Noem Read online

  First impressions aren’t always right.

  Noem is the pride’s nurse. He loves what he does, even though he’s seen far too many wounded since the hunters decided they had a problem with the pride. Still, it’s better than what his future would have been back with his tribe, and he’s as happy as he can be.

  Kay has known about shifters and the tribe since Troy, his best friend, gave birth to a son. He moved to Whitedell to be close to Troy and the baby, but he’s still wary about shifters, and he doesn’t have a good opinion of them. If it were up to him, he’d stay as far away as he could, but that would mean losing Troy again, and he’s not ready for that.

  Noem didn’t expect to meet his mate in the mansion’s kitchen, but then he also didn’t expect Kay to tell him to his face that he doesn’t like shifters and paranormal creatures. After talking, they agree to try to date, but the uploading of a video showing a man shifting into a wolf might make Noem’s entire world crumble. Will Noem and Kay be able to get over it and stay together? And if they do, what will happen with the hunters still lurking?

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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.

  Noem

  Copyright © 2016 Catherine Lievens

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-0773-5

  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

  Noem

  Whitedell Pride Book Twenty-four

  By

  Catherine Lievens

  Dedication

  To Tanya, Robin and Laura, like always, and to my family.

  Chapter One

  Noem was fucking hungry. He’d been working too much lately—not enough time to eat and sleep. Benjamin stupidly tearing his stitches out and reopening his wounds today hadn’t helped. He was fine now, of course, but Noem still had to recuperate. Healing took a lot out of him, even though he’d been trying to build his resistance up. He couldn’t allow himself to be weak, not with the hunters being dicks and killing people he cared about.

  The kitchen wasn’t empty when he strode in. John was at the counter, quietly talking with a guy Noem didn’t think he knew. He looked familiar, but Noem was pretty sure it was because he had the same military look John and half the people living with the pride had. Heck, he himself had cut his hair short as soon as he’d arrived in Whitedell. That was where the look stopped on him, though, since he usually wore scrubs, and when he didn’t, he stuck to comfy clothes.

  Noem nodded at the men at the counter and opened the fridge. He’d missed breakfast because he’d overslept. It didn’t really matter, since Benjamin had been the only one to need his help in the past few weeks. Well, there was the hunter in the infirmary, but Noem had done everything he could for him. Now they were waiting for him to wake up to check whether everything was fine in his head. Something obviously wasn’t, since he was a hunter, but there was nothing Noem could do to heal that.

  The last thing Noem wanted was to cook, so he’d have to go with cereal, milk, and juice. He grabbed the orange juice just as he heard someone else enter the room.

  Someone—Benjamin, Noem recognized his voice by now. How could he not, when Benjamin was always whining about being stuck in the infirmary or in his room?

  Benjamin said, “How do you take it? Wait, don’t tell me. I bet you drink it black, just like your soul.”

  Noem snickered as someone else answered, “The quiet one, huh?”

  Noem turned around just in time to hear Benjamin answer, “I swear.”

  There was another man at the counter now, and as soon as Noem saw him, he knew. He didn’t recognize the guy, even though he was obviously at ease in the mansion, so he’d probably already been there. It didn’t matter. Whether Noem recognized him or not, the guy was his mate.

  The jug of orange juice Noem had extracted from the fridge slipped from his fingers. It crashed on the floor, jerking him out of his thoughts, but that wasn’t enough for him to look away from his mate, not even when the hem of his too-long jeans started soaking up the juice.

  “Noem?” Benjamin asked as if he were afraid to startle him.

  Noem jerked toward him. “Yes?”

  “Are you all right?”

  Noem knew he couldn’t just stand there and stare, so he shook himself and finally stepped away from the orange puddle. “Yeah, I... I’m fine.” He wasn’t. He didn’t feel fine, and he hated not being in control. He couldn’t help it, though, not in this case.

  “You sure don’t look like you are.”

  Noem wished Benjamin would shut up, but he knew better. Ever since he’d found his mate, Benjamin had come out of his shell. He wasn’t as chatty as Nysys—thank god for small mercies—but he wasn’t as quiet anymore. Noem wasn’t sure he liked it, especially when it put him in the spotlight.

  Noem’s mate got up and came closer. “Where can I find some rags?” he asked, looking from Noem to the puddle.

  Noem blinked at him. How was he supposed to think when the man he’d spend the rest of his life with was standing in front of him? “Rags?”

  “To clean up.”

  “Hey, do you guys know each other?” Benjamin asked, interrupting Noem’s contemplation of the way his mate’s lips twitched in an almost smile.

  Noem’s mate looked at Benjamin. “No, I never saw him before now.”

  The smile on Benjamin’s face grew, and for some reason, Noem was convinced he knew. Fuck.

  “Oh. I understand,” Benjamin said, his gaze going from Noem to his mate, then back to Noem.

  Yeah, he knew. Noem finally shook himself. He strode to the sink, mentally cursing his soaked jeans, and crouched to get rags out of the cupboard. He dropped all of them in the sink, drenched them in water, and took a few back to the puddle. His mate had picked the jug up, but it was empty now. At least it hadn’t been completely full.

  Noem took the jug and went to put it next to the sink. When he turned, his mate was on his knees, cleaning up, and Noem groaned at the sight of that ass moving from side to side.

  “His name’s Kay,” Benjamin whispered right next to him, scaring the shit out of him.

  “Yeah, okay.” Noem didn’t want to admit Kay was his mate, not right now. He needed to wrap his own mind around it before announcing it to the pride—or the world, since the pride might as well be his entire world.

  Benjamin snickered, but Noem ignored him and went to help clean up the floor. He kneeled next to Kay. “You don’t have to do this. It’s my mess, not yours.”

  Kay looked at him. His gaze lingered on Noem’s ears. He probably wasn’t used to the pointiness of them, but he didn’t look long. “I’m just cleaning up orange juice. It’s no big deal.”

  “I’m sure you’re not here to clean up orang
e juice.”

  “No, but it’s okay.”

  Noem stopped insisting and pressed his lips together. “Why are you here then?”

  Kay looked like he didn’t want to answer, but he did anyway. “Work.” Well, that didn’t give Noem a lot of clues, but still. It was a step forward.

  “He’s also Troy’s friend,” Benjamin said from behind them. “You should have seen him with Aaron. So cute.”

  Kay looked like he’d rather be anywhere but there, and Noem didn’t blame him. “So you’re Troy’s friend?” he asked hoping to make Kay more comfortable.

  “Yeah.”

  “And you know about Aaron and Emery.”

  “Yes.”

  Kay was obviously not a talker, but Noem didn’t mind. Of course, it might make conversations between them a bit awkward, since he himself didn’t talk much, but they’d survive. “They’re nice,” he said, just to say something.

  “Troy’s my best friend.”

  “Oh. That’s great. I haven’t seen you around before, though.”

  Kay’s expression went cool. “I don’t particularly enjoy being in a house full of... your people.” His gaze went to Noem’s ears again, and this time, it obviously wasn’t in curiosity.

  “My people?” Noem asked. He could hear the anger in his voice, but he tried to control it. The last thing he wanted or needed was to fight with Kay. Kay gestured at Noem’s ears. “No offense, but everyone in this house is weird.”

  “So is Troy.”

  “I knew him before he became... ”

  “Weird. Before he became weird.”

  Kay apparently realized he was being offensive. “Right. Sorry.”

  “It’s fine. Not everyone is comfortable with diversity.” This was going to make telling him they were mates fun.

  “I don’t have problems with diversity, as long as you guys keep your distance.”

  Noem took a deep breath. “You’re not keeping your distance. You’re here.”

  “Because I had to come.”

  “What about Troy? You were the one to say he’s your best friend.”

  “Yeah, well. As long as he stays human while I’m here, we’ll be fine.”

  Noem didn’t know whether Kay was being an asshole because he really had something against shifters or if he was just uncomfortable. “What if you’re a shifter’s mate? You might be, and you might meet him or her if you hang out around here?”

  Kay’s expression shifted to horror. “God, no. I don’t want that.”

  Noem dropped the rag he was still holding, even though he hadn’t actually been cleaning much and got up. “I need to go change.”

  Kay looked confused, but he didn’t try to stop Noem. Benjamin did, but Noem ignored him, and instead of walking to his room like he’d have normally done, he shimmered there. He let his shoulders slump once he was alone. He couldn’t believe his mate was an asshole. It didn’t matter if Kay was just scared or uncomfortable. He’d made his opinion clear, and Noem wasn’t about to risk being rejected. There was no way he’d be telling Kay they were mates.

  * * * *

  Kay blinked, because the guy he’d been helping had just fucking disappeared into thin air.

  “What did you say to him?” Benjamin asked.

  He sounded angry, and it made Kay bristle. “None of your fucking business.”

  Oh yeah, Benjamin was angry. He slapped the rag he’d picked up on the floor, and orange juice flew all over the place, including Kay’s pants. “It is my fucking business if you hurt my friend.”

  Kay had to admit he hadn’t been very nice, but he wasn’t going to tell Benjamin that. He didn’t really know either Benjamin or Noem, so it wasn’t important. He got up and scowled at his wet pants. There wasn’t much liquid on them, thank god. “I’m going to go see Troy.”

  “You do that.”

  Kay hurried out of the kitchen without the coffee he’d been promised. He knew the way to Troy’s room. He hadn’t come to the mansion to visit his best friend, but he had to wait until Officers Flynn and Grand were done with Dominic before he could check why they were there. It wouldn’t do any good for them to see him there.

  He knocked on the door, grimacing a bit when Emery was the one who opened it. He did his best to hide it, but Emery knew him better than he wanted to admit by now. He scowled as he stepped to the side, and Kay could have sworn he saw a glint of too-long fangs in his mouth.

  He knew what Emery was, and it made him uncomfortable. He hadn’t said anything about it, because no matter what he felt, Emery was still Troy’s husband and the father of his child. Troy wouldn’t dump Emery. Kay knew it. He’d known even before they’d explained to him what mates were, and he didn’t understand how someone could accept something like that.

  How could Troy have accepted Emery as if he’d been the one to choose him? How could he accept the fact that now that they’d drunk each other’s blood they’d be together forever? It sounded ridiculous, and Kay just didn’t understand it.

  “Hey,” Troy said with a smile. “I didn’t expect you to come up here, at least not so soon after seeing you in the entrance.”

  “Am I disturbing you?”

  “Nope. Emery was just about to go put Aaron to bed.”

  The baby was in the middle of the king-sized bed, stomach down so he wouldn’t hurt his wings. They made Kay uncomfortable, because they were the proof of what Aaron was. Kay was able not to think about it, to ignore it, most of the time. But when he looked at the wings, it was thrown back in his face. Aaron was his best friend’s son. His not-human-anymore best friend, who’d gotten pregnant by his mate and had laid an egg.

  God, it still made Kay’s head hurt when he thought about it.

  “He’s so big already,” Kay said to distract himself.

  “Well, it’s been a while since you last came.”

  “I didn’t have much time with the move and the new job.”

  Emery scoffed and Kay narrowed his eyes at him. Emery arched a brow, because he wasn’t the kind of man—vampire, whatever—to back down. Kay didn’t want to fight with his best friend’s husband, though, so he kept his mouth shut.

  Emery rolled his eyes and went to the bed. He cooed at Aaron and Aaron beamed at him, exposing the tiny fangs in his mouth. He’d obviously taken from both his parents. Kay had never seen Troy in his harpy form, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to, but Troy had told him about it, and Kay knew it involved wings.

  Emery took Aaron and looked at Troy. “I’ll leave the two of you alone.” He kissed Troy, and Kay looked away.

  Emery noticed it, of course he did, and when he passed by Kay on his way out, his eyes were reduced to angry slits. He didn’t say anything to Kay, but Kay could feel the disapproval coming from Emery in waves. He shrugged it off, but it was harder to do every time they met.

  “Come on, sit down and tell me what’s bugging you,” Troy said.

  He himself was on the bed, his legs crossed, and he didn’t move as Kay sat in the armchair in the corner of the room. Kay could feel Troy’s gaze on him, and he knew Troy well enough to be able to tell that Troy wanted a serious answer.

  So instead he asked, “Tell me about Aaron?”

  Troy’s eyes narrowed and Kay knew he wasn’t going to get what he wanted. “Don’t be a dick.”

  “Don’t swear. You’re a dad now.”

  “Aaron’s not in the room, and I’m just telling the truth. What do you have against Emery?”

  The list was long, but Kay was aware he’d sound like an asshole if he went over it, and that Troy would more than likely never talk to him again. “Nothing,” he said instead.

  “Bullshit. Don’t think I haven’t seen how you two look at each other.”

  “Has he said something to you?”

  “No, but I’d have to be blind not to see there’s something there.” Troy paused. “Are you still angry at him because you think he brainwashed me or something?”


  “No!”

  “You’re lying.”

  “I’m not. Look, I’m not comfortable with the whole mate thing, that’s all.”

  “Why?”

  Kay sighed. Troy was his best friend, and he deserved answers. “Because it does sound like being brainwashed when you explain it. It’s like you can’t say no to being with him because you’re soul mates and all that crap. Like you’re willing to do it even if it goes against what you want.”

  Troy didn’t answer and Kay looked up. Troy didn’t look angry, but he didn’t look happy either. “What?” Kay asked to break the silence.

  “Why are you here?”

  “Um, because I wanted to find out what the other detectives want.”

  Troy shook his head. “No, I mean here in Whitedell. You didn’t have to move here.”

  “I moved to be close to you.”

  “Yet I make you uncomfortable and I never see you.”

  “It’s not... look, okay, you do make me uncomfortable. I decided to move before I really thought about it, and—”

  “And you regret it.”

  “No.” Troy arched a brow and Kay shook his head. “I don’t regret it. You’re still my best friend, or at least I hope so. I’m just not used to you being different yet.”

  “It’s been more than a year since you found out.”

  “I know, but—”

  “I got used to it, and it happened to me. How do you think it felt? How do you think I managed to accept this is what my life is like now?”

  “Troy—”

  “No, Kay. I never wanted this. I never wanted to become more than human, and as much as I love Aaron, I never wanted to get pregnant. Did you know I tried to kill him? That I tried to cut him out of my body?”

  Kay was horrified. Troy loved his son, and he’d never hurt him. “You wouldn’t—”

  “But I did. I was lucky Emery found me and called Jared and Noem. They healed me. That’s the only reason Aaron and I are here today. I know you don’t like Emery, or anyone that’s not human apart from me. I know you don’t like the idea of mating, and I don’t expect you to change your mind, but I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Emery. He saved my life. That’s not why I’m with him, but he did, and you can’t forget that. I wasn’t brainwashed. I didn’t choose him because I had to. I chose him because I knew he’d love me, even though I’m a monster. I chose him because he was there when you weren’t. They all were, and if you don’t like that fact, then you should fuck off and go back from where you came from. I love you, Kay, but I’d rather lose you than watch you treat Emery like he hurt me, because he didn’t. You did.”