* * *

Alpha! Rogues in section 12!

Sage's lips parted as she looked to Remus, and the male didn't hesitate to jump up and help her with the pups in order to head downstairs—Ever since the last time she had to come down here, the basement had been renovated to secure her and the pups better.

"I'll keep you updated munchkin, stay—"
"Gun?" He chuckled and nicked his head to the large wooden cabinet. "Remember what Luke said, alright?" She leaned forward up to him and kissed his lips.

"Careful. Okay?" He nodded and hurried on out, but not before making sure the doors were all locked. Course he wouldn't put it past Rogues to find another way inside, they were sick...These ones were focused on little to nothing and despised others that smelled normal.

It was an incurable sickness, but it was that idea that caused Sage to look at her wrist.

Remmy? Can you hear me?

Sage?! Goddess, I'm heading back!

Nono, I have idea. I tell you later, can you keep on Rogue alive?

One alive—Sweetheart, can we do this later?

No. Keep one alive.

She heard Remus start to say something else but just shut him out after realizing he needed to concentrate on other voices and not worry about her. However, just as she was about to settle down onto the chair to resume feeding the pups, she heard the door start to knock.

Panic arose, quickly spreading across her body as she bundled up the twins and traded the gun's place for them. "Roe...You stay with Rue. Mama will be back soon." She whispered and closed the door, shielding them in.

She didn't dare leave the basement without loading the gun, and the was only after the door upstairs creaked open—One of Remus' 'must haves' to make sure he knew when it was being used.

And Sage had to admit, it helped on her account as well.
Especially now.

Quietly taking the stairs one at a time, she pushed the basement door open just a smidge. Though there wasn't anything in her line of sight, and after cocking back the hammer she bursted out and aimed it directly to the male in her house.

And thankfully, didn't pull the trigger.

"Goddess, Christ and the fucking gang!" Blake cursed, and it earned him a stern glare as she aimed the gun back down and placed it back on safety. Luke's teaching voice so clear in the back of her head.

"What are you doing?"
"Making sure you're okay. You all set in the basement?" Sage and her wolf felt uneasy, and it took a moment to process the emotions that were being produced.

"Is Raven okay?"
"Y-yeah, she's with her sister and mom back at the house." Sage blinked and frowned.
"Why aren't you at the house?"
"I needed to check on—"
"No. You check on your mate and pup, Blake. I'm fine." The growl was demanding in the sense that he needed to listen.

"But you—"
"Blake, I love you, but you need to check on your mate and pup.?" The thought of something happening to Raven dawned on him instantly as he rushed out of the house and sprinted off to his own.

With the sun setting, Sage had a small inkling that this was not a normal attack—So she grabbed her laptop from the counter and hurried back downstairs.

Getting the pups calmed down after being stuck in a cabinet wasn't as difficult as she first thought, as the second she moved her shirt up—The two raced to crawl off towards her.

Once they were all set and done, she laid them down into the spare play pin and settled herself to sit on the wall by the floor beside them.

It didn't take long before Sage had caught exactly what she was looking for. Everything in the Summit had experienced a Rogue attack this week, and she couldn't recall if she was told or not.

After sending a quick text to Jade, she put together another calendar—Why did it feel so timed? The wolf in her wanted to join in the fight outside, as the feeling of adrenaline was pumping through her mate with ease.

She missed that feeling.

Yet the witch in her wanted to fight with more defensives, it was much more human in remaining in the house to be the last layer of protection for the pups. Which aided now that she had a pistol just beside her.

After an hour, the last of Rogue's scent had been found and slaughtered. However, Remus kept true to his word and kept a few alive. Not knowing if they'd survive the night due to their wounds. But after everyone injured was situated with a small dose of wolfsbane to ensure the sickness wouldn't spread, Remus was finally on his way home.

Munchkin? I'm coming in, don't shoot.

Blake should've done that. I almost shoot him.

His laughter rang through the house, and Sage quickly closed her laptop. The smell or rogue was potent on his figure, as was the blood. Seeing the pup's nose twitching this way and that in their sleep caused Remus to go and take a shower upstairs quickly. Though Sage saw no reason to move the sleeping pups and made up the bed downstairs—Usually Blake and Raven would stay down here if they slept over.

Surely it was the scent of a male on the bed, but he had the need to cover Sage in his scent tease her—Demanding her pure attention after everything happened.

And the theory she had left her skull when Remus' kisses trailed down her neck. Though it ended before the two really started.

*

The expedition into the mountains was given heavy precautions, ten wolves sounded like enough. But what Crescent Moon wasn't used to was the lack of linking, which was making Remus nervous about not being able to contact Sage if need be. Prompting them to take a pack of supplies, including a satellite phone and whatever else Rebekah had deemed necessary to take.

He also didn't know how he felt in a witch or vampire being involved with the issues that his pack was facing. 

Finding out what Randal Moon was up to and uncovering the contract was too important to ignore. But besides that, Eli claimed that Rebekah's familiar would give them a good angel from up above if there was anything in the area.

Remus was having his Beta's words on repeat, "We don't have to fully trust them sir, but getting all this uncovered is going to help them too. It's not just wolves that are at stake, especially if Underground is involved someway." Enzo had been completely and utterly honest when it came to the loss of Raven, he had met Rebekah at the University—She had been heartbroken by the loss of her little sister that her mother and aunt decided she should take a break from the coven and grant her the wish of attending school.

Ezno had indeed been her Light, and he wanted to repay Luna Sage and whomever else it was to bring a brighter smile on his mate's face back—He never saw his 'Bekah in the sense of being a sister, nor had he many siblings—Excluding his coven.

Yet the mention of his coven made the wolves' backs straighten instantly. "My maker knows of my affiliation, Rebekah has a place in my coven as my mate, just as I have a place in hers." The term 'maker' made the Lycans in the room aware of their lack of knowledge and Enzo simply flashed them a smile.

"In my world, he was considered my provider after he changed me...Lucky for me, however, he is the head of the coven—Which is why I have more leeway than a normal vampire would." Sage had wide eyes throughout the explanation, and after learning as much as she had in the last week or so...It made sense for her to ask more questions.

"Maker is a parent?"
"Parent, mentor...All the above, but I am not his only prodigy, I'm simply the oldest." Sage continued to play with her hands as she mumbled the word, 'prodigy' twice over.

"Bekah says you can com-pell? What's com-pell?" The vampire instantly dashed towards the Luna and grinned towards her. Showing his eagerness to speak to the sweet wolf.  

"Careful vampire, we're learning about your kind—But a mother holding her pup can be much more territorial than a vampire." Enzo hadn't realized what the Alpha was getting at until he realized Sage's eyes had turned black.

As was Ronan's.

"My apologies, my excitement gets the better of me sometimes." At a distance Sage liked Enzo, he was kind and had an accent that reminded her of Darius. But all she could focus on was the small tips of Enzo's fangs, it caused her to sit in wait—Even with all she learned and grew from the Underground, her body felt locked in waiting.

Remus looked at Blake across the room and came over towards Sage, yet her eyes followed the fangs. "Sage? Are you okay, sweetheart?" Raven was just as confused as everyone else in the room, as the Luna never had a problem with Enzo before—They've talked on several occasions, however, the same inflection of fear crossed over when Raven took a look at his smile.

"Sage that's not him. Alright? He's not here, and he'll never be that close to you again. Okay? It's okay." Seeing the instilled fear of a vampire caused Enzo to feel guilty, both by his appearance and his lack of consideration.

"Luna Sage I'm sorry, I never meant to make you uncomfortable with—" She sniffled and shook her head quickly. "It's okay. You're a nice vampire, I forgot you have pointy teeth." Everyone had let out a held breath, while her head looked down for a moment.

"Darius says he can't see what master does like he can't see Mama Willow." Remus had growled at the name she used for the other vampire.

"You couldn't find anything with the symbol?" Enzo shook his head, making sure his fangs were not revealed—He hated making either Sage or Raven uncomfortable. "My maker said he would look into it, he was around much longer than that symbol. He's an ancient as well, but whoever this fellow is...He could be international, a few of my brothers and sisters went to investigate in Italy." Eli frowned.

"What the hell would a foreign vampire want? And why Italy?" Jack smirked, "Yeah, I thought vamps were from Transylvania." He teased, and sure a few witches had started to laugh. But Aurora held her head in her hands.

"It's Romania, you big idiot." Jack pouted and grumbled that it's 'the same thing,' which it was—But that was such a human response that Jackson was blushing in the corner that made him absolutely adorable in Aurora's eyes that she gave him a small kiss in return.

"What does Darius think that vampire is doing?"
"He can't tell me, I try to ask before...He can't tell me everything, but I remember when he first come in dream he can't talk to me because mas—his blood was in me." Remus' eyes turned abruptly towards Aurelia in confusion.

"There was vampire blood in her?!" Remus yelled, his pack mates surely feeling the Alpha voice in his tone while the others simply jumped at the octave.

Yes. Remus Moon could be horrifying when he wanted to be, yet in the midst of all of this, Hayes sat down beside his daughter on the couch. Defensive as ever, and the idea of comparing who was angrier than the other was surely beyond themselves.

A mate and a father were one of the utmost protective males in a she-wolf's life, and it certainly made her feel better that even Ronan was growling at the idea.

"Sage...What did Darius mean when he said that you had Vampire blood in you?"
"That's why I almost forgot about Darius, I don't remember last time I see him but I lost him because my wolf and blood in me. But I don't remember when he gave me blood." Aurelia took one look at Enzo and tried to calmly introduce the idea.

"I believe...And Enzo can surely explain this better than I can, but it sounds like this Vampire was trying to claim her...as his mate." A roar ripped through Remus as he suppressed a shift, and the reason he had done so was because Rue had come bouncing into the room, shifted with her onesie still on, and bounced around thinking her father wanted to play.

Perhaps it was the fact that Remus was a father now, and that he was looking at these things in a new light, but if Sage couldn't remember the idea of being given his blood then what the hell would—

"Mrs.Warren is correct, but there is a level of consent that needs to take place. I don't believe Sage was old enough when this occured, or the blood didn't take. Sometimes bonded mates of vampires aren't compatible by your so-called gods."

"Why does he want me as mate? I'm wolf."
"It sounds like the vampire knew what Willow is." Aurelia dwelled and Hayes growled, all in place of Remus who was trying to settle his shaking with the help of Rue and her tending licks to his face.

"I don't mean to cut this short, Alpha, but camping out there for more than one night doesn't sound too safe. Off-pack territory and without linking?" Eli reminded him and Remus nodded.

"Use that anger Alpha, there has to be something in that mountain relating to the contract. Use it as fuel." Aurelia seemed to be a decent prep talker and he huffed in agreement, before coming over to Sage and her cuddle bundle.

"Munchkin..." He said in a low voice, prompting Hayes to offer his arms to both his grandchildren. Allowing the Alpha and Luna to leave the crowded living room, but out of his dominance he hardly allowed her to walk the remaining steps once they were on the porch—She yelped in reaction to being picked up, especially when her legs wrapped around his waist and straddled him tightly.

Sage's forehead had leaned down to press against his, emulating a sense of closeness as she whined out. "I don't want mean mate, I want to stay here."
"You're not going anywhere." He felt her shiver, her onyx eyes returning once again as she sighed.

"Darius said evil vampire still wants me. He says to be careful. He can't see what's in the mountains but I don't think it's good." Remus growled in confirmation of understanding his worries.

"We can still link for a little in the mountains, and Rebekah will have a satellite phone just in case."
"And you stay out of trouble and be safe?" Remus claimed her lips instantly as she mewed as she struggled to get a breath in between her mate's demanding kiss.

A sharp claw on his back indicated that he needed to pull away, though the satisfied smile revealed itself instantly. In addition to the humming that followed suit on her side.

"I miss you." She whispered and he started to chuckle, the rising storm bubbling underneath his skin started to simmer—Remus had no clue how she found the strength to smile at a time like this, and searching her eyes for an answer her realized soon enough...That he was one of the many reasons.

He, the pups, her father, and her siblings...Their family.

"After the mountain trip munchkin, we're on lockdown munchkin." She growled in confirmation and gripped him tighter. "I want to come."
"Not this time, sweetheart. I don't want to leave the pup's without one of us. What if we both get hurt hun? And call me selfish, but I want you safe." He smirked in seeing her best pout and puppy eyes that Rue inherited straight out from her mama, but Remus held his ground.

He had to.

"We'll have an adventure soon, remember what your dad said about Mystic mountains? After everything is settled, we're going on vacation."
"Va-cat-ion? What's vac-a-tion?" Remus attempted to describe it, and he instantly captured what he wanted to do for a date.

"We'll go to Mystic Grimm and Arctic Crest...Grey Hallow too. And I'm sure they'll want to come and visit the pups too." Sage grinned and nodded quickly at the idea.

"And more pups?"
"Sage—"
"But I want more pups."
"Munchkin, my sanity is reaching a limit with this war and everything, I will happily mate with you all day to ensure the Moon Goddess hears our pleas in receiving a mate. But only after. After the war, after everything is settled." And Sage sealed that promise with a kiss as she leaned back for a moment.

"After everything."

______

Date: 03/07/2022

Time: 11:04

Words: 2925

Author's Note:

Onward to the mountain they go!
What will they find, nobodies knows--But I have a clue🤫👀

It's not what they're expecting, but it's the start of a solution!

I know I hinted at Rebekha's mate, Enzo, but he's going to be a real sweet pea and will hopefully end the stigma about wolves and vampires hating each other.
More of their relationship in this coming Phase.

Alrighty, you know the drill, Wednesday-Luna of Crescent Moon, and we're right back here for Friday's chapter.

Hope everyone has a great week!