Sometimes there’s a lot more to a situation than we see at first sight.
Nuallan has been hiding in his cell ever since he got out of the infirmary after trying to kill himself. He hasn’t told anyone why he’d rather be there than free to move around pack territory, and Alex, his best friend, still hasn’t stopped trying to save him from himself.
Ethan is in the town hall when Kameron Rhett explains to the Gillham people what he and his friends are—shifters. Ethan doesn’t stay to hear the end of Kameron’s speech. He’s distracted by a pretty man, and when the man leaves after his best friend threatens Ethan, Ethan follows.
Ethan didn’t know about shifters until Kameron’s speech, but he’s thrust into their world when he finds out his pretty man, Nuallan, is a Nix, and Ethan is his mate. Will it be too much to accept? Will Nuallan finally reveal why he tried to kill Kameron? Or will the secrets push Ethan and Nuallan apart?
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Nuallan
Copyright © 2016 Catherine Lievens
ISBN: 978-1-4874-0968-5
Cover art by Latrisha Waters
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Nuallan
Gillham Pack Book Eighteen
By
Catherine Lievens
Chapter One
“I just don’t get why you don’t want to leave this place. You know you don’t have to stay here,” Alex said, but Nuallan kept his gaze on the wall by his bed.
He’d already answered that question, or at least he’d answered it as well as he could without giving everything away.
“Nu?”
Nuallan sighed and flopped on his back so he could see Alex. “I told you not to call me that.”
Alex grinned, obviously happy to have gotten a reaction out of Nuallan. “It’s shorter than Nuallan.”
“It’s not like Nuallan is that long, you know.”
“Fine. I’ll try.”
“You better do more than try if you don’t want me to kick your ass.”
Alex put his hand over his heart. “I’m wounded that you can even think about hurting me.”
Nuallan snorted. “As if I could actually manage to hurt you. I’d probably break my hand if I tried to punch you. You’re like, twice as big as me.”
And wasn’t that the truth. Alex was so much taller and bigger than Nuallan it was almost funny. Almost. It would have been funny if Nuallan hadn’t been sent to kill someone Alex’s size.
Alex flopped onto the bed, and Nuallan had to move his legs away to avoid getting them crushed. “I still don’t see why you insist on being locked up in here. Kameron told you you didn’t have to stay in this cell.”
Nuallan poked at Alex’s thigh with his toes. “I know that. I was there.”
“Then why?”
Nuallan knew Alex was frustrated. Hell, anyone who had to deal with Nuallan was. Alex was the one who spent the most time with Nuallan, though, and the only one who really knew him. He was the only one Nuallan let himself relax with, and sometimes he wondered if he hadn’t made a mistake.
He liked Alex, had liked him since they’d met. Alex had been the only one who’d talked to Nuallan even before Nuallan had tried to take his own life. He’d treated Nuallan as if he was a normal guy, not like the killer he was, or the killer he should have been. It hadn’t worked as well as Titus had thought it would, but Nuallan couldn’t bring himself to regret it. He just hoped Neriah would be fine.
“I just need to stay here,” Nuallan said.
Alex shook his head and grabbed Nuallan’s foot, pushing his thumbs into the sole. Nuallan closed his eyes and relaxed against his pillow, enjoying the massage.
“I don’t get you, Nu. You know we just want to help. Even if you don’t want to tell anyone, you should at least tell me.”
Nuallan let the use of the short version of his name slide. “I can’t.”
“Why not? I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
Nuallan opened his eyes and looked at Alex. “Not even Kameron?”
“Not even him.”
“He’s your boss. Your alpha.”
“So?”
“He could kick you out of the pack, or hurt you. Hurt your family.” Nuallan swallowed. Saying those words was pulling up memories he’d rather forget.
Alex’s hands on his foot became softer. “Is that what happened to you? Were you kicked out of your tribe?”
Nuallan shook his head. Things would have been so much better if that was what had happened. But no, Titus would never have let Nuallan go, not when he needed Nuallan to do something for him. Why he’d chosen Nuallan, of all people, was anyone’s guess.
Nuallan was small and scrawny. He couldn’t fight to save his life, as his current situation showed. He’d been sent to kill Kameron and had ended up in a cell instead. At least Kameron didn’t seem as nasty an alpha as Titus had turned out to be after taking his father’s place. Nuallan still had a hard time believing Kameron actually wanted to let him out of the cell. He’d even had Nuallan spend Christmas with him.
“What is it, then?” Alex asked, his voice soft.
Nuallan wanted to tell him, he really did, but he couldn’t afford it. What would happen if the news that he was alive and well got out? Alex wouldn’t tell anyone if Nuallan asked him to, but he was bound to try to do something to get to Neriah. As much as Nuallan wanted his brother back, he couldn’t lose Alex in the process, and he couldn’t let Neriah be hurt, either.
The last thing he’d expected when he’d been caught in the act of trying to kill Kameron and been locked up had been to find a best friend. No one had hurt him or even been rude to him, but Alex had been the only one to give him a chance when even he didn’t think he deserved one.
Nuallan knew most people didn’t understand their relationship, and he didn’t care. Everyone saw him either as a killer or as a meek and scared man. He didn’t mind the latter one, but he hated that people thought he could kill someone. He hadn’t had a choice, and he still didn’t.
At least Alex knew he would never hurt anyone, not if he could help it. Really, Nuallan wasn’t sure what Titus had been thinking when he’d sent him to kill the Gillham pack alpha. It had been obvious to everyone that Nuallan wouldn’t be able to do the job, but Titus had insisted, saying he didn’t have a choice.
Nuallan shook his head. He understood it, up to a point. A lot of tribe members had been forced to serve the other council, the one led by Tom. The tribe members who’d remained were mostly women and children. Only a few men had stayed, including Nuallan.
“Nu? I just want to help you.”
Nuallan pulled his foot away from Alex and sat up. He shuffled
across the bed until he was next to Alex and leaned against Alex’s side. Alex wrapped his arm around Nuallan’s shoulders and held him close. He kissed Nuallan’s forehead, and Nuallan closed his eyes.
Sometimes he wondered if Alex shouldn’t have let him die. Nuallan hadn’t really wanted to, but he’d thought it was the only way to get out of the fucked-up situation he was in. He still thought that, actually, but he knew he couldn’t try to kill himself again.
“I know that,” he told Alex. “I know you want to help, and I love you for that, but I don’t think anyone can do anything for me.” Or for Neriah. Nuallan’s brother was probably safer if everyone, including Titus, thought Nuallan was dead or locked up. Dead would have been better, because Nuallan wasn’t sure how Titus would take his failure if he was still alive.
“Then why do you keep me away like this?” Alex murmured against Nuallan’s hair.
“Because it’s safer.”
“For who?”
“For everyone.”
Alex was silent for a moment. “For me and you?”
“Yeah.”
“For who else?”
Nuallan smiled. Of course, Alex had gathered Nuallan was also thinking of someone else. He wasn’t going to answer, though. He knew Alex and Kameron would do their best to get Neriah back if Nuallan told them about him, but Neriah could get hurt. He was probably being watched very closely since Nuallan had failed at completing his task.
“Let it go, Alex.”
“But why? You know I’ll do everything I can to help you and whoever you’re protecting. Burying yourself away in this cell isn’t going to help, and don’t even think about trying to kill yourself again.”
Nuallan shook his head. “I won’t do that again.”
“But you’ll stay in here.”
“Yes.”
“Because it’s safer for everyone involved.”
“Yes.”
“Including your parents.”
Nuallan smiled at the guess. “My parents died several years ago, so they don’t need to be protected.”
“Your siblings, then. A sister? Brother?”
Nuallan did his best to stay still and not give himself away. At least Alex had no idea where Nuallan’s tribe was. He’d probably storm the place even if he had no idea what to look for if he did.
Alex sighed heavily. “Fine, I get it. I’ll stop bugging you. But I want you to do something for me.”
“Or else you won’t stop pushing?”
“You got it in one.”
“Fine. What do you want me to do?”
“You know today’s the day when Kameron talks to the town and tells them about us, right?”
“Of course I do. Everyone does.”
“I’m going, and I want you to come with me.”
* * * *
Ethan looked around the town hall. It was full, and he was late, so he’d had to lean against the back wall rather than sit, but that was fine with him. He was too curious to have a problem with it.
No one had a clue what Kameron Rhett wanted to talk about, but it hadn’t stopped the entire town from showing up. If the other people were anything like Ethan, they’d noticed there was more to Kameron Rhett than met the eye a long time ago, and they wanted answers. Ethan sure did.
He’d lived in Gillham all his life, and he wasn’t blind. He knew there was something weird about Kameron and the people he lived with. He just didn’t know what, or rather, he hadn’t known until that video had hit the internet. Not that he was sure about anything, but it didn’t take a genius to add the clues together and come up with Kameron being a werewolf. Why else would he have been in that video with the guy who changed into a wolf? Why would he have been the one to fight that wolf instead of the police? He hadn’t seemed surprised in the least when the guy had become a wolf. Besides, that other guy had lived in Gillham too, with Kameron and the others. No one had seen him in a while, though, and Ethan wondered if maybe the government had locked him up and was experimenting on him or something.
He looked around the room. He recognized most people, but the ones he was most interested in were the people he knew lived with Kameron. He was friends with a few of them, like Mal, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Mal was also a werewolf.
The thought was weird. Ethan liked Mal. He’d even had a crush on the man, at least until he’d found out Mal was moving in with his boyfriend. He knew they were engaged now, and the wedding was planned for the spring.
He couldn’t imagine Mal changing into a wolf. He’d thought about it when he’d seen the video, and he’d wondered if he’d be able to still see Mal and anyone else in the same light. Would anything change if he knew for sure they could become wolves?
The first thing that had come to mind was fear, but Mal and the others had never tried to hurt Ethan. He didn’t think that would change just because he knew for sure they were werewolves, and he’d decided there was no need to be scared of them. He knew not everyone would be as rational as he was, but he hoped most of the town would.
Kameron and most of the people who lived with him had been living in town for as long as Ethan could remember. If they’d wanted to hurt someone, they’d have done it long ago.
The voices in the room quieted, and Ethan looked at the stage. Kameron and his boyfriend had walked out onto it and were settling at the table. Zach was behind Kameron, his hands on his shoulders, and they both looked serious but relaxed.
Kameron looked around the room and waited for everyone to be silent to talk. It didn’t take long. Everyone was curious to know what he was going to say.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,” Kameron said. Ethan held his breath. “I’m here to tell you about us. About shifters.”
The room was deadly silent for a second, then everyone started talking at the same time. Ethan kept his mouth shut and tried to work through the revelation. He’d known shifters, as Kameron had called them, existed, thanks to the video. Having it confirmed was different, though. It made Ethan look at the people around him with different eyes. Who else was a shifter? What could they shift into? Were they all wolves?
Kameron cleared his throat. It took a bit longer for the room to fall silent again this time, but Kameron waited as if he had all the time in the world.
“I know you all have questions, and I will answer them once I’m done.”
“You’re a monster!” someone yelled from the back.
Ethan wasn’t surprised. He’d known not everyone would take this well, although he thought the majority of the town’s inhabitants would. Gillham was small, and not a lot of people lived there. Most had lived there all their lives, like Ethan, and they knew Kameron wouldn’t hurt them. Some were assholes and wouldn’t want to have anything to do with anyone different. Ethan wasn’t surprised that it’d been Hank who’d yelled just now.
Kameron raised his hands. “I’m not a monster. I’m just a guy who happens to be able to become a wolf.”
“Who’s to say you’re not going to hurt us?” someone else asked.
“If you let me talk, I’ll explain.” Kameron paused and waited. The room didn’t fall completely silent this time, but he started talking anyway. “Most of you have known me for a long time. I’ve lived in Gillham for many years. I was born here. Gillham is my home, and I would never do anything to hurt either the town or the people who live in it.”
“How do we know for sure?” someone asked.
Kameron smiled. “Mr. Smith. How is your daughter?”
“She’s fine.”
Kameron nodded. “Has anyone of you been attacked in the past years? Have there been any animal attacks at all?”
Several people turned to look at the sheriff. He shook his head, and Ethan wondered if he was a shifter too. He’d probably wonder the same thing about everyone he knew, and he couldn’t wait to find out.
“We’ve been living here for years. Decades. No one was ever hurt. Nothing is going t
o change,” Kameron said.
“Why are you telling us about this?” an older woman asked.
“As some of you know, a video was uploaded on the internet recently. It showed one of the men who used to live here in Gillham change into a wolf. I was in that video too, and even though I didn’t shift, I know a lot of you suspect I’m a wolf shifter too.”
“Why tell us, though?”
“Because it’s not something we’ll be able to keep under wraps for much longer. Thousands of people have seen that video, and sooner or later, it will become public knowledge. I’m surprised it hasn’t yet. I wanted you to know the truth before it does.”
“Why?” a man asked.
“Because you deserve to know. We’ve lived with you for decades. You know us, are friends with us. I wanted you to know we won’t hurt you, no matter what we are.” Kameron narrowed his eyes and looked around the room. “I know some of you won’t accept us, but I want everyone to know that we won’t lie down while you beat us. Some of you have attacked a young man recently, just because of what he is. It won’t be tolerated.”
Someone snorted, and Ethan turned to look. It was Hank again, and Ethan had no doubts he’d been the one to attack the guy Kameron was talking about. “And what are you going to do? Bite us?”
Kameron looked like he might, but the sheriff stepped forward and stared at Hank. “If you attack anyone, you’ll be arrested for aggression.”
“They’re animals!”
“I don’t see animals here. I don’t care what you think, Hank. You attack someone, I take you in. End of story.” The sheriff looked around. “That goes for everyone. I can’t say I wasn’t surprised when Kameron told me about this, but these people are still Gillham inhabitants, and they’ll be treated just like anyone else.”
“But they’re not people,” a man said. He raised his hands when the sheriff glared at him. “I don’t have anything against them. They never did anything to me. What I’m saying is, what will happen if one of them decides to attack one of us? There’s nothing we can do against a wolf.”
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