“Don’t get comfortable,” I said. “You won’t be here long.”
He chuckled. “What? You’re going to call your daddy to pull some strings?”
My face was aflame now and I jumped over my desk to the smug piece of shit. “Motherfucker!” I screamed and Finn caught me mid-air before I could swing at the wolf.
“Easy there, Grey,” Finn whispered, but it wasn’t registering.
“Let her go, Reaper,” Chang grinned. “She needs this. From the looks of it, she hasn’t shifted since the last full moon. You got some pent-up aggression there, Princess. Either you need to get laid, or you need to shift.”
I growled and Michaels had to help Finn restrain me. The rest of the squad room was watching the spectacle, which infuriated me further.
“Don’t call me Princess,” I snarled.
“I saw a gym downstairs. Want to go at it? I can last all night long,” he wiggled his brows and leaned on one of the desks, his arms crossed over his broad chest. I heard his innuendo and I flicked my hands, revealing my claws. Chang was a big guy—tall and built like a mountain man. He was of Asian descent, with black hair and dark eyes. They twinkled with mischief as he goaded me.
“You want to get your ass handed to you? Fine,” I growled. I stopped pushing against Finn and Michaels and took a step back. He wanted to spar, I’d give him a fight. “But if I win, you put in your resignation. Deal?”
Chang’s smile widened and he came toward me. “Deal,” he stretched out a hand and we shook.
I was getting this wolf off the team—one way or another.
Similar to the gym at the SIU in Los Angeles, the precinct was decked out with state-of-the-art equipment to stay in shape, including a boxing ring in the middle of the room. Because I was moon-bound again, I stayed as far away from the ring. I wasn’t at full strength and just sparring with Michaels made me out of breath. But this was different. I wanted him off the unit bad enough to make sure I won. I had to—defeat was not an option.
“Grey, stop this,” Michaels followed me to the gymnasium. Everyone in the SIU was going downstairs to watch. “You’re no match for him. Not in the condition that you’re in.”
“Briggs promised he wouldn’t hire another Lycan and now he’s reneging on his word. There’s no way I’m going to work with him. I left that world behind me,” I said. It sounded trivial, but I wasn’t ready—not yet—to get involved in Lycan politics. I knew someday I would have to, but it was too soon. It’d only been a year since the revolution. The wounds were too raw. Amy and Lucian wouldn’t speak to me, I’ve ignored all communication with Bash and Jonah, and Scarlet was busy with school. The only one I still spoke with was Alexander. We’d gotten close since Scotland, and I knew, in a weird way, that he needed me. Besides my granny Helena, I was the only family he had left. I didn’t have the heart to abandon him, and I didn’t want to.
Finn was perched in a corner of the ring waiting on me, while everyone else stood around for the show to start.
“You don’t have to do this, Grey. I’ll partner up with him. You won’t even have to talk to him,” Finn offered. I appreciated the sentiment, but I would still be able to smell him. My behavior was childish and selfish at most, but the reality was, I couldn’t handle Chang being here. Too many memories, both good and bad—I was scared that if he was here long enough, I’d go running back to the Brooklyn Pack.
“No,” I said as I ducked under the ropes and entered the ring.
Chang had taken off his button up shirt and footwear. I only took off my shoes and jacket. I would have stripped down to my undergarments and maybe some shorts to really have the flexibility to move, but I wasn’t comfortable with that anymore. Ugh, I was such a prude…again.
“Last chance, Princess,” Chang said. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“Yes it does.”
He shrugged and Finn came to stand between us in the middle of the ring.
“Clean fight, guys…and ladies,” Finn cleared his throat. “Tap out when you can’t anymore. Got it?”
We both nodded and the bell rang.
I didn’t waste any time—right, left, right, left, uppercut. I swung like a mad woman, it was sloppy. If Roman saw me, he’d be embarrassed. He had taken me under his wing and trained me. He made me the fighter I was today…or was about a year ago.
Cassidy dodged all of my movements and taunted me when I missed every shot.
“This is the legendary Mackenzie Grey? The Freedom Princess?” he chuckled as he swerved and missed my hits. I was already out of breath—like I’d been a chain smoker for twenty-some-odd years.
“Shut…the fuck…up,” I gasped.
After another round of my frantic movements, Chang went from defense to offense. He slapped my arms out of the way and palmed my chest—throwing me across the ring. I bounced off the ropes and dropped to the ground, face first. With my cheek pressed against the floor, he planted his knee in the middle of my back, pinning me. He pulled both my arms behind me and I was stuck.
“Say uncle?” he whispered.
I tried to move, but it was no use. The more I tried to escape, the more my shoulders burned from the uncomfortable position. My gaze found Michaels who was screaming for me to tap out. Even Finn begged for me to end it. The fight hadn’t even lasted three minutes. It was embarrassing for not just me, but my team. Was I really a liability? Had I fallen that low on the totem pole that I couldn’t even get one single hit on this guy? I was pathetic and I hated it. This wasn’t me and I needed to do something to change it.
“Uncle,” I murmured. My arms were bound so I couldn’t tap out. Chang paused before releasing my arms, but his knee stayed on my back.
“A legend? More like a myth. The rumors of your strength and courage are sorely exaggerated, Princess,” he said in my ear before letting me go.
I took in a deep breath and shut my eyes for a moment before I faced the whole SIU. More than ashamed, I was dejected to hear what he thought of me. This was who I’d become and I let it happen.
“Thanks for welcoming me to the team.”
4
The phone rang a few times before Alexander MacCoinnich answered, short of breath.
“Ello, Mackenzie?”
“Uh…hey Alex,” I responded. I’d stepped out of the gym and into the back alley for some air.
“Are ye okay, lass?” he asked. “Ye don’ sound so good.”
“I’m okay, just tired. Work has been stressful,” I said. “How are you?”
The line went quiet before he said, “It’s been better, but we’re getting through. Wish ye were here, Mackenzie.”
I smiled. “I miss you too, Alex.”
“Aye. So have ye caught this killer that’s terrorizing yer city?”
This made me pause. “How do you know about that?”
He chuckled. “It’s my job to keep an eye on ye, lassie.”
That’s what I hated but found endearing at the same time from Alexander. I didn’t need him watching over me because I was already an adult, but it still felt nice to know he cared. He learned not to get involved. I appreciated that, and I knew it took a lot of will-power for him to not meddle.
“Why am I not surprised,” I said as I kicked an empty can of Sprite. “The man-hunt is still on. He killed one of my team members yesterday. We think it may be a warlock.” I left out my removal from the case.
“Nae a vampire?”
“Nope. On another topic, how’s the treaty with the Highlanders going?” I asked. The Highlanders were the wild Lunas who lived on the outskirts of Sheunta Village—the Lycan capital of the world. They’d been banished to Caledonian Forest and away from civilization if they didn’t conform to Lycan laws. They aided in the revolution and were now in talks with Alexander to re-enter society. It promised to be a tough transition.
He sighed. “It’s going, lass. Ye’d be proud of yer ol’ da, but those lassies are giving me some gray hairs.”
“More than you alread
y have?” I laughed.
“Very funny,” he said. “The treaty has been signed, but the relationship is very fragile. We could break out into war at any moment, and the Packs have nae made it any better.”
“What do you mean?”
“We still have Packs that don’ want to follow the new laws for the Lunas,” he said. Alexander made an executive order to stop all mistreatment and control over the Lunas. They were now allowed to choose their position in the Packs. That was a huge step and many Packs across the world were unhappy about it. We knew it’d be difficult, but worth it. Some Lunas rejected the change, but others—a small amount—have branched out.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve heard,” I muttered.
Alexander cleared his throat. “Well, Mackenzie, they’re calling me back into the meeting—”
“With the council?” I blurted.
“Aye.”
I paused before whispering. “Is Jonah there?”
The line went quiet and I imagined Alexander was trying to come up with a response.
“He’s here. He’s doing well.”
“Good…” I mumbled. That’s all I needed to know.
“Are ye sure yer okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Good luck, Alexander.”
“Same to ye, lass.”
The call ended and I sighed. Talking with Alex helped me when work stressed me out. Hearing his plights made mine seem down right immature. He had all of the Lycans on his shoulders and if they ever got pissed off enough, they could challenge him for his crown. No one ever dared do that, but times were different. Alexander has made changes no other King had. I worried for him sometimes.
“Everything cool?” Cassidy said behind me. I whirled around to find the large wolf leaning against the back door. I hadn’t heard him come out.
“How long have you been there?” I grilled.
“Long enough. Does the King know you’re moon-bound?”
I scoffed. “That’s none of your business.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m going to take that as a ‘no.’ Which begs the question, why are you making yourself suffer this way?”
“Are you from the Brooklyn Pack?” I changed the subject. I wasn’t going to be spilling my secrets to this stranger.
“I’m not with your boyfriends’ Pack. I belong to Queens.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I blanched.
Cassidy laughed. “Right.”
“He’s not!”
“Okay, okay!” Cassidy held his hands up in surrender. “I just remember how Sebastian and Jonah would trail behind you like lost puppies.”
I did a double take. “You remember?”
He nodded. “Of course you don’t know me, but I know you. I’d see you sometimes during the full moon up at Cadwell Estate. Not that you paid anyone else any mind.”
“So kicking my ass is your way of making me feel like shit for not noticing you?”
He shook his head. “No, Mackenzie. Kicking your ass is my way of telling you that you need help and I’m here. Briggs clued me in on your anti-Lycan campaign and it seems like you’ve been away from your kind for quite some time. It isn’t healthy.”
Well, aren’t I a little shit. Here I am acting like a pre-madonna and all he wants to do is help.
“I’m too cynical to believe you’re just trying to be friendly. In the past few years, I’ve only had people wanting to either control me or kill me, so excuse me,” I brushed him off and attempted to go back inside the building.
Cassidy extended his arm across the door frame, stopping me in my tracks.
“Believe what you want, Mackenzie Grey. I’ll still be here if you need me.”
“Twenty-two bottles of beer on the wall, twenty-two bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around, twenty-one bottles of beer on the wall,” I sang as my forehead fell onto the gloss oak countertop with a thud. “Hit me with another!” I slurred.
The bartender didn’t say anything so I peered up at him. He was a young guy, wearing a tight, black, fitted shirt that accentuated his muscular arms which were crossed over his chest. “I’m cutting you off,” he deadpanned.
“Whaaa?” I picked my head up as if it were heavy, lifting my hands up in protest.
“You’re not even drunk. I’ve been refilling this bottle of Heineken with water, for god’s sake,” he said, annoyed.
Okay…maybe I wasn’t drunk. I wasn’t much of a drinker. The taste was disgusting and I generally liked to keep my wits about me, but I enjoyed the idea behind it. Burying your sorrows in liquid courage and forgetting all of your woes even if for just one night? Yeah, that didn’t sound so bad. Add the mega hangover the next morning and you had me questioning whether it was a good idea. Faking it though? That sounded like a reasonable compromise. Pathetic, yes, but I wasn’t going to worry about that now.
“Shut up and refill my damn bottle,” I demanded. He just had to kill my vibe.
“Whatever,” he muttered and snatched the bottle away from me.
I’d been sitting at the bar for two hours now, stalling. Michaels had been blowing up my phone since I was supposed to be at the station doing reports, but at the moment, I didn’t want to be there—worrying about a damn serial killer I wasn’t allowed to help find, and facing my whole team after I got my ass kicked.
The bartender slid me the Heineken bottle filled with water, rolling his eyes before going to assist another customer. I whirled around on the barstool and watched the humans as they interacted with one another. It was funny. They were all so hopeful and eternal—living their lives as if today were the last day—cliché but true. Humans, no matter their faults, soaked in life with such vigor, it made me miss the days I was ignorant to this whole underground supernatural world. I yearned for the days when the only worry I had was whether I’d be finishing my paper in time for school.
“Next time, have them fill it with ginger ale. Looks more believable,” the young woman two stools down from me said. She held a tumbler of brown liquid up in the air in the universal signal for cheers.
“You know, I thought about that, but its too bubbly,” I shrugged and took a sip of my water.
“To each their own,” she downed the rest of her drink and asked for another. In the dimness of the bar, her features were hispanic in nature with long dark hair that tumbled back in messy curls. She looked exotic, almost ethereal—like a goddess. As for her attire…well, she looked homeless. In worn-out, baggy jeans and a layered, forest green utility jacket, she was slouched over the bar like she was in the comfort of her own home.
“Come here often?” I asked.
“Nah,” she shook her head. “Just making a pitstop. I’m driving to the west coast.”
“That’s a hell of a drive. What for?”
Her sly gaze turned to me. “None of your business. What are you doing here?”
Fair enough. I was being a little too nosy. “Blowing off some steam,” I half-joked. “My name’s Mackenzie Grey,” I stretched my hand out to her. I don’t know what it was, but I gravitated to this stranger.
She stared down my hand for a moment before shaking it. “Raven Romero.”
“Cool name,” I said. We fell into a comfortable silence after she ordered another whisky and people-watched together.
“Five dollars she’s going to the bathroom for her next fix,” Raven said.
I snorted. “Heroine?”
She shook her head. “Cocaine.”
“Really? You got all that just by watching her dance for a second?”
“I know a user when I see one.”
I examined the stranger I’d befriended at the bar, but didn’t broach the subject. She already told me I was nosy in more or less words.
A blonde wearing barely anything, slithered through the congested bar. I was only able to see the back of her, and her neon pink mini skirt made her stand out from the crowd. She held up two clear cups of beer and dropped them on a high top table where a guy waited for her.
“Wha
t an asshole,” I murmured. When said asshole turned around, his gaze went straight to me and I fumbled my drink. I knew him. Oh fuck.
I spun around in my seat and hunched over as if it would hide me.
“He can still see you, ya know,” Raven chuckled.
I should have tipped the bartender for entertaining my theatrics and left before the a-hole approached. I must’ve been a glutton for punishment.
“Mackenzie?” he called out above the sound of loud conversation. “Kenz, is that you?”
I groaned and turned around to face my past. “Heyyy…James,” I grimaced.
His face lit up and he gave me the most awkward church hug in the history of hugging, you know the ones where you’re not fully embraced and they pat you on the back like they’re afraid of catching whatever venereal disease you might be carrying.
James was my ex-best-friend, my high school sweetheart, and my ex-boyfriend. Yeah…that’s a lot of titles. We’d known each other since we were five years old, growing up in Cold Springs, New York. Glued at the hip, we were inseparable and everyone was certain we would get married right after college. We’d started a romantic relationship the summer before college, and at the beginning of our last year, James decided to break up with me for the school bimbo—Diana Stone. He thought I was stupid and naive enough to think he hadn’t cheated on me, but it’s kind of hard to believe that when she became his girlfriend the day after we split.
I hadn’t seen James since winter break when I sucker-punched him in the face three years ago.
“Oh my gosh, how have you been?” he beamed.
I sat there confused. “Uh…good?”
“That’s great! I’ve been good too! I graduated—by the way I didn’t see you at graduation, did you finish?”
“Yeah, I finished,” I said. With Lucian’s help, I was able to finish my degree online.
“Awesome! I’ve gone home a few times and spoke to your mom. She said you’d been missing. What happened?”
Was he for real? I felt like I was in the twilight zone. Did he think I’d spill my guts? Ugh, guys were so stupid.
OMEGA: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Mackenzie Grey Book 4) Page 3