Page 33 of Shattered

After she finished the call with animal control, she radioed Nico back and noticed the time. She could go on her fifteen minute break, which meant she could talk to Mackenzie, too. She glanced up from her computer, and this time, Mackenzie was gone. Guilt ate at her. He’d obviously come by to try to bridge the awkward divide between them, and she’d been too... No, he couldn’t expect her to not do her job while she was working. She couldn’t put everything down just to talk. On a break or lunch, sure. Before, no way.

She grabbed the container of cookies and opened them. There on top sat a note in Abby’s handwriting. Her heart melted. Her niece was everything to her, and she’d do anything to keep her safe. She shouldn’t be focusing on men or wolves or anything. Until she knew Abby was out of the woods with her sickness, she couldn’t date anyone. Besides, after everything her sister had been through, she didn’t even want to contemplate a relationship.

Nevertheless, as she sat there eating her cookie, she tried to come up with all the reasons why she should try. One; she wasn’t getting any younger. Two; it would be nice if there was someone she could talk to on a regular basis. Three; sex did sound like an interesting prospect and four, it would just be nice to have someone around who would hold her, so she could breakdown and cry when Abby was at her sickest.

Regrettably for her, Mackenzie Raferty didn’t come close to fulfilling her list.

Chapter Five

Like every other school morning, it had been hectic getting his two teenaged children up, fed and out the door in time for school. That morning he had also gotten Abby ready for school instead of Aurora picking her up. Thanks to some asshole who couldn’t be bothered to show up to work on time for the next shift, Aurora was stuck. After hearing the panic in Aurora’s voice when she called, he knew right then and there, he’d be having a conversation with Kalkin about his employees. Even after he’d assured her it wasn’t that big of a deal, she kept saying sorry and telling him she’d give him twenty extra bucks for gas or more food, whatever he needed.

It pissed him off.

Mackenzie didn’t understand why it was such a huge deal for her, as they’d planned for it in emergency situations. Aurora had made sure to keep an extra outfit or two at his house, and Abby always brought her school backpack with her, just in case. Packing an extra lunch had taken minimal effort on his part. Not only that, but Riley had stepped up and helped get the little girl ready. He smiled remembering the proud look of accomplishment on Riley’s face as she did two perfect Dutch braids in Abby’s hair.

Upside, they’d all made it to school with time to spare. Now, he enjoyed the moment of peace settling through the house. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the kitchen, while he continued to make a to-do list for the day. The first thing on his list was to strip the sheets from his bed and wash them yet again.

It was the third time in the past week he’d woken up from what he could only term as a wet dream thanks to some very erotic dreams he’d been having. His belly and the sheets on his bed had been covered in cum. Had it not been for his lightning-fast reflexes, covering the mess he’d made, Riley would have seen him in all his glory. Mackenzie was positive she left his bedroom completely oblivious to what she’d stumbled upon. Still, he was going to have to have another conversation with his daughter. Riley expected him to knock on her door before entering her bedroom, she’d need to follow the same rules with him. Especially now.

He’d also started to notice he got a raging hard-on anytime Aurora was in the vicinity of him. Which because he was watching Abby, was all the fucking time. It was making him grumpy, and a grumpy Raferty tended to snap like a bear being poked by a stick. Keeley had teased him the day before if he kept it up, she was going to start calling him Kalkin Jr.

He grabbed the coffee pot and filled his cup to the brim before taking a sip of the bitter liquid, while contemplating, not for the first time, about heading over to Danielle to see if maybe something was wrong with him again. Of course, he reminded himself daily it would only get worse, because he’d been certain he was going feral, however, for some reason, it didn’t feel right anymore to call it that. The only thing stopping him from going to Danielle to confess everything was his own pride, and a helluva case of embarrassment in discussing the problem, in detail, to his younger brother’s mate.

Like all Rafertys, he had been a highly sexual shifter. Or at least he had been up until the day Raymond shot him. In his earlier years before everything went to shit and before Royce was born, getting a willing female to have sex with him wasn’t something he had to work particularly hard at. He did it often, with a lot of different women.

He had been a bitter old man for too many years to count when his dick first hadn’t worked. About five years in, he gave up on worrying about it. Sex was no longer an essential in his life. He’d gotten used to going without. Now it was like being a randy teenager, and he was again hyperaware of his dick seemingly having a mind all on its own.

As he sat down at the kitchen table, the back door flew open, and Kalkin stepped into the house. His arrival didn’t surprise Mackenzie since he’d reached out to him and asked his younger sibling over. He had to have a plan in place just in case.

“Got any for me?” Kalkin gestured to the cup in Mackenzie’s hand.

“Yeah, mugs are kept in the cabinet over the coffee pot,” Mackenzie replied pointing to the cupboard over the coffee pot. He glanced down at his list and took another drink from his mug before adding apples to his grocery list.

After Kalkin filled his cup, he joined him at the table. “Heard you stopped by the station last night for a visit.”

His brother didn’t pussy foot around, so hearing the hesitation in Kalkin’s voice, set Mackenzie on edge. “You got something to say, Kal, just say it. I got no patience for any of your stupid-ass games this mornin’.”

Kalkin shifted forward, his ice-blue gaze studying him intently. Mackenzie resisted the urge to adjust his position, instead choosing to stare back at his sibling over the rim of his cup. Although he’d asked Kalkin to stop by, the other man was up to something and chances where it wouldn’t bode well for whoever stepped in Kalkin’s way. His brother could be a sneaky son of a bitch on a good day, and some would say an evil genius on a bad day. Only a handful of people weren’t intimidated by the powerful Alpha, who sat with an amused look on his features while drinking out of a mug with the inscription:Leave a little sparkle wherever you go,and had a rainbow-colored unicorn dancing on a pole.

Kalkin didn’t scare Mackenzie or his wolf. He respected the man because he was his Alpha, but it ended there. Of course, it might have to do with the fact Mackenzie had wiped the other man’s ass and nose too many times to count when Kalkin was a baby.

“You asked me to stop by,” Kalkin reminded him.

Mackenzie gave a weary sigh, regretting his decision. “Because I had something important to discuss with you, not for you to critique my visit to the station. Just say what you gotta say about it, so we can move on. I got shit to do today.”

Kalkin snorted, then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Fuckin’ cookies? You brought her cookies? Smooth move, Mac.”

Mackenzie shrugged. “What did you want me to bring her?”

Kalkin snorted. “Bro…sorry to tell you, you got zero game when it comes to women. Are you even a Raferty?”

Mackenzie cocked a brow. Their parents had been total failures at having and raising their kids, but they’d never strayed from each other and all the siblings shared the same blood. “Fuck off.” Mackenzie’s lip curled. “I’m not looking to get involved with another woman.”

Kalkin smirked. “Clue in, big brother, you’re are involved. You take care of her kid.”

“And who do I have to thank for that?”

“Keeley,” Kalkin said, and it didn’t surprise Mackenzie his brother threw his mate under the bus without hesitation.

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