“Yeah, T, Gimme a sec.” Climbing out from behind and between the others was no easy task, but she did laugh a few times when she fell or accidentally knocked one guy into another’s lap.
Smiling when she reached Teresa, she realized that she was actually happy. It may have taken her a while to get to that point, but knowing where she and Geoff stood, having Liam talking to her and having a group of people to not only call friends, but to call a loving family was amazing. Yeah, the Werewolf thing sucked ass and she wished that she could have all of it without the beast, but that just wasn’t possible. If she could just keep working on it, maybe the next cycle she would remember more, and by the next maybe all of it. Who knows how long until she could control her wolf?
“Hey! What’s up?” “Margret came back early. She and Geoff are in her office. She wants to see you,” Teresa said.
“Hmm.” She didn’t know what else to say to that. Why had Margret come back early? Had Geoff told her about their little (okay, not so little) moment in the kitchen? Or about her memory of the last cycle? Sighing, she knew the only way to find out was to go in there. She hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did she feel like she was being summoned to the principal’s office?
“Good luck,” Teresa said with a chuckle as she ran up the stairs. Mackenzie rolled her eyes and turned down the long hallway that led to Margret’s office.
The large wooden door stood wide open and Mackenzie could hear Geoff and Margret talking happily inside. Apparently, the California house was doing well and some member named Jamie has found a mate.
“Knock, knock,” Mackenzie said, poking her head into the room. Margret looked up with a wide smile and raised her hands, beckoning her into the room.
“Come in. Come in. Geoff called me and told me about what tremendous success you had at the last cycle. That is just so wonderful, Mackenzie!” Margret enveloped her in a hug.
“I thought so. I don’t remember everything, but a little bit here and there. I thought it was a good start.” Mackenzie released her pack leader and pseudo-mother figure to sit in the chair that was on the opposite side of the room from Geoff. She hoped it wasn’t too obvious, considering the chair was the more comfortable out of the two in the room.
“A good start? Mackenzie, that’s a GREAT start! Most bittens don’t remember anything for at least a year, some take longer. How did you do it? Maybe we can train the others.” Margret had grabbed the other chair and dragged it right in front of Mackenzie’s chair. When she sat, she leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her hands curled up under her chin. For the first time, Mackenzie saw another side to Margret. She wasn’t sitting like the regal woman she had come to know, but more like a schoolgirl eager to learn.
Glancing up at the large painting of Margret’s mother, Mackenzie could imagine how the beautiful woman had looked down at her own child all those years ago. Smiling at the thought, she turned her attention back to Margret and gave her all the details.
“So you didn’t fight the change and just thought of important human memories? That seems really simple. Can you think of anything else? Maybe you did something, ate something, or drank a new herbal tea? We have tried everything from supplements to hypnosis and none of it has worked.”
“No, none of that. Geoff just told me not to fight it and try to hold onto my human thoughts, so I did. Except I didn’t think I want to be human, I just thought about the special parts of my life. Nothing else was different.”
“That is amazing. How did you just give into the pain of the turn?”
“I don’t know. I just did. I guess it’s like when you go in to get a tattoo. You know it’s going to hurt but you are hopeful that the end result will be worth it.”
Margret stood then and started pacing the room. Mackenzie took that moment to look to Geoff, to get a read on him. Would he act any differently now?
His body was angled away from her, his head slightly down while listening to Margret mumble as she paced the room. But his eyes were not were she expected them to be. No, he was looking at her and when he realized she had seen, a smile played at his lips that he quickly licked.
Just seeing his tongue dart out made her mind dizzy with thoughts of what it could do to her. Then she remembered more than just the hottest kiss she had ever had the pleasure of being a part of but the conversation that followed. They were years off. It did her no good to get hot and bothered when nothing could or would come of it. That is, unless she cornered him again.
Lost in her own naughty thoughts, she nearly missed the excited chatter between Margret and Geoff. Snapping her head back up to pay attention, she only caught part of the conversation.
“I knew it. I knew she would be different!”
“Margret, maybe we should talk about this in priva...”
“Don’t you see it’s in the blood? The blood!”
The two of them were standing very close to one another and Margret looked wild with excitement while Geoff just looked plain old nervous. He kept glancing between Mackenzie and Margret and trying to get Margret to listen to him. Whatever they were talking about was important but not to be spoken of in front of her.
“Hey, guys, still here. What blood? Why am I so different?” Mackenzie stood herself and waived her hands around a bit to gain their attention. When Margret looked at her, she was white as a ghost.
“Oh, I just had a feeling you would be amazing as a wolf. Sometimes gut instincts are a strong and reliable source.”
“Okay...” Mackenzie wasn’t buying it, and Geoff hadn’t offered any explanation himself. He refused to meet her eyes and when Margret finally took notice of the body language between the two, her eyes narrowed at Geoff.
“Mackenzie, you should be celebrating with your friends. I hear that you and Liam are finally talking. Why don’t you see if he wants to go to a movie or something? Invite a few people. Just grab some money from the kitchen.”
Knowing she had been dismissed, she said a quick thank you before giving a small wave and a smile to Geoff. She knew that he was about to get a lecture about being inappropriate with the pack members without mating and blah, blah, blah. She felt bad for him, but only slightly. At least it wasn’t her.
~*~
Mackenzie left the office and heard the door being closed as she rounded the corner to collect some people to go to the movies with her. She wasn’t really interested in going, but she figured it was better than sticking around and getting pulled into the “this is inappropriate” conversation.
Liam was more than happy to go as long as they didn’t go to the closest theater, which was in his hometown, but instead went to the one that was over an hour drive in the opposite direction. Teresa and Natalie jumped on board, and as they were walking out of the house, Geoff was released from Margret’s office.
“Hey, you want to come?” Mackenzie asked as she pulled on her coat.
“Can’t. I have things to do. But Mack, just remember, long term.” He reached out and grabbed her fingers for just a second before disappearing down the hall. Slightly flustered, she watched him go.
“Earth to Mackenzie!” Teresa was snapping her fingers in front of Mackenzie’s face and laughing all the while.
“Yeah, sorry, let’s go.”
They all walked out the door and piled into the small two-door car that was in the garage for the pack’s use. Teresa was driving and Natalie had called shotgun, forcing Liam and Mackenzie to squeeze into the back together.
The only way the two could manage to fit comfortably was with his long legs in both floorboards and hers lay across the tops of his thighs. She thought that it would be awkward or just emotionally uncomfortable for Liam, but he actually just went with it. Not once adjusting or flinching away, and by the time they had reached the theater, his hand was actually resting on top of her thigh.
“Hey, are you and Geoff together?” Liam whispered once the girls had gotten out of the car to stretch. They had yet to pull the release lever to allow Liam
and her to move from their tangled position in the back seat.
“Not really. There is something there, but as of right now and the immediate future, nope.”
“Oh. I just thought with the time you to spend together and the kitchen thing last night, that maybe...” Instantly on high alert, she tried to sit as upright as possible and look at him.
“Last night? You, uh, you saw that?”
“You mean the kiss worthy of a late night pay-per-view movie? Oh yeah. I had come back to put my plate away. Then instead, I made a quick exit.”
“Yeah. Thanks for that. What you didn’t see was Geoff’s own quick retreat moments later. He is good at those. Werewolf politics or some shit that basically says he and I are a no go unless we plan to be together forever. And forever is a bit fast for me.”
“Wow, yeah. Not cool.”
A banging on the window behind Mackenzie’s head made her jump and the girls outside laugh hysterically before moving the seats forward to let them out.
“Ha, ha, very funny. Can we please go see the movie now?” Mackenzie crossed her arms and pouted at her friends before laughing because she just couldn’t fake being angry with them.
~*~
Leaving the movies, Mackenzie couldn’t help but wonder why Liam had been so interested in her and Geoff. Was he concerned with the fact that one of their leaders was fooling around with a pack member? Was it really as big of a deal as Geoff was making it out to be?
“You guys, next time, I get to pick. I do not want to sit through another sappy romance movie that is so predictable you know right from the beginning what is going to happen.”
“Sorry, but when you go to the movies with three girls and not another man in sight, you are going to be out-voted. Want to see blood and guts and gore? Go with the boys,” Teresa said, bumping into Liam’s shoulder, forcing him into Mackenzie’s side. A quick smile was exchanged between the two.
“Hey, I like blood, guts, and gore sometimes. It’s not just a guy thing.”
“Good, then maybe we can come back next week and see Death’s Revenge?” Liam asked. He looked to her with apprehension and at first, she didn’t understand why, then it dawned on her, he hadn’t asked anyone else.
“Oh, um, yeah sure. Maybe Mason and Terry would want to go to?” Mackenzie figured it would be best to do a bit more friend things before anyone tried moving anything past the friend zone. She knew that Geoff wasn’t really going to happen, but that didn’t make her care about him any less.
“Oh, yeah, okay. No problem.”
Teresa and Natalie watched with rapt attention, not saying a word. When Liam had gotten into the car, both girls grabbed Mackenzie’s arm, and with a stern look, they said in unison, “Later.”
Mackenzie knew they wouldn’t let it go until she did the whole ‘boy talk’ conversation. She really did want to talk to someone, but she wasn’t sure if talking about what had happened with Geoff would be all right or not. She couldn’t deny that being around Liam was nice. They got along great and there was a sense of something more there that she didn’t understand.
Teresa leaned into her ear and barley whispered, “You know, sire and sired usually have some killer chemistry.”
“T, not now. Later. I promise.” But that one shared secret had given her so much to think about on the ride home.
Chapter 23
Dinner in the house was a celebration that night because Margret returned early. Everyone loved her and loved when she was around. She always cooked dinner when she was there and for most of the pack that was enough to grant her sainthood.
Barbeque ribs and baked beans overflowed the platters and bowls in the middle of the table as the plate with ears of corn on the cob was being passed around. The dining room was full of chatter and everyone managed to make it down to eat as one big family. That is, everyone except the one person Mackenzie really wanted to see.
Geoff’s chair beside Margret was empty. Mackenzie kept watching the doors that led into the room, in between conversations and eating. When she spotted Margret watching her, she looked instantly to her plate.
“It is so nice to be back with you all. You know you are my children and I love you dearly. I will be staying here for the next month, cycling with you all, and helping you as much as I can. Geoff has had to leave to the Alaska land to help out there. He will be back after the next cycle.” Margret had the attention of the whole room. They hooped and hollered when she told them she was there to stay and no one seemed all the upset with Geoff’s absence. That is, except Mackenzie. Watching Margret’s face, trying to decipher if Geoff really was needed to help, or if he was being punished for their relationship, provided no answers. She would just have to ask.
Everyone lingered around the dinner table long after the food had vanished. Margret spoke about the pups in Alaska, and how another pack had challenged the California members of the pack while she was there. The room erupted in chatter, questioning the safety of their brothers and sisters. Mackenzie couldn’t help but wonder how Analise had held up.
“Is everyone okay?” Mackenzie asked above the noise. The room fell silent and everyone turned their attention back to Margret. She actually voiced what everyone wanted to know, but for some reason didn’t ask.
“As you all know, when a pack challenges another there are always casualties. We lost four of our family, but the other pack fell and are being trained as our own. I hope you will welcome the new members with open arms when you meet them.”
“Who?” someone called out.
“Nicholas, Bradley, Brea, and Lance.” While Mackenzie didn’t know these people, she grieved for those who did and was grateful that Analise was not among them.
“I hope you made that bastard feel the pain before you ripped his head from his body!” Mason said with a steely glare. Mackenzie could tell he was trying to hide his emotions. His eyes were red-rimmed and he kept taking deep breaths before turning his glare to the floor.
“He paid for attacking our family. His pack members are now mine. We lost four of our own, but won ten more. We will forever miss our fallen, but we are stronger now than we were before. Our land in California has increased to cover the forest to the north of our previous boundary.”
Mackenzie sat in her chair long after everyone else left the room. She couldn’t understand how Margret could show not an ounce of real grief. Could she be just holding it together for the sake of the pack?
So lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t heard anyone come back into the room, so when two large heavy hands were placed on her shoulders from behind, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Quickly turning around to see who it was, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. It was only Liam.
“You scared the hell out of me!”
“Sorry,” he said, though by the way he laughed through the word he wasn’t sorry at all. “I just wanted to check in on you after all that. That Margret is something, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, she is. She has been so kind, welcoming me into her home, helping me that morning she found me. I hate to say it, but something just doesn’t feel right when she’s here anymore. Everyone else loves her. They consider her their mother. I just get a bad feeling and I don’t know why.”
Mackenzie began watching the doors, hoping they were speaking low enough not to be overheard. That was one thing about living in a house with so many other beings with super-sensitive hearing, unless you learned to whisper, no one had any privacy.
“You should go ask her about Geoff. You know you want to.”
“I do. But I don’t think she will answer me.”
“Can’t hurt to ask.” Liam gave her a brief smile and patted her shoulder before leaving her alone once again. Mackenzie knew he was right. But actually approaching Margret was more difficult than actually thinking about it.
~*~
Mackenzie could see a light shining from the crack beneath the office door. Standing in the dark hallway, she took a step forward before turning around and retreat
ing. She did this ten times before the door swung open with Margret standing just before the opening, the light creating a halo around her whole body.
“You have been pacing out here forever. Spit it out.” Margret spoke so matter-of-factly. She had to have known that Mackenzie wanted to ask about Geoff. The irritation on her face was evident and Mackenzie almost decided to drop the topic and walk away. But she knew that if she did, she would kick herself all the way back to her room.
“Where’s Geoff?”
“Mackenzie, I told you all at dinner. He went to Alaska to help with the influx of pups. There are more than normal coming into their strengths. They needed another leader and I needed to be here for you. I will be the one shadowing you on the next cycle so I can see exactly what is happening with you. That way, in the morning you can tell me what you remember and I will know for sure if it really happened or not.”
Caught off guard by the fact that Margret didn’t necessarily believe her about the last cycle, she stilled. She had been so excited for her just a few hours prior.
“What? You think just because Geoff believes you that I am going to, also? I am not calling you a liar. I just need to see it with my own eyes before I give the other pups any false hope of being able to control the wolves sooner than normal. You understand don’t you?”
Mackenzie just nodded. She did understand to an extent, but just because Margret said she wasn’t calling her a liar, didn’t make it feel any less so. The two stared at one another for another minute before Margret sighed.
“If that’s all?”
“No. I mean, that’s not all. Why are there more pups than usual in Alaska? Did something happen?” She knew she should have left well enough alone, but things were not sitting right for her. The California attack, Geoff leaving, and then an influx of pups?
The Tempering (The Mackenzie Duncan Series) Page 16