Page 24 of Shattered

She pointed to the closet in the corner of the room. “There is a white bag inside the closet. Grab it and look inside.”

Mackenzie went to the closet and opened it up. Like Danielle said there’d been a white bag with his name on it. His heart hammered in his chest. Sweat beaded across his forehead. He didn’t understand the visceral response he had to the bag until he opened it up. Inside lay his shredded clothes from the night of the party.No, that can’t be right. The clothes I wore are hanging up in my bedroom.

“Mac,” Danielle whispered, while a thread of calm, soothing energy filtered through him. “Look at me.”

He did.

“Those are your clothes. Keeley and I saw your beautiful wolf. He is amazing.” She smiled. “Don’t be scared.”

“I’m not,” he mumbled. “Confused more like it.”

She nodded. “I understand. Something or someone triggered your wolf.”

Mackenzie narrowed his eyes. “Maybe it’s the upcoming trial.”

“Perhaps,” Danielle agreed. “You can talk with Jasmine or Brie, if you need to about this.”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t think I can.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Danielle said. “We’re here for you. If you need us.”

“I appreciate it.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, Abby and Aurora will be over tonight for dinner. I need to get a few things from the store and find a bed for Abby.” He turned to Danielle. “Thanks, for this.” He held up the bag. “Now burn it.”

It didn’t take Mackenzie long to find a bed for Abby. He figured Saber would have something available in his workshop, but also didn’t want to plan on it. Thankfully, his friend did, and Saber and Rashid would be delivering it before Abby and Aurora showed up for dinner.

Once he picked the kids up from school, he headed to the store and grabbed what he needed for dinner. The conversation he had with Danielle swirled through his mind. He couldn’t deny what she showed him. It didn’t make sense to him how he could have shifted as he did, and not remember, though. Why he also told her to burn everything, also bothered him. Guilt and fear ate him up in those moments. Both, he realized were due to him not remembering himself shifting nor what happened in the gap where his wolf took over and he returned home. None of it made a lick of sense.

“So, Abby and Aurora are coming to dinner?” Riley asked, putting a bag of apples in the cart.

“Yeah,” he replied, grabbing a bag of potatoes.

“Do you like them?” his daughter prodded.

“They’re good people.” He shrugged.

“‘They’re good people’? Aren’t you going to watch Abby?” Liam piped up, joining them. In his arms had been a few different types of meat.

Mackenzie had been clear when he sent the boy on his mission. Lean red meat and alternatives. Liam brought back a couple of steaks, some chicken quarters, and pork steaks. “I am.” Mackenzie maneuvered them to the drink aisle. “Great job picking up different choices for Abby.”

“Whatever,” Liam said. “I’ll eat the steak.”

Mackenzie snorted. “You’d eat all of it, if I let you.”

The boy shrugged.

“She’ll be staying with us while her mom works?” Riley grabbed a bottle of white grape juice and a box of packaged drinks.

“At the Sheriff’s Department with your uncles and brother,” he said.

“Cool.” Riley skipped along the aisles as they continued shopping.

If Mackenzie took a moment to be honest with himself, he hadn’t been able to get Aurora out of his damn head. About the only time he could, was when he’d been working, and now that had been shot to shit. Then he allowed the aggravation of his situation cloud his ability to focus on anything but rage and determination. All the boxes in the living room had been anything he’d bought with Holly, anything Holly had left behind, and everything he and his children didn’t need around them anymore. In the morning, the local charity thrift shop would pick up the stuff and take it out of their life forever.

“Do you like her?” Liam grunted.

“Abby?”

“Her mom,” Liam stated.

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