Page 29 of Shattered

So, what gives?

He slipped out of bed, his bones popping and snapping as he strode toward his bathroom to take a piss. In the back of his mind, he knew he should have remembered something important from the night before, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Whatever it was, it had been accompanied by a delectable smell, he’d never get enough of, honeysuckle. But not just any garden variety. No, this particular honeysuckle only bloomed at night along with its counterpart, night-blooming jasmine. Those two scents wafted up from his body and every muscle inside him went taut as pleasure washed over him.

Mackenzie groaned. He hadn’t even realized he’d been stroking himself until his pee hit the lip of the bowl, splashing back on his shin.Mother fucker! What the fuck is wrong with me?He’d been on edge since he’d met Aurora. However, the moment he saw her mark, the edginess should have worn off. She belonged to another, not him. Yet, it stayed, and it was beginning to piss him the hell off.

After he finished using the facilities, he cleaned up the mess he made then jumped in the shower to wash up. He couldn’t spend the day smelling like the sweetest flowers. It would drive him crazier than he already was. Once he dropped the kids off at school, he promised himself he’d go talk to Kalkin and set up a contingency plan. His condition was getting worse, after all, and Liam and Riley didn’t deserve to see their father slowly descend into madness.

Wolves who’d been abused or abandoned went feral. Of all of his family members, Mackenzie understood the concept to the minutest detail. Feral shifters became rabid animals no one could reach. Not even Danielle would be able to put him back together. Hell, he should have gone feral a long time ago, more so, he should have died when Raymond shot him. Maybe if he had, his family wouldn’t have been so fucked up.

Mackenzie shut off the faucet and stepped out of the shower. He wrapped the towel around his waist and ambled back into his room. Glancing at his bed for a moment, he tried to understand what had triggered this episode. His clothes were left lying on the floor on the right side of the bed. None of the alarms were going off, nor had they. He had to have been cognitive enough to turn them off and back on again.

So, where did he go?

Again, a hint of honeysuckle and jasmine hit his nostrils and his cock thickened. He let out a muffled curse as he whipped the towel from his hips before going down on all fours. No one needed to see him like this. He palmed his dick and began to pump the unruly flesh. Soon, his hips joined in, rocking into his fist. Mackenzie squeezed when he got to the base and let loose with a low growl. He felt like a caged beast. The wolf inside him roared to life and pushed against his skin. The fear of his children seeing him humping his hand as a wolf, should have caused his dick to go limp, instead he went faster—grew harder while the wolf imposed himself on Mackenzie’s body, morphing him. By the time he orgasmed, the wolf was front and center, and his body was not his own. He bit his leg to keep from crying out, while harsh, body-racking throbs consumed him as pulse after pulse of his cum shot from his tip. It shouldn’t have been possible. He hadn’t been able to achieve any type of climax in almost thirty years—not even as a wolf.

What the fuck?He curled onto his side while he continued to tremble, and the rest of his release leaked from his tip. Soon, he shifted back to his human form, and all of the strength he had drained from him. Hell, even with Danielle explaining what happened at the Halloween party, he still couldn’t accept his wolf pushing himself forward. It scared the shit out of him. The towel he’d used around his waist lay inches from him, covered in thick white cum. He couldn’t deny he’d done that. He should feel relieved or content after going so long without feeling the ecstasy of climaxing. Unfortunately, it only scared him more and bolstered his need to have Kalkin take care of him if anything should happen.

When he was sure he could stand, he took another shower to get the remnants of his release off of himself. Then he dressed and headed downstairs. The mark on his bicep had closed, leaving only two little purple marks where his teeth had elongated, piercing his flesh.Should have been Aurora’s neck.The thought startled him, and he jumped when Riley landed on the tile floor like she usually did when she leaped from the staircase into the kitchen.

“You okay, Dad?” she asked, coming up beside him.

“You caught me off guard is all. You’re getting better about lightening your step.” He scrubbed the top of her head and grinned. “Why don’t you sit, breakfast is already in the oven.”

“I’m starved.” She grinned, sitting at the table. “We should have sausage patties and biscuits for breakfast.”

Mackenzie chuckled. “What do you think I’m warming up?”

Riley threw her arms in the air in triumph as Liam entered the space. His son looked exhausted. His cheeks were a bit flushed as well, while the rest of his face was a bit pale. Mackenzie frowned. Shifters didn’t get human ailments, but as he stared at his son, he could have sworn his boy was sick.

“You okay?” He peered at his boy who wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“Yeah.” The pink tinging his cheeks deepened to crimson as he crossed his arms in a defensive pose.

Mackenzie inhaled. There was a sweetness to his son’s scent also something musky and different. He watched his son as he twitched in his chair, a bit on edge like Mackenzie had been. “If you want to stay home today, boy, you can.”

Liam shook his head. His breathing had gone shallow. His eyes were a bit dazed. Mackenzie inhaled again and that musky scent grew stronger. He glanced at Riley who’d been completely oblivious to her brother’s condition, instead choosing to focus on the timer.

“Riley, why don’t you give me and your brother a moment?”

She looked at Mackenzie then her brother. Her eyes widened as she stood. “Sure. I’ll go uh, get my library book, almost forgot it.” She hurried back up the stairs, leaving Mackenzie with his son.

“What you’re feeling is normal son,” he said, sitting down beside Liam. “I don’t know what exactly you’re experiencing, but with the full moon coming soon, it can be intense and uncomfortable.”

“Dad,” Liam said from between clenched teeth. “I can’t talk about it. Not right now.”

“It’s okay,” he replied. “I understand, but the offer is still on the table. If you need to stay home, you can. I’ll have Danielle call the school. It’s a non-issue.”

Liam nodded. “If it’s all the same, I’d like to go to school. Maybe I can will it to go away.”

Mackenzie snorted.If only.“Sure, son. But, if you begin to feel...out of control, call me right away. I’ll come get you, and we’ll grab lunch or ice cream.”

Liam gave him a look then nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”

It was weird not having anywhere to be during the day once he’d dropped off the kids at school. He’d spent years working. The repetitive motion of laying pipe or nailing a frame together grounded him. The activity also built his muscles. It motivated him. Gave him purpose. Sitting in his house staring at the four walls surrounding him, drove him insane. And, after his little incident that morning,shit, he had to move.

Mackenzie stood, determined to make the best of his crappy situation, even if he didn’t think it would get better. He put on a front to his kids, and if he let it slip even a little, they’d know something was wrong. As he grabbed for his keys to his truck, his phone rang. He paused by the laundry door and pulled his phone out of his pocket.Window Rock High?Mackenzie slid his finger across the screen surprised and concerned. “Hello?”

“Hello, Mr. Raferty, this is Nurse Bullock. I hate to call you, because I know you’re busy at work—”

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