Sei

by Catherine Lievens

  “I want to help!” Bryan protested.

  Mac looked at him. “I know you do, but your daughter is only two. You can’t leave her. I’ll take care of everything.”

  And that was a scary thought, even though Donovan didn’t know Mac.

  * * * *

  Sei and Rabbit had walked into chaos. Well, not exactly chaos, but it was close.

  Kameron, Donovan, Zach, Nick, Andy, and the rest of Kameron’s inner circle were in the living room—the office wasn’t big enough for all of them to be able to sit comfortably.

  They were talking all over each other, and it took Sei a moment to realize what was happening. He leaned close to Rabbit. “Why do you think those people they’re talking about are leaving the pack?” he asked in a soft voice.

  Rabbit shrugged. “No clue. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense. Why would someone want to leave the pack? It’s great here. I have food and a roof over my head, Kameron’s giving me the time I need to decide what I want to do with my life, and he doesn’t care that I’m gay or that it’s pretty obvious just by looking at me.”

  “Do you think we should leave them to it?”

  “Probably. It’s almost lunch time, so why don’t we go to the kitchen and prepare something?”

  Sei nodded, and they both left the living room. No one even noticed they’d been there in the first place.

  There was enough stuff in the fridge for everyone, and Sei and Rabbit got to work, putting sandwiches together. Rabbit started the coffee machine, and the smell was enough to draw everyone into the kitchen. Donovan hugged Sei from behind, kissing the side of his neck. “Thanks.”

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  “You’re making sure we’re fed. I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have eaten if you hadn’t.”

  “What’s going on? Can you tell me about it?”

  Donovan sighed, his chest moving against Sei’s back. “A few pack members are leaving the pack because Kameron can’t do anything against the humans attacking us. They’re going to take care of it, or at least that’s what they’re saying.”

  “Take care of it how?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine, but it’s not going to be pretty.”

  “So now’s probably not the right moment to tell him one of the reporters in town wants to interview him.”

  There was a pause, then, “You went into town?”

  Oops. Sei hadn’t told Donovan he was going, but it wasn’t like it was a secret. Still, he hadn’t exactly planned to tell Donovan about it either. “Uh, yeah?”

  “Is that a question or an affirmation?”

  “An affirmation. I needed some stuff from the grocery store. Rabbit came with me.”

  “Because he’d have been so much help if you were mobbed again.”

  “Hey!” Rabbit protested from the other side of the counter. “I’ll let you know that I can kick ass like the best of them.”

  “Really? Then why aren’t you an enforcer?”

  “Because I don’t want to be. I might be able to kick ass, but it doesn’t mean I want to.”

  “Right.” Donovan turned his attention back to Sei. He moved away, leaving Sei wondering if he was angry, and leaned back against the edge of the counter, his arms crossed over his chest. Sei waited, but when Donovan didn’t say anything, he burst out, “You can’t forbid me to go into town.”

  Donovan arched a brow. “I don’t think I ever even thought of forbidding you to do anything.”

  Sei snorted. “Please. I know you well enough to know you want to keep me in pack territory, where it’s safe.”

  “Of course I want to, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to lock you up. I’d just appreciate it if you told me next time, just so I know where you are if something happens.”

  Sei sighed. Donovan wasn’t wrong—he’d never told Sei to stay in pack territory, and Sei knew it wasn’t because he didn’t want to. He was scared for Sei, just like Sei was scared for him. “All right. I’ll tell you next time.”

  Donovan smiled and kissed Sei’s cheek. “That’s all I want from you. Everyone’s nervous, and they’re going to be until this is over. I’m sure I’m not the only one here who wants their mate to at least tell them where they’re going.”

  Sei nodded and grabbed the plate he’d been working on. He put it on the table, shaking his head when no one even looked at him. They were still talking, and when Sei focused on what they were saying, he understood why.

  Kameron had lost four pack members already.

  “Look,” Nick said. He took one of the sandwiches and stuffed a bite into this mouth, chewing before pointing the sandwich at Kameron. “Let’s face it—we lost assholes.”

  Andy rolled his eyes. “Bryan’s not an asshole. Besides, Mac is still trying to convince him to stick with us.”

  “He’s not an asshole, but he’s scared. You know he has a baby girl. What would you do if Nathan was threatened?”

  “It doesn’t mean they can go out there and kill people. This is not how we do things.”

  “Which is why they’re leaving the pack.”

  “Boys,” Kameron intervened. “There’s nothing we can do about this. I tried to talk Mac out of it, but he’s stubborn, and Greta and Patrick have never liked me. I’m not surprised they took the opportunity to leave. It gives them a good reason to.”

  Andy snorted. “As if my father and my sister needed a good reason. You know Dad’s been seething since their house was burned.”

  “I offered to help him rebuild it.”

  “Of course you did, and I’m sure he told you no. I know them, Kam. I don’t blame you for this. I know better than most how hard you’re working to keep us safe, and like Nick said, they’re assholes. I never forgave them for the way they treated Xavier.”

  “At least you still have Samuel and Lea,” Nick said. “Three nice kids out of four is good, especially when you consider your father.”

  Donovan sat next to Lora, one of the inner circle members, taking the last free seat. Sei looked around, wondering if he could go get one of the chairs from the office, but Donovan pulled him onto his lap. Sei squeaked and tried to scramble up, but Donovan shook his head. “Stay. Or do you want the chair?”

  “No, but it’s going to be uncomfortable eating like this.”

  “We’re eating sandwiches, Sei, not soup. We’ll be fine.”

  The conversation was more relaxed as they ate, and Sei wondered if they’d made a decision. He wasn’t sure there was one to be made, but it couldn’t be easy to lose pack members, especially not members who’d been there their entire life. How was Andy taking the loss of his father and his sister? He didn’t seem sad or anything, but then he didn’t sound like he was close to either of them.

  Sei cleared his throat. “Kameron, I have a favor to ask you.”

  All eyes went to him. He probably should have waited until Kameron was alone to ask, or at least until most of his inner circle was gone. It was too late—obviously—so Sei took a deep breath and decided he might as well explain why. “The man who helped me when I was in town the other week is a reporter. He works for a newspaper, and he asked me to ask you if you’d grant him an interview.”

  Kameron put what remained of his sandwich down on his plate. “An interview?” he asked after using his napkin.

  “Yeah. I mean, I know you don’t want to give any, and I understand it, but maybe you could make an exception. I don’t think we’ll get rid of all those reporters anytime soon, and they’re making life hard in town. Rabbit and I were fast today, but I have no doubt they’d have tried to interview us if they’d seen us. Maybe giving one exclusive interview will help. That way you won’t have to hold a press conference.”

  “What did you have in mind exactly?”

  “I don’t have anything in mind, but Connor obviously does.”

  “Connor?”

  “Connor Riley. He works for the Daily Beacon. To be honest, I’m not even s
ure if the Daily Beacon is a Gillham newspaper or something else. I didn’t ask.”

  “And you want me to grant him an exclusive interview.”

  “Yeah. He helped me, and he asked nicely.”

  Kameron looked at Zach. Something passed between them, and Kameron looked back at Sei. “I’ll let you know.”

  Well, it was better than an outright refusal.

  * * * *

  “This is a mess,” Bran muttered.

  Donovan agreed, but he kept it to himself. Not that he had to say the words aloud for Bran to know it—everyone thought it was a mess. The assaults, the vandalism, and the fire had been bad enough, but he should have known things would get worse. Now they had a bunch of revenge-hungry shifters, too. It was going to be a clusterfuck.

  “There’s not much we can do, though,” he told Bran. “I already contacted my ex-boss to tell him what was happening. That way the pack won’t be held responsible. I don’t think there’s anything else I can do. We can’t stop the shifters, and we can’t touch the humans.” He sighed. “Things were so much easier when no one knew about us.”

  “Nothing we can do about that.”

  They were alone in Kameron’s kitchen. Kameron and Zach had disappeared, probably for some alone time, and the inner circle had gone back to their jobs. Sei had left for the infirmary, and Rabbit had disappeared somewhere in the house, probably to sulk. It seemed to be something he often did.

  They hadn’t solved anything, and they probably wouldn’t, not anytime soon.

  Something was going to break, though, and Donovan had no doubt that would happen soon. The humans had been silent since the fire, but it wouldn’t be long until they hit again. No one could know what it would be this time, whether they’d vandalize another car, assault someone else, or set fire to something. Maybe they’d get creative and find something else entirely. It was impossible to know, and Donovan hated not knowing.

  “Yeah, I know. I just don’t want Daniel to get stuck in it.”

  Donovan looked at Bran. “It’s scary, huh? To have someone you care for so much and to be afraid for their safety. I mean, I have Liz and the kids, but that’s different, and they don’t live here. Sei, though... he went into town with Rabbit, and I can’t help but think about what might have happened to him, especially after the way we met. Those were only reporters, but will he be so lucky a second time?”

  Bran nodded. “You can’t forbid him to go into town, though.”

  “Don’t I know it. He’d have my balls if I tried.”

  Bran snickered. “He’s so much smaller than you, and he’ll have your balls?”

  “As if Daniel doesn’t have yours. Who are you trying to fool?”

  Bran laughed. “Let’s admit they both have us wrapped around their little finger and leave it at that. So, how did the kids take you and Sei?”

  Donovan grimaced. He might have wanted to change the subject since there was nothing they could do, but Bran couldn’t have chosen a worse one. “Could have gone better.”

  “Let me guess—Jake.”

  “How’d you know? It’s not like you’ve spent a lot of time with the kids.”

  “It was enough for me to know them.”

  “I guess. Did you know Miriam tried to make me go out with you?”

  Bran choked on air. “Go out with me?”

  “I suppose it makes sense to outsiders.”

  “You said no, right?”

  Donovan rolled his eyes. “I told her I’d been desperately in love with you for the past sixty years and that I’d do everything I had to do to be with you, including mowing over your mate. Of course I said no. I even told her about you and Daniel. Jake... didn’t take it well.”

  “I bet he didn’t. What does he have against Sei, then? Is it because Sei’s a guy? It has to be a bit weird to see you with a man after being with Liz for so long. Jake doesn’t know any better.”

  “Maybe not, but it doesn’t mean he has to be an asshole about it.”

  “Trust me, I know all about assholes. Don’t tell Daniel I said this, but his father is a piece of work.”

  Donovan had heard about Daniel’s father. The pack was special that way—everyone knew everything. Everyone knew Daniel’s father was a drunk, or at least that he’d been one. As far as Donovan knew, he was going to his AA meetings, and for Bran’s sake, he hoped it was true. He could only imagine what Daniel’s life had been before meeting Bran, and what Bran had to go through in the beginning.

  “He’s getting better, though,” he said, asking without asking.

  “Yeah. And I’m sure Jake will come around. Give him time.”

  The sound of laughter distracted Donovan. He was glad. He didn’t want to think about Jake any more than necessary. Nothing he could tell his son would change Jake’s mind. The only way that would happen was when or if Jake got to know Sei. Then he’d see Sei wasn’t a bad man, and that he made Donovan happy.

  Alice and Gabriel burst into the room, their cheeks flushed, their lips spread into wide smiles. They froze when they noticed Bran and Donovan sitting at the table, and Alice took a step backward, while Gabriel moved to stand in front of her.

  The way they moved told everything there was to know about them. They’d been through rough times, and Gabriel had been Alice’s protector. He still was, even though they weren’t in danger anymore, and he probably always would be.

  Donovan smiled at them. “Hey, kids. How are you holding up?”

  Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not a kid.”

  Donovan raised his hands. “Sorry. But really, how have you been holding up?” Donovan felt guilty that he hadn’t checked on them since they’d arrived in Gillham. He’d meant too, but then he’d met Sei, had bonded with him, had left his job and started a new one, had been involved in the aftermath of the fire, and had to deal with his family meeting Sei. It was hard to believe only a little over a week had passed. It felt like forever.

  Gabriel shrugged. “We’re fine.”

  “Yeah? That’s good. Are you living here?”

  “No.”

  “They’re with Christian’s parents,” Bran said. “They have a big house, and all three sons left within a few months. I guess they felt it was too empty or something, and they agreed when Alex volunteered them to take on the kids who call.”

  Donovan was glad Gabriel and Alice were with a family rather than in Kameron’s house. Kameron was great, but he was a busy man, and those kids needed someone close. They needed to feel part of a family again and to know they had someone they could count on. Donovan didn’t know Christian’s family that well yet, but if Christian and his brothers were anything to go by, they were good people.

  Gabriel looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. It had to have to do with Donovan and Bran’s presence, so Donovan got up. “Right. Well, I’m happy to hear the two of you have been settling down, but I need to go.”

  “You do?” Bran asked.

  “Yep. Gotta go find Sei.”

  “He just left.”

  Donovan glared at Bran, and Bran laughed. “See you later.”

  Donovan shook his head as he left. He didn’t have to go find Sei, but now that he’d given that as an excuse to leave, he intended to do just that. He might have just seen his mate, but they were newly mated. He couldn’t get enough of Sei. He just hoped the infirmary wasn’t busy, but if it was, he’d leave. He might want to see his mate, but he wasn’t going to take him away from his job if he was needed.

  He didn’t knock on the infirmary door when he got there, and he regretted it right away. There was no need to knock, of course, but he’d have avoided walking in on Sei and his mother talking. Donovan had no idea why she was there, whether Sei had planned this or not, but he certainly hadn’t planned for Donovan to meet her right then.

  Sei’s eyes widened when he turned to look at who had entered. He didn’t pale, but he looked like a strong wind could have kn
ocked him over. “Donovan? Is something wrong?”

  “No.”

  “Then why...”

  “Who’s your friend, Seisyll?” Donovan wasn’t actually one hundred percent sure she was Sei’s mother, but he had no doubts they were related. They had the same nose, the same lips, and the same stubborn eyes.

  “Uh, Mom, this is Donovan.”

  “I already knew that. You just called him by his name. What I want to know is who he is. I know he’s not the alpha, and I don’t think you ever mentioned him.”

  Sei cleared his throat, still staring at Donovan. Donovan could see the help me in his eyes, but he wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t want Sei to hide who he was from his mother, but who was he to push Sei to tell her he’d mated?

  “Well, Mom, remember I told you I wasn’t going to bond with someone I don’t love.”

  She sniffed. “How could I forget? You made sure to tell your aunt too, as if I was going to continue planning your marriage behind your back.”

  “That’s probably because you would have.”

  “Nonsense.”

  “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Donovan’s my mate.”

  Chapter Seven

  Sei was satisfied. That was the only reason he could think of for what he was doing right then. He was satisfied with his life, with how his parents had reacted to Donovan, with his job and with his house.

  The only thing that wasn’t quite perfect just yet was the budding human-shifter conflict. He knew it was going to get worse soon enough, but for now, things were calm. And of course, Jake still hated his guts, but there wasn’t anything he could do about that.

  Still, none of that was a good reason for him to have brought Geoffrey home, the same Geoffrey that worked for Ethan and that Nuallan ran from every time he saw him.

  “And you live here alone?” Geoffrey asked as he nosed around the pictures on the fireplace.

  “No. Donovan lives with me.”

  Geoffrey’s head snapped back to Sei. “Donovan? That’s your mate, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Can you tell me more about mates? Actually, can you tell me more about everything? Ethan says he’s human and that he can’t tell me much, and Nuallan looks scared of me most of the time. I don’t get why, but nothing I did changed that.”