by Tl Reeve
“It doesn’t make it any easier on her that she’s had to relive some of the vilest times in her life. Nor does it help realizing Holly had been in control of all of them,” Jefferson said.
“When did you become Hayden’s biggest cheerleader?” Nico stated.
“The minute I read what she endured at five and then at fourteen and again at twenty-three. Seeing the photographs of her tiny body chained. Knowing Worthington kept those photographs in a safe at his home for all these years and seeing samples from the journal entries that bastard kept.” He let out a shuttered breath. “Understanding Holly had supported every inch of the research their forsaken family made that poor child endure... Gentlemen, it made me sick. I have two daughters of my own, if anyone would have tried to do what PBH has done to Hayden, I’d raze the ground they walked on.”
“Fuck yeah,” Nico growled.
“What are the three of you conspiring about?” Kalkin’s arms were folded across his massive chest, making one hell of an imposing visage.
“Nothing,” Mackenzie grunted. “We’re having a guy discussion.”
“Those always lead to trouble in this family. Who’s pregnant now?” Kalkin stepped closer.
“Well, that cuts me out of this conversation,” Jefferson said with a hint of humor.
“No one is pregnant, asshole,” Mackenzie snarled. Hell, the way he and Aurora had been locked together earlier, he should’ve kept his mouth shut.
“Bullshit,” Kalkin quipped. “Keeley is.”
Mackenzie blinked. “Were you feeling left out again?”
“No, asshole, I wasn’t.” Kalkin stared at his brother. “Keeley and I discussed having another child last year. All of ours are growing up. We wanted a baby.”
“Why aren’t you being smug about it?” Mackenzie’s tone held a hint of disbelief.
“Would you be smug at a time like this? One... Scratch that. Several of our packmates are dealing with serious shit right now. Add in Hayden, because I know you jackasses were talking about her, we don’t want to rub it in her face. She already smells off, and I—”
“She’s happy, but not her normal self,” Nico stated. “Sure, she cares for me and Asher and now Emmeline. Sure, we went on vacation. Sure, she spends time talking to Jasmine and Brie, and they’re helping, but this shit has really gotten to her. I miss my bubbly mate. I miss her laugh. If we don’t figure out what’s wrong with her soon, I fear what might happen.”
Kalkin clamped a massive hand on Nico’s shoulder. “We won’t let that happen.”
“To be honest, I fucking hate the full moon right now,” Nico whispered. “It’s destroying my mate, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”
“Well, this holiday went from festive to fucked-up in less than two seconds,” Mackenzie grunted.
“Speaking of which, did you claim your mate?” Kalkin asked in a droll tone.
Royce’s gaze snapped to his father. “Well, did you?” After their conversation, he and Royce had been closer than Mackenzie ever expected to be. Didn’t mean he’d say shit about them.
“Wait you have a mate?” Nico’s brows shot up.
“Yeah, the mother of the sweet little girl who spends the night at Mac’s place. Aurora, our dispatcher. She’s Mackenzie’s mate. He’s also been tramping around Aurora’s apartment, too. From what I read in Logan’s reports.”
“Shut up,” Mackenzie whispered. “It’s not what you think.”
“Oh?” Kalkin cocked a brow. “Really?”
“Uh, why aren’t all of the fryers going?” Danielle called out from the sliding glass door. “We’re ready to get going in here.”
Kalkin waved at her. “Saved by the bell.” He headed back to the house with Royce in tow.
“Nico!” Danielle called out. “I need you for a second, too.”
Nico frowned. “On my way.”
“Looks like they left all the hard work to the old farts, huh?” Jefferson teased.
Mackenzie nodded. “Seems so.”
“So, about Aurora...” Jefferson hedged.
Mackenzie sighed. “There are things she hasn’t told anyone, and I promised not to tell them for her.”
“But you’re her mate.” Jefferson lit the burner for each of the fryers. “Why aren’t you happy?”
“Who says I’m not?”
Jefferson snorted. “You look like you want to bolt from this place and never come back.”
Mackenzie scratched his scruffy cheek. “Full moon.”
“Ah.” Jefferson nodded. “Knot her. Made me feel better.”
Mackenzie choked. “Son of a bitch, you do fit in here.”
Jefferson laughed. “Seriously, though, I’m happy for you, Mac. We’re family. Father-in-laws. It’s time you take your life by the horns and find your peace.”
“Yeah,” Mackenzie said. “Maybe.”
Once the turkeys were in their designated cookers, Mackenzie walked over to one of the coolers to grab a beer. Soon, Aurora would have to tell everyone the truth. He knew it would eat away at her, no way it couldn’t. As he checked one of the fryers, a shout of excitement broke out from inside the house. He glanced up as Hayden launched herself into Nico’s arms. Warmth filled him. Whatever happened, the spark of life he’d glimpsed at the courthouse filled Hayden’s cobalt eyes again.
“You’re gonna want to hear this!” Royce called out to him. “Get in here.”
Mackenzie closed the distance between them. The turkeys still had about ten minutes before they’d be ready, still he didn’t like the idea of leaving them unattended. “What’s going on?”
“I think we were just handed the golden ticket to locking Holly up and throwing away the key,” his son muttered.
“Not like it matters, but now we can prove all the shit Holly is trying to pin on us, is bullshit,” Hayden chirped.
“What did they find?” Mackenzie murmured.
“IUD,” Royce said. “Danielle has no idea how long it’s been there.”
“Probably since one of the early kidnappings, I would assume,” Mackenzie said.
Royce nodded. “Are there bar codes or serial numbers on those types of things?”
Danielle faced him. “I would assume so. We’ll find out after this full moon cycle. I can have it to Kalkin by Monday.”
“The sooner the better,” Hayden said. “I’m going to nail her ass.”
Mackenzie chuckled. “There she is.”
“If you need any help,” Jefferson said. “I have a person. He’s dependable, and I trust him.”
Kalkin nodded. “He’s one of our sources, too. Should be here in a bit.”
“Who is it?” Hayden asked.
“His name is Adrian Kirkpatrick.”
Royce gasped. “The kid from Boston.”
“What?” Mackenzie leaned in.
“I know him,” Royce said. “We all do. He helped lead us to Holly.”
“I’ll be damned,” Mackenzie mumbled.
Aurora came up beside him. “Sounds like we should be celebrating?”
Mackenzie growled. “Should we?”
She nodded. “I have an answer for you.”
Mackenzie allowed her to lead him away while the rest of the family plotted out how to get the IUD to the judge and ready for when the trial began again on Wednesday morning. Aurora stopped in front of the tables where they’d be putting the turkeys when they came out of the fryers. She took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.
“I want you to do it,” she said. “I want you to bite me.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. Can you repeat what you just said?”
She laughed. “I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier. Is it selfish of me to want this? To be a part of all this? I know we didn’t start off on the right foot, we’ll get there, though, right?”
Fear and excitement clogged his throat. “I’m no good for you, though.”
“I’m going to assume that’s the trauma talking,” she teased. “As cliché as
it sounds, I want to take care of you. I want to be the person who comforts you when you’re having a bad day. I realize how this is going to sound, but seeing you handle a very difficult situation with Liam, made me realize, you could all use a hand.”
Mackenzie stared at her. She left him dumbstruck. “Are you saying you want to be my mate and their mom?”
She gave an exaggerated lift of her shoulders. “I mean, I can never be Royce’s mom, he’s too old, and he’d probably consider me a trophy wife or something. Riley and Liam, though... yeah. I think they’re both yearning for a mom’s love.” She cursed. “Shit, I don’t want to take Holly’s place, either. I want—”
Mackenzie cut her off, slamming his mouth down on hers. He couldn’t explain the emotions rushing through him other than he if he could find a quiet corner and fuck her, so he could knot her and mark her, he would. His tongue tangled with hers, and he moaned. The taste of black licorice snapped across his taste buds. The wolf whistles and cat calls from the back door, prevented him from playing out his plan.
Without looking, he knew who the fucking instigators were, Kalkin and Caden. “Damn heathens,” he snarled, when he broke the kiss.
Aurora laughed. “Come on, let’s go enjoy the rest of the feast. Later, we’ll talk more about this.”
He palmed her ass and gave a squeeze. “Later, I plan on running with you.”
She shivered. “Promise?”
“Definitely.”
“So, you guys just walked in the door on your father and his mate?” Rapier laughed. “Fuck, this family.”
Charisma scowled. “It wasn’t like I was prepared for it.”
“To her defense, I wasn’t sure if it was possible to, you know,” Jefferson stumbled. His cheeks were beet-red and Jochi appeared contrite by his side. “Knot my mate.”
“And you,” Rapier turned his attention to Mackenzie. “You, old fart. You went and ended up getting a mate since I kicked your ass off the site.”
Mackenzie flipped him off. “I could still take your feline ass any day of the week.”
“Pervert,” Rapier said, placing his hand to his chest. “My ass only belongs to my loving kitten. Right?”
“Yes, Daddy,” Jasmine answered.
Rapier growled. “Bad kitten, getting me all kinds of hard while in front of our friends and family.”
Kalkin snorted. “Stop being a modest fucker—”
“Language,” Keeley chided.
Mackenzie glanced at Aurora who was grinning like a fool. He relaxed. Everyone was in rare form. He hoped they didn’t scare her off, but watching her, he could see she was enjoying herself. “Aren’t we all a little old for the language talk?”
Keeley waggled her finger at him. “Mackenzie Raferty, there are still babies in this family.”
“We know, you’re carrying one right now,” Mackenzie quipped.
Keeley’s mouth fell open. “Kalkin Raferty, you asshole! W—”
“Language,” Mackenzie and Rapier said at the same time.
“I’ll deal with both of you later.” Keeley turned her ire on her mate. “We were going to wait until we figured out what was happening to Hayden.”
Kalkin gave her a blank look. “I’m sorry?”
“No, you’re not,” Keeley snapped.
“Well, if it’s all the same,” Hayden said. “We’re okay. We have our two beautiful children, and now that we know what the issue is, we’re good.”
“Fine,” Melody said, standing. “Rashid and I are expecting, too.”
The room exploded in cheers and congratulations as Rashid kissed her. Putting Hayden and Nico’s unique situation aside, fertility in shifters wasn’t an issue, unless there was a horrible trauma, like in the case of Danielle or even Mackenzie. Melody, however, had been through a lot as a young coyote including being used for years as a bait toy for a pack of pit bulls. When Rashid met her, she’d only been free a couple of years.
“I can’t thank you enough, Danielle,” Melody said. “You were so dedicated to helping us.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “I’m happy it worked out for you.”
“Have you told Shelby?” Hayden asked.
Melody nodded. “We did this morning.”
“Well, shit, we’re going to be a regular menagerie here,” Christoph piped up. “Between our cub and yours,” he motioned to Keeley and Melody, “we’ll have our hands full.”
Mackenzie took Aurora’s hand in his. A lightness filled him. It’d been close to thirty years since he’d felt the sensation, and he knew the biggest reason he sat there with his family was because of her. When she looked up at him, he winked. Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink, and he grinned. Damn, it was good to feel like he finally belonged.
Aurora stood then. “I-I have something to tell you as well.” She glanced down at Mackenzie, and he saw it in her beautiful blue eyes. She was about to tell all of them the truth. “I’m scared, though.”
“No shit,” Kalkin grumbled, cutting his gaze to Mackenzie. “We can smell it on you. What, did Mac knock you up and you’re afraid to tell him?”
She shook her head. “No. Not even close. Er, well, maybe, but it’s not…you know.” She blew out a breath. “I’m messing this up.”
“Wait,” Royce said. “So, you did knot her? Good job, Dad.”
Mackenzie snarled. “Give her a second.” He refused to say either way. When she wore his mark then he’d make the announcement.
“You see, Abby...” Aurora swallowed hard. “She’s not my daughter. She’s my niece.”
Kalkin frowned. “Where’s her mother?”
Mackenzie took Aurora’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “She died, Kal. After she gave birth to Abby.” He then turned his attention to Danielle. “Cat’s out of the bag. Abby and Aurora’s sister had the same thing—”
“PFO or Patent Foramen Ovale,” Aurora said. “My sister had a massive stroke within five hours of delivering Abby.”
“And what about the father?” Kalkin hedged. “Is what you told us true about him?”
“To a degree, yes,” Aurora replied. “He knocked up my sister, didn’t want anything to do with Abby, and signed over his rights, making it easier to become Abby’s guardian. However, when he found out about her condition, I guess in case something happened to her, he came snooping around. So, it made it easier to leave when the doctor said she needed warm, dry conditions to lead a happy, healthy life.”
“Do you think he’ll come around here?”
Aurora shook her head. “No. I think he saw a way to make a quick buck with a sick kid. If he wanted to be her father, he wouldn’t have dropped my sister like she was someone else’s trash.”
“So noted. Anything else?” Kalkin narrowed his eyes.
“Mackenziewasmyfirst,” she mumbled, sitting.
“Whoa now!” Kalkin laughed. “You old, mangy wolf. I knew you couldn’t keep your hands off of her.”
Keeley elbowed him. “Shut up. Can’t you see she’s embarrassed enough. Don’t make it worse for her.”
“I’m not.” Kalkin turned to his mate. “Mackenzie has been keeping secrets.”
“If we’re done with all the yammering, how about some of the apple cake Aurora made? I have been craving it since it came out of the oven,” Mackenzie said, trying to change the subject.
“Wait,” Tate said. “Is that some kind of code for getting laid? Because I’m down for some ‘apple cake,’ too.”
Lorenzo laughed. “He’s a little anxious, you’ll have to forgive him.”
Kalkin barked out a laugh. “All those in favor of apple cake say aye.”
Mackenzie leaned in, so only Aurora could hear and growled, “Aye. But instead of eating the apple cake, I’ll be dining on your sweet as sin pussy.”
She smirked. “Dirty, old man.”
Oh, yes, later he’d be showing just how dirty he could be.
Chapter Twelve
Aurora watched from the car as Mackenzie walked Liam up to th
e Community Center where Liam would be locked in for the night. It sounded barbaric, but after some of the things Mackenzie had told her could happen, Aurora got why it was done—especially since from what she could gather, being a wolf shifter on the full moon was harder on the males than the females.
Riley sat in the car, waiting for Willow—Caden and Danielle’s young daughter—to arrive with Kalkin and Grey—Keeley and Kalkin’s son—who would be locked in with Liam and the rest of the teenage boy shifters for the night.
According to Mackenzie, they’d pick them up the following morning at sunrise.
“There they are!” Riley hollered from the back seat of Mackenzie’s truck before she bounded toward her cousin.
The two girls embraced each other while Kalkin took Grey over to check-in for the night. Like Liam, the young male shifter carried a backpack and a sleeping bag.
Keeley had graciously volunteered, much to the dismay of Kalkin, to watch Abby for the night since they wouldn’t be participating in the run. The Sheriff hadn’t looked too pleased and told Keeley as much. The tiny fae-like woman crossed her arms and stared her much bigger mate down then reminded him, he was on duty for the night. Even then, Kalkin was pissy. Of course, the minute Keeley promised to take care of him after work and after all the young kids were picked up, he grinned as if he’d won some battle of wills.
Kalkin and Mackenzie came back out of the community center together, and Aurora’s breath got caught in her throat. The Raferty men, every single one of them, were big badasses who left the female population of Window Rock panting. Aurora was proud to have claimed the eldest Raferty brother—Mackenzie as her own.
The brothers gathered their daughters up and walked them to the back of the large building. Like the boys, they carried bags and sleeping bags, but unlike the boys, the girls were cheerful and chirping like little magpies.
When Kalkin returned once more, he called out to her, “See you later, Aurora.” With a wave, he lumbered to his Enforcer. Within seconds, he was driving away from the building.