* * *

Sage hadn't seen Mae the hours following, which didn't help her case at all. All she had wanted to do was check in on the she-wolf, and given that even with everything that's happened, Sage still felt very protective of all of the females she arrived at Half Crescent with— And while Maeve was attempting to learn more and trying to redeem herself in the beginning, though clearly seeing Sage sitting beside Andy not having spoken about the offer just yet, had given her the wrong idea.

So even if Sage wasn't planning to explain things entirely, not when she still didn't know what was happening, or make sure she was doing alright with living here. They had lived together for a month in confinement and the months following their escape, and Sage truly wanted to fix things.

Time had been on their side, and the relationships were certainly built stronger by the day. However, when an account of three she-wolves from the Black Crescent side of Half Crescent had claimed that they didn't see the Delta, it was clear that she didn't want to be found.

And Sage certainly knew what that entailed.

Instead, she went about her day with a much more diverse attitude, wanting to consider Andy's offer.
But truly, Sage wanted to explore all her options.
And heading into the closest town would give her just the clarity she needed to check one attempt off her list.

However, sneaking out was going to prove to be difficult. Perhaps a witch would be interested.

Holly, to be exact. Given that she could shift into a Robin, which made her inconspicuous to the humans.

However, thinking about the deal made her recall the first time she had been called Luna in Crescent Moon. It had taken Luke a few times before greeting her as Luna, but that was to be expected.

He had known her as just Sage—And she couldn't imagine how he was dealing with her missing. No, she needed to make a direct attempt.

Not only that, but it felt wrong to go from Alpha to Luna, as if her wolf was growing offended by the trade.

By dinner, not much else had changed in the sense of what Alpha Andy had demanded from her during his offering.
Sage still sat beside the pups, a silent telling to Andy that she had not made her choice yet. Though, no part of her wanted to leave the pups, not when they helped calm her during their time together in the Underground.

And even if Black Crescent has mingled with Half Crescent for a while now, Sage still felt wildly protective, considering they were still young and getting used to the pack.

Thankfully, both Grey and Severin enjoyed the pup's company as well, making the situation a little easier to digest when two had stopped to say hello. But it was at that time that Sage had caught the disappointing look Andy was giving her from across the table. one that was also laced with suspicion.
So with the Beta and Delta making it a point to stop and listen to the pup's day made it worth all the stress and work put into making the pack run smoothly. And perhaps making Andy more aware that things weren't so simple on her end.

However, when night started to fall, Sage had been feeling much more tired and run down than the night before. The spike in her head had dug to the center of her skull, making her go and look for Andy as she had a question involving how to get to the town mentioned before.

But had no idea where he was.

"Severin?" She called out, and the large male stopped and turned around to hear her voice.

Hello little Luna. How can I help you?

She nodded but then made a face of disgust. "I am not Luna and I am not little. I fight big bears and I fight you before. Not little."

Hmm, you're right on that, bear slayer. I retract the phrase.

"Thank you. Alpha's not in office. Where is he?"

He went to go on patrol. Sure he'll be back in a little while...Is something wrong?

"No. I wanted to ask him a question."

Severin's eyes had turned wide, wondering if she had finally made a decision or if she was curious to know more. Whichever of the two it may be, he nearly stuttered verbally with how she phrased such a comment.

I'm not sure when he'll be back, Sage. How about I bring you to his room, I'll tell him to meet you there.

Sage hummed along. But Severin knew just what his Alpha had asked of the female—For days now. But he did just as was intended and escorted the almost Luna to the best room in the pack house.
Or that was his opinion, at the very least.

He was hoping that tomorrow, things would change, and they could move forward as a Pack towards the Conclave.

Upon opening Andy's room, and judging by Sage's face, she too was surprised by how beautiful the room turned out to be. Her head couldn't look that far up, but the better part of her knew that it was the lofted ceilings and windows that really gave it its charm.

Not that she knew much about houses or design. If anything, the room was bare and needed more carpeted fur.

But the bed was much bigger than the bunk beds the others were using.

This in itself was certainly a sign of a higher-ranked male, if she had ever seen one.

Then again, she too had experienced that perk in Black Crescent. 

Yet Severin's voice soon filled her head, pulling her out of her next thought.

How's your head?

"Hurts bad. I go to bed soon. Better tomorrow." She deemed, but Severin had his own worries as he called to his Alpha right then and there. While it wasn't a Beta's job to be this concerned with just a female who hasn't taken the title, it was the right thing to do.

When the Beta left, Sage had taken off her bear fur. Letting it air out on the table with the window open, and deciding that she could enjoy the gentle breeze while she waited.

In a moment of weakness, Sage had taken the pouch from her belt—undoing the strings to reveal the three pebbles she wanted to keep on her person.

The three that she wanted to keep close.

And there he was. Remus Moon.

It had been one of the first ones she'd done back in Black Crescent, and it was clear that the attempt wasn't very good, but it helped soothe her heart.

And that was enough for the moment, given that she couldn't deal with a broken heart and headache all at once.

With the time continuing to pass, Sage had taken the moment to drink a bit of water from her pouch—Hoping it would make her feel more relaxed and ready for a conversation.

It was bad enough that she wasn't there to help wrangle the pups to bed, but if she wanted to make progress, this was the time to act.

But the weight of today's tasks was starting to catch up with her, and so she leaned further into the chair and tilted her head to rest her eyes, hoping that it help ease her worries.

Yet the chair wasn't comfortable enough to rest on, and with a stretch and combined groan, she reclaimed her bear fur and added the extra bit of comfort. Hoping that it wouldn't make the chair so stiff. The small luxuries were nearly a thing of the past, and yes, she had been well aware of how spoiled she had been in Crescent Moon, even if everyone was claiming that she wasn't—Well, everyone besides Luke, that is.

Perhaps that was why sleeping alone was hard, as even now, in the silent part of the pack house, gazing through the open window, Sage could feel the hole in her heart seep further as she squeezed Remus' pebble tighter.

Sweet goddess—All she wanted was to be in the arms of her mate, to inhale his sweet scent and snuggle her pups.

Until yet another round of nightly torments had risen from the depths of her mind, as a thought had finally hit her...

Would they smell the same?
Would they still smell like pups?

These questions lingered as her body soon started to give out to the impending exhaustion. She felt herself slowly drifting, however, the noise of the door caused her to peek an eye open.

Seeing as it was just Andy, she began to pull herself to sit up, but he had simply come over to her side and kneeled at her side to greet her. "Hey, Sev said you weren't feeling good?"

It earned him a huff this time, causing him to chuckle. Though his impatience for her to take some medication from his own pack healer was starting to wight thin, so much so that he motioned for the water.

As Alpha, he wasn't the one to make decisions like this. To order someone to take a Healer's prescription or advice, but this was starting to become unbearable to witness.

The thought of cooling water had caused Sage to accept it, until she caught the not-so-subtle whiff of something more in it—Something that smelled like a sour chemical, and thus, she made a face.

"Water smells funny."

"Healer said it'd help, no reason to suffer through a cold. Didn't you tell me that you and the rest of your females all got a cold a few weeks ago? Maybe you're not healed up enough." That was surely a possibility, but Sage did not want to be labeled as helpless, and thus, she drank the water until there was nothing left before leaning back into her pelt.

"I wanted to talk to you." She hummed, not knowing if the dose he had just given her was the reason for her sudden relaxation, or because of the company that made it easier to forget the dooming thoughts still lurking in the back of her mind. "Don't worry...We can talk tomorrow."
"No, I need to know how to get to town."
"Town?... Sage, I don't allow Half Crescent to go to town unless it's for the monthly pickup, is that what you want to do? Make a call?" She nodded, panically wondering if she would have had better luck simply going than giving him the knowledge of her plan.

But how else would she have managed to make it there?

"Okay, I guess we're talking about this...What's your plan when you get to town?"
"Make a phone call."
"Right, okay, I think we have enough cash to give to make it...But we're in Canada remember, this is an international call. They might not—"
"I need to try, Andy." The Alpha had bit down on his tongue, knowing full-well what he was witnessing.
Sage was working herself to the bone in hopes of forgetting what was at stake.

Course, he mentioned that returning to the aftermath of a war might be more painful than this is worth, but he could understand the not knowing as well.

He admired her refusal to quit, but how was he meant to tell her that there were other dangers to think of when arriving to a human town?

"Tomorrow, after you get a good night's rest, we'll work out all the details. Alright?" She nodded, feeling the panic in her veins subside, even if it was just the smallest confirmation in the right direction.

However, when Andy caught the relief in her eyes, he sighed again and nudged at the bear pelt, knowing that he had promised not to touch it.

"Let me walk you to your room." The idea of getting up was antagonizing at best, but truly, Sage knew that it would be for the better—However, upon walking further down the hall, Sage realized that this was not the way down to the rest of her females.

Instead, Andy had offered up the guest room. "I know you didn't agree to become Luna yet, but this guest room is for visiting packs...It's not in use right now and I think it's a waste. Besides, you're not feeling well, and being around pups could get them sick too." He wasn't sure if what she was dealing with was contagious, but leading her to the bed and offering a smile had given her a sense of understanding.

Perhaps Maeve wasn't the only one who wasn't acclimating to Half Crescent and its standards. Or it was the fact that their progress had slowed down significantly since they took camp in Black Crescent.

With a final goodnight, and a reminder that he was just down the hall, Sage was left with a room that wasn't as grand as his, but felt significantly better than anything she's seen the last few months.

Upon taking the first seat on the mattress, she let out an airless chuckle as she felt the spring squeak upon the pressure of her weight. Perhaps it was childish, but Sage bounced to hear it and started to laugh.

Casey had been the one to show her that...How his bed had a spring and if he jumped it would make him go higher.
Luke had to explain to her then that pups weren't always capable of keeping themselves safe, as they were still curious.

But that didn't stop Sage from doing what she planned to do now.

She tugged off her sandals and climbed further up the bed—With the comforter fighting against her stability, Sage began to jump and twirl, and a burst of laughter had fallen from her lips as she continued to jump.

While fun, the best part was that she was imagining Luke and his usual look of disappointment, paired with crossing his arms crossed, all while fighting back a smile—It happened once when he'd caught her and Casey enjoying themselves in a similar was.

Living with the Elwoods had taught her so much about family and unity, and she was happy to bring that forward for Remus. And now, she found it in herself to help Half Crescent in any way she could, up until she needed to leave.

Andy was right, this pack needed a female to take charge, it wasn't fair that he was doing this all on his own without proper help.
And Liam had always said to ask for help if you needed it.

So was this what Andy was trying to do?
Asking for her help?

With a final jump, Sage fell backward and landed with the pillow just behind her head, and thus, she had allowed her breathing to slow and accept whichever sort of tonic Andy had given her.

With her heart starting to slow, and the last bit of strength, Sage had learned back into her pocket and placed the pebbles side by side on the opposite pillow. Acting as a placement for her family.

In turning to them now, Sage had allowed herself to close her eyes with a smile on her face. Groaning in delight at how the mattress felt in comparison to a deerskin bed.

It wasn't the same as hers back home, but it was more than enough.

Andy, who had heard her laughter before he returned to his room, had been worried that something had happened. But upon peeking through the door, he had caught Sage enjoying something so simple that he couldn't interrupt her.

It was at that moment, Andy found himself adoring the likes of Sage Elwood. But he was going to be damned to learn that she was not actually Sage Elwood.

She is, in fact, Sage Moon. 

The Luna of Crescent Moon.

______

Date: 04/05/24

Time: 6:43

Words: 2690

Author's Note: 

A surprise chapter because I've received some bad news and I think I'm getting a cold. So if I update, at least I can make someone's day a little better this way🤗

How are we liking the rewritten version so far?
I know it's been awhile since September, when I first annocued I was going back and revising a few things, but hopefully I still manage to keep the surprise factor going like I did the previous version.

Anywhooo, enjoy the bonus chapter and I'll see you next week!