Chapter 3
Before he could finish saying his name, a sharp noise rattled at the door. Both of them froze. Macy’s stomach dropped in horror, but the man instantly shifted into protective mode, muscles coiling as he stepped in front of her like a wall.
“Macy!” A hissed voice came from the other side of the door. “I know you’re in there. Let me in before these damn Crows spot me.”
“Shit!” Macy cursed under her breath. Thinking fast, she grabbed the still nameless man by the arm, shoved him toward the back room, and slammed the door behind him. “Stay here.”
She didn’t wait for his protest. Snatching up an old towel from the counter, she rushed to the front, forcing her face into something resembling casual before grabbing the chair and moving it. Then she managed to crack the broken door open a little.
“Hey, Bruce,” she said, trying for nonchalance. It came out too bright and way too fake. By the way his golden cat eyes narrowed, she knew she wasn’t fooling him.
“Where is he?” Bruce slinked inside without invitation, his head swiveling, nose twitching as he scanned the room.
“Who?” Macy asked with wide eyes, throwing in a half-hearted laugh as she wrapped the towel tighter around her arm like she’d been busy. “I’m the only one here, Bruce. What are you doing here?”
Bruce’s whiskers twitched, his gaze sharpening on her. “So, we’re playin’ that game, are we?”
“What game?” Macy scoffed, shaking her head as if he were crazy. “I’m cleaning this old place out. That’s it. That’s all I’m doing.”
“Is that so?” He prowled further in, sniffing dramatically, before snapping his head back toward her. “In the…dark?”
“Who are you now? Inspector Catget?” Macy shot back, rolling her eyes as she glared at him. “There’s no electricity, genius.”
Bruce paused as if he were thinking. “Inspector Catget has a nice ring to it.” He hopped onto the rickety table by the door and, with an infuriatingly casual flick of his paw, hit the switch. The single bulb overhead flared to life, bathing the cabin in a warm glow.
“Dammit,” Macy hissed, darting to shut it back off, then yanked the curtain across the nearest window. Her heart was hammering.
“Ah…ha!” Bruce’s voice rang smug and loud. He pointed one furry paw straight at her, eyes glowing with triumph. “Where is the Werewolf, Macy?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Bruce.” Macy planted a hand on her hip, giving him her best glare. “There are no Werewolves anymore. You making stuff up again? I remember that time you tried to convince everyone you saw Bigfoot. Do you remember that? Huh?”
“I did see Bigfoot. And did you know that when you lie, you talk too much?” Bruce snorted when she sucked her lips between her teeth, proving that she knew that he knew she was lying out her ass.
He then sniffed the air once, slow and deliberate, before narrowing his golden eyes at her.
“Unless you’ve grown fur instead of feathers, then you’d best spill it, Crow. ”
“I have nothing to spill, Cat.” Macy shot back, stepping into his path when he hopped off the table and padded toward the back of the cabin. “Where are you going? The front door is that way.”
She had barely finished the sentence when the actual front door exploded inward, wood splintering as Rafe, Griffen, and Mac, the King of the Shifters, stormed inside like a wall of fury. Behind them, a crowd of Crow Shifters stared inside, not only through the busted door but also the windows.
Both Macy and Bruce screamed, though Bruce’s shriek was far higher-pitched, as the cat darted for cover. But before anyone could move again, the back-room door burst open.
The nameless man stepped out, chest heaving, golden eyes blazing. Bruce screamed again and launched himself behind the sagging old couch.
“Don’t touch her!” the man thundered, his voice full of command as he grabbed Macy, yanking her behind him. His massive frame blocked her completely.
Mac and Rafe tensed instantly, their eyes flashing, muscles bunching as if ready to strike.
“No!” Macy shoved around him, throwing her arms wide to block the would-be attack. “Stop! He hasn’t harmed me. He only fought back when the Crows trapped him. He isn’t a danger.”
“He’s a damn Werewolf!” Griffin bellowed, his face red with fury as he jabbed a finger toward the man.
“And you’re an asshole who doesn’t know when to shut up!” Macy bellowed back, eyes blazing.
“You bitch!” Griffin roared, lunging toward her.
The nameless man moved like lightning, a roar ripping from his chest as he surged forward, the sound rattling the cabin’s walls. His voice came low and lethal, vibrating with the promise of violence. “Touch her and you will die.”
“Enough!” Mac’s command cut through the chaos like a blade, his voice carrying the kind of authority that silenced every sound in the room, except for Bruce, who chose that moment to poke his head out from behind the couch.
“So, he’s the Werewolf?” Bruce squinted at the towering man, whiskers twitching. “Huh. Thought he’d be bigger.”
The air in the cabin was so heavy that Macy could barely breathe. Even Bruce had gone silent, only his tail twitching behind the couch as he peeked out with wide eyes.
Mac took a single step forward, his presence filling the room like thunder rolling in. His voice was low, commanding. “Name. Now.”
The stranger straightened to his full height, golden eyes blazing as if he was weighing Mac himself. For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then he spoke, his voice deep and rough, as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Kaelen,” he said at last, the name rumbling from his chest. “Kaelen Dorr.”
The name seemed to hang in the air, old and powerful. Macy felt it strike something inside her, sparking recognition even though she’d never heard it before. Kaelen. It suited him. Strong, raw, and dangerous.
Griffin’s eyes narrowed, his hand twitching as if ready to strike. “Who gives a fuck what his name is. He’s a monster.”
Macy stepped forward before she could stop herself, planting herself at Kaelen’s side. “He’s not a monster. He saved me from...you.” Her voice trembled but didn’t break.
Kaelen glanced down at her, something unreadable flashing in his gaze. His jaw tightened before he looked back at Griffin. The tone of his voice sounded lethal. “She’s mine to protect.”
Griffin barked a laugh, though it shook with nerves. “Listen to him! Claiming what isn’t his. He’s a monster—”
Kaelen’s roar shook the walls, silencing Griffin mid-sentence. “Say that again, and you’ll find out what kind of monster I can be.”
“I said enough!” Mac’s voice cracked through the air like a whip, freezing the tension but not easing it.
His gaze locked with Kaelen’s, unblinking.
“You want to breathe in my territory? You’d better prove you’re worth the air.
Otherwise…” His lips curved into something between a snarl and a warning. “you won’t leave here alive.”
Macy’s heart pounded, her hand twitching at her side, torn between fear and something far more dangerous.
She looked at Kaelen, knowing in her gut that he wasn’t going down without a fight.
She had to do something. Whether this man knew it or not, Mac was King of the Shifters, and he could, and would, back up what he said to keep others in Assjacket safe.
“I will take full responsibility for him.” Macy blurted, the words tumbling out before she could think better of them.
Her throat tightened as every eye in the room snapped to her.
She refused to look at the stranger standing behind her, though she could feel the weight of his gaze like fire along her skin.
She didn’t know why she said it—hell, she didn’t even know him—but something in her gut told her she couldn’t let them kill this man.
It wasn’t just because he looked damn good naked, though that didn’t hurt, but no, it was deeper, something primal and undeniable burning inside her.
When he had pulled her behind him, shielding her with his body, her heart had leapt in a way that made no sense at all.
The room went still, tension so thick it stole her breath. Mac’s eyes narrowed, Rafe’s jaw ticked, and Griffin looked ready to explode.
Bruce peeked over the couch, his whiskers twitching. “Full responsibility?” he scoffed. “Macy, that’s a Werewolf, not some sexy one-night stand you dragged home!”
“Bruce, shut up,” Macy hissed, her pulse pounding as she finally turned her head, meeting the stranger’s eyes as her cheeks reddened from Bruce’s words.
His gaze was dark, stormy, and wild, yet there was something else there, something only for her.
Her stomach flipped as he seemed to be looking into her soul.
Macy’s voice softened, steadier now. “I don’t care what he is.
He hasn’t harmed me, and he won’t.” She didn’t know this man, barely talked to him, but yet she knew this to be true.
She had no clue how she knew. But killing a man or even harming him because he was different did not sit well with her, and she would do everything in her power to stop it from happening.
The cabin went silent, the kind of silence that weighed heavily on her chest. Mac’s sharp gaze bore into her, surprised. Bruce peeked out from behind the couch, his tail frozen mid-swish.
“You pick him over your own kind?” Griffin spat, his face twisted in disgust as his voice cracked through the stillness like a whip.
“If you are making me choose, then yes,” The words came out of her mouth, shocking everyone, even her.
“And when has my own kind ever cared for me, Griffin. When my parents died, no one cared if I had food or wood to keep warm. No one from the Murder checked on me. Only one person did that, and it was Davey, who hasn’t really been part of the Murder for a long time. ”
“You just sealed your fate, Macy.” He jabbed a finger toward her, his tone dripping venom. “You defend a Werewolf. You stand with him. That means you no longer stand with us. You’re no Crow. Not anymore.”
The words hit harder than a blow. Her breath hitched as the truth slammed into her—banishment.
Only Jack Crow, their Alpha, could banish her from the Murder.
..their ‘pack’, and knowing his rules and ways, he would do it without second thought.
She had gone against her own. Her family, her bloodline, and the last ties to her parents would be gone in an instant.
Even though she hadn’t felt a part of the Murder, banishment truly meant she was absolutely without anyone. It was final.
Her knees wobbled, but before she could falter, the man behind her moved closer. Heat radiated off him, his presence steady and unyielding, like he was offering her something solid to hold on to. The brush of his arm against hers was electric, grounding her when her world was crumbling.
Her throat burned, but she forced herself to meet Griffin’s hateful glare. “Then so be it.”
Her heart hammered against her ribs. She knew what she’d lost tonight. It was everything she had left of her family and her place among the Crows. But when her eyes locked with this man’s storm-dark gaze, a shiver of certainty threaded through the grief.
She hadn’t lost everything. She’d chosen.
And Macy knew nothing would ever be the same again.