Page 6 of Shattered

“I have the perfect place for them,” the Co-Alpha answered. “Mr. Tech Guru, you’re going to be working with Wy, my youngest brother. Both of you will be wiring the electricity to the houses Christoph and I designed that are almost complete at the compound. Ulysses, you’re going to be working this site with us.”

Both agents grunted.

“Anything else?” Kalkin asked.

“No, that about covers it for now.” He smacked both of the agents on the shoulder. “Do what Kalkin and Rapier tell you, and both of you will be rewarded after this.”

Saber left the meeting first. Lynx had a checkup appointment with Danielle, and then he had to do a final walk through of two new houses their crew had finished building the previous week. Then Jerome and Kalkin left, taking Malcom and Christoph with him.

Mackenzie turned to Rapier and Ulysses. “Let’s get this mapped out.”

“Show Ulysses the ropes. I am going to find my daughter to give her a piece of my mind,” Rapier said. “I trust you.”

“Don’t be too hard on her,” Mackenzie replied.

“I think I’m angrier at the idea she thought she had to hide it from me. Don’t tell Kalkin, but I’m so fucking ready for this.” Rapier grinned, puffing out his chest. “My baby’s having a cub.”

“Or laying an egg,” Mackenzie teased.

Rapier flipped him off. “Fuck off.”

Mackenzie chuckled. “Well, let’s get to work, Ulysses. We have to get this all mapped out, so we can run the water/sewer lines.”

The guy grunted. “What is this going to be?”

“Apartments when it’s done,” Mackenzie answered. “We built a set when we were in Everett.”

“I read the mission file. Interesting family you have, Mr. Raferty.”

Mackenzie stopped mid-stride. “My asshole of a father was Mr. Raferty. You can call me Mac or Mackenzie.”

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Guess we’re both sticking our feet in our mouths.”

“Guess so,” Mackenzie answered. “No hard feelings, kid?”

“None, old man,” Ulysses quipped.

Cheeky asshole.The guy was going to fit in just fine.

“Hey, Aurora,” Keeley said as she opened the door to her house. “Sorry, it took me a minute. The monsters are loose.”

Aurora stepped into the Raferty home and laughed. Max and Aaron were chasing each other around the house, while Asher watched with rapt awe. The boys were a bunch of roly-polys in their wolf form. Gabriel and Natalie sat nearby watching them, giggling and clapping as they cheered the twin boys on. In some respects, Aurora still couldn’t get over the fact she’d ended up on pack/pride lands.

“Don’t worry about it.” Aurora laughed. “I might be a smidge early.”

“Would you like some tea?” Keeley ushered her into the kitchen. “It’s mint with a splash of honey and lemon.”

“Sure. I’d love some.” With her strict budget since moving from Washington to Arizona, she didn’t have the ability to splurge on frivolous treats. As it was, working for a grocery store that didn’t offer insurance, left her feeling antsy any time Abby coughed wrong or sneezed.

Abigail, or Abby, as her niece insisted on now being called, was at school. Kindergarten to be exact. It’d been one of the first things Aurora did the moment they moved to town, get her enrolled. It was perfect timing on Aurora’s part, Abby had just turned five, and the Window Rock school district had extended its registration dates. Her niece needed structure and a schedule and being in a school established it quicker than Aurora could on her own, she jumped on the chance to send the little girl to school. However, it came with consequences, too—sickness. She crossed her fingers when she dropped Abby off, praying the cold her niece had when they arrived would be the last. The doctor’s bills for a fifteen-minute appointment, left them eating goulash more often than not.

“Great, have a seat,” Keeley said. “And don’t let them get out of hand with you.”

Aurora laughed. “They’re fine. It is amazing, though, isn’t it?”

Keeley glanced over her shoulder at Aurora and grinned. “It’s the best part about being pack/pride. The miracle of life.”

“Yeah.” She nodded. Things hadn’t always been this way for Aurora. One minute she’d been a normal eighteen-year-old, working part-time while going to college full-time. She wanted to be a physical therapist, someone who could help those when they were at their lowest. She’d even contemplated trying to get in at Walter Reed, but as life always had a way of messing up things, she put her plans on hold the minute her sister died after giving birth to Abby.

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