Jayden Read online

  Can you have a future if you don’t know your past?

  Jayden has done his best to forget the first part of his life, the part that happened before he arrived in Whitedell. He’s managed pretty well—he has friends, a job, and he even meets his mate. And who cares if said mate stays in his bear form even after Jayden stumbled on him in the woods surrounding the mansion?

  Heath doesn’t know who he is or what happened to him. He can’t remember anything prior to meeting Jayden, and he longs to know his past. Luckily for him, his parents are looking for him, and it takes only a few days for them to meet.

  Jayden and Heath have been doing well, slowly getting to know each other, but when Heath meets his family again, he discovers he already has a boyfriend. On top of that, Jayden’s brother suddenly resurfaces, and the mysterious hunters strike again. Will Jayden lose Heath almost before even having him?

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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.

  Jayden

  Copyright © 2016 Catherine Lievens

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-0603-5

  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

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  www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

  Jayden

  Whitedell Pride Book Sixteen

  By

  Catherine Lievens

  Chapter One

  Jayden checked his watch one last time and decided it was late enough. Everyone else should be in bed and he could sneak outside without being seen.

  He put on his coat and pushed a hat on his hair, feeling sorry he’d cut his hair short recently. He’d felt like he needed a change, and the easiest thing to change had been his hair. Now he was cold, though, and he missed the length of it on his nape.

  Jayden made his way through the silent house to the kitchen, but froze when he stepped in. “Gabriel?” The word slipped out before he could stop himself, and Jayden clamped his lips together. Now instead of sneaking out, he’d have to face Gabriel’s questions. Great.

  Gabriel turned around and looked at Jayden. He narrowed his eyes and Jayden felt the sudden need to run away and hide, even though Gabriel had never done anything to him. “What are you doing up at this hour of the night?”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Jayden pointed out, hoping Gabriel wouldn’t notice his voice wasn’t exactly steady.

  “I’m used to it. I still haven’t been able to go back to a normal schedule.” Gabriel paused, and Jayden searched his mind for a good reason to be there. He couldn’t come up with anything, of course, and Gabriel continued, “What about you?”

  “I, uh, I couldn’t sleep. I was going to go for a walk before trying again.” Jayden wanted to face-palm. Why couldn’t he come up with a more reasonable explanation?

  “A walk? At one in the morning? In the snow?” Gabriel asked, obviously not believing Jayden, and with good reason.

  “Yes.”

  Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you lying to me?”

  Jayden swallowed and prayed his stomach would stay put. “I’m not lying.”

  “Bullshit. You can’t think I’d really believe you were going for a walk.”

  Jayden shook his head. He couldn’t see a way out of this. He knew Gabriel wouldn’t give up. “It’s none of your business.”

  “Were you going to meet Shad?”

  Jayden frowned. “Shad? Why? Is he out there?” A flush of adrenaline ran through Jayden’s body. “We have to go help him!”

  He rushed to the door, but Gabriel grabbed his arm and stopped him, his jaw set. “Why? What do you know?”

  “Come on! We need to go! Now, before he finds Shad!”

  “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on, Jayden.”

  Jayden wanted to tell Gabriel, but he himself wasn’t sure of what was happening. “But it’s not my secret to tell.”

  “Are you working against the pride? Is that it? Do you know who Shad is meeting?”

  Jayden blinked. “What are you talking about?” He took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t know anything about Shad being out there, but my mate is.”

  Gabriel’s eyes widened. “Your mate?”

  “Yes.”

  Gabriel pulled Jayden even closer. “Tell me what’s going on. Now.” His hard tone didn’t call for bullshit, but Jayden knew they had very little time. They had to hurry. He couldn’t explain everything in detail. But he could try, because Gabriel obviously wasn’t moving until he knew. “A few weeks ago I was in the woods, looking for a type of plant that was mentioned in one of the books I read. There was a noise behind me, and I... I turned around, and it was a bear.”

  “Jayden...”

  “It came at me, and I thought I was going to die, but it stopped just before tearing my head off. It sniffed my neck and I... it rubbed its cheek against mine. I was terrified, but then I realized the bear was my mate. I don’t know what happened to him, why he’s in the forest all alone, and why he’s in his bear form, but I’ve been visiting him every night.” Jayden could still remember the fear and the surprise that had warred in him when he’d found his mate, and he shivered.

  “And he’s never shifted back?” Gabriel insisted

  “No.”

  “That’s where you were going?”

  “Yes! And we have to go get Shad, because my mate doesn’t know him. I don’t know how he’d react to Shad, especially since Shad probably smells like me, at least a bit. We spent a lot of time together lately.”

  “Do you think he might attack?”

  Jayden shook his head, fear building inside him, both for his mate and his friend. “I don’t know.” He looked at Gabriel, hoping the man would finally believe him.

  Gabriel nodded. “Let’s go.”

  He never released Jayden but rather pulled him along as he hurried outside. “Shad isn’t the only one out there. Dominic and Nate are with him, as well as another man.”

  “What—what’s happening?” A thousand questions were on the tip of Jayden’s tongue, but now wasn’t the time to ask them.

  Gabriel was walking fast, almost too fast for Jayden to follow him. Jayden tried as hard as he could, but he was panting by the time they reached the mansion’s gate.

  “I can’t go into details, but Shad was meeting someone, someone Dominic and Nate need to catch. I thought it was you when I saw you sneaking out.”

  The gate was open and they walked past it. Gabriel paused once they were outside and looked around, then pulled Jayden along as he started walking again.

  A roar echoed in the forest and Jayden knew it was his mate. His heart fluttered and he ran, ignoring the snow that stuck to his jeans and shoes. He burst into a small clearing, followed by Gabriel, and Shad was standing there, his eyes huge as he looked a
t them. “What are you doing here?” he asked in a panicked voice.

  “I told you to come alone!” a voice yelled from somewhere in the forest. Jayden was confused as fuck and his heart was beating fast. What the fuck was happening? Why was Shad in the woods, alone? Who was hiding there? Where were Dominic and Nate?

  Something rustled in the trees. Someone yelled, then swore. There was more noise and a man crashed from between the trees. He fell on his knees, then Dominic and Nate were running toward them, screaming things Jayden didn’t understand.

  There was another roar, and Jayden’s mate came out from between the trees. Jayden was frozen in fear and confusion. He could feel Gabriel tugging on his wrist, trying to make him move, but he couldn’t. “Jayden! We have to go!”

  Jayden’s mate swung his paw at the man still on the ground and hit him before he could move away. Dominic and Nate tried to stop Jayden’s mate, and Jayden’s mind flooded with fear. Could Nate hurt the bear in his jaguar form?

  Nate was snapping his teeth at Jayden’s mate, while Dominic was standing tall in front of him. Jayden didn’t know what they were planning, but he couldn’t let them hurt his mate.

  He tugged on the hold Gabriel still had on his wrist and felt the man’s fingers slip. He rushed and launched himself between his alpha and his mate, facing Dominic, his arms opened wide to protect his bear, who roared at the sight but didn’t attack.

  “Jayden! Move!” Dominic yelled, his face twisted with fear and confusion.

  “He’s my mate!” Jayden yelled back, and Dominic froze.

  “Your mate?”

  Jayden’s bear calmed down and Jayden felt him moving, but he didn’t look to see what was happening. He wouldn’t, not until he was sure Dominic and Nate wouldn’t hurt him. “Yes. My mate.”

  Dominic looked behind Jayden. “Shift.”

  “He can’t, or won’t, I don’t know. I’ve never seen him in his human form,” Jayden answered for his mate. God knew he’d pleaded for him to shift, but he’d never managed to convince his mate, so he’d decided it had to be because his bear couldn’t.

  “Why?” Dominic asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  Jayden heard Shad talking, but he didn’t look at his friend, not yet. There was a sudden light and Jayden closed his eyes only to open them again right away. He couldn’t afford not to see what was going on.

  The alpha’s face was set in a determined expression. He looked above Jayden’s face and used his alpha voice. “Shift.”

  Jayden heard a groan and turned around. He reached for his mate when he saw him slump, but he was already shifting, and Jayden held his breath in anticipation.

  His mate nearly fell in the snow after he shifted, and Jayden reached for him. His mate was heavy and Jayden stumbled, but before they could fall, Dominic moved forward and helped him support his mate’s weight.

  Jayden peeked at the man he was holding up. His hair was long, curly, and dark, and so was his beard. Jayden saw what he thought were dark eyes looking up at him, and his mate blinked. “What...” he asked in a croak.

  Jayden sobbed and moved closer, needing to hug the man he’d hoped to meet ever since the bear had found him. They swayed, but he managed to keep them upward even as he buried his nose into his mate’s neck.

  Dominic tsked at his side and pulled his jacket off. “Come on, help me dress him. We have to take him back inside before he freezes to death.”

  “Where is he?” Gabriel asked, but Jayden tuned him out and concentrated on his mate. He was finally human, and Jayden couldn’t wait to talk to him. He had so many questions.

  * * * *

  He was confused.

  He didn’t know where he was, or who the people around him were, except for the small man. That man was his life, his mate. Jayden. He knew that was his mate’s name, because Jayden had come outside night after night, just to talk to him.

  Someone put something warm around his shoulders, and he regretted having to become human again. He was much more comfortable in his bear form, but the tall man had insisted, and something in his voice had made him do what the tall man wanted.

  He shook his head. Who was he? Where was he?

  Gentle hands guided him through the snow and he winced. His feet hurt, the cold of the snow biting into his flesh as they all walked out of the forest where he’d been staying. He did his best to keep up, but he couldn’t feel his feet by the time they got to the road.

  Jayden was hovering close, his hands raised in case he fell, but without touching him. Then a hand landed on Jayden’s shoulder and he stopped, ready to defend him from the threat. Jayden didn’t look afraid, though, not even when the other man leaned forward to whisper something to him.

  He stumbled on more snow and his mate moved away. Something brushed against his arm and he jumped and turned around quickly, ready to fight. The man who’d talked to Jayden raised his hands. “Hey, sorry. I just want to give you a hand.”

  The man looked down at his feet and the reminder was enough to make him slump in defeat. He knew he couldn’t walk much longer like this, not if he wanted to keep his feet. The man clearly wanted to help him, so he nodded, just one little tilt of his head. The man leaned forward and put one arm behind his shoulders, the other behind his knees, and swung him up. His mate yelped, but the man was walking again, and he relaxed ever so slightly in the man’s arms. The man was warm, and he finally took a better look at him.

  The man was... strange. He was human, but not quite, with tiger ears and feline eyes. The man smiled at him, and he saw fangs poking from his mouth. “I’m Gabriel.”

  They passed a gate and he snuggled further into Gabriel’s warmth. Who cared if he was different? Gabriel didn’t look like he was going to hurt him, and that was good enough for him—for now anyway.

  He looked over Gabriel’s shoulder to check on Jayden, reassured when he saw him talking with another small man. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Jayden didn’t look in distress.

  Gabriel climbed some steps and he blinked when light suddenly flooded over them. Gabriel had opened a door, and he put him on a chair. He was still cold and he shivered hard, then tried to huddle on himself to keep his warmth.

  The door closed and he looked up to see everyone staring at him. The small man who’d been talking to Jayden slowly came closer and handed a blanket to Jayden, then fell on his knees. The small man wrapped a blanket around his legs and rubbed his feet as Jayden covered his upper body.

  He winced at the pinprick pain in his feet, but before he could really feel it, one of the other men distracted him. “What’s your name?” he asked brusquely.

  The small man scowled at him but he stayed on his knees.

  He frowned and thought about it. What was his name? Why didn’t he remember it? There was nothing of his life, nothing.

  “I... I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know? What can you tell us about yourself?” the bigger man asked in a gentler voice.

  “I don’t remember anything. I just... there’s only the forest, the trees.” He hated it. He wanted to remember, but he couldn’t.

  “No names? Nothing?” the first man asked, and he wished someone would think of presenting themselves. He knew only Jayden’s name, and it was confusing.

  “I... maybe.” He closed his eyes and thought. He remembered the trees, just like he’d said before. He forced himself to think about something else, anything else.

  He heard someone come closer. Gabriel said, “Sorry this is instant, but it was the best I could do this fast.”

  He opened his eyes just as a name flitted in his consciousness. He didn’t know if it was his, but it was something, and he held onto it as hard as he could.

  Gabriel crouched in front of him and offered him a steaming cup of coffee, if the smell was any indication. “I don’t know how you take your coffee.”

  “Oh, black. Thank you.” He unwrapped his hands and gratefully t
ook the mug.

  “He remembers something,” the first man declared.

  He hesitated, but if he wanted to get help, he needed to tell these people everything he could. “Heath.”

  “That’s... your name?” Jayden asked.

  “I think so, but I’m not sure.”

  “That’s what we’ll call you, then,” the tall man said. “If it’s all right with you, of course.”

  He thought about it again. Heath. He liked it. It felt familiar, like he’d heard it thousands of times. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

  “How did you end up here?” the first man asked.

  The tall one shook his head. “Why don’t we all go to bed? It’s—” he looked at his watch—“two in the morning. We can talk later. I think we all need to get some sleep. Shad, can you come to my office at four PM?”

  “Uh, sure.”

  Heath registered the name the tall man had called the small one. Shad.

  “Okay. Jayden, is three good for you?”

  Jayden looked startled, but he nodded. “Yes.”

  The tall man scrubbed his face with a hand. “All right. I’ll see you all after we get some sleep. Oh, and Shad?”

  “Yes?”

  “I expect you to take the pills the mole gave you to Jared as soon as you can.”

  The tall man climbed the stairs fast and disappeared, and the rude man followed him.

  “How did he know?” Shad asked.

  “He probably heard you telling me,” Gabriel pointed out.

  Shad shrugged and took something out of his pocket. Heath looked around, realizing he was in an entrance. Given its size, the house had to be very big.

  “Ready to go to bed?” Gabriel asked. Shad nodded and got up from his spot in front of Heath.

  “Uh, guys? What do I do?” Jayden asked before they could go away.

  “Go to sleep,” Shad answered.

  “Yeah, I know, but what about Heath?”