Clay stood right outside the door when I opened it. My slippers waited on the floor by his feet.

“Where are my shoes?”

He shrugged and pointed to the slippers. Hey, he’d packed for me and remembered the jeans. He’d even packed underclothes and a toothbrush. If he forgot the shoes, I really had no complaint. I stepped into the slippers then squeaked when my world spun, and I suddenly found myself in his arms.

“I can walk, Clay.”

He shook his head and carried me to the door. There, he repositioned me to one arm and opened the door while I clung tightly to his neck. I rather liked the feeling. With an arm wrapped around him, I leaned my head against his shoulder and ran my fingers through his hair.

The few people in the hallways stopped and stared as we passed. At the intersection of halls, which led to the Introduction room, I stopped Clay.

“No, go outside and around back. I won’t go in that room ever again.” As childish as it might be, I wanted something about the impending Introduction to be on my own terms.

He grunted in acknowledgment. But, instead of turning to go out the nearby back door, he backtracked to the main entrance. He set me on my feet, snagged a spare jacket from one of the hooks, and carefully buttoned me in. I studied his face as he concentrated on each snap. Always thinking of me. When he finished, he scooped me back into his arms. I didn’t protest.

Bundled warmly in a thick coat, I didn’t cringe when he carried me out into the cold. The sky was dark, and the yard light didn’t reach very far. Clay carried me toward the back of the building. I couldn’t hear the werewolves as we approached, but saw their sparks briefly before a sharp pain not so gently reminded me not to look. I guessed close to seventy-five waited out there. It meant some of them had returned.

“Put me down, Clay,” I said before we rounded the corner of the building. “I’ll walk now.” I didn’t want to give the waiting unMated any reason to believe this wasn’t a fair Introduction, even though it really wasn’t. I still felt the pull for Clay.

Clay hesitated. It’d be safer for both of us if I stayed in his arms. He wouldn’t fight, and I wouldn’t fall. Yet, despite my anger over another forced Introduction, I truly felt sorry for the men who waited. The Introduction was just a false hope. One I couldn’t take away from them.

“It’ll be okay Clay. There are a lot of fast people here. I won’t fall on my face.” I spoke normally so everyone could hear. I really didn’t want to fall on my face.

As soon as he set me on my feet, I walked around the corner with my shoulders back and head held high, determined to look strong. The slippers probably ruined the image, but I pretended otherwise.

The Elders stood by the back door. Only three of them this time.

“I’m Gabby. There will be no Introduction order. I won’t have anyone left out, or leaving without a fair chance. So, instead of the stuffy cabin, let’s just do this out here.” The warmth of the jacket when not supplemented by Clay wasn’t adequate, and I started to shiver slightly. “I believe the Elders mentioned I was ill, so if I start to stammer, bear with me.”

The men began to line up. So many looking for a Mate, and this was just a fraction of what was really out there. Some were too far away to answer such a short notice call. I wondered how many of their kind I still hadn’t met.

I met the eyes of several as I walked slowly down the not yet fully formed, long line. As I’d anticipated, the shivers grew more noticeable. This time the tremors were due to the cold, not my fatigue, and I fought not to duck further into my jacket. They needed to smell me. I kept walking and listened to Clay keep pace with me, just a few steps behind. Several of those I passed glanced at Clay, but no one actually commented on his presence.

Walking helped warm me a little. While the shivering didn’t go away, it at least didn’t increase.

A few exceptionally young Weres stood mixed in the line. I smiled kindly at each of them. For the most part, I paced in front of the line as if I performed a quiet military inspection. The males scented me as discreetly as possible, so hopeful for some type of connection. Many walked away after I passed.

About halfway down the line, I noticed a man step back and retreat into the woods. No unMated male walked away from an Introduction before being Introduced. It just wasn’t done. The possibility of meeting a Mate was too important to them. Suspicious, I used my other sight despite the knowledge it would hurt. I pushed myself to look as far as I was able and gasped. A jolt of pain pierced my temple and forced me to close my other sight. My hand flew to my head, cradling it.

Clay moved so quickly, my hair lifted in his breeze. He stood close enough that I felt his heat at my back. I forced myself to straighten. The werewolf I faced looked confused. His eyes moved to the Elders standing several steps behind us.

“Gabby,” Sam began, but I held up a hand.

“A moment, please,” I managed to say.

Although it’d been a brief glimpse, I had seen a blue-grey spark moving away from our group. In the distance, three other blue-grey sparks waited. I couldn’t say anything to Clay since I held everyone’s attention, but I glanced at him. He studied the worry on my face for a moment then looked around. I felt safer because of it but still wished I could reach out to take his hand.

Instead, I turned to the men in front of me.

“I’m sorry. Like I said, I’m not feeling well. The pain in my head just took me by surprise.” I took a steadying breath and continued my slow progress. The werewolves I passed watched me with concern. I probably looked even worse than I had just a moment ago.

More than halfway down the line, I came across a face I knew. He studied me, his playful smile from our last meeting absent. I used him as an excuse to stop and rest for a minute. I’d started shaking again, not from the cold.

“A f-face I know. I’m here as p-promised.”

His eyes turned slightly remorseful at my words.

“I see that, little one. Although, it looks like you should be in bed instead.”

“I would b-be if people would j-just leave me alone.” I felt bad for saying it as soon as it left my mouth. How many times had these men stood in line hoping to meet some faceless girl? “B-but it’s not meant t-to be. So, you know my name, but I d-don’t know yours.” I made conversation to make up for my harsh comment.

“Luke Taylor, love.” He offered his hand, politely. A human custom, not a werewolf one. With my pull gone, could I safely touch him without causing some type of obsession? I hesitated and studied his face. He’d been desperate at the club, but now he looked resigned. He knew I wasn’t the one for him.

Feeling sorry for him, I accepted his hand. A mild shock went through me to him.

Time stopped as my vision tunneled. The world around me disappeared, swallowed by darkness until only a pinprick of light remained. Then the darkness exploded into a spark-filled view of the world in its entirety. The tiny lights dazzled me. The yellow-green of humanity almost consumed the world. However, diversity persisted, though small.

Slowly, the sparks of each human, werewolf, and the yet unexplained blue-grey winked out of existence until a single, faint spark tinted with a violet halo remained on the east coast. My focus changed, honing in on that light. Like reading a map, I saw its exact location. My eyes swam in the yellow-violet light for a moment. Then, with a snap like an elastic band breaking, I returned to myself.

My lungs sucked in a breath with a loud whoosh, and my heart hammered in my chest. I ached all over and felt like vomiting. Only Luke’s steady, warm hand, desperately clutched in my own, anchored me and kept me from falling apart.

Clay paced directly behind me. I vaguely imagined he wouldn’t like me holding another man’s hand for so long. I met Luke’s gaze and swallowed down my bile before attempting to speak. He eyed me warily.