CHAPTER NINE

“Sarah? Are you okay?”

Caleb pushes open the door to the cabin and I sigh in relief. I run to him, jumping into his arms as he embraces me and nuzzles into my hair.

“I missed you,” he says. “I’m so glad you’re still safe.”

“Did you see my parents?”

He nods. “They know you’ve been banished, but that you’re okay. I was going to send them away too, for their own safety, but Malcolm wants them to stay at the pack house. I guess he thinks we ought to keep an eye on them.”

“You’re the Alpha, though,” I point out.

“I know. But Malcolm has a lot of support among the other pack members, and it’s not the time to pick a fight with him. At least with them in the pack house, I can look out for them too.”

“Thank you.” I rest my head against his shoulder. Then I notice he’s brought a large bag with him. “What’s that? Are you staying here with me?”

He smiles, kissing me on the forehead. “For a little while, at least. I brought you some clothes, and books, and a few surprises.”

“Surprises?” I break into a grin. No one has ever brought me a surprise before. “What are they?”

“Can’t tell you yet,” Caleb says. “That’s why they’re surprises. It’s late - let’s head to bed, and I’ll show you everything tomorrow.”

He carries me into the bedroom, where a huge oak wood bed stands in the middle of the room, covered in warm quilts. We cuddle up together and I soak up his heat, inhaling his scent. This is so much cozier than sitting near the fireplace by myself, and I feel my eyes slip closed as he holds me.

In the morning, Caleb pads barefoot into the kitchen, fixing us both a hot breakfast. As we eat, though, my eyes keep flickering over to the bag sitting near the door.

Finally, he stands up, a twinkle in his eyes, and takes my hand. “Time for the surprise, beautiful.”

He shoulders the bag and leads me out the front door of the cabin. We stay on this side of the creek, but he leads me along a narrow trail that heads up a steep mountain ridge. Soon, we’re at the edge of a cliff overlooking a gorgeous vista, a sparkling blue lake surrounded by massive trees and smooth gray boulders.

He sets the bag down on a flat, sun warmed rock, and starts to take things out of the bag. First, a red and black checkered flannel blanket, which he lays on the ground and gestures for me to sit on. Then, a tiny foldable table, complete with a little tablecloth and miniature candlesticks which smell like juniper when he lights them.

He produces a velvet black pillow for me to sit on, then an identical one for himself, and begins to lay the table with plates, silverware, and a huge spread of incredible food.

“This looks amazing,” I say, setting a napkin in my lap and reaching for a bite.

“This picnic set belonged to my mom and dad,” Caleb explains, pointing to a monogram engraved on the candlesticks. “He used it to take her on their first date, when he started to think she might be his mate. By the time the candles had burned halfway down, she says, she knew she was going to be his Luna.”

“That’s a sweet story.”

“Thanks.” Caleb pours me a drink, sweet dark pomegranate juice in a slim crystal glass. “I always liked to hear that story. My mom died when I was little, so I would ask my dad to tell me about his memories with her.”

“I’m sorry,” I say.

Caleb shrugs. “An Alpha’s family is always in danger. My dad died a few years ago, too. He taught me to always protect myself. That’s why I wear this.” He reaches into his shirt collar and pulls out a necklace, a gleaming sapphire jewel set in a carved black stone that hung on a simple leather strap.

“What is that?” I ask.

“It’s an amulet,” Caleb explains. “There’s magic in it - deep, ancient magic from an especially powerful werewolf who lived centuries ago. It’s been in my family for generations.”

“What does it do?”

Caleb smiles, turning it over in his hand. “It has a protection spell on it. It prevents the wearer from being betrayed.”

“Really?” I’ve never heard of a spell like that, but then again, Omegas like me and my family don’t usually inherit magic amulets, or even any real powers of our own.

“My dad used to wear it - as an Alpha, he had plenty of enemies and people who would easily betray him to take over his position. It kept him safe, and then he gave it to me when he thought I was old enough to need it. I was going to take over as Alpha of this pack, and he told me I ought to learn how to wield its power.”

Caleb looks at the amulet, then drops it back into his shirt and goes back to eating. “He was killed less than a year after he gave it to me. Betrayed by another Alpha of a rival pack.”

“I’m so sorry,” I say again. I never realized how hard it must be to be an Alpha, or a Luna, or anyone close to such an important wolf family.

“I try not to rely on the amulet,” Caleb says thoughtfully. “A good Alpha should be a leader who trusts his pack, and who is trusted by his pack. But I do like knowing it’s there.”

“It is really cool,” I agree. “I’ve never even seen a magic amulet before.”

“Really?” Caleb seems surprised. “Here, you can touch it.”

He pulls the amulet out of his shirt again and I reach out to close my hands around the stone. It’s warm, from his body heat, and I can feel the magical spell humming along within it.

“It’s incredible,” I breathe.

“Just like you,” Caleb says, and pulls me even closer, kissing me as I wrap my arms around him.

As he lowers me onto the picnic blanket, though, my eyes catch movement at the edge of the clearing.

Caleb sees it too. He leaps up. “Who’s there?”

Miranda steps into the clearing, her eyes glittering with cruel glee. “I thought I smelled Omega on you last time you were at the pack house,” she says, looking at me with disgust. “Just wait until the rest of the pack hears about this.”