Clea (Gillham Pack Book 17) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  About the Author

  Life is all about surprises.

  Clea found his mate during the battle against Tom and his council, but things haven’t been easy. Christian and his family moved in with the pack, but Christian has been avoiding Clea, and no matter how much Clea wants to think his mate needs time, he’s starting to think Christian just doesn’t want him.

  Christian never meant to push Clea away, but he needed time to wrap his mind around what happened. He found out his brother wasn’t dead, that the pack didn’t want to hurt anyone, and most importantly, that his mate is a man, something Christian hadn’t expected.

  When Christian realizes he’s pushing Clea away, he makes amends. Clea accepts it, but they both have to deal with their families, and with the knowledge that shifters have been exposed to the world. No one knows what it means for them yet, but things are changing. Will the pack be able to stay united, or will things start to crumble apart?

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Clea

  Copyright © 2016 Catherine Lievens

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-0903-6

  Cover art by Latrisha Waters

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

  Look for us online at:

  www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

  Clea

  Gillham Pack Book Seventeen

  By

  Catherine Lievens

  Dedication

  To my family.

  Chapter One

  “No.” Clea crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Kameron.

  Kameron didn’t seem to care. “It’s the perfect job for you.”

  “I already have a job.”

  “And you haven’t worked in weeks.”

  Clea sighed. He couldn’t deny that, even though he thought his reason for not going to work was a good one. Probably. And Kameron had been the one to suggest he take some time off, so really, he shouldn’t be throwing it in Clea’s face. “I can go back whenever you need me to.”

  Kameron sighed and leaned back into his chair. He looked at Clea over his desk, and Clea knew he’d say yes. Of course he would.

  “I don’t want you to go back to being an enforcer,” Kameron said. “Not if you don’t want to.”

  “I do want to, just...”

  “You already have enough to deal with.”

  “Exactly. I really don’t want to have to add being your PA to that.”

  “Have you had any results with Christian?”

  Clea really didn’t want to answer that question, but Kameron was one of the few who needed to know what was happening. “No.”

  “He still doesn’t want to talk to you?”

  Clea snorted. “That’s an understatement. He actually leaves the room any time I enter it. It’s like I’m contagious or something.” And damn if that didn’t hurt. Clea didn’t love Christian—he didn’t know him well enough to love him yet, even though he’d known they were mates for weeks, ever since the attack. Christian had seemed shocked then, when he’d first realized Clea was his mate, but he’d gotten over it pretty fast, and he’d started avoiding Clea since then.

  Kameron had given Clea all the time he wanted to woo Christian, or at least get him to talk to him, but so far Clea hadn’t had any luck with that. Taking time off work was obviously not working, but he wasn’t sure becoming Kameron’s PA would change anything.

  “You’ll get through to him.”

  Clea snorted again. “I wish I could believe that, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

  “Has he told you what his problem is?”

  Clea shook his head. “He never stays in the room long enough for us to talk.”

  “What about Iggy? Have you tried asking him what’s happening?”

  “Yeah, of course I have. He doesn’t want to tell me anything Christian wouldn’t tell me himself, but he’s not as tight-lipped as he wants to be. From what I gathered, Christian isn’t gay.” And wasn’t that a problem. Clea was sure fate wouldn’t have put them together if Christian hadn’t been at least a bit inclined to being with men, but Christian would never admit it. He didn’t seem to have problems with his brother being mated to a man, but obviously it wasn’t the same as him being with a guy. They could probably get over it if they talked, but Christian obviously didn’t want to, and Clea was growing weary of trying.

  “Being my PA would keep you here in Gillham,” Kameron pointed out.

  It was true. Clea knew Christian wanted to become an enforcer, and if they both were, it would be hard for them to be together. Enforcers were sent where they were needed, so even though Clea and Christian’s home base would still be the pack, it wouldn’t mean they’d actually spend much time there. It would make their already difficult situation even harder.

  Maybe it was what they needed, though. Christian didn’t want Clea, so Clea should probably stop trying to talk to him. It might make a difference, or it might not. Clea couldn’t continue pushing, though. Sooner or later, he’d reach a point where he couldn’t anymore, where he’d have to choose. Maybe this was it. Maybe that moment had arrived and Clea should just give up.

  He shook his head. “I want to get back to work.”

  Kameron pressed his lips together. “I’m gathering you’re not accepting my job offer?”

  “No. I want to go back to my enforcer team.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Clea wasn’t, but he nodded anyway. “Yes. When can I start?”

  “Your team is away right now, but they’re scheduled to come back by the end of the week. You can start training with them again, and if that’s what you want, you’ll be the team’s Nix for the next mission and the ones following it.”

  “It’s what I want.”

  Kameron slowly nodded. He was staring at Clea as if expecting him to change his mind, and Clea looked away. He did want to change his mind already, but he wasn’t going to tell Kameron that.

  “All right. I’ll let you know what your next mission will be once I know.”

  Clea got up and started to leave, but before he could walk out the door, Kameron’s voice stopped him.

  “Do you want me to talk to Christian?”

  Clea shook his head and looked at Kameron. “No. I don’t think it would change anything. This is between Christian and me, no one else.” And Christian probably wouldn’t appreciate Kameron sticking his nose in something that wasn’t his business. Clea wasn’t sure if Christian considered Kameron his alpha, even though his entire family now lived
with the pack. There was no way to tell how he’d take Kameron’s intervention.

  “I’ll keep my mouth shut, then. But I hope you know that if you need anything, you can come talk to me.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Kameron was always available for his pack members and the enforcers who lived in pack territory. It didn’t mean he and Clea were best friends, though. Clea knew he could talk to him if something important came up, but when it came to mating, Kameron wouldn’t be the first person Clea went to. They weren’t that close.

  Clea left Kameron to whatever it was an alpha did during the day. He wasn’t sure what to do now that their chat was over. He’d already trained that morning. He could go back to the gym, but he’d already planned to do that later in the day.

  Stop thinking so hard.

  Clea rolled his eyes at his cousin’s voice in his head. How do you know I’m thinking?

  When aren’t you?

  Don’t you have something better to do than bug me?

  Nope.

  Where are you?

  Infirmary. Bored as fuck.

  Mind if I come by?

  Please do, before I start counting supplies again.

  Clea chuckled and left the alpha’s house, heading toward the infirmary. It wasn’t snowing anymore, and that was good. It had snowed so much in the past few days Clea thought he might disappear in the white stuff if he tried to wade through it. Luckily, the paths between the buildings had been cleared. He could have shimmered, of course, but there was something soothing about being outside on his own.

  It was hard to have alone time living with the pack. There was always someone around, be it a pack member or an enforcer, so Clea liked to walk when he could, even if it meant freezing his balls off.

  He walked quickly, his skin prickling with unease. It was cold and the wind was freezing, and he thought he could feel someone watching him.

  Clea looked around, but he couldn’t see anyone, even though the hair on the nape of his neck was standing on end. It was probably just a feeling, but he hated it, and he’d learned to trust his instincts long ago. No matter how much he wished it were nothing, he wasn’t stupid enough to ignore his feelings.

  Whoever was watching didn’t try to talk to him, though, and Clea made it to the infirmary without problems. He paused before entering, wondering if he should give his stalker more time, but the door opened and Sei grinned at him.

  “What took you so long?” he asked, and Clea shook his head.

  He pushed by Sei and entered the infirmary. “It took me five minutes.”

  “Too long. Why didn’t you shimmer here?”

  “Because I like to walk.” Clea shrugged his jacket off and put it in Dallas’ office. The doc was nowhere to be seen, and Clea arched a brow at his cousin. “Where’s Dallas?”

  “He said he needed to see Calvin.”

  “Why?”

  Sei shrugged. “No idea. He’s the boss, not me. It’s not like I can ask him what he’s up to.”

  “Yeah? It wouldn’t be the first time you demanded explanations from someone above you in the food chain.”

  Sei rolled his eyes and hopped onto one of the infirmary’s beds. “You swore you weren’t going to talk about that again.”

  “But your face was priceless when your boss told you to mind your own business.”

  “Dallas wouldn’t say that. He’s way nicer as a boss.”

  “He is, huh?”

  Sei nodded, but Clea could tell his mind was already on another topic. Sei was like that—he jumped from topic to topic, confusing everyone but himself. Only his healing job could keep him focused, and he was great at it.

  “So, have you seen Christian lately?” Sei asked, and Clea groaned.

  Of all the topics Sei could have picked, did he really have to choose that one?

  * * * *

  Christian watched Clea walk into the infirmary and saw Sei close the door behind him. He stayed in the tree for a while longer, hoping Clea would come out again. He didn’t.

  Christian sighed and stretched his wings. He hadn’t meant to spy on Clea. He’d been in a tree, minding his own business, when Clea had passed under it. Christian hadn’t been able to resist, and he’d followed Clea to the infirmary.

  He knew Clea had noticed something was up. He’d looked around as if searching for someone, but Christian didn’t think he’d been seen. Clea would probably have stopped and tried to talk to him if he had.

  That was all Clea wanted from Christian, or at least it seemed to be. He’d been trying to talk to Christian ever since he’d brought him to the pack, and Christian had managed to avoid it for now. He knew he wouldn’t be able to continue doing so for long, though.

  He hated the way Clea looked at him as if he was in pain and Christian was the reason why he felt that way. He also hated the disappointed look in his mother’s eyes. She knew about Clea, and she wanted Christian to be happy. She thought he’d be just that if he claimed Clea, but Christian wasn’t sure.

  His family obviously had nothing against gay people. Both his parents had accepted Iggy’s mate with open arms, although their dad had been a bit more hesitant. They knew about Clea, of course, and no one had said anything about him being a man, even though Christian had never been with a guy in his life.

  It wasn’t his family’s acceptance that was the problem, but Christian’s.

  He liked what little he knew of Clea. He couldn’t deny that, and he didn’t want to. He just wasn’t sure what fate had been smoking when she’d paired them, because Clea was not Christian’s type, at all. He didn’t have boobs and had more equipment than Christian liked in his pants.

  Christian shook his head and took flight. He headed toward the house he shared with his parents and Alexander, his younger brother.

  They’d been lucky, and they knew it. Christian’s father hadn’t liked their old alpha or the man the alpha had worked for, Tom. He hadn’t had a choice in following Alpha Dell’s orders, though, just like Christian and Alexander hadn’t. The only alternative would have been death, and no one wanted that.

  The only one in their family who’d tried to do something, who had managed to do something, had been Iggy. He’d disappeared one night, and the family had thought he was dead. The alpha had confirmed it a few days after the disappearance, telling them the pack had taken Iggy and tortured him to death.

  Christian felt like an idiot every time he thought about it. He hadn’t trusted his alpha, yet he’d believed what the man had told them. He’d believed the pack had killed his brother, and when Alpha Dell had used that to make him fight, he’d obeyed without questioning it. He’d almost killed Zane, Iggy’s mate.

  Christian was still angry with Iggy, but he’d get over it. He wished his brother had trusted him enough to tell him he was gay and that he wanted to help the pack. Christian would have left with him. Instead, Iggy had risked his life flying to Gillham and putting himself into Kameron Rhett’s hands. He’d been lucky Kameron was a good man and had seen Iggy for what he was—a guy who didn’t want anyone to be hurt.

  Christian was surprised Iggy had accepted being Kameron’s bodyguard, and even more that Kameron had chosen Iggy, of all people. It said a lot about the alpha, mainly that in Christian’s opinion, he was a few crayons short of a full box. But he was glad his brother had found his place and that he was safe. Their entire family was safe now, and they had Kameron to thank for that.

  And Clea. He’d been the one who’d shimmered them to grab their mom before anyone could hurt her. He’d then shimmered all of them back to Gillham and had stayed with them, explaining who they were and what had happened. God only knew where they would have ended up if he hadn’t. Probably in the council’s jail. That was the last place Christian wanted to see his mom.

  Christian was so deep in thought that he almost didn’t see the window. He’d known it was closed—it was the middle of the winter after all—but he’d gone toward it anyway.

  He managed to turn to the side and land
on the porch, stumbling as he went and tilting forward, rolling onto himself.

  When he finally stopped, he stayed down. The world around him was spinning, and he wasn’t sure shifting was a good idea just yet.

  Someone chuckled at Christian’s side, and he scowled at Iggy.

  Iggy didn’t seem to care. He crouched by Christian and grinned. “I did that, once. Landed straight against the window. It knocked me out, and when I woke up, I was bundled up in a blanket and people were staring down at me. Considering I was coming here when it happened, I almost had a heart attack.”

  Iggy reached down and gently took Christian in his hands. Christian didn’t protest, even though he was feeling fine now. It was nice to have Iggy cuddle him. Christian would never admit it, but he missed his brother and how close they used to be.

  There were only six years between them. They’d been close as kids until Christian had to become a soldier for their alpha. He’d tried to keep Iggy out of it and had put as much distance as he’d been able to between them, but it hadn’t worked. At least Iggy had fled before anything happened to him. Christian didn’t need a good imagination to know what Alpha Dell would have done if he’d found out Iggy was gay.

  Iggy didn’t knock on the front door. Even though he didn’t live with them anymore, it was still his home. The smell of cookies hit Christian’s nose as soon as Iggy entered and his stomach growled. He wiggled, hoping Iggy would let him go so he could shift and eat some of those cookies before Alexander got to them, but Iggy tightened his hold instead.

  “Nope, you’re not going anywhere.”

  Christian barred his teeth, but Iggy didn’t look impressed.

  “Now that I have you, I’m not going to let you go without having a chat with you first.”

  Christian already knew what Iggy wanted to talk about. It was what everyone wanted to talk about lately—Clea. Alexander had tried to get Christian to talk about it, Christian’s mom wanted to talk about him. Even people Christian didn’t know wanted to talk about it, because they were Clea’s friends and they wanted him to be happy. Christian was making that impossible right now, so everyone was trying to fix him.