowly falling open. “Well, if you want to get your hands so damn dirty, you won’t be touching me with them!” I snap. “And don’t expect me to approve of your lack of manners, especially at any formal events.”
“Today was the most formal event I’ve ever attended,” he laughs. “Isn’t that just wild? Like, I think this is actually the first time I’ve ever worn a suit.”
I hold in a groan, closing my eyes so he won’t see me roll them as I turn back to look out the window again.
I’ve married a complete fucking savage. My sisters have no idea what they’ve asked me to do.
I know stopping Sakesh is more important than my personal feelings, but right now, it’s very hard to be the chosen one.