Page 11 of The Werewolf Who Gave A Shift
“What did you mean by Macy has been through some shit?”Kaelen asked, unable to ignore what Bruce had said.
Bruce tilted his head, expression turning guarded, but before he could open his mouth, the air shifted.Wings rustled above, a soft shadow against the moon.
Kaelen looked up just as the crow dropped gracefully from the night sky, feathers melting into skin until Macy stood there in the grass, her expression unreadable.
CHAPTER7
To say Macy was surprised to see Kaelen standing in her yard talking with Bruce was an understatement.She’d expected silence, not an audience, when she came back down.
She landed softly, feathers melting into skin as her body shifted.Straightening, she brushed her hair back and stepped toward them.
“I’m glad Crows come out clothed when they shift,” Bruce said, smirking as Kaelen’s eyes locked on Macy and refused to let go.
“So am I,” Macy replied evenly, her gaze fixed on Kaelen.“I didn’t expect company.What are you doing here?”The words came out sharper than she intended, but she honestly didn’t care.
Before Kaelen could answer, Bruce hopped down from the log with a little chuckle.“Oh, he’s here to chop your firewood.Been at it a while now.Not bad for a Wolfman with a guilty conscience.”
Macy blinked, caught off guard, while Kaelen shot Bruce a glare sharp enough to kill.
Bruce just stretched, tail flicking.“Don’t look at me like that, Wolfman.”
Macy’s eyes shifted to the neat stack of wood on her porch.Her brow furrowed before she turned back to Kaelen.“Why?”
“Because someone should make sure you’ve got enough to keep warm,” Kaelen said, his voice low but steady, no hesitation in it.
Her first instinct was to snap, to remind him she’d been on her own for years and didn’t need anyone swooping in to play savior.But the words stuck in her throat.The truth was, it felt…good.Almost too good having someone, hell, anyone, think of her needs instead of what they could take from her.
“Thank you,” she whispered, surprised by how soft her voice came out.Her gaze dropped, then lifted back to his.“But you didn’t have to do that.”
“Listen, I—” Kaelen started, but Bruce cut him off.
“Ah, wait a minute.Before things get…you know…mushy, I’m out.”The cat strutted toward the driveway as if he owned the place.Just as he passed Kaelen, he paused and looked up at him.“Don’t fuck this up, Wolfman.”
Kaelen growled low in his throat, eyes narrowing as he tracked Bruce’s retreating form.“I really hate that cat.”
Macy shot Bruce a glare of her own, though the corner of her mouth betrayed her with the hint of a grin.“He means well…most of the time.”
“Yeah, well—” Kaelen’s gaze snapped back to her.His golden eyes searched hers with a weight that made her shiver.He had a stare that seemed to see straight into your soul.“I…wanted to apologize,” he said, his voice rough.
“For what?”Macy asked, brows furrowed as she looked at him.
He dragged in a breath, his jaw flexing hard.“For dismissing you as if what you did for me didn’t matter.”His eyes burned into hers, fierce and unflinching.“You deserved better.”
“Yes, I did,” she said, her heart clenching so tightly it stole her breath.She had wanted to hear those words, but hearing them fromhimnearly undid her.Kaelen didn’t strike her as the kind of man who bent, not even for something as simple as an apology.“And I appreciate it.I know that wasn’t easy for you.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up, and hell, he was too handsome when he let himself soften like that.Then came a low, rumbling chuckle that wrapped around her like velvet, warm and dangerous.
“No, it wasn’t,” he admitted, the smile slipping as quickly as it had come.His voice dropped, steady and sincere.“But I meant it.I am sorry, Macy.No one has ever done for me what you did.”
Her cheeks heated, her throat going tight.She tried to brush it off, shifting on her feet like the words made her skin too small.“Yeah, well...the Crows aren’t exactly known for rolling out the welcome mat to outsiders.I should know.”
His frown deepened, golden eyes fixed on her as he crossed his arms.“But you’re one of them.”
A humorless laugh escaped her.“Only when they need something.”The bitterness in her voice surprised even her.“I haven’t lived with the Murder for years.I’m just expected to show my face when it suits them.Lucky you—tonight happened to be one of those times.”
She cleared her throat and looked toward her cabin, needing the distance, the distraction.“I take it Zelda doesn’t think you’re dangerous.”
His brow lifted.“Why do you say that?”
