I nodded and glanced at the door again. As soon as we left the room, Sam would want answers. Gabby had asked some pretty crazy questions. I had questions of my own, now.

She slipped from my arms and yanked the door open. Sam leaned against the wall opposite the door.

“Sam, since we don’t have any privacy, we’d like to use the conference room. It’s soundproofed, and there are a few things we need to discuss.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Sam said, motioning for her to lead.

“Clay and I, Sam,” she said as she 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.”

I didn’t need our link to know just how pissed she was. But she was also afraid. Of Sam. Still, she turned her back on him and started walking. Sam glanced at me. I arched a brow. He sighed and started to follow her. I followed him.

She opened the door to the conference room and turned to face Sam.

“Sam, I’m trying to do what’s best for me, Clay, and the pack. There’s a lot I haven’t told you and 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.”

I stood behind Sam as he considered what she’d said. Then, he stepped back and motioned me in with her.

“I’ll be out here,” he said.

She nodded, gently closed the door, then turned to me. She brushed a hand through her hair.

“I’m not sure where to start.”

“Anywhere. I’ll listen,” I said as I pulled her into my arms.

I felt her smile. “I can see everything, Clay. Without pain.” She pulled out of my arms so I could see her unfocused gaze. “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...”

Her immediate blush gave away her thoughts. I smiled.

“The full link happens after the Mating is completed. With the Claiming we have a more limited version of that connection.” My smile faded, and I looked at her more closely. “It can still be broken, though. If there’s another potential Mate out there...by biting him, you can break our bond and create one with him.”

“Don’t use up your word quota for the day,” she said with a slight shake of her head.

I grinned at her sass, and she stuck out her tongue. Then she grew 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...”

Her hurt came back, and I nudged her, falling back on my quiet ways.

“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.”

I sighed, then gave her a reassuring smile.

“I saw what happened. It concerned me, but the kiss in the car helped me understand how you feel. Don’t worry about it.”

She gave me a radiant smile. Then I felt something over our link. It was warm and full and everything I’d dreamed of.

“I love you,” she said.

In a blur, I wrapped my arms around her, picked her up, and spun her around. Now she was mine. My Mate in truth. My family. My place to belong.

She looked at me and laughed.

“Oh!” She squirmed to get down. “Please can we get rid of the beard?”

I set her on her feet, and she hopped from foot to foot in excitement.

I nodded and laughed.

“And I still want to get my degree. Can we stay where we are until then?”

I wanted to say yes, but two men had tried to take her, and she’d just hinted to an Elder that she thought they weren’t werewolves but something else. Sam might try to change her mind about going back to school. I glanced at the door.

She saw the look and her resentment toward Sam drifted over our link. She stepped close to lay her head against my chest and wrap her arms around my waist.

“Everyone I’ve ever loved this way I’ve lost,” she said, hugging me close. “Don’t let me down.”

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.