Late in the evening, everyone in the company stopped to camp for the night. Orion went into the forest to search for dry wood to burn, Clara stayed behind and stayed close to Cage. Her hands were freezing.

"Stay close to me." Cage whispered and pulled Clara into his chest, his legs gently entwining with hers as they both sat on the ground, a thin padded blanket beneath them.

"Why are you always so clingy and needy?" Clara asked, and snuggled into Cage's chest. Perhaps she was starting to enjoy the close proximity between Cage and herself.... Just this once.

Cage smiled nervously and glanced away. "You're my mate." He replied dryly.

"That's not an answer. I expect you to explain yourself." Clara stood her ground, still gripping onto Cage's shirt like a helpless child.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked, a confused look on his face.

Clara paused, hesitant to bring up what Cage had said earlier today when he saved her. I want to mark you. I want to make you mine. Those words made her breath hitch, and her heart race,
but she had to push him away. She wasn't ready for that. Not yet.

"This morning, you said you wanted to mark me..." Clara almost whispered, but Cage heard her small words nonetheless.

"Yes, and I do want to, but I won't ever force you Dani. I want you to beg for me." Cage whispered the last part into Clara's ear.

Clara glanced away from Cage, needing a distraction from his words that were making her feel things again she knew she shouldn't.

Angelica stole momentary glances at Cage and Clara from many feet away. She sat beside her bag and fiddled with the bracelet on her right wrist, not paying Callum- the man beside her who was staring at her intently- any mind.

Clara knew Angelica didn't want Callum. She wanted Cage. The thought made Clara frown, a small morsel of jealousy arising in her.

"She's in heat," Cage watched as Clara eyed Angelica carefully.

"That's why Callum is losing his mind over there." Cage nodded towards Callum.

"How do you know?" Clara furrowed her brows.

"Everyone here except you and Orion can smell it."

"Does it effect you?" Clara glanced up at Cage, her eyes curious.

"No, not anymore. Your scent overpowers her heat."

"That's good." The words slipped out of Clara's mouth before she could stop them.

"Is someone jealous?"

"No." Clara defended.

"You're lying to me."

"No I'm not." She huffed in response.

"Lying to an alpha is a crime punishable by death..." Cage smirked.

"I'm not a werewolf."

"You're right, you aren't a werewolf. You're an alpha werewolf's Luna." Cage ran his hand through Clara's soft hair, the red strands glowed in the moonlight.

Clara grabbed Cage's hand from the back of her head and pushed it away.
"You're treating me like I am chained to you in some way. You should know this about me," Clara looked into Cage's eyes. "I'm no ones property, and I will certainly never be yours. No matter if I'm marked or not. Be careful what you say so me, or you may end up losing the little wager you have with Kai. Don't think I didn't know about that."

The wager. Clara overheard Kai and Cage whispering late the other night after everyone had fallen asleep. They thought Clara was asleep, but they were wrong.

"I'll bet you my sword that she chooses Orion over you." Kai laughed and Cage growled, his hands balled into fists.

"She wouldn't. She won't. You know he's no match for me." Cage had replied in an angry whisper.

"Then, it's a bet you aren't afraid to lose?" Kai glanced at his sword, the sharpened metal making a metallic sound as he slid the blade from it's
sheath.

"What do you want me to wager in return?" Cage asked, unsure as to what Kai would want if he won.

"The Alpha claim." Kai's face was expressionless. He was dead serious.

Cage laughed a deep, guttural, mocking sort-of laugh. "Why would I bet you something that is rightfully mine?" Cage asked, a glimmer of anger left in his eyes.

"Because we both know it isn't rightfully yours."

"You always blame me for the sins of my father. And just to prove to you that I am not like him, I will agree
To your wager, but I want more than just your sword... If I win, I want you to renounce any right you have to the alpha claim. You may be my half brother, but we both know that we will never be family." Cage stood and walked away from Kai.

Clara had recalled Cage's entire conversation that night. It hurt her heart to hear Cage wager on Clara's affection... Love? Or by 'choose', did Kai mean something else? Did he mean, he thought she would choose to fall into bed with Orion instead of Cage? If so, that was even more nauseating and sick to think about. How dare the both of them assume Clara's future intentions.

"Dani, don't you walk away from me!" Clara had gotten up from where she sat with Cage and began walking away, tears brimming in her eyes.

Clara sucked in a breath and gently wiped her eyes, there were no longer remnants of tears left. She wouldn't let herself cry, not tonight.

Clara walked towards Angelica, who looked bored at this point. Clara stopped in front of her and smiled meekly.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" Clara asked Angelica and held out her hand in an attempt to clear the air.

Angelica hesitated. Perhaps she really wanted some fresh air, or perhaps she wanted to escape from the needy male werewolves around her. She couldn't tell for the life of her. All Angelica knew was that, taking a walk with the girl in front of her might not end up being that bad.

Angelica took Clara's hand and pulled herself up from the ground. She dusted off her pants before walking beside Clara slowly.

"You looked like you needed a distraction back there." Clara said nervously, unsure of what to say.

"Yeah..." Angelica replied, she hugged herself tightly.

The air was chilly and the smell of damp wood lingered in the forest. Clara breathed in deeply, the air from her lungs turned to white smoke in the air as she exhaled.

"I'm sorry if I have upset you in some way." Clara was tired of feeling the animosity between Angelica and herself.

"You haven't done anything wrong. It's just hard to see him happy." Angelica said.

"I don't think Cage is happy. He's just... Well, he's Cage. All serious and harsh." Clara shook her head.

"I've never seen him so distraught and confused, and happy. Given our past, it's just hard to see that he has moved on." Angelica almost whispered.

Clara stilled, confused as to what to say. Angelica and Cage had a past relationship? She let the information sink in.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Angelica asked, surprised.

They both stopped, now standing in the thick of the forest alone.

"You two were together?" Clara asked.

"Well, I- I suppose it wasn't a committed partnership per se..." Angelica trailed off.

"Thank you for telling me. I hope that,  even though you and Cage have a past, it won't come in between our friendship. If you ever need to talk to anyone, I'm here to listen." Clara smiled genuinely and Angelica smiled back after a moment.

"Of course. . . I'm not one to be kind and understanding, but I suppose that is just because I don't talk to many people. Unless you count brooding werewolves." Angelica chuckled and Clara joined in.

"What did you do in the den? Like, do you have a craft or hobby?" Clara asked after a moment, her laughter subsiding.

"Not really. Female wolves aren't allowed to work. We are supposed to have families and settle down. My mother-" Angelica stopped talking, realizing she had said too much.

"Your mother..." Clara wanted Angelica to continue.

"Don't repeat this," Angelica eyed Clara and she nodded. "My mother sometimes said- 'In a society of chauvinistic males, a woman's dreams are irrelevant'." She finished.

Clara frowned. So, werewolves have an old fashioned viewpoint on the roles of woman.

"Do you have a dream?" Clara was curious.

Angelica shook her head 'no', and glanced down, she was fidgeting with the button on her short cloak.

"We all have dreams.." Clara pushed.

"I've always wanted to go to a tavern, like a place where people talk and drink. Don't ask me why." Angelica confessed shyly.

"I've been to one before. There is one in The Willow. Perhaps we can take a slight detour towards town. It might actually save us some time." Clara suggested.

"Really?! What was it like? And, I don't think Cage will allow it." Angelica became giddy before frowning.

Clara chuckled. Angelica was acting so childlike, it reminded her of the days she used to babysit the Lionus girls.

"It wasn't my scene. I went because I needed a job. Before I could even ask if they needed a server, a drunk man mistook me for a working girl. He wanted an hour of my time in exchange for gold. I ran out of the tavern as quick as I could." Clara remembered. It was scary and nauseating to hear the man's inappropriate advances, but she luckily never saw him again after that day. He was so drunk, she realized after the fact that he must have simply mistook her for another red head girl.

"I'm sure no one will mess with us while the boys are around." Angelica nodded confidently.

"I will ask Cage if we can take the detour. I don't think any vampires are going to be drinking and dancing in The Extent tavern. At least, I believe that it what I remember the sign out front saying it was called." Clara saw a sparkle of excitement and nervousness in Angelica's blue eyes.

"He's stubborn... Do you think he'll agree?" Angelica raised a brow.

"He will." Clara assured.