by Melissa Haag
Part of me couldn’t wait to get him alone and yell at him for not talking to me for so long. Another part of me wanted to skip talking altogether and get back to the kissing part. And yet another part of me wanted to ask his thoughts about my gifts and the lights I saw.
When he carried me into our little room and set me on my feet after closing the door, I did none of those things. I stood mere inches from him still too stunned, and very unsure, to do anything but stare. Where would we live? How would we support ourselves? What about my education? His job? Was he upset I bit him under the influence? Should I tell him about the other wolf? Did he have ideas about the weird colored lights?
I trembled. He no longer smiled, but his eyes still twinkled.
“Why?” My high, strained voice made me sound like a child. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Why wait until now to talk?” Apparently, my curiosity had won.
He quietly studied me for a moment then opened his arms. I didn’t hesitate, but stepped right into them. I needed his comfort. He tucked me against his chest and gave me his explanation in a simple, heart-melting way.
“If I’d spoken, even just one word, I would have never been able to hold back what I feel for you. You would have run.”
I remembered the day he’d plopped down on the towel next to Rachel. Had he arrived any other way, I would have tried to kick him out. If that wouldn’t have worked, I would have...run. Even then, he’d known me. I hadn’t been ready for any monumental life changes then and wasn’t sure if I was now.
I pulled back and met his gaze.
“Can I finally get answers from you now? You’ll keep talking?”
He smiled at me and nodded. Well, he’d never be a chatterbox.
“Do you think I’m right about the—”
With sudden seriousness, he interrupted me. “Now’s not the time. We’ll talk later.”
“No way, we’re talking now. If not about that, then something else. I’ve waited over six months to hear your voice.”
He didn’t look too motivated to talk, yet.
“You owe me. I bit you.” It sounded a little backwards, but he smiled for a moment before the look turned puzzled.
“How are you feeling?”
His question gave me pause. Where were the waves of backlash? Shouldn’t I feel sick or something by now?
“Good, actually.” I’d felt great since I bit him.
Curious, I stretched my awareness. Two of the waves had already hit me, but I hadn’t felt a thing.
“It’s weird, but I don’t feel sick.” No backlash. Did that mean I would no longer have a pull on men? The idea excited me. I tried pushing my sight further, and it worked.
In Clay’s arms, I focused easily, seeing things I’d missed before. The humans dominated the majority of the space while the werewolves claimed an insignificant portion. Far to the east, a large gathering of blue-grey werewolves hid among the humans. I stayed focused on their group, concerned. If they congregated together, they understood their difference.
“I think we need a safe place to talk.” Although werewolves tried to respect each other’s privacy, I didn’t want to chance anyone overhearing what we needed to discuss.
Clay nodded, but glanced at the door without moving. I followed his gaze and my shoulders slumped as I looked at the wood panel. I had a good idea who hovered outside. He’d given me my answers and now wanted his own.
I slipped from Clay’s arms and yanked the door open. As I expected Sam leaned against the wall opposite the door. Waiting. Probably listening, too.
“Sam, since we don’t have any privacy, we’d like to use the conference room. There are a few things we need to discuss.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Sam said, motioning for me to lead.
“Clay and I, Sam,” I clarified as I stepped from the room. “I don’t have any answers for you.”
“Gabby—”
“No. Now it’s your turn to be bossed around and told what to do. I did what you wanted and Claimed one of you. Lay off.” My stomach churned, and a little fear crept in. Talking to Sam like that was like poking a bear with a stick. Though he’d never given me reason to fear him, he could rip my head off in a blink. I never forgot that.
Sam didn’t say anything behind me, but continued to follow me. I didn’t turn around to look but knew Clay followed Sam. I needed to stop baiting Sam and smelling like fear. It didn’t help any of us.
I opened the door to the soundproofed conference room and turned to face Sam. He’d schooled his features to appear perfectly calm and blank, but his spark glowed like a fanned ember.
“Sam, I’m trying to do what’s best for me, Clay, and the pack. There’s a lot I haven’t told you, things I haven’t told Clay. Give me some time to sort everything out. I need to make sure your goals mesh with mine before I can fully confide in you.” He looked hurt by my words, but I didn’t regret them. I was trying to be honest and give him what information I could to help explain my behavior.
He studied my face for a long moment then stood back and let Clay join me in the room. “I’ll be here.”
I nodded and gently closed the door. I’d figured he would wait.
When I turned to Clay, I found him watching me. He looked puzzled. Probably trying to figure out what I hadn’t told him. He knew so much already. But what would he think about my reaction to the man who’d broken into our house?
I rubbed my hand through my hair. “I’m not sure where to start.”
He pulled me into his arms. “Anywhere. I’ll listen.”
He always did. I smiled and started with the easiest thing. “I can see everything, Clay. Without pain.” I pulled out of his arms and continued to look. “Even without touching you, there’s no pain. I can see so much more than before. Why?”
“It’s our link.”
“Wait. I thought the link happened when...” I didn’t really want to bring that up. We’d moved a little fast with the Claiming, and I didn’t want to seem overly eager about the Mating. No mixed signals.
He read my hesitation and quirked a smile. “The full link happens after the Mating is completed. With the Claiming we have a more limited version of that connection.” His smile faded, and he looked at me sincerely. “It can still be broken. If there’s another potential Mate out there...by biting him, you can break our bond and create one with him.”
My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe he’d said all those words. I hoped he didn’t say that potential Mate part because he thought I still doubted us.
“Don’t use up your word quota for the day.” He grinned, and I stuck out my tongue before getting serious again.
“Clay, I won’t be biting anyone else. Ever. But I do have something to tell you. When those wolves attacked...the second one...” I trailed off, trying to find the right words. I didn’t want to hurt him. This should qualify as the best day for us. Would telling him turn it into the worst? He nudged me as he often did when in his fur. It made me smile sadly as I admitted the truth.
“I felt the same pull with him as I do with you. I don’t understand why that would happen. Sam said just one. Experiencing that with someone else confused me and made me feel horrible, like I cheated on you.”
He sighed and shook his head, smiling softly at me. “I saw what happened. It worried me, but the kiss in the car helped me understand how you feel. Don’t worry about it.”
He’d known all along? His impatient finger tapping made more sense now.
I met his eyes and smiled back. His easy acceptance of everything that’d happened finished melting my heart.
“I love you.” My admission took me by surprise.
I didn’t see him move. He embraced me again, crushing me in a spinning hug. The room twirled around us at a dizzying speed, and I didn’t attempt to focus on it. Instead, I looked down at Clay’s face. He wore a huge smile. I grinned back
and noted his canines were normal for the first time ever.
“Oh!” I squirmed to get down, excited at the size of his teeth. He grudgingly released me. “Please can we get rid of the beard?” Yes, I hopped from foot to foot like a kid begging for cotton candy. I wanted to see him just once without facial hair. If he wanted to grow it back, I wouldn’t mind. I’d fallen in love with him as he was, after all.
He nodded, laughing at me.
“And I still want to get my degree. Can we stay where we are until then?”
Before he could say anything, his eyes shifted to the door. My joy-filled smile faded. I still needed to figure out what made Elder Joshua different from other werewolves. No doubt, it related to me in some way. Why else would I be able to see the colors? For a moment, I thought about my mom and all the questions I would ask her if she still lived.
I stepped closer to Clay and laid my head against his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Everyone I’ve ever loved this way I’ve lost,” I said, recalling my earliest memories of my mom and grandma. I hugged him close. “Don’t let me down.”
“I won’t. You’re stuck with me forever,” he whispered as he held me close.
I pulled back enough to meet his eyes and knew without a doubt I’d found the perfect man. He would stand by me. Always.
I kissed his lips, wishing we had time to be just Gabby and Clay, the newly engaged couple. Then, I smiled. We would have time. Eventually. Like he said, he wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was I.
Something chirped behind me. It took a second chirp for me to recognize the sound of my own phone. I groaned at the interruption, but pulled back from Clay’s warm embrace, not quite leaving it, to pluck the phone from my back pocket. Luke’s number flashed on the screen.
As soon as I hit “talk,” Luke spoke in a rush without waiting for my greeting.
“Gabby, I have a problem,” he shouted over the roar of an engine. Something popped loudly in the background. Luke swore. The phone went dead.
The three-second conversation left me speechless. I pulled the phone away from my ear to look at it. What the hell was going on? Safe in Clay’s arms, I stretched my senses and searched for Luke. I found a yellow-violet spark and a lone blue-green spark—Luke...and the other spark like me—swarmed by blue-grey sparks.
“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.” I turned to look at the door. “I don’t know who to trust.”
Clay nodded and leaned his forehead against mine. “I’ll stand with you, always.”
Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed the first book in the six book Judgement series. If you fell in love with Clay and Gabby, don’t worry...this isn’t the last you’ll hear from them. The cast will continue to grow, with more couples for you to love, as the series progresses.
Continue reading for a sneak peek of Michelle’s story, the second book in the Judgement Series.
For more information regarding other titles, to sign up for my newsletter, or to read exclusive content, please visit my website https://melissahaag.com.
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Sneak peek of (Mis)fortune
Judgment of the Six: Book 2
By Melissa Haag
Now Available!
Clotted potatoes stuck in my throat when I tried to swallow. I tried again, and they went down. The overladen plate of food mocked me. I didn’t want to eat. I wanted to go hide in my room, away from our dinner guests. I almost blanched just thinking the word guest. It didn’t at all describe the men sitting at the table with us.
Blake asked my stepfather, Richard, a question about their latest stock investment, and I looked up dutifully. Just as quickly, I looked back down at my plate like the meek, little mouse Blake wanted me to be. I didn’t mind playing a meek part when sitting with these men. Blake didn’t give me trouble, but the other ten men with him often did. Dinners went smoother if I kept my eyes on my plate.
Blake sat at one end of the table, with my stepfather at the opposite end. I, unfortunately, always took the middle seat on the side with five chairs. It gave me more room than if I sat on the other side. If given a real choice, I would have rather sat next to Richard.
The six men stared at me through the entire meal. At every dinner different men stared at me. How many business associates did Blake really have? These dinners had been happening since my mother died four years ago. Once a month, every month. I hated them. I felt like a freak on display. Hey, come on in! Have dinner with the freaky girl who predicts the market and makes us all rich. Don’t worry, she doesn’t bite. She’ll do exactly as I say.
I thought of my brothers, who slept in their beds, and forked another bite of potatoes into my mouth. Yep, I would do as Blake said. He’d made it painfully clear who he would punish if I didn’t.
One of the men across from me nudged my foot under the table. I didn’t look up. It would just play into whatever he planned. Probably some lewd gesture. For business associates, as Blake usually introduced them, they dressed more like mill workers, wearing torn, stained jeans and ragged shirts. They were sometimes unwashed, too. I didn’t judge them by their appearances, though. Their actions told me what I needed to know about them.
The man kicked me again, harder. I tucked my feet under my chair in an effort to avoid his long reach as Blake asked me a direct question.
“Are you trying to withhold your latest premonition, dear?” He sipped his wine and watched me.
“You know I haven’t,” I said in a quiet, biddable voice as I met his gaze. If I tried keeping a premonition to myself, I got sick. First it was just a niggling headache. However, the longer I held the information inside, the worse the ache grew until, finally, I broke down and started babbling the information with pain-filled tears.
“Sorry, Blake,” Richard said from down the table. “She gave me the information yesterday. When I went in today, I just invested what we discussed last night. I didn’t think you wanted me to bother you with it.”
I lowered my gaze to my plate again. A puppet, that’s all I was. Just then, the man across the table kicked me again. I looked up, eyes blazing with hate and whispered two words—they rhymed with “pluck you”—that sealed my fate.
In a blur, Blake shot from his chair, sailing toward me over the table. His hand curled around my throat and the momentum of his move carried me backward, lifting me up. My long skirt tore when it caught briefly on my tipping chair. Before I could blink, Blake slammed me against the wall, pinning me by my throat. My feet no longer touched the ground.
My stunned mind couldn’t comprehend what just happened. No one should be able to move that fast.
Barely breathing, I panicked, and fought to pry away his hands, forgetting to be meek. He laughed and squeezed a little harder. Behind him, Richard stood, but said nothing.
The calculated look in Blake’s eyes reminded me of his expectation. Swearing at his “associate” hadn’t been a bright move. Still trying to wheeze in air, I stopped clawing at his hands and instead wrapped my hands around his forearm for support. His hold loosened, and I gasped. The air burned, but I didn’t stop pulling it in.
All the men at the dinner table watched us, and the one who had kicked me, smirked.
“The time for niceties is at an end. We’ve amassed our fortune. It’s time for the next step. You will choose one of us and evolve your abilities as you were born to do.”
I barely heard his words. His teeth claimed my attention. As he spoke, they grew. Elongating. Already panicked because of the hand at my throat, my racing heart kicked into overdrive at the sight of his canines. His face changed slightly as his jaws expanded to accommodate his teeth.
He can’t be human. What is he?
His grip tightened with his next words.
“You will allow each male
here, and every male I bring from this night forward, to scent you. If we decide you are his Mate, you will bite him and establish your Claim.”
His hold loosened. Still gasping for air, I didn’t immediately register that my feet again touched the ground. Bite one of them? He dropped his hand and moved away from me but his piercing gaze held me in place.
“Frank, since she offended you, you can go first.”
Frank quickly leapt over the table, his teeth also abnormally long and pointy. Swaggering toward me, he leaned in close and licked my neck. A shiver of revulsion ran through me.
“You’re mine,” he whispered before he moved to allow the next man close to me.
I turned my face from them and pressed myself against the wall. Despairing, I closed my eyes. Tears fell from the scrunched corners. I couldn’t escape.
After the last man leaned in close to my neck and inhaled deeply, Blake commanded me to leave. I fled to my room and locked the door behind me.