* * * 

FOURTEEN HOURS LATER

Sage hadn't found herself this wound up or sore in a very long time, post-pregnancy, sure—Perhaps when she trained the Rogues she would need a long soak in a salt bath, and the idea of the warm water felt utterly beautiful at a time like now.

But her limbs felt heavy, too heavy.

Remmy?

She called out, hoping to tell him to just ready the tub and carry her in. The She-wolf wouldn't admit to this to herself or out loud, but she certainly liked it when her mate would pick her up so easily. It made her wolf feel well cared for and made him look strong and readily available to protect and nurture her needs.

With no reply, she demanded an eye to open. If not a bath then she could certainly enjoy a cuddle session with a pup nearby, couldn't she?

Rue Rue.

After a second or two, there had been no yipping or babbles coming from any side of her—Which truly gave her the determination to fight off the soreness, and roused her eyes awake. And goddess forbid that she caught sight of the one thing that aroused pure adrenalin in her body.

If it wasn't for the lack of smell and muffled sounds, she surely would've recognized where she was.

The Underground.

Had all that been a dream? Was her life in Crescent Moon just a figment of her imagination? Because one thing was for certain--Sage was certain she is back in the Underground.

Attempting the mantras that were prescribed by both her Delta and magical mentors, she calmed and relaxed her body. Or would've, had a needle not been injected into her arm.

Peeking through she caught that it wasn't just a draw, it was a straight tube.

Were they bleeding her out?
Was the Bad Vampire Man here?
Are the pups okay?
Where is everyone?

The questions came like rocket fire in her head, and the only verbal response she could muster was a few jumbled words.

"Patient is waking up, ready the sedative and 005C." A voice sounded out, a feminine one to be exact. Sage opened her eyes, her head bobbing to the other side in an attempt to see the room in a much clearer light. However, the male with the clipboard that once intimated her did nothing more than make her smirk.

"Subject has patterned markings on her shoulder down. Did we scan it?"
"Yes, sir."
"And? Did the files come up with anything?" It had been a negative, given that the history of Crescent Moon and all packs alike have been safely gaurded for this very reason. But Sage was utterly thankful that she could see physical proof that her escape hadn't just been a fruitful dream. 

That everything she had fought through since the time she met Luke and Liam in the Underground hadn't been a lie. Speaking of the damned facility, the Underground could pretend as much as they wanted that they were managing better than before, it would truly not withstand the level of hatred they were starting to gain from every race in the supernatural world.
It was simply too much for them to explore and understand.

So when Sage's eyes flickered around the room, she tried to relax once more. She didn't need Darius yet, though he would've been helpful right about now. Even if it was to give her a few calming words of warning.
Yet on the other end of the spectrum, Sage was confident that she could figure out her own way through this.

Considering she's done it all before.

The last thing her mind was aware of prior to being strapped down in this chair, was the Dinner's bathroom. Surely they assumed her to be a wolf—If she played it smart then sure enough, they'll believe her to be just a wolf. Not a hybrid.

Not a rare find out in the wild.

Though, it was only a matter of time.

"Notable change has occurred. Subject's eyes have changed, grey pupils to solid black." The voice continued, though Sage didn't give them the pleasure of her attention. Instead, she tried to draw up what she could from her time before meeting the Elwood brothers, the times, the fighting, and the experiments.

She could surely best these damn humans, it was the cage she was afraid of. It was the lack of pure oxygen and sunlight that she was begging for.
Her body was humming in demand for it already, no matter how the exhaustion had started to grow heavy over her limbs.

"Call an escort team, we'll put her with the others in the main room. She'll start Monday." Monday. It confirmed a date in her head, and that was all she needed to steady herself.
A patterned day and layout of their schedules helped her the last time.

The footsteps of the voice continued off and away, sharing insight that Sage wished she could catch even a glimpse of, but instead, she was left with small hands that started to carelessly examine her body—And there was nothing that she could do to stop it.
And all Sage could do there was lay there in wait. Once she was free, she promised herself that she'd attempt to meditate.

As Sage felt damned with regret for not screaming at those in her traveling party for not believing in her. That something terrible was bound to happen.

And here she was, at the forefront of her prediction.

Unless...Unless the others were here with her...

Just as the thought processed, she felt a new wave of exhaustion, her body doing it's best to fight off whatever was injected into her veins, and just as she expected... The same white tile walls that taunted her for the majority of her life had appeared in the corner of her eyes.

The very same tiles that subjected her to the same psychological torture once again, the ones she had counted so many times to occupy her mind. And when she had started to methodically calm herself in doing so, before Sage had reached the tenth one, she had the strong urge to break them. Yet when she tried to move, she realized soon enough that her arms and legs were strapped down. Again.
Her wolf began to howl in resentment, begging to be let out so they could strangle the bitch working right in front of them.

Hell, it was taking everything in her to not use her magic, but this was not the time or place. Darius would want her to be patient and observe all options, and if Monday was the day to do it, so be it.

Soon enough, the voices and hands had moved her to a wheelchair, it had certainly been a different sort of treatment. Usually, they'd have Henry roll her whole bed and place her into her cell, this time, they hardly kept her head up for the duration of the trip down the hall.
But she knew better, it was one long hallway—A right, then a left, before another long hallway.

The signs were written in chalk, a strange addition that wasn't exactly from the facility she grew up with. She didn't know how to place it, but this one certainly didn't have the strength the other one had. The infirmary at the packhouse was in much better shape, but then again...She did burn the last facility down to the ground.

The small beep echoed in her head for a moment or two longer than it usually would, but what really took Sage for a shock was the fact that they dumped her onto the cold concrete floor and rolled the chair away.
There had been no cell, no individual lock and key—And goddess the smell.

It infiltrated her nose downright, causing her to gag for a moment before raising her head slightly with the rest of her body.

The she-wolf hadn't understood what the male meant when he said 'others', but it made sense now. It hadn't been a cell block, it was simply a large room with no exits except the one she had entered from. Her eyes trailed higher to the ceiling, only to squint. Those certainly looked like windows, but it was far too dark to see them properly.

Sage attempted to get to her feet, or at the very least steady herself on her knees. A few abled bodies started to make their way towards her, and if she learned anything from listening to Blake, it was that making friends in this environment was hardly ever an option. But Sage remembered the few that she looked up to during her time, Raven, for example. The rest and their blurred faces were nothing more than her inability to recall them properly, but their voice she could remember.
Though even now she couldn't translate what they meant.

The growl she inflicted had silenced the room, making the she-wolves necks jerk to the side in terms of submission. And better yet, she stalled those who were closing in on her. Rising to wobbly feet and cradling her arm, she managed to snatch the small bundle that they plopped in her lap before her drop-off and set for the nearest vacant corner in the back.

Giving her the best view of the room, and would allow her to see someone coming.

Listening to the pretend voices of Blake and Darius had made it possible for her to survive her first day. Leaning against the cool wall she scanned the area, confused as to what the two sections possibly meant.

They were all female, so what did it mean?

Her curiosity wavered as she settled in between the corners, the thin blanket protecting her from the draft and climate-controlled air conditioner that she did not at all miss from her previous life.
The sterilized smell violated one nostril while the other smelled like poor hygiene. Or whatever the hell that sour whiff turned out to be.

Unfortunately, the shiver soon settled in. But it wasn't from just the dropping temperature but from the aloneness. Her thoughts lingered on Remus, on the pups—Her family and the pack. There was no doubt that she was back to where she started and it could've been days since being kidnapped. She closed her eyes and inhaled a soothing breath, then another—And by the time she finally felt herself drifting into exhaustion, the buzzer had called out.

And she surely knew what that meant.

Though the standards were different here, as the bodies that started to run toward the exit all looked fairly similar. Thin and swimming in the issued tan clothes, there were no shorts. Just sweatpants and a shirt, ones that sort of reminded her of Kenzie in a strange way.

However, when she realized that it was the food that they were running to, her stomach clenched. It must've been a day or two as her stomach was starting to revive itself, pleading for food.

Yet the idea of getting back to her feet was a different story. Whatever plagued in her arms and legs was making it difficult to properly function, causing her to itch at the injection site.

To occupy her mind, she watched the crowd disperse in a sort of chaotic order. There were a few complaints about space, but they all sounded like empty growls. The group had split off once more, yet it irked Sage in not being able to understand why. So she remained seated against the wall, even if she did eat—She doubted that the food would stay down. 

As the cooling touch of the stone behind her started to settle into her spine, causing her to shiver in denial, a new pain started to errupt. As the need to feed her pups was began to weigh in, causing her to huff in damnation. Unable to do anything but kneed her tender breasts that started to pulsate and leak.

A strangled breath escaped her, in pure want and need to be closer to her pups, and sure it earned the attention of the others in the large lofted metal room. But it did nothing to stop her, Sage hardly was ever embarrassed. And this was no different.

However, when one didn't look away, she issued a growl.

One that sang of despair and anger, something that any wolf in this situation could understand.

Sage tore her attention away, not used to so many bodies together at once in her time locked away. But the stranger finally rose to their feet and made their way over, and Sage narrowed her gaze in warning.
The small gasp caught her off guard, and when Sage took another proper look. She realized that the small she-wolf was actually a pup, her shirt tucked into her pants and tied around her small waist as best it could.

Her eyes darted from the pup's eyes to the bowl she was holding, and Sage shook her head. "You eat." She urged, and that caused the pup to turn in confusion, not expecting the female to have such a bite to her tone.
"I ate." The small voice whispered back, but her nose had gone into the air and she smiled.
"You smell sweet." Sage knew exactly what the pup was smelling, it was ingrained in their scenes to seek out that very scent. However, the pup simply bent down in front of Sage and held out the bowl as she sat.

"What's your name?" The Luna asked, curling further within her blanket and the pup's brows stitched together. The look of confusion was greatly spread, and Sage pouted her lips. "Clementine...You can call me Clem." A curt nod followed, with a followed 'Clem,' in recognition.

The distraction of this pup made it better for her aching heart, especially when a tender hand had reached forward and pushed back the strain of hair behind the pup's ear.

"What's your name?" Her hand froze and retracted quite quickly, knowing full well that her name would cause red flags. Running through a list of names she could use in this defining moment.

And it came to her quicker than she was expecting.

"Hera...I'm Hera." Clementine was sure that the she-wolf in front of her wouldn't give her a name, but the pup nodded eagerly and held up the bowl once more. "I'm okay pup, you eat. Too skinny." She said, making a tug to her side and a giggle escaped the little one. And it earned Clem a smile.

It wasn't that Sage was ignorant of the eyes surrounding her, and they only added when Clem came closer and snuggled up beside Sage. Earning the pup more of her blanket and maintaining the warmth between the two, even if Sage was the main provider.

She didn't know what the hell the food was, some sort of watery oatmeal that had little to no flavor. But she was used to bland food, especially when she was at the end of her pregnancy. This went down fine and remained, and Sage—Hera had snuggled the pup in a sign of thanks.

The only payment the pup seemed to want was a cuddle, so Sage maneuvered herself so she had one wall while the pup had the other. Though it ended with the pup finding the spot between her breasts to snuggle, the primal urge to suck on the overcame the pup and caused Sage to sigh in relief.

While her pups didn't have sharp teeth, Clementine was gentle and took only a bit before falling gently asleep. Course, that finally earned another body to come forward towards her in caution. And sure, Sage knew that Clementine wasn't her pup. But a slumbering child was at the edge of her defenses. So when Sage's eyes popped open and stared directly to the new stranger, they had flug their hands up instantly, showcasing the universal white flag as they choked down their frightened gasp.

"It's okay...Here, I just want to take the bowl." Sage nodded, but didn't keep her eye off the female as she came and wrapped another blanket around the two. Yet the sharp sniff caused the stranger to frown. "Are you pregnant?"

That sheer notion caused a collection of gasps from all corners of the room, but Sage shook her head. "No, but I breastfeed." She instated, causing the female to bend down much like Clem had.

"D-did they take your pups?" Sage's eyes went wide as she recalled her first fear upon waking up strapped to the observation table. Her arms curled around Clem tighter. Goddess, she hoped—Prayed that that wasn't the case.

"I don't know. They not with me." The way Sage spoke hadn't passed off as strange to the wolf in front of her, and the only reason that Sage knew she was a wolf was because of her eyes and build.

Her smell was...Overrun. The medication diluted the natural scents and overall made Sage's wolf howl in recognition of hers. But there was nothing behind those beautiful brown orbs that looked ridden with guilt, but also a shred of understanding.

"I'm Maeve, everyone calls me Mae...Do you need anything?" Sage shook her head, but smiled politely. This was surely not what she expected, but then again. Blake was stuck with males, and certainly not in this capacity.

Not to mention that having pups in their care meant a different sort of maturity to care for everyone.

"I'm okay...My name's Hera."
"Hera, it's nice to meet you...Do you remember what happened? Before you came here?" Sage nodded, though she didn't know how much she was meant to share.

"I travel from home pack to Mystic Grimm, we stop at dinner and I...I was in the bathroom. I don't remember anymore." Mae followed along well enough, a grin escaped her upon hearing about a pack's name. It's been a while since she heard any proper news.
"I'm from Grey Hallow, where are you from?"
"Crescent Moon." The spark of familiarity and kindness between the two packs rose between the two she-wolves, which invited Maeve to move closer.

This time, Sage did not move with a flinch or give out a growl.

"We don't know where Clem is from, or where her mom is. We think she's a Rogue."
"Rogue laws are changing." Sage instated, and the outside information had been a blessing. As it was a need for knowledge to know how their world was operating.

"How long you here for?"
"I uh...I don't remember. What month is it?" Sage thought for a moment and perked her lips, she left at the end of March. And within the coming days of traveling through the woods, she recalled the first popping up in her head and she confirmed it was April.

"April...So about two years now." Pain flashed over Sage's face as she reached forward towards the female, in a similar action to what she did for the pup. Sage cupped the wolf's cheek and gave a small whisper of a blessing, and that is how Sage was able to sleep soundly, after meeting a nicer she-wolf. But it did help that the pup remained curled up in her lap, and Mae just rest at her shoulder.

Their combined warmth almost fought against the cold night air.

Almost.

______

Date: 01/12/24

Time: 4:24

Words: 3305

Author's Note:

Anddddd we're back!
Did you miss me, because I missed all of you!

It felt so weird not posting for so long, but I've had a few life changes that have made it hard to sit down and edit.
I apologize it took so long!

For the first few weeks, it will only be a chapter a week, just so I have the chance to keep to a schedule for all of you.

In other news,
I will be posting a link for a forum on my profile that I would like an opinion on.
*Wink* *Wink*
it's a hint as to what I've been up to as well 🤗

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, and I'll see you some time next week.
Most likely Wednesday or Friday!