Naturally, Sawyer's mother was surprised to see them back so early. Upon noticing her daughter so distraught, Mrs Bloodmoon immediately set about fixing Sawyer a soothing cup of tea. She offered Caleb the same, but he declined, stating that he had to head back home to discuss what happened with his parents. After kissing Sawyer goodbye, Caleb left.

It was a good thing he parked the Charger at Lee's because if the sports car had been in the main driveway, he might have punched out a window or two in anger.

By the time Caleb reached the car, some of his rage had cooled. But that didn't stop him from fuming all the way home.

Grief was a powerful thing, he knew, but that didn't give his grandfather the right to hold an entire city of supernaturals hostage for forty years. Maybe that's why Hecate struck Owen with moonfever. Caleb didn't believe in wishing ill luck on people or reveling in others' misfortunes, but he was supremely glad that there were only two weeks left until the Festival.

Short of fleeing to Máni City in Washington State for those two weeks, there was little the Bloodmoons could do without attracting attention. Caleb prayed that Dan was actually on their side and hadn't said all those things by the tent to lull them into a false sense of security.

Slamming the car into park in his parents' driveway, Caleb marched to the front door, wrenched it open, and stalked into the house.

"I hate him!" he snarled, shutting the door so hard it rattled in its frame.

"Blessed Hecate!" his mother exclaimed, racing in from the kitchen. "What's with all the screaming?"

"Grandpa! Two enforcers showed up last night while Sawyer and I were camping by the hot spring."

"Oh, no!" Mom exclaimed, going pale. "Is Sawyer all right? Are you all right?"

There was the sound of feet rushing down the stairs. Out of the corner of his eye, Caleb saw his grandmother (she asked to be called "Nonna") and Artem appear.

"Is everything all right?" Artem asked, sparks jumping from his fingertips.

"I'm fine, but Sawyer's terrified," Caleb replied, pacing. "Just as she was getting comfortable being back home, that fuckin' asshole goes and does that!"

Nonna gingerly stepped up to Caleb's mother and laid a hand on her arm. "What's going on?" she asked carefully.

Caleb took a deep breath and faced his grandmother. "Sawyer and I were camping on Bloodmoon territory yesterday. In the middle of the night, two of Grandpa's enforcers show up and start sniffing around the tent."

"And?" Nonna prompted gently.

"They left." He shook his head, still unable to believe it. "One of them was Dan."

Nonna's eyebrows rose. "Dan? Jeanette's little boy?"

"Who's Dan?" Artem asked, confused.

"Owen's sister's son," Nonna explained. "He was such a sweet little boy ..."

Caleb snorted. "Well, Dan grew up to be Grandpa's top enforcer."

"But he left you alone? Knowing that you and Sawyer were in the tent?" Mom asked.

"Yes."

Mom exchanged a look with Nonna. "That's ... that's unlike Dan."

Caleb sighed and rolled his eyes skyward, seeking guidance. "That's what's confusing, Mom. Savvy thinks it was a ruse, but I don't know ..." He shoved a hand through his hair and scuffed a toe across the wooden floor. "Dan does anything Grandpa tells him to do. He had the chance to expose us last night, but he didn't."

Artem coughed politely. "Forgive me, but is this Dan and Ryan close?"

Mom laughed dryly. "No. He's always given Ryan shit for not being 'tough enough', just like Owen."

The Russian faerie pondered this information. "Perhaps he seeks to curry favor with Ryan? To keep his position?"

"That's what I think," Caleb said, just as his mother replied, "Ryan's doing away with enforcers. Most packs don't have them anymore."

Caleb stared at Mom. "Dad never said anything about getting rid of the enforcers to me."

Mom smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Dad's kept a lot of things between us for good reason."

So Owen wouldn't find out. Caleb could hardly fault his father for that.

"Anyway," Caleb said, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "Savvy and I agreed that I should stay away from the house for now." Reluctantly on his part, he might add. "She wanted to stay inside completely, but Lee—that's her brother," he explained to his grandparents, "said that he'd keep an eye on her while she was in her garden."

Savvy loved her garden and Caleb knew that staying away from it would only make her feel worse. That's why they convinced her to at least go outside for that. Besides, a stockade fence covered three-quarters of the Bloodmoons' property.

"You really love this girl, don't you?" Nonna asked with a tender smile.

Caleb couldn't help but smile. "I do, Nonna."

"You're going to ask her to marry her, right?"

That had been his plan. Well, it still was his plan.

"Yes," he replied firmly. "I just figured that I'd wait until everything settles down to ask her."

"Well," his grandmother told him practically, "you have two weeks to find a ring. I'd get looking." She winked.

Caleb looked at his mother in surprise. Why hadn't he thought of that?

Mom smiled softly. "You let me know when you're ready to look and I'll go with you. We'll take a trip into Hillsboro just to be safe."

Caleb nodded, but then another thought occurred to him. "I really wanted to ask her parents' blessings ..." Even showing up at Mr Bloodmoon's downtown Hecate City practice would be ill-advised right now.

"They'll understand," Mom said.

Yes, he believed they would. Feeling marginally better about the situation, Caleb excused himself. He had some online searches to make.

------------

Following their aborted camping trip, Caleb texted or called Sawyer at least once daily. He didn't want to bombard her with too many check-ins, but she said that it didn't bother her. So far, nothing had happened—thank the goddess. Sawyer stayed inside for the most part but went out for about two hours to tend to her garden under Lee's watchful eye.

On Caleb's next day off, he and his mother drove into Hillsboro on a mission. They rode in Mom's practical grey Hyundai Tucson for two reasons—the Charger was too conspicuous, and Mom wanted to go grocery shopping later.

There were several jewelry stores in Hillsboro, but Caleb wanted to try a small, but well-reviewed, family-owned establishment near the suburbs. Mom pulled into the parking lot of Desmond Jewelers a few minutes after ten in the morning.

A chain grocery store was nearby, so the lot wasn't completely empty. All the better when you were trying to fly under an alpha's radar.

"Now, remember," Mom said as they got out of the SUV, "you don't have to spend two months' salary on a ring. That's just a marketing ploy."

Caleb nodded absently. While he didn't plan on going broke, nor buying something Sawyer would consider too ostentatious, he had seen a few rings within his $2000 price range that he thought she'd like.

All three human employees looked up as the two werewolves entered the store. While small, there was no shortage of merchandise. Four display cases rested near the wall, two to a side; a fifth, larger one, sat towards the back. A couple of black-upholstered chairs rested just inside the door, with another near the far-end display case. Vases of fresh flowers rested on small tables next to the chairs, as well as on the display cases. A small antique clock kept time near the register.

A blonde woman in her mid-thirties stood behind one of the display counters, going over something on an iPad; a late-sixties gentleman and another man the blonde's age stood together at the back of the shop.

The blonde looked up as the door chimed and smiled. "Welcome to Desmond Jewelers. How can we help you today?"

"I'm looking to buy an engagement ring," Caleb said, stepping up to the counter.

The blonde's green eyes twinkled. "Well, congratulations! Follow me over here, please." She stepped around the counter and motioned to the other side of the store.

Caleb and Mom dutifully followed.

"Now," the woman said, spreading her hands over the display case, "what is your price range, so I can help you select the right ring?"

"Two-thousand."

The woman nodded and slid the case open. "You must be thrilled, Mom," she said conversationally as she pulled out several selections and laid them on top of the case.

"Oh, I am," Mom beamed.

"These are all between one to two thousand," the woman said, indicating the assorted rings.

Caleb had a few ideas in mind already. Now that they were actually sitting in front of him, he found that he didn't like some as much as he had when looking at them on his laptop.

"What do you think, Mom?" he asked.

"Oh, sweetheart, she'll love anything you get her."

The saleswoman spotted his mother's rings and said, "Oh, those are so lovely. If you'd like, we can offer you a complimentary cleaning while your son browses."

Mom's eyebrows lifted. "I'd like that." She was guided to the older gentleman in the back.

"Is there a particular stone or cut that you're looking for?" the woman asked, shifting from one foot to the other.

Caleb cocked his head. "Well, she works a lot in the dirt—she gardens," he clarified.

The saleswoman caught on immediately. "So we'll take out all the rings with large stones." She moved those to the side. "She'll need something that can fit comfortably under work gloves."

Caleb was impressed with the woman's perceptiveness. He was definitely coming back. "And I was interested in the aquamarines."

After a few more questions, they managed to narrow the field down to four rings. By this time, Mom's rings were done being cleaned and she joined him at the counter.

"Oh," she exclaimed, pointing to one in particular, "that one. Doesn't that look like petals? Or ladybugs?"

The saleswoman dutifully took the ring in question out of its case and let Caleb hold it. The aquamarine was cut in a circle and indeed appeared to be held in place by petals made out of tiny diamonds.

"This is a one-eighth carat aquamarine with diamonds set in fourteen-karat white gold," the saleswoman explained.

Caleb barely heard her explanation. All he could think of when he held it up was what he was going to say to Sawyer when he gave it to her. This ring screamed: It's you. It's always been you.

"I'll take it," he said, fishing out his wallet.