Chapter 22 - Emma
Grace’s wolf form was gorgeous. A slightly darker auburn than her hair color.
She howled and started running rampant. She banged into an end table, unsettling the lamp and causing it to fall to the floor.
She dug into the walls with sharp claws, experimenting with them.
She bounded all over, a feralness to her that I had never experienced from her before.
Without waiting or hesitating, Elias shifted, turning into his massive wolf in the middle of the living room, the vast space designed to allow him to do that. Grace came to a halt as she looked up at the great wolf.
Grace bared her teeth and snapped, clearly trying to seem fierce. Elias’s wolf tilted his head in such surprised amusement at the tiny cub challenging him that I couldn’t help but laugh. His tail swished, then he lunged forward, nipping at her feet. Not aggressively, but playfully.
Grace jumped back with an excited yip, then jumped back up toward Elias. He stepped back, just out of reach, tail swishing as he nudged her flank, all but rolling her onto her back.
For the next couple of hours, he switched between corralling the tiny wolf and playing with her, depending on her mood.
She was too erratic and feral at the moment for him to leave on her own.
I stayed off to the side, watching, hating that I couldn’t do more.
Every time a new rush of fear or anxiety raced through me, Elias sent soothing, reassuring emotions back through the bond even as he kept chasing after Grace.
They dislodged a few pictures when Grace accidentally bumped into the walls, and there was a deep gouge in the carpet from Grace’s claws, but beyond that, Elias managed to keep the damage to a minimum.
Eventually, Grace began to slow. Her jaws opened to give a wide, long yawn, and she padded over to the middle of the room. Elias watched as she curled into a ball. He sat next to her, licking her head as she began to drift off to sleep, exhaustion overtaking her.
He stayed there for a long time, wrapped around her, his head resting on her flank, comforting her. When he was certain she wouldn’t wake up again, he rose to his feet and shifted back into his human form.
“Is she going to be all right?” I asked. “I didn’t realize it would look like…that.” I gestured at the room, trying to convey all the destruction and chaos that had just ensued.
Elias gave a short laugh, his eyes crinkling. “She’s fine. She just needed to get out some of the excess energy. She’ll be out of it for a few hours,” he said. “Once she’s back to reality, Grace should be in more control, and I can show her how to shift out.”
“And if she isn’t in control?” I asked, keeping my voice even.
He flashed a charming grin, eyes sparkling. “In that case, I’ll have another run around with her like today, until she’s tired out again.”
Not very long ago, I had made a promise to myself not to reach out to Elias once I had discovered Grace was getting ready to shift.
Now, I couldn’t believe I had been so stupid.
I would have never known how to handle her.
Elias had taken over and controlled the situation like he had done it dozens of times.
I wouldn’t have been able to endure any of this without him.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice dry.
“Of course,” he said. “Honestly, it was kinda fun. I’ve never helped a kid with a transformation before.”
He glanced down at Grace, then back to the door, his brow creasing with concern.
“The wraith made this happen, didn’t it?” I asked.
He hesitated, then nodded. “It’s on the outskirts of town. I left Sam in charge, but I have to go back,” he said. “I can’t leave them. If something else goes wrong, then I’ll know through the mating bond.”
I could feel the color draining from my face as I stared from the peaceful, sleeping wolf cub curled on the floor to the outside, where my town, my pack, was in trouble. They both needed me.
“I can’t leave Grace,” I finally said, my voice strained as guilt began to seep in. “I’m sorry.”
He nodded, as if that was the response he had anticipated, then reached out and gave my hand a comforting squeeze.
“I understand,” he said. “Stay here. We can drive it out, and we’ll be better prepared for next time.”
As if on impulse, he pulled me closer to him, pressing his lips against mine. I let my mind go blank and stopped worrying for just a handful of moments as he held me.
He pulled away, and the worries came rushing back.
“Be safe,” I said.
He cracked a playful grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Don’t worry. I usually am. Sometimes I just get unlucky. But I don’t plan on letting that happen today.” He turned back to the door.
“Elias,” I said.
He paused, looking over his shoulder.
I hesitated, then chickened out at the last minute. “Good luck.”
He gave me a speculative look, but nodded before racing out the door.
With a deep breath, I collapsed on the floor next to the still-sleeping Grace. I stroked her side, marveling at just how soft her fur was, feeling her chest rise and fall, as if needing to reassure myself that she was still okay.
I stared at the door, my mind swirling as it inevitably moved to Elias. After seeing the way he handled Grace, after watching him help her through her transformation, I had almost told him the truth. The words had been on the tip of my tongue. But I’d changed my mind at the last minute.
I could have blamed it on the situation.
I didn’t want him to think about Grace and that bombshell while trying to fight off the wraith, and that certainly was a part of it.
Except it wouldn’t be the entire truth. Because part of me, larger than I would have cared to admit, was still afraid.
After everything, after the mating bond and everything that had come since, I didn’t know if I could handle his rejection a second time.
He got along well with Grace and handled her incredibly well, better than I would have expected.
He was good with kids, and he seemed to like her.
But that was while he thought she was my daughter, not our daughter.
What if that simple word changed everything?
What if he didn’t mind that Grace was his daughter, but was furious at me for keeping the truth from him?
How would Grace feel if she finally learned who her father was, only for him to reject her the way he had me?
I knew what it was like to feel unwanted by your parents.
The last thing I wanted was to subject my daughter to it.
I didn’t know what would happen if he rejected me and Grace, or tried to cast me out. Would he, considering I was his luna and the mating bond was fully in place? Maybe it would go back to the way it had been before the underwater spring?
I blinked, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to take a deep breath. At the moment, none of that was important now. The pack had bigger problems. I needed to focus on those. The rest could come later.
My eyes moved down to Grace, still tuckered out, still snoozing. Her paw twitched, then her whiskers, as if she were hunting something in a dream.
Let her sleep, I told myself. Keep an eye on her while she sleeps. Deal with everything else after.