I'm a Dog!

“I want you to go with her.  Stop whatever that woman is planning!  I want to know her full background before the end of the day” McKenzie instructs.

“Yes Al, er boss” Tom agrees and links the driver to meet them outside and with a number of their security team to follow them.  With instructions to call McKenzie boss in front of River.  McKenzie links the security team watching her house to search it if no-one is inside.  As they need the ID documents that Kitty and her daughter have.

He then goes to his bedroom.  “River, I took the liberty of ordering some clothes for you.  They are hanging in my closet” he says as he walks in.  River is standing in her underwear looking through her backpack as he walks in.  “You did?” she turns and asks.  McKenzie has never seen anyone more beautiful.  “Mate!” Astro growls.  He has to give his head a little shake and blink before being able to reply “yes, here look?” He opens the closet door and walks in, followed by River.

Her eyes widen when she sees the dress, she walks up to it and holds it up to herself.  She then takes it off the hanger and slips into it.  “Could you do up the zip, please?” she asks turning her back to him.  McKenzie licks his lips and reaches out to zip up the dress. “Gorgeous mate” Astro adds.  She turns around and smiles at him.  He nearly chokes on his tongue.  She looks so beautiful.  “The shoes I got to go with it are in that box” he tells her.  “I’m fine, wearing it with my sneakers, I have a feeling I might have to kick some people” she says walking out the closet again.

“Thank you, you’ve saved me again.  Or I’d have to wear my jeans and a wrinkled top” she thanks him.  “Tom will go with you.  He is up on all laws and will help you with whatever she is planning” McKenzie tells her as she pushes her socked feet into her sneakers.

She stands up grabs her bag and heads towards the door, she turns and blows McKenzie a kiss “I could kiss you, but that will have to do” she smiles walking out and seeing Tom waiting for her.  “Sorry to trouble you” she apologises he shakes his head and can’t help looking her up and down. “MINE!” he hears McKenzie link him angrily.

He looks over River’s head and smiles at him “we’ll be back” he jokes and has to turn a laugh into a cough as he hears McKenzie’s warning growl.  “Thank you, McKenzie” River calls as they head out.  “Mate is thoughtful” Realm says proudly.  “Yes, he is” she says “sorry?” Tom asks as they go down in the elevator.  “I was thinking out loud sorry” River apologises.

Tom checks in with the people following her step mother.  “Let’s step on it, we don’t want her to get to far ahead of us” he tells the driver.  “All of this smells badly! I’m sure she is stuck right in the middle of it” River says fiddling with the strap of her bag, showing her nerves.

“I shouldn’t have gone back to sleep.  I should have gone through my dad’s things, instead” River states.  “I’m here, don’t worry too much” Tom comforts her.  They arrive at her father’s company just as Kitty is about to walk through its doors.

River and Tom get out their car followed by four tall, strong looking men from the car behind them.  “They are with me, don’t worry” Tom assures her.  “Good River, you are here.  You also need to hear this” Kitty says spotting them.

River says nothing but goes into the company and greets her father’s secretary.  Her uncle comes rushing forward “River, why are you here? You should be at home grieving?” her uncle says “I would be, but heard Kitty here was rushing to the company.  I wondered why? So here I am” River replies

She doesn’t miss the look that her uncle shares with Kitty, nor does Tom, he can smell the deceit rolling off these two.  They all go into the conference room where all the directors are waiting.  River looks at her uncle and Kitty before sitting down to hear what they have to say.

“I came here today, with my late husbands will.  I want to share with you what, he has requested be done with the company” Kitty says just barely glancing in River’s way.  Her lawyer steps forward looking very nerves.

He clears his throat and takes out some papers from his brief case.  “Mr. Rivers late will and testament” he says “excuse me, but shouldn’t you first tell us your name and what lawyer’s firm you are from?” Tom asks.  The other directors all nod and then wait for him to answer.

“I, I, I’m Mike Brewers and I’m with Brewers Law firm.” Tom holds up his phone stopping him from saying anything else.  He makes a call “yes, I’d like you to check a lawyer’s credentials and registration please?  Yes, his name is Mike Brewers of Brewers law firm” he asks the person on the other end.

Tom watches Mike closely and knows, he has him.  When he sees him swallowing and sweating across the room.  “Ah, I see.  Thank you.  Yes, I’ll report him to the relevant authorities” he says before ending the call.  Mike Brewers looks like a deer caught in the headlights.  He grabs his suitcase and runs towards the door.  One of the security team that came with Tom opens the door for him.  “You may run but you can’t hide” he tells him as he dashes out the door.

“Kitty, Uncle, I think you both should leave until my father’s real lawyer steps forward.  As you’ve have tried to deceive us.  I don’t think my uncle has the best interests of the company in his heart.  What do the rest of you think?” River says standing and looking at the other people present. 

“Now just a minute, young lady!” her uncle says “I concur” “I concur” is echoed around the table.  “Please escort them from the building” River instructs.  “This is wrong.  You can’t fire me!” her uncle cries.  “Suspended, while we investigate what you’ve been doing or are trying to do” River clarifies for him.  “As for Kitty, you really should stay at home and wait for someone to call you.  Rather than coming here and trying God knows what!” River continues. 

Before either of them can say much more, security escort them out.  “Mr. Dixon, you are the most qualified to take over for now.  I will come and see you again, once I’ve spoken to my father’s lawyers.  Sorry to leave everything to you all.  I will fore fill my father’s last wishes whatever they are” River explains to the directors present.

After some discussion about sorting out how to announce her father’s death.  River leaves with Tom and his security guards.  Once back in the car, she leans back on the seat and closes her eyes.  “Thank you, Tom, I would have thought about asking for his credentials, but probably not as soon as you did” River admits.

“McKenzie is waiting for you.  You can go through your father’s things and hopefully he left some clues as to what happened” Tom tells her.  She is quiet after that, while they drive back.  So is Tom as he links with McKenzie and the others.

“I’ll see you tomorrow” Tom says dropping her at McKenzie’s apartment block.  “Thank you, again” she thanks him and steps from the vehicle.  McKenzie comes to the door and opens it for her.  “Ren, this is my guest, River Kenzie.  She will be staying with me for the time being.  Please only allow Tom and my parents up to my apartment while she is staying with me?”  McKenzie says to lobby security.

Ren nods “if you can just look at me miss” Ren says.  He then smiles and nods glancing at his computer screen.  “There you go, I’ll enter her into the system with your new instructions, Sir” he states.

“I’ve made some lunch.  You must be hungry again” McKenzie says as he takes her towards the elevators.  River’s stomach rumbles as they enter, “well, you must be able to read my body better than I do” she jokes rubbing her stomach.

He laughs and looks at her.  “You are grieving it’s understandable that your body is burning up more energy” he tells her.  “How come you aren’t asking what happened?” she asks.  This catches him off guard for a second or two.  “I, er, didn’t want to rush you” he says as he already knows what happened. 

“Can you believe that the lawyer Kitty brought with her isn’t even registered with the lawyer’s association! I got the impression that Kitty and my uncle are a little more than sister and brother in-law too? But I can’t say for sure yet” River tells him.  Tom had told McKenzie the same thing.  Only he could smell that they had been engaging in sexual relations.  Tom also said that Kitty although registered as a witch.  Seems to have lost most of her powers.  He could scent no or very little magic on her.  But he could scent, her dislike of River, greed and lies.

“I’m sure if they are in a relationship, my investigators will find out.  I was told that Lolita, also left the house just after her mother.  Only she has met up with a pretty boy, that she seems quite taken with” McKenzie informs her.

Once back in his apartment.  River looks around properly for the first time.  “I like this place, it smells welcoming, probably helps that is smells of my two favourite scents” River says wondering around the sitting room.  “It’s our mate that smells wonderful.  Get closer and take a big breath” Realm says

She stops by the large picture window and looks out at the city below.  Trying to ignore Realm and her remarks about McKenzie.  “I wish I were an ostrich right now.  I could bury my head in the sand and just allow myself to grieve properly.  But I’m not!” she says sighing.  “So, I will put that aside for now and protect what he and my mother worked so hard for” River says taking a deep breath and turning from the view and stepping into McKenzie’s chest.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you walk up” she apologises McKenzie has his hands on her shoulders stopping her from falling over.  “Yeah, now lean up and kiss him” Realm pants excited to be so close to McKenzie.  River closes her eyes and counts to 10.  “Not a problem, one of the reasons I bought this place.  Was because of the view.  I have a house in the mountains, you can see from here” he tells her.

“Really? How nice to be able to get away from the city” River says and then takes her hand from McKenzie’s solid chest to face palm herself.  “I should have gone to the apartment above my father’s office’s that he’s been using” she exclaims.  “What? No put your hand back on that nice solid chest” Realm demands.

“Your father hasn’t been going home?” McKenzie questions, she shakes her head no.  “I don’t think he liked Kitty any more than I did.  But why didn’t he just throw her out?” she wonders.  “River, I have learnt something.  I suppose now is a good of time to tell you.  Kitty and your father aren’t legally married.  Your father never registered your mother’s death, so technically he is still married to your mother” he tells her. 

River steps back and looks up at his face.  But he doesn’t let go of her shoulders.  Instead, he rubs his thumbs over them, to comfort her.  “Is that even possible? Didn’t the hospital she was taken too, do anything?  What are you meant to do when someone dies?” she asks as she feels Realm wanting to get closer to him.

McKenzie leads her to the sofa and sits her down before he sits next to her.  “Once someone has passed away.  You have to take the death certificate and register it with birth and deaths.  This can only happen once a doctor has issued a death certificate.  As for your father, he was already under a heart doctor, I think you’ll be notified soon that the death certificate is ready to be picked up” he explains.

River sits and thinks about that and then looks at McKenzie.  “Can we go through my father’s things, I also brought some of the documents he kept in the safe?” she asks, he nods and goes to get her backpack and the bag with her father’s personal items in the hospital gave her.

He sits back down and she takes out his jacket and searches his pockets.  She finds his wallet and goes through that.  “I’ve just been given one of these.  I took my mother’s jewellery away and placed them in one of my bank’s safety boxes.  This is the same, only the number on it is different” she says placing the key to one side. 

She continues going through it and finds a picture of her father and mother holding her as a baby.  “Look at how good they looked together” she says showing McKenzie the picture.  He takes it from her and looks closely at the picture.  He blinks as he knows where this picture was taken.  It’s in their packs main meeting room.  He looks at her parents and then River.  The little knitted pink hat she has on reminds him of an Alpha’s meeting some 20 years ago.  He turns it over and on the back is written the date.

He looks at River again, she is watching him, smiling a little sadly “who would have thought I’d be all on my own at 22” she says.  “Are you not 21?” he questions, she shakes her head “no I was born 6^th June 2000” she replies, he looks at the date again on the back of the picture the year was 2001 and she looks to be only 3 months old.  He smiles as he gives the picture back to her.  Shifter’s age differently, once they have shifted for the first time.  Their ageing starts to slow down.  He may only look to be in his late 20’s, early 30’s but in fact he will be having his 100^th birthday soon.  “You look very much like your mother” he tells her.  “Thank you, but many people have said I look like my father more” she replies.

She then picks up her father’s phone.  Keys in the password “you know your father’s password?” McKenzie asks “it has always been my mother birthday.  Only he writes it as they do in Europe. Date, month, year” River replies while searching the phone.

“I found this odd” she says showing him the text she saw.  McKenzie reads it “just in case? I wonder who Eggs is? But it does make you think he knew something might happen” he says.  River nods as she goes to his pictures.  She finds a locked video the thumbnail is that of a sunflower.

“My mother loved sunflowers.  I was told that for their wedding had many sunflowers scattered throughout the room and the garden they got married in” she says and tries her parents wedding date as the passcode.  It doesn’t open and she thinks again “did he put the date in as he does my mother’s birthday?” she wonders and tries it, the file unlocks.

“It opened looked” she says moving closer to McKenzie.  She presses play and her parents come on the screen.  “Sweetheart if you are watching this, it means it’s time for you to know your true origin and why we had to hide it from you” her mother says.

“Ah, here it comes” Realm says sounding very excited.

“Origin?  That makes it sound like, I’m an alien or something.  I don’t have a good feeling about this.  Can I hold your hand?” River asks taking his hand in her free one.  “You might be best leaving that, till we find out what Kitty is doing?” McKenzie says wanting to protect her.  “No, you need to know this” Realm disagrees.

“I need to know what is going on, this might help us” she says starting the video again.  “Firstly, you were not born in 2001 but 2000.  We were late registering your birth.  Which actually was helpful later on.  We had to hide ourselves from the ones, that wanted to hurt you.  After they came, our family, and friends were killed protecting us.  They all stepped forward and held them off, while we escaped with you.  That is something, I’ve found hard to live with” River stops the video again and looks at Grant wide eyed “Killed? People died to protect me? I’m not dreaming?” she asks and smacks her cheek then lifts up their joined hands and bites down.  “I’m dreaming, that didn’t hurt at all” she sighs as she licks her lips.  She tastes the blood on them and glances down as her hand.  Grants hand is in hers, and there is blood on his hand.

“Oh! God sorry” she says wiping the blood away and then blinking down at his unblemished hand.  She licks her lips again and tastes more blood.  “Did I bite my mouth?” she wonders licking the blood from her lips and swallowing.  McKenzie smiles “maybe you did.  Do you want to stop?” he asks

River looks at his hand again and turns their hands over.  She sees no bite mark on either of their hands “well this day is just getting odder” she mutters before lifting her father’s phone again and pressing play.

“But, they did it so you could live and become what you are destined to be” her mother continues.  River scratches her stomach as it feels hot and scratchy. 

“I should start at the beginning” her mother says glancing at her father, who nods encouraging her.  “I come from a strong royal line of shifters” her mother starts.  Just as River cries out doubling over in pain.  “River!” River stops the video and puts it on the table.  She turns her head towards McKenzie and cries out again as she feels as though her body is on fire.  “Oh hell! You are about to have your first shift? Hold on, I need to get you up to the roof” McKenzie says grabbing her and lifting her into his arms.  “Yes, time for us to meet River,” Realm says sounding very excited. 

He runs to his office and to the bookshelf.  He presses on it and it slides open revealing an elevator door.  He steps forward and the doors open.  “Hang in there, we will be out in the open soon and I’ll talk you through everything” River hears him say.  “Realm, what is happening?” River thinks “its okay, just listen to our mate” she replies.

She goes to speak but whines instead as her body bows in his arms.  They are travelling up to the roof now.  “Hang in there, River” McKenzie says.  She licks her lips and feels her teeth.  Her eyes go wide feeling them growing.  As the doors open, River lets out a loud cry.  Her body jerks strongly and McKenzie puts her down on the ground.  “Best not to fight it, just let it happen” she hears McKenzie say. 

She tries to calm her mind and that is when it happens.  It feels as though she is ripped apart and that someone else is now in charge of her body.  She becomes aware that she is laying on the ground.  She lifts her head and tries to rub her eyes.  She stops when she sees a paw in front of her eyes. 

She can see it very, clearly every fur strand and the claws looking lethal.  She turns her head and sees her body.  Well, she thinks it’s her body, as this one is covered in fur.  “I’m a dog!” she cries only there is no sound other than a whine.