Chapter 12
Kaelen stood there half-listening to Mac, his eyes continuously drifting back to Macy.
Damn, the woman was a spitfire. Mouthy, fearless, and beautiful as hell.
She had no problem calling him out like no one ever dared to.
The memory of her giving him shit before Zelda and Mac arrived tugged a grin out of him, though he tried to smother it.
No one ever treated him like that. No one ever saw him like she did.
“Why don’t you stick around and get settled while Zelda gets some locations where you can find some of your kind?” Mac’s steady voice finally pulled Kaelen’s full attention. “Let me call my friend Thorne. He has some places that he can set you up with and work with you until you’re on your feet.”
“I’ve got money, if that’s what you’re talking about,” Kaelen replied, a frown pulling at his lips. “I just have to visit the Crows to get my backpack.”
“They have your stuff?” Mac’s brows shot down, the weight of his anger palpable.
“They do,” Kaelen admitted, flexing his hands at his sides. It took effort not to let his claws slip free, but he held tight to the control that seemed stronger now than it had ever been. “I was planning on paying them a visit tonight. I want my stuff back.”
“Let me call Thorne, then Zelda and I will take you,” Mac said as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “Give me a minute.”
Kaelen gave a short nod, but his gaze wandered again back to Macy.
She stood with Zelda a few feet away, her arms crossed as she listened intently.
She looked over just then, catching him staring, and the small smile she gave nearly undid him.
It was soft, but it carried weight. A smile meant for him.
An ache he wasn’t sure he could handle settled deep in his chest.
Zelda’s words from earlier echoed through his head, refusing to let go: There is no curse, Kaelen. You are a Shifter, like any other. There are others like you.
He hadn’t realized how heavy the chains had been until she cut them loose with those words.
For so long, he’d carried the crushing certainty that he was wrong and unnatural, something the world should’ve never birthed.
He’d lived with the belief that he was a curse.
And now… now he knew he wasn’t. He was a Shifter, no more monstrous than the Crows, the Wolves, and other Shifters.
The truth should’ve felt simple, but it rattled every bone in his body. Hope was dangerous, even more dangerous than claws. And yet it burned through him, fierce and relentless.
His beast stirred, restless in his chest, and Kaelen frowned. Maybe it didn’t like being called a beast. Maybe Macy was right. Maybe it wasn’t a monster at all. Perhaps it was just… him.
And for the first time in his life, he began to believe that.
“Okay, it’s set. Thorne is going to meet us at one of his rental properties. It’s on the border of Assjacket, not far from here,” Mac informed him as he pulled the phone away from his ear. “First, we’ll go get your stuff from the Crows.”
“What stuff?” Zelda asked as she and Macy walked toward them.
“The Crows still have Kaelen’s backpack with his belongings,” Mac explained, his jaw tight with irritation. “I swear, Jack needs to get them under control. I’ve had more issues with that group than anyone else.”
“I seriously doubt they’re just going to hand it over,” Macy said, her eyes flicking to Kaelen with a mix of worry and fire. “Let me go in. I know where they keep everything that they steal from strangers. No one will do anything with it until Jack is back.”
“No.” Kaelen’s voice came out sharper than he intended.
His head shook with finality, eyes burning into hers.
“I don’t want you going there without someone with you.
” His mind flashed back to Griffin threatening Macy.
His Werewolf rumbled in agreement, a low growl vibrating inside him.
The thought of her walking into that alone twisted his gut.
“He’s right,” Zelda said softly, placing a hand on Macy’s arm. “It’s best you steer clear of there for now.”
Kaelen caught the way Macy’s shoulders slumped, the sadness clouding her eyes even though she tried to hide it. She only nodded, lips pressing together, but didn’t answer.
“Thank you, though.” He forced a smile toward her, hoping to soften the edge of his refusal. But she just nodded again without returning it.
“Okay, you ready?” Mac asked as he guided Zelda toward the car.
“Yeah, give me a minute.” Kaelen’s voice was low, his eyes still fixed on Macy. Moving to her side, he gently caught her arm and pulled her a few steps away from the others. “Thank you for everything.”
“This is where you tell me I was right,” Macy teased, though her gaze avoided his. Her voice lacked the usual spark, and it unsettled him.
He tilted her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his. “You were absolutely right.”
Finally, her lips curved into a small smile. She surprised him by stepping into his arms, hugging him tightly. The warmth of her pressed against him, the honesty of her whispered words catching him off guard.
“I’m really happy for you, Kaelen. You’re a good man and deserve happiness.” She whispered against his chest.
He held her, not wanting to let go, but she pulled back, slipping from his arms before he was ready.
“You’d better go. Zelda and Mac are the busiest people I know. Good luck with everything.” She brushed past him, but Kaelen caught her wrist again, his hand tightening.
“Macy, I’m not leaving.” He frowned, wondering why she was acting like she would never see him again.
“I heard.” She looked up at him then, and her sad smile broke his chest wide open. “Listen, I really have to get ready for work. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
And just like that, she was gone. He watched her disappear inside the cabin, her shadow swallowed up by the door as it closed behind her. His hand felt strangely empty without her wrist in it.
Dragging in a breath, Kaelen turned toward the car. Mac was already in the driver’s seat, tapping impatiently against the wheel. But Zelda stood outside, her eyes sharp, studying him as though she could read the storm inside his head.
“She’s lost a lot of people in her life,” Zelda said, her gaze drifting toward the cabin Macy had vanished into.
“And now she’s facing banishment from her Murder.
Macy has carried more heartbreak than most could bear, Kaelen.
But don’t mistake her strength for invincibility.
” Her eyes cut back to his, unwavering. “If you care for her, I mean really care for her, you’ll fight as hard for her as she’s been fighting for you. ”
The words hit Kaelen like a stone in the gut. He looked back at the cabin, his chest tight. His Werewolf stirred restlessly within him, not with anger, but with a vow, silent but fierce.
Kaelen slid into the backseat of Mac’s SUV, the leather creaking under his weight. He leaned back, staring out the window, but his mind wasn’t on the road ahead. It was on the cabin door Macy had disappeared behind, the way her smile hadn’t quite reached her eyes, and the sadness in her voice.
Zelda’s words replayed in his head, sharp as claws. Fight for her as she’s been fighting for you.
His jaw flexed. He wasn’t used to people fighting for him.
All his life, he’d been the one defending himself with fists, claws, teeth, and whatever it took.
He’d been the monster, the mistake, the curse, and yet Macy…
she hadn’t flinched. She hadn’t treated him like a beast. She’d stared him down, called him on his shit, and still stood by him when it mattered most against her own Murder.
Inside him, his Werewolf stirred. Not restless or violent, but something else. Protective. Possessive. The memory of his Werewolf’s claw brushing against her cheek rose unbidden, and Kaelen swallowed hard. It hadn’t just been instinct. It had been recognition.
He dragged a hand through his hair, staring at the blur of trees rushing past the window.
He should’ve been focused on what waited at the Crows’ camp that he was getting ready to walk into, but instead, all he could think about was Macy’s arms around him, her voice whispering that he deserved happiness.
The wolf rumbled in his chest, low and steady, with agreement.
She’s ours.
The words weren’t spoken, but they vibrated through him all the same. Kaelen’s hands curled into fists. His Werewolf had never spoken to him in anything but growls and fury. But now, it was different. He could actually hear his thoughts, which were the same as his.
Zelda had said there were others like him, that he wasn’t cursed. For the first time, he wasn’t alone. But even that revelation couldn’t outshine the way Macy had looked at him as though he wasn’t broken at all.
He turned his head, meeting Zelda’s gaze in the rearview mirror. She was watching him, quiet but knowing. She didn’t say anything, and he didn’t either. But her words had already sunk deep into him.
Kaelen wasn’t just going to fight for himself anymore. He was going to fight for Macy too.
And God help anyone who tried to stand in his way.