Hope(less) by Melissa Haag Read Free Book Online

expanded so I could
see much further in the vast darkness of my mind.  It didn’t exhaust me as
quickly as it used to.  Some sparks came in strong, glowing brightly like a
newly replaced light bulb.  Others were weak, more like a lightning bug’s
glow.  I didn’t know why, it just was.
    I closed my eyes and continued to turn a slow circle,
breathing in and out in a deep steady rhythm.  At the compound, focusing was
harder.  The lights of the werewolves tended to flash in and out of focus
regardless of how bright or dim I perceived them.  I attributed it to their
amazing speed, thinking I only watched them move.  Since I hadn’t yet shared
this ability with Sam, I couldn’t confirm my suspicion.
    In the darkness behind my closed eyes, I saw the usual
flashes of light, but the flashes jumped around in a pattern that made me
dizzy.  I could see flashes in the compound and many in the wooded area
surrounding the compound and beyond.
    I stopped turning before I made myself lightheaded.  When I
opened my eyes, facing the wood to the right of the compound just inside the
gate, I felt watched.  Not moving, I listened.  Nothing but silence and my own
breathing.  Shrugging, I turned away from the trees to walk toward the main
building.  If a werewolf lingered out here with me, they would show themselves,
or not, depending on their nature and if I’d already been introduced to them.
    Several men I’d never met exited through the main entrance
as I stepped up onto the porch.  Two gave me kind but dispassionate, perhaps
even indifferent, nods of greeting.  Mated.  The other two watched me alertly
and nodded politely.  Unmated.  I nodded a greeting in return and walked past
them, safe with the mated males nearby.  Pack law; protect unmated females from
unmated males.  Another pack law; don’t place yourself in a situation where
you’ll be alone with an unmated male or it could be seen as acceptance of his
suit.
    Stepping inside, I noticed more men further down the long
hall that branched from the main entry headed my way.  Kicking off my shoes, I
nodded and I walked past them.  Again, a mated male amidst the unmated.
    With a tingle of apprehension, I hurried toward the apartment
assigned to us.  The same one we’d first stayed in, but with big improvements. 
The sparsely furnished studio apartment with tiny bedroom now had a mini kitchen,
which included a sink, dishes and mini fridge.  It still lacked appliances for
cooking since we all took meals with the rest of the pack in the commons, which
had the communal kitchen.  The kitchenettes in the apartments were there just
for private convenience.
    Sam had already thrown his bag on the foldout couch in the
living room when I walked through the apartment door.  I walked past him tossing
my bag on my own bed thinking of the changes I’d seen in this small area since
my first visit.  Under the sofa, a plush rug protected the refinished hardwood floors. 
Pictures decorated the walls and various knickknacks adorned the room, just a
few of Charlene’s efforts to make it homier for those staying here.  Sam and I
had priority on this apartment, but I knew visiting mated werewolves used it
when we weren’t scheduled to.
    Back in the living room, I watched Sam for a few moments
trying to puzzle out his mood.  The last few informal Introductions had been
less than typical with an unusually high number of unmated males coming to the
compound from greater distances.  I figured this one would be no different.  Maybe
he worried about the number attending.
    “So, when do we get started?”  I paced around the room
enjoying standing after the long drive.
    “Soon as you’re ready I guess.”  Sam stood over his bag
riffling in the bottom, looking for something.
    “How many this weekend?”  I asked, turning from my pacing to
watch him.
    He didn’t look at me.  In fact, he seemed to be making an
effort not to look at me and had been making that effort