Chapter 66

Grace

The morning sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. As I stirred in my sleep, I could feel the gentle weight of the blankets and the softness of the bed beneath me. The bed wasn't as warm as it had been when Charles was in it, but his scent still lingered in the sheets, and that was comforting.

I got out of bed and headed back to my room to start getting dressed for the day. A bit of anxiety went through me.

Today was my first day of classes. I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs to the smell of pancakes.

"Not like that, Uncle Eason! Uncle Charles..."

I smiled and peeked into the kitchen, seeing Eason at the stove with Cecil sitting on the counter, frowning down at his skillet.

"And what's going on here?"

"Good morning, Mommy!" Cecil chirped, her voice filled with the boundless enthusiasm that only a child could muster. "We're making breakfast, but Uncle Eason isn't doing the pancakes right..."

I laughed as I reached her and ruffled her hair.

Eason rolled his eyes. "I don't make lycan pancakes, kiddo. You'll just have to settle for good old-fashioned Wolfe pancakes."

I smiled, looking at the stack of fluffy pancakes, and the jug of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"I think I'll be okay with just Wolfe pancakes." I scooped Cecil up from the bar and carried her towards the table, where a colorful card adorned with hand-drawn hearts and stick-figure drawings and a box sat on the table. I could smell Charles' scent lingering on the box.

"Uncle Charles let me make the card," Cecil said proudly. "But I don't know what's in the box."

I smiled. "I'll have to be sure to thank him. And thank you for such stunning artwork."

I picked it up as Eason came up behind me. He still looked tired, but he looked better, and that was more than I could ask for, given everything that was going on.

"Thanks, Eason. I know you're probably itching to get back to your place..."

He scoffed and waved his hand. "I'm fine. I brought my whole office with me: a laptop and a headset. I couldn't miss your first day back."

I paused, looking at him. "I'm sorry."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"I should have listened to you back then," I said, my throat clenching up as I remembered the fight we'd had just before I left my program.

Please, Grace, just listen to me. His eyes had pleaded with me, sleepless and red-rimmed. Dad wouldn't want you to do this.

I shut my eyes as I could hear myself screaming at him. The look of hurt in his eyes and the way he'd just retreated, going back to his dorm room.

When you stop and think, I'll still be here. I love you.

"I shouldn't have pushed you away like that. I shouldn't have..."

Yelled? Been so stupid and stubborn? I shouldn't have started dating Devin from the start. I shouldn't have let Devin drive me to drive a wedge between us.

His gaze softened, and he smiled at me. "I should have been more stubborn and maybe beat him up for good measure. Now we've got Cecil, Richard, and Charles. I think we came out alright."

I laughed and settled down for breakfast.

After a leisurely breakfast, I opened the box. Inside was an elegant lab coat with my name embroidered on it above my school's emblem. I had forgotten to buy a new one since I had no idea where my old one was and I was pretty sure it wouldn't fit any longer. There was a small note card on top.

Enjoy your first day back, Dr. Grace. I'll see you soon.

His thoughtfulness never ceased to amaze me.

I put my lab coat in my bag and headed out the door. As I stepped outside, I was greeted by the sight of a chauffeured car that Charles had arranged to take me to the university. Eason let out a low whistle behind me.

"You are going to keep him, right?"

I nudged him back inside and got into the car. Cecil waved enthusiastically from the window, her small face pressed against the glass as she blew me a kiss. Eason stood beside her waving and making inappropriate faces through the window.

The driver introduced himself as a Lycan Enforcer and the main person who would be ensuring I got around. If at any point I wanted to take the bus around Mooncrest, he would be in plain clothes and coming with me for security.

"Why?"

"I don't know of a single political leader that doesn't have at least a small security detail."

I could argue with that somehow. We arrived in about half an hour. The university campus bustled with activity as I stepped out of the chauffeured car. I couldn't help but feel a sense of displacement; everyone around me seemed so much younger, their faces filled with a youthful exuberance that I hadn't encountered in years. It only made the regret of the years seem sharper. I had been their age once and had I not been stupid, had I just opened my eyes for just a moment, I wouldn't be attending classes with people five to eight years younger than me.

As I made my way to my first class, I reminded myself of the reasons I had decided to return. I made it through my first class before I headed to my doctoral advisor's office.

She was the same woman I'd had years ago and looked just as bubbly too.

"Marge pulled a few strings," she said with a wink. "So long as you stay on top of your coursework, you've been allowed to expedite the last bit of your degree. You'll have access to the lectures and things online so you can work at your own pace while doing your research."

My initial unease dissipated as I listened to her explain the planned timeline for my dissertation. Since I didn't have to write a grant for my research and all that, as soon as I had a patent and a stable sample, I could defend my thesis to the board by the end of the semester.

I'd officially be Dr. Grace Wolfe before the summer. Maybe I'd get my defense out of the way before Cecil's birthday, if not before Richard's.

After a full day of classes, I returned to Wolfe Medical, ready to embark on another long night of work. Margaret and I delved into the process to stabilize the drug formulation for patent submission.

"I reached out for some additional help." I looked over at her. "No promises, but I should hear back soon."

"Thanks," I said. "And for what you did with the university."

She smiled. "I didn't even have to call in any good favors, dear. It's nothing."

She said that, but I had the sneaking suspicion that it hadn't been that simple, especially not trying to convince people to join the team. The stock prices of Wolfe Medical had suffered, but our core products remained strong contenders in the market. There was a bit of hope that someone would be willing to take a chance and join the team.

We worked for hours on the research before Margaret shooed me off to the conference room to do homework and Wolfe Medical stuff.

"Can't have you falling behind in your first week."

The conference room was much brighter and less sterile than the lab, but it felt colder. I called to check in on Cecil and Richard, but they were fine. I ate dinner over the last bit of research I wanted to get through and made myself another cup of coffee to combat my mounting exhaustion.

As I sipped the scalding hot coffee, my mind began to drift, and my thoughts inevitably turned to Charles. The absence of his calming presence weighed on me more heavily with each passing day. Despite the way we parted last, I felt unsettled.

Every time he left he told me he'd be back to me soon, like a mantra that helped, but it didn't cure the ache that built. The ache of longing for him had become a constant companion. In the quiet moments like these, when the world seemed to hold its breath, I felt his absence more fully. I missed his strength and complete confidence in me. I missed the warmth of his presence and the scent of his cologne.

It was mind-boggling. I hadn't ever been this... needy. But Charles had brought something into my life that I hadn't realized was missing—a profound connection that transcended words. He was not just my partner; he was my anchor in a way that my children and Eason, even the memory of my father, couldn't be.

I headed back to the conference room with my coffee and a snack to get through the financials and paperwork for the pack I had to look over. The coffee kicked in midway through the pack's financial documents, and I moved on to the mountain of reading and notes I had to get through tonight and into the rest of the week. As I studied well into the morning, I tried to keep in mind Charles' words.

I'll be back to you soon.