She was talking about Sam. He’d shaken her trust. I would never do that to her.
“I won’t. You’re stuck with me forever,” I said against her hair.
She pulled back and kissed me again. Her love wrapped around me, and I never wanted to let go. For as long as it took, I would wait patiently for the next step of our relationship. And the next phase, our Mating, wouldn’t be decided by her gift or some other outside influence. It would be her choice, no matter how her sweet lips might tempt me.
Her phone chirped from her back pocket. She groaned and broke away from the kiss. But I saw promise in her eyes. I glanced at the number with her and recognized Luke’s number.
As soon as she hit “talk,” Luke spoke in a rush.
“Gabby, I have a problem,” he shouted over the roar of an engine. Something popped loudly in the background, and Luke swore just before the phone went dead.
Gabby looked up at me with a frown. Then her gaze went vacant, and I knew she was using her special sight again.
“Clay, I don’t think I have a choice anymore. Something’s happening to Luke. The other werewolves are all around him. We need to get Sam.” She turned to look at the door. “I don’t know who to trust.”
I didn’t trust Sam either. As an Elder, he had to put the pack first. He would rush to help any potential Mate for our kind. But at what cost to those women? Charlene, Gabby, this new one who Luke had with him, and the one who Charlene’s son had mentioned...Michelle. So many being found at once along with a new kind of werewolf; it all had to mean something. A shiver of trepidation ran through me.
I nodded and leaned my forehead against hers.
“I’ll stand with you, always.”
Author’s Note
If this is your first foray into the Judgement world, welcome! I hope you enjoyed Clay and Gabby’s story. To get inside Gabby’s head, you’ll definitely want to check out Hope(less), book 1 in the Judgement of the Six series (currently free!).
http://melissahaag.com/free-ebook/
For my long-time fans...I tried to make Clay’s Hope a novella. I really did! But Clay had more of a story than I’d anticipated. Let me know what you thought of Clay’s story. When first released it, I asked if I should I write the rest (Emmitt, Luke, Carlos, and the final mystery man) or if this felt like too much of a rehash. The emails poured in asking for more. So, I’ve written Emmitt’s Treasure. :) Read more about it here.
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Hope(less)
A riveting, sweet romance by Melissa Haag
In a world filled with people, Gabby is uniquely alone. The tiny sparks she sees in her mind represent the people around her, but she doesn't know why she sees them. A chance encounter leads her closer to answers she's struggled to find and into a hidden society where fur is optional.
“Gabby, wait,” Sam called.
Hearing him stand and follow me caused my stomach to dip. My steps slowed for a heartbeat. Stepping through the door could compromise my wellbeing...but staying inside wouldn’t get me answers. The door beckoned. I stepped through onto a packed dirt path and looked around.
The light that spilled from the door illuminated a small area. The trees that crowded the building left only a small gap of about twenty feet between the treeline and the roofline, which cast the area in an early dusk. In the cleared space near the back door, twenty men waited quietly. I frowned, puzzled. Something still felt off. I’d expected to see many more given the rushed Introductions.
Closing my eyes, I breathed deep and focused. Tiny sparks flashed around me in the darkness. Sam, I saw, stood to my right. His spark glowed steadily, not blinking at all. The group of twenty was different.
Some of the werewolves’ lights blinked like strobes. Some faster, some slower. Some so slow, I at first thought they might have left. As I studied them, it began to make sense. I wasn’t seeing werewolves quickly running all over the place, rather an arrhythmic indication of a werewolf’s location. I focused beyond the twenty. Lights too numerous to count stood out in the darkness. It would take hours to meet them all.
Had all the prior Introductions been a farce, a game to keep me from running until Sam could arrange the real thing? How strongly were the Elders determined to see me Mated? Would they let me leave unMated? Had my thoughts of college been a dream? I struggled with my growing frustration and panic. No. Not a dream. I wouldn’t give up.
I opened my eyes already knowing that the group of twenty had doubled. I studied their faces and noted more bruising and blood. Some men dressed in jeans and shirts while others wore clothes too filthy from fighting to identify. Seeing the filth and blood, I understood why they wanted to rush the Introductions. Too many werewolves had arrived for this; and the Mating challenges the Elders feared, had begun.
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. Anger churned in my stomach at Sam for not telling me. I felt tricked and yet sad for the men waiting.
“Sam,” I said, turning my gaze on him. There was nothing playful in my look. I wanted to tell him that I would never forgive him for this but knew the werewolves listening would take my words as a rejection. It would take away what little hope they had facing these numbers. Instead, I let my look convey everything I felt.
He lowered his gaze and broke eye contact, something he never did first. Good. He knew.
I turned away and studied the growing crowd. I’d lived among them enough to know not to show intimidation. They respected strength. With their hearing, I didn’t need to raise my voice. Even those still hidden within the trees would hear me.
“No more fighting. There’s no need to wait and fight for your place in tonight’s Introduction. I will meet you all. Start a line here, and I’ll walk it. If I am not right for you, there is no need for you to remain after I’ve passed you. You may leave and know that I am honored by your presence here tonight.”
Men silently stepped from the trees and moved to create a line as I’d asked. They continued to emerge from the woods even as the line extended around the corner. Because of that, new rows started behind the first line. The shuffling continued until roughly five hundred gathered. So many men focused on me, all at the same time, made my stomach churn. If they were human...I suppressed a shudder at the thought.
Ignoring the vast number, I moved toward the first man, nodded stoically, then turned to start the slow walk down the line. The Elders kept pace with me. I didn’t bother pausing to meet anyone’s eyes. Only my scent mattered.
As I’d asked, those without a strong interest stepped out of the line and walked back into the woods. It allowed those behind them to move forward and take their place. When I reached the end, I turned around to walk it again. I paced the line several times in silence so all would get their fair chance. As the number remaining decreased, my mood lightened. Sam made note of names as needed. Soon only a handful of men remained.
While my future loomed brighter, theirs dimmed. I nodded solemnly to those remaining and watched them melt back into the trees. I truly felt for them, but I’d experienced no attraction to any of them—no pull that Sam and other Elders and werewolves had assured me I would feel when—not if—I met the one. A triumphant smile wanted to break free, but I contained it, not wanting to offend anyone. Finally, my duty was complete. I breathed deeply of freedom, ready to go back to my room.
Behind me, the Elders moved, reminding me of their presence. My mood shifted. The anger and betrayal from their lack of warning resurfaced. With a stiff back and tight mouth, I made my way toward the door and the waiting Elders. I didn’t meet any of their eyes.