by Jayme Morse
Shakily, Samara slid the phone back in her purse and tried to blink back the tears that built up behind her eyes. Had Declan changed his cell phone number just so that Samara wouldn’t be able to contact him? Even though Samara knew Declan wasn’t allowed to talk to her, she also had to wonder if he didn’t want to talk to her either. Did he hold a grudge because she had chosen Luke and the Ima over him?
Samara could just imagine Declan and Seth hanging out and talking about her – how selfish she was, how she didn’t care about them, how she had been blinded by being mated with the new popular guy in school. It made Samara feel sick to her stomach.
Just as Samara was about to open the bathroom door, it opened. Emma stared back at her with an annoyed expression on his face. “He’s not coming to the movies,” Emma said breathlessly. “He says that he’ll still meet us for coffee, but I guess we’ll see if he shows up.”
“I’m sorry,” Samara said, trying to sound sympathetic. “I’m sure he’ll be there.”
“I’m not so sure,” Emma replied, glancing in the mirror at herself. She tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. “He seemed like such a nice guy when I met him, but I don’t know if he’s dependable.”
“You couldn’t see that Jason was a jerk, but you’re picking up on this guy pretty quick,” Samara said aloud. When she saw the expression on Emma’s face after she said it, Samara wish she could have taken it back. Her best friend had a pained expression; it was obvious that she still wasn’t over Jason yet.
“It’s whatever,” Emma replied. “Maybe I’m learning how to read guys better.” She grabbed a napkin from the dispenser, and Samara noticed the blue sparkly gemstone on her finger.
“You didn’t give Jason the ring back yet?” Samara asked, pointing her chin at Emma’s finger.
“Nope,” Emma replied. “I decided that I’m not going to. It was a gift. By Pennsylvania state law, I don’t have to give it back.”
“Why would you even want to keep it?” Samara whispered.
“It’s pretty.” Emma shrugged. “It’s one of the nicest gifts I’ve ever been given by anyone. And the sapphire is legit. Do you know how much this ring is probably worth?”
Samara nodded. “Probably a lot, which is exactly why you should give it back to Jason.” She was beginning to worry about Emma; what if Jason was really mad that Emma hadn’t given the ring back? He had killed his own brother’s mate. Who was to say that he wouldn’t try to kill Emma, too, if he didn’t get the ring back?
“Don’t worry about it,” Emma said, waving her hand at Samara. “He hasn’t even asked for the ring back yet. If he does, I might consider giving it back.”
From behind her back, Samara crossed her fingers, hoping that her best friend wasn’t really as dumb as she acted sometimes.
Chapter 17
****
After the movie ended, Samara and Luke gave Emma a ride to the coffee shop that Troy had agreed to meet them at.
“I always wonder why this coffee shop is called Mr. Steam’s,” Emma said as she climbed out of the car. “I wonder if it’s the owner’s name, like Wendy’s.”
“It’s because coffee steams,” Luke murmured. Looking at Samara, he asked, How do you put up with her dumb blondeness?
Samara shrugged. You get used to it.
As long as it doesn’t rub off on us, Luke replied with a smile. Samara smiled back as she followed Emma into the coffee shop. Samara’s nostrils filled with the scent of glazed donuts, biscotti, and caffeine of all varieties.
“You’re here!” Emma chirped excitedly, strolling over to a dark-haired guy who was sitting at one of the tall tables. “I didn’t know if you’d come!”
“Of course I did,” the guy replied with a smile. “I told you I would.”
Emma turned to Samara and Luke. “I want you to meet Sam, my BFF for life,” Emma said, turning to Samara.
“Hello,” Samara said smiling at Troy. Even she had to admit that the guy was really cute. Not that she ever really thought that the guys who Emma dated were ugly. After all, Emma had once had a major crush on Luke and had even been jealous when Samara began dating him. And as much as Jason freaked Samara out, it’s not like he was an ugly guy – just a really messed up one.
There was something different about Troy, though. He looked much friendlier than any of the other guys who Emma had dated. Troy had a round face and hazel eyes that felt warm. Unlike some of the other guys who Emma had been interested in who had only worn designer clothing and matched everything, Troy just wore a brown hooded sweatshirt and a pair of jeans.
Samara completely understood why Emma was attracted to him.
“And this is Sam’s boyfriend, Luke,” Emma said, continuing with the introductions.
“I know,” Troy interjected. “We’ve already been acquainted.
“Good to see you again,” Luke muttered. Samara glanced over at Luke and noted that he looked tense . . . really tense.
“Umm, I think we’re going to get our coffee,” Samara told Emma. She noticed that Troy had already bought Emma’s cappuccino for her. “We’ll be back.”
As Samara was waiting for her latte and Luke’s hot chocolate, she whispered, “What was that about? How do you know Troy?”
Luke met her eyes. He’s a wolf, too.
What? Samara asked, turning back to look at Troy. He looked like a normal teenager. She never would have pegged him for a werewolf. Then again, she wouldn’t have pegged Luke or Colby as werewolves before she had learned the truth about them.
He’s a Shomecossee. I’m pretty sure he and Rocco are actually cousins, Luke replied.
So, what are we supposed to do? Samara asked. Should we be nice to him?
Luke shrugged his shoulders. I think we have to be. If we’re rude or if we suddenly decide to leave, Emma will know something’s up.
You’re right, Samara said slowly. Is Troy a good guy?
I don’t know him that well. If he’s anything like his cousin, he’s not, Luke replied.
We don’t know if he’s like Rocco, though. I mean, you’d think that Jason and Josh would be alike because they’re twins, but . . . they’re not alike at all, Samara pointed out.
True, Luke agreed. The look on his face told Samara that he wasn’t completely convinced by that argument. Samara figured that he was probably just jealous of Josh still.
Once the barista gave them their drinks and they paid, they went back to the table. Emma had been whispering something into Troy’s ear, but when Samara came back, she squealed,
“Welcome back! So, Troy was just telling me that we’re going to get a hotel room on the night of Homecoming if you guys want to join.”
Samara opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She had no idea what to say. Luke said, “I don’t think that’s a good night for me. I have to go out of town with my family really early the next day.”
“Oh, you’re young. You don’t need to worry about sleep!” Emma said, taking a sip of her cappuccino. “Just live a little.”
“Emma, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. If Luke can’t make it, he can’t make it. Maybe some other time,” Troy said, looking over at Luke. Samara could have sworn that she noticed a dirty look cross Troy’s face, similar to that of a glare, but the look passed quickly.
“I guess.” Emma pouted. “Well, at least you guys are going to the dance with us. I’ve arranged for a limo to pick us up at my house before the dance. Are you guys going to the Homecoming game on Friday?”
“Umm, I guess so,” Samara said. “We haven’t really talked about it.”
Luke shook his head. “No, we can’t go to the game. We have that thing on Friday night, remember?”
Samara scanned her head for what Luke might be talking about, but she couldn’t remember anything about Friday night. What are you talking about?
Just go with it, Luke said. I really don’t want to go out of my way to see Troy again before the dance.
“Oh, that’s right,” Samara
said, pretending to remember. She looked over at Emma. “I’m sorry.”
Emma stared back at Samara as though she didn’t believe her. “Okay, well, I guess we’ll just have fun at the dance then.” Samara knew what Emma was thinking; she wanted to party the night before the dance or afterwards. Just going to the dance and not getting drunk before or afterwards was lame to Emma.
“Are you done with your cappuccino, Emma?” Troy asked, sucking the remaining bit of coffee from his own cup. “We should probably get going. This place is going to close soon.”
“Oh, umm, I guess I can take my cappuccino with me,” Emma said, grabbing the cup. She glanced at Samara. “I’ll see you at school on Monday.”
“Bye,” Samara said.
Once she watched Emma follow Troy out the coffee shop door, Samara said sarcastically to Luke, “Well, that wasn’t awkward.”
*
Samara and Luke drove over to Colby’s house after they had finished their drinks at the coffee shop. Samara had been planning to call a pack meeting, so she was pleasantly surprised to find that the whole pack had already gathered at Colby’s house. Samara was even happier that Mr. and Mrs. Jackson weren’t home. She really didn’t feel like getting watched by Mr. Jackson all night.
When they got through the front door, Samara said, “Kyle, tell Josh to come over? We need to let him in on the plan.”
“He’s already on his way,” Kyle replied, grinning. “Josh must really be an Ima. He has to have ESP or something to come over at the same time we’re having a pack meeting.”
Samara smiled. She had been worrying about what would happen to Josh if he wasn’t able to become an Ima, but she hadn’t really thought about what was going to happen to Kyle if it didn’t work. Kyle would probably be devastated if his lifelong best friend had to stay on an opposing pack.
A few seconds later, Josh burst through the door. “I can’t stay long,” he said, out of breath. “But I just wanted to tell you what’s going on.”
“What’s going on?” Samara asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Jason is trying to tighten up our territory lines,” Josh explained. “According to werewolf laws, there must be fifty feet between a pack’s territory and an opposing pack’s territory.” He paused. “The problem comes in at Starlight Lake. There’s no clear line that shows where our territory ends and yours begins.”
“I just always assumed that it was somewhere near the path,” Colby said, shrugging his shoulders. “I know sometimes we wander onto the Vyka’s territory, but they come on ours sometimes, too. It’s never been a big deal to us.”
“Well, it’s a big deal to Jason now,” Josh said. “No one else in the pack cares . . . just him. I know he’s just making a big deal out of it to start drama.” He paused, focusing his light brown eyes on the ground. “I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but you should know that he also wants to claim Starlight Lake and the surrounding area as his own.”
Samara felt her jaw drop and quickly closed it. She cracked her knuckles – something she always did when she was angry. “My house is on the surrounding area. Is it possible for a werewolf to claim a person’s property?”
“Oh, yeah,” Steve replied, looking up from his place on the couch. “Werewolves do it all the time. No one in this area has ever done it before, though.”
“It’s allowed, but it’s usually thought of as taboo,” Colby chimed in matter-of-factly. “We normally look down on werewolves who do that sort of thing . . . which doesn’t make it any less shocking that Jason would want to do it.”
“I think,” Josh began, looking at Samara as though he was unsure if he should say what he was about to say, “that the reason Jason is going through all of this effort is because of you. You see, when a werewolf claims an area of land, they are allowed to kill any werewolf that trespasses onto that land.” He paused. “It’s not a coincidence that Jason wants to claim your property right around the same time that he’s decided he wants to kill you.”
Samara gulped. “Wonderful . . . that’s just lovely. So, what does a werewolf need to do to claim land? Isn’t there a way we can stop him?”
Kyle cleared his throat. “I know a way.” He turned to the pack. “I think it’s time to tell Josh about our plan.” Everyone nodded their heads. Kyle turned back towards Josh. “On the night you switch packs, we’re planning to kill Jason.”
“How?” Josh asked wide-eyed.
Kyle began explaining the plan to him, and Josh nodded. “That should work. I should probably get going now, though.”
“It’s so early,” Kyle protested. “You can’t stay a little bit longer?”
“Nope. I wish I could,” Josh replied. “That’s the other thing I wanted to tell you guys about. Jason’s beginning to get suspicious about my whereabouts. Every time I go anywhere, he starts questioning me.”
“Where would he think you’re going?” Luke asked.
“He has no way to know that I’m coming here,” Josh replied, shrugging. “I don’t really know.”
“Actually,” Samara began, “he does have a way to know. Someone from your pack told me that you and Kyle hang out secretively.”
Everyone looked up at her, surprised looks on their faces. “Who told you?” Josh asked angrily.
“Declan,” Samara replied. “I don’t know if he would tell Jason, though. At the time, he made me think that he wouldn’t . . . but has he changed?” She glanced over at Luke and blocked him out of her mind, hoping that he wouldn’t think that she had a reason to ask if Declan had changed. He looked back at her and gave her a small smile – nothing out of the ordinary. It didn’t seem like he was making a mental note of things to accuse her of later.
“Actually, come to think of it, Declan has been acting weird lately,” Josh replied, tapping his roundish chin. “I can’t put my finger on what’s different, but . . . he’s been quieter lately . . . more of a loner than he usually is.”
Samara frowned. She had never known Declan to be withdrawn . . . at least not when he was with her. Around Samara, Declan had always acted like a big brother-class clown type. It was hard to imagine him not cracking some sort of joke, but thinking back, he had even changed over the past few months. “Well, just be careful,” Samara told Josh. “I don’t know if Declan would rat you out, but I wouldn’t do anything to make him mad if I were you.”
“I won’t,” Josh said, grinning. “I never purposely try to make people mad. I better get going before I make someone else mad, though. I probably won’t see you all before the blood moon, but remember that we’re meeting in the woods behind the school.”
Samara couldn’t forget; she was dreading it.
Chapter 18
****
“I should get going,” Luke said later that night. “My mom wants me to go home.” He turned to Steve and Chris. “Do you guys mind guarding Samara’s house tonight?”
“Yeah, it’s no problem,” Steve said, nodding.
“It’s not a problem for me either,” Chris agreed.
Samara always felt bad that the guys were still guarding the woods behind her house. Jason hadn’t tried anything yet, which made her feel even worse about it. They were sleeping outdoors for no reason.
“You guys don’t have to,” Samara started to say, but Steve cut her off.
“We want to, Samara. We don’t mind. It’s like we’re camping out for the night.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of fun, actually,” Chris admitted. “I mean, especially now that I’m okay with you being Alpha and all. At first, I felt resentment about protecting you, but I feel better about it now.”
Samara smiled. It felt nice to know that she had so much protection. Sleeping at home in her own bed at night felt a lot safer this way.
“Kyle, do you want to sleep over at Samara’s tonight?” Luke asked. He glanced at Samara; the look in his eyes told her that he had been listening in on her thoughts. “I think it’s still a good idea to make sure that she has someone with her at all t
imes.”
“That’s fine, as long as I’m allowed,” Kyle agreed.
“I’ll call my mom and tell her,” Samara replied, reaching in her pocket for her iPhone. “I’m sure she won’t mind.” She stepped into the other room and dialed her mom’s cell phone number.
“Samara?” Mrs. McKinley asked when she answered.
“Yeah. What’s wrong, Mom?” Samara asked, immediately picking up on the nervous edge to her mom’s voice.
“Seth came back today,” Mrs. McKinley replied. “He wouldn’t say a word to us. He just went to his room and got some of his stuff and left again.”
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Samara murmured. Samara knew that her brother probably hated her, but was it really necessary for him to take it out on their parents? It was bad enough that he had moved out without giving their parents an explanation as to why or where he was going. It almost seemed as though he blamed the McKinley’s for everything that was going on in his life, when, chances were, their parents had no idea that both of their children (or even one of them) were werewolves.
“Are you coming home or are you going to just spend the night at Kyle’s?” Mrs. McKinley asked. Samara hadn’t told her mom that she and Luke were going to Colby’s tonight; her mom did know, however, that Samara had been spending a lot more time with Kyle lately than usual.
“I’m coming home,” Samara said. “I just wanted to tell you that Kyle is going to be sleeping over, if it’s okay with you?”
“It’s fine,” Mrs. McKinley said, sniffing. She must have been crying before Samara had called. “See you soon.”
Samara turned to Kyle. “We’re good to go.” She decided to leave out the details about Seth. For some reason, Samara still liked to keep her family life secret from the pack. Even though the pack was becoming like her second family, it was embarrassing to admit what was going on at home most of the time. Samara also didn’t think that any of them could relate to her; they had all grown up knowing that they were going to become werewolves one day, whereas it had been a complete and total shock for Samara and her brother.