Page 67 of Shattered

“Good for you,” she quipped. “I’m not sure I can be so free with my life.” Especially since Mackenzie had told her how he felt and how he didn’t want to be a mate.

“No, I thought not,” Mackenzie said. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“It is.”

“Come on, we should be ready to eat in a minute.” He placed his arm over her shoulders and guided her outside. A part of her wanted to shake his arm off of her, and the other part wished he’d claim her publicly. “You were attracted to Jochi, before you found out.”

Heat filled her cheeks. “He’s got something about him that’s... different.”

“He’s mastered the ability to seduce. If I’m not mistaken, he was also at the raid for the zoo, only dressed up as a woman.” Mackenzie shrugged.

“Did-Did he seduce you?”

Mackenzie glanced over at her. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

She gaped at him. Again, the icy pit in her stomach returned along with envy. “Are you... Are you insinuating something happened between the two of you?”

Mackenzie barked out a laugh. “He’s not my type. Besides, his eyes were only set on one person, Jefferson.”

“You’re... You’re an asshole, Mackenzie Raferty!” She crossed her arms and stomped her foot. “You did that on purpose.”

“I did. But you were the one thinking about bedding him. Not that I think he’d be averse to it.”

“It’s not... I mean, he’s hot.” She motioned to the man. “His features are flawless. He’s got this whole silent strength going on for him. He-he seduced all of us with his presence.”

“I’ll have to remember that one, bèndàn,” Jochi said, surprising Aurora.

Jefferson chuckled. “I don’t know if I should be pissed or turned on or both.”

Mackenzie growled. “Neither, if you know what’s good for you.”

Jochi snickered. “Puppy has a thorn in his paw.”

“Don’t tease that one,” Kalkin grumbled. “He’s still got it in his damn head he’s feral.”

“He needs to fuck his mate and get it out of his system,” Jochi purred. “It does wonders for the beast.”

Heat filled Aurora’s cheeks. “Uh...”

“He won’t mate her,” Kalkin stated. “Knowing my brother like I do, he’ll let both of them suffer because duty to family and broken honor have kept him locked in place.”

The accuracy of Kalkin’s words smacked Aurora in the face. He’d been right. After their conversation earlier, the Alpha voiced everything Aurora had been thinking. She wasn’t sure what she wanted when it came to Mackenzie, but she feared the hesitancy she experienced with him had a lot to do with him, too. If he couldn’t come to terms with her being his mate, how did she accept the truth of it?

“Shut up, Kalkin,” Mackenzie snarled.

“You know the best way to shut me up,” the Alpha said. “Prove us all wrong.”

The dim, early-morning light filtered into Mackenzie’s room as he came awake. None of the unsettled emotions of waking—dick hard and coming, as the most hedonistic dreams overtook him—wracked his body. He rolled over and came face to face with Aurora, and a grin spread across his face. She’d stayed the night. He’d been sure she’d go home after the play, yet when the time came, she climbed into his truck and made no mention of her apartment.

He inhaled her wonderful aroma and shuddered in pleasure. His dick lengthened and pulsed. He’d allowed the wolf to come forward to take his fill of her, before settling in. Something clicked into place while they’d been at Kalkin’s. He and the wolf came to an understanding, unlocking more of his memories from the last three weeks.

Aurora.

He’d spent more time with her than he thought he had been. Sure, the majority of it had been in his wolf form. It should have frightened the shit out of him, however it didn’t. Maybe Kalkin had been right. He’d been so stressed out because of Holly, he suppressed all of his emotions. He snorted softly. No, he’d been doing it for a hell of a lot longer, Holly had been the tipping point, and it’d been no one else’s fault but his own. As Kalkin would say, he had the propensity for making a shitty situation shittier.

So, how did he fix things between Aurora and himself? How did he prove he could be a mate when he’d demonstrated to himself over and over again, he failed at it? How did he reconcile his mistrust of someone who deserved his trust? Aurora had done nothing wrong; she’d protected Abby from a man who’d more than likely abuse her instead of love her.

Like Holly?

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