Grace of a Wolf (by Lenaleia) novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171: Grace: Not Paranoia

The phone in my back pocket chimes with a notification. I wipe peanut butter off my fingers, and Jer snatches the PB&J with a quick, "Thanks!" tossed over his shoulder.

For whatever reason, he and Sara are in some sort of competition, where they’re counting white cars (Sara) and red cars (Jer). They also yell out when they see tow trucks pass—as if rubbing salt into the wound of our long wait.

Caine and Andrew are outside with the dog, probably still staring at the tire they can’t fix.

Whatever keeps them happy, I guess.

Since Bun’s napping on Ron’s lap and my hands are once again free, I check the phone, expecting to see another Divinity Connect message.

Instead, I see Lyre’s name.

[LYRE: Owen’s place was burned down. Good thing you got out.]

I gasp. Burned down?!

Ron glances up from where he’s been playing with Bun’s feet as she sleeps. "Everything okay?"

"Hm? Oh. Yeah. Everything’s fine." I’m already lying to children. I’m a terrible mother. "I’ll be right back. I need to call Lyre."

"Okay," Jer and Sara chorus.

My hands shake as I duck into Lyre’s bedroom and shut the door. This isn’t a conversation to have over texts.

The phone rings over and over, until finally it clicks.

Before she can even say hello, I demand, "What do you mean, burned down?"

On Lyre’s end, chaos reigns. Something crashes. There’s shouting, then a sound like glass breaking. Suddenly, it all cuts off.

"Big fire makes everything into ash." Her voice is as dry as usual.

I groan. Now is not the time for humor. "You know what I mean. What happened?"

She sighs. "We went to pick up Owen’s car, and found the aftermath. They got his car, too. The rest of the street was fine, so the fire was only contained to his lot somehow."

It takes me a second to remember the cave was somehow connected to a house.

"And the cave?"

"It’s... fine."

She doesn’t sound like she’s telling the truth, though, and my suspicion only grows when she quickly changes the subject.

"How far are you now? Where did you stop for the night?"

I lean against Lyre’s dresser, staring at my reflection in the mirror. Blonde hair I’m finally used to. Dark circles under my eyes. A weird stain on my shirt; no idea where it came from.

Maybe it’s snot. Not mine, obviously, but Bun’s.

I look as frazzled as I feel.

Traveling with kids never sounded like it would be easy in the first place, but I was wholly unprepared for the reality of it.

"How far... hah. So, funny story..."

The tattered remnants of what (if you’re generous) might be considered pride bristle. It’s good to know I have some somewhere, though. "I can’t keep taking your money, Lyre."

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