Clay's Hope

Two

Several passes up and down the line thinned the number of waiting men, and I willfully unclenched my fists. The Elders noted a few names, but she showed no interest in any of them.

Finally, the last man nodded to the Elders and walked away, and there was no one left. The reality of having a Mate suddenly hit me hard. Adrenaline pumped into my blood. She really was mine, and soon she'd turn to face me.

What if she didn't show interest in me? My hands shook. I held my breath as she turned, waiting for our eyes to lock. But they didn't. She was watching her feet as she approached the door. It was the first time I'd fully seen her face. She was perfect. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and freckles dusted her cute nose.

I shifted impatiently, and the movement seemed to draw her attention. She looked up at the last moment. Our gazes met, and I felt the pull. My father had told me about the phenomena. A tug on your insides the first time you see your Mate.

She felt it, too, because she stopped walking, and her mouth dropped open a little.

I stepped out of the shadows.

"You have got to be kidding," she said softly.

That she felt the same disbelief I had made my pulse leap. I started to walk toward her unable to keep my gaze from drifting to her neck. One bite and she would be mine.

I was halfway to her when the change in her scent registered. Fear. Panic. She was frozen in disbelief, but not as I'd been. Disgust lit her features. Shame flared in my gut. Had I mistaken the pull?

The closer I got, the stronger the smell of disgust poured from her. The horror in her beautiful hazel gaze tore through the euphoria that had built in my chest. What was she seeing? The long hair, the scruffy beard? That was just the outside. There was more to me than that.

My hope withered. I should have known better.

Unable to stay for more, I turned and walked to the front of the building.

Behind me, I heard her speak again.

"Sam, I've more than fulfilled any obligation I had to you or the pack. I'd like to leave tonight."

As much as it hurt to know she didn't want me as badly as I wanted her, I couldn't let her leave without trying again.

I went straight to the blue pickup. Her scent wrapped around the thing. I breathed it in and realized she wasn't just any female. She was the compatible human I'd heard about. There'd only been one other human like her. Charlene. And she'd changed the fate of the packs. Gabby was different, special, and her presence explained the huge crowd for the Introduction.

There was a mystery around these two women. The Elders didn't know why they were compatible with us, but Charlene and Gabby represented a chance for more potential Mates. The Elders were trying to find more like these two and had set laws to protect them. This changed everything.

I couldn't treat her like other females, and my heart sank as I realized what that meant. I couldn't Claim her; she needed to Claim me. Based on her reaction, she didn't want that. But giving up wasn't an option. I had the standard six months to court her and try to win her over. Six months. The enormity of the life-changing event that had just occurred threatened to bring me down. I needed patience. But first, I needed to stop her from leaving.

I needed a plan.

Eyeing the truck, I popped the hood and looked inside. Vehicles always had amazed me. I studied the engine for a moment, inspecting all of the connections, then I reached in and started unscrewing what I could.