The Discipline Of Grace Novels & Stories

"PRESENT DAY Grace had a simple philosophy when it came to sex: get in, get off, get out. Like an Irish goodbye. She would be the one to leave first before her partner and by the time they would wake up Grace was probably already showering in her apartment. In her lifetime, Grace had seen too many friends spiral into emotional chaos over people they barely knew from a single night of sex and orgasms. She refused to be one of them. Sex was a physical need like hunger or thirst, and she treated it with the same practical approach she applied to everything else in her life.

Not a creation. Just Grace.

I exhaled slowly, not enough to reveal anything, just enough to survive the conversation. Fr. Anthonio studied me for a moment before speaking again. "Do you know why most vows fail?" The question caught me slightly off guard. "No." "Because people think discipline means absence of desire." I stayed silent. "Real discipline," he continued quietly, "is remaining honest about desire without surrendering to it." The words settled heavily and painfully, because honesty was exactly the problem now. I had become too honest internally to keep pretending this was temporary. "I'm handling it," I said finally.

After observing for a moment, Selena spoke quietly, "Mr. Yates has trained in the Inner Arts for many years, at least a decade or more. His skill with inner energy is formidable, yet lately, he has begun practicing the External Arts." Sebastian looked surprised. "How can you tell?" He had heard of Samuel before. Though he wielded a broadsword, his true strength came from his mastery of the Inner Arts. Someone who had spent over a decade mastering the Inner Arts wouldn't change their method halfway. If done well, it strengthened both body and technique. If done poorly, progress in one area would come at the expense of another. If the new skills weren't mastered, the old ones would weaken—a su

That was when my grandmother stepped in—ending the discussion before it become a debate. Patricia Ashbourne, my grandmother, had ruled this pack long before I did. Even after stepping down, her word remained absolute. She told me that the pack demanded stability, not love. Her role was to quiet unrest, secure power, and end all talk. I objected once. Yet, she reminded me that Alpha authority was not about personal preference. It was about power and dominance. Elena Frost was her chosen candidate.

"I didn't take Gaven." "You exist," she says. "That was enough." Behind me, I can feel his presence like a wall. He is steady and patient. Waiting for the moment I need him, but he doesn’t interfere, because he knows this isn’t about him. "You were supposed to be grateful," Grace continues. "Grateful for whatever scraps you were given. Grateful you weren't discarded entirely." "I was." "And now?" She snarls. I breathe slowly. Now comes the truth I never allowed myself to say. "I'm done being grateful for survival."

The way he'd press against her from behind while reaching for books on high shelves, letting her feel exactly what she did to him. "This is spiritual mentorship," he'd said, his breath hot on her neck. "God wants us to be close. To share everything." And Grace...twenty-four years old, raised to respect authority, taught that men of God were beyond reproach—had believed him. Until the night he bent her over his desk and showed her exactly what kind of man he really was. Now, three months later, Grace stood outside his study at 6 AM on a Sunday morning, her hands trembling as she knocked on the door.

"He’s just boring. And disciplined. He told me that himself about ten times." "Olivia, listen to me very carefully," Gracie said, her voice dropping into the tone she used when she was negotiating a multi-million dollar contract. "Stay away from him. That isn't just a wealthy man. That’s a man with a very specific, very long history. Do you know why he’s never been linked to anyone? Why he’s so 'disciplined'?" I leaned back against the counter, crossing my ankles. "He said he has standards. I assume he meant I’m too loud for him."

“It’s annoying. I came here to have fun and possibly find a mate. Not to compete with the literal Aphrodite of this generation wrapped in a boy’s uniform.” I nearly choked. “I—I’m not trying to compete with anyone—” Grace narrowed her eyes slightly. “Oh, relax. I’m not accusing you of anything…yet.” “Yet?” She smirked. “Look, you’re obviously not into me or you would have jumped into the sea instead of standing here, which is fine. I’m not into you either since I am into tall and handsome Alphas. No offense. I just don’t want you trying anything funny, got it?”