Page 1 of Shattered

Prologue

Eleven years ago...

Hayden Raferty...

Mackenzie chuckled as he stepped into his house. Who’d have guessed the wiry pup was theirs and the twin sister to Bodhi. They were inseparable now, and Jace... Well, thank fuck, he got his head out of his ass.

The man had spent the better part of his life mourning.

Mourning his pups.

Mourning the violations of his body.

It almost cost him both of his mates, too.

Mackenzie didn’t blame Loraine or Blake for almost walking away. He didn’t understand how Jace could stare at them month after month and not claim them. Sure, poor Loraine had been through so much after the firebombing of the Sheriff’s Department, but she was made of sterner stuff. On occasion, Mackenzie wondered if the Sheriff’s Department hadn’t been firebombed and Loraine hadn’t been hurt, if all three of them, Blake, Jace, and Loraine would’ve even been living in the same house.

According to Kalkin and Caden, Blake had been the dark secret his brother had kept for years and went so far as to drive over thirty miles away from pack lands to fuck his mate. Jace never brought Blake home to meet his brothers. Never talked about him. Mackenzie couldn’t imagine the shame the wolf had to feel at being denied his new pack mates and mated brothers.

Had Hayden not shown up when she did or given the spark Jace needed to see the world around him… Mackenzie didn’t want to think of what would have become of Jace’s life or his mates’. Shit... Wasn’t that a heavy load for a little girl to bear? Time would tell how it might affect her relationship with her brother and her family, let alone her mate when the time came.

So, what did it say about Mackenzie?

Sure, he could tell people how to fix their shit, but when it came to himself, he couldn’t deal with his own. He snorted. Royce still wouldn’t talk to him much. Caden was the same. He didn’t blame his brother. Hell, he’d betrayed Caden. Even after he knew what Marjorie had done to Caden—after leaving a small girl pup, still covered in blood, on their doorstep—Mackenzie had still pursued Marjorie.

He’d been in lust.

He’d thought Marjorie Burke was his mate.

Of course, he’d figured out the truth while he lay on the sunbaked desert sand—the barrel of a snub-nosed .38 pointed at his temple, while Raymond’s runt bastards cut away his tattoo—that he’d been a victim of another sort.

A victim of his own making.

He’d appreciated Kalkin more in those few moments, laying in the middle of the desert, waiting for his life to end, than he’d ever be able to say. Kalkin had kept Royce safe. He hadn’t allowed the boy to follow Mackenzie the night everything went south. Of course, Kalkin had tried to persuade him, too, but Mackenzie wouldn’t listen. He’d thought he knew better. Thought he knew more. Even with the truth staring him in the face, he hadn’t cared. Marjorie was his, and he’d prove it, too.

With one act, he’d destroyed everything and, if he’d been human, would’ve died as a consequence for those actions.

So, he’d been grateful Royce didn’t see what came next. Didn’t experience the trauma Mackenzie endured. His son didn’t have to witness the blinding pain. The missing memories. The years of relearning how to walk or how to speak again.

In the beginning, Mackenzie had spent more time in his wolf form hiding and healing from the damage Raymond Quincy had inflicted on him than living his life. It’d been a few years, before he could shift and hold his human form. Then he met a young group of shifters. Two of them were brothers, though they really didn’t look it; nor were they the same shifter-type. Anyway, they helped him, and in the long run, he found a second family.

But he always knew he belonged in Window Rock.

It might have taken a hell of a lot longer than he expected to get back home, but it was worth it. Seeing Royce again... The man he’d become... Mackenzie realized Kalkin had done exactly what he said he’d do. Protected his son.But did it really? He might not have suffered as you did, however he suffered because of you.Mackenzie grimaced. The truth would always nip him in the ass.

Royce’s pain wasn’t his, and until they could talk about it, their anguish would linger between them.

It had also ripped the scar open between Mackenzie and Caden. Heck, could he even call it a scar? Maybe a scab? Did it matter? No, it didn’t. Because when he looked into Caden’s eyes, even now, he saw the frightened boy who’d been assaulted not only by Marjorie, but by him as well. Caden had lost thirty years with his daughter, while he selfishly paraded Royce around. For three years he’d raised his boy with the woman who took Caden’s innocence and abandoned their daughter on Mrs. Martin’s doorstep. She was then sent away, adopted by someone else because Caden couldn’t even care for himself at the time, let alone a daughter. Everything Mackenzie did in front of his brother was like adding salt to a wound.

Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it, old man?

Yeah... It had been.

Mackenzie pulled into the driveway of the house he’d recently purchased and sat in his truck for a minute. Since Hayden had shown up, things started changing. The cohesion between him and his brothers became tighter. He could breathe a little easier. Sure, things between him and Royce weren’t any better. He supposed some things might not heal as well as others. All he could do was be there for his son and give him the time he needed to heal. When his boy was ready, they’d talk, and he’d explain the hows and whys as best he could.

After pulling his keys from the ignition, Mackenzie made his way into the house. He didn’t know why he’d offered up his place as somewhere for Hayden and Holly to go. It just seemed right. Jace was still figuring out his shit with his mates and needed space, plus Hayden didn’t want to be too far away from Holly. Mackenzie didn’t mind the company as it was, and for now, it made sense. He was single, as was Holly, and they might have fibbed a little... But, for them, it just felt right.

Mackenzie kicked off his work boots in the laundry room before stepping into the kitchen to grab himself a cup of coffee. Since he didn’t know what kind of plans Holly had for the day–and he wasn’t about to push her, either–he’d dropped Bodhi and Hayden off at the high school. It didn’t bother him to do it. He’d missed his chance with Royce, and in a way, this was his chance to try again. As he sat down at the table, the house had been quiet. He figured Holly needed a few more hours of sleep. Who could blame her? She and Hayden had been on the run for such a long time, she—they deserved some down time—a chance to sleep in and not have to worry about someone stalking their every move.

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