* * *

It was painful how sweet Andy became, and Sage felt guilty in taking up all his attention when it should be directed to his true female. The routine was pretty much the same, but the intent and care sparked her wolf to feel it as well.

There were some times where he'd catch her fawning over the stones of her pups and her family, and that is the only thing he truly left alone. Even if he attempted to ask a hundred more questions on her life in Crescent Moon and so on, Sage did not budge. She only wanted it mentioned if there was an update on the plan to head there.

The three week trip was daunting, though Andy knew he could do it. He was going to send a letter to White Pelt in asking to send a Beta or one of the high ranked to watch out for the pack. They were friends enough, considering some of his pack members integrated into said pack.

Even if Sage didn't see it yet.

The only issue is, a letter would take longer. A week there and then a week back to deliver, which caused Sage to reprimand him. The only type of technology they had were old televisions with VCR tapes and some DVD's, nothing that she knew how to use herself outright, and it was mostly for movie nights.

The pack of course had money, it's what they paid for with the bi-weekly drops of food they'd be delivered. And Sage learned that in itself was a task, as was the issue of driving an ATV or snowmobile, dependent on the weather.

To travel to the drop off zone, then to pick up the given package that the Conclave's connections would make the rest of treck there. It was time-consuming, but it was necessary.

A word that started to come up a lot in conversation.

However, with the public knowledge of her being a Hybrid, Sage surprised Andy and his wolf one day when they were planning a run. His beast went nuts at the idea of her scent going back and forth, or her laughter on one side to the other.

He eventually got the hang of it, and she laughed louder than he thought possible underneath his pinning paws. It was a thrill to see the happiness radiate off of her, it meant that for the brief moment of the day that she wasn't thinking about her previous life—Previous two lives.

She was living in the moment.

Yet now Andy was in a debate, Sage had offered to Whisp to the drop sight to retrieve the supplies. Saying it'd be easier than the other way of wasting gas and all that, he couldn't disagree. And either Severin and Grey weren't as helpful in denying their Luna to volunteer for the task.

"But I want to go, sounds like fun." She rallied and Andy groaned.
"Hun, I don't want you getting hurt. I have your safety to think about." Which earned him a dulled face and arms crossing over her face.

"I don't need you to do that." She growled, peeved that he was starting to act more like Remus with every day they grew closer. "No, but it's happening wether you like it or not. How many people can you bring with you for this whisping thing?"
"I take three pups with me, so maybe one or two. I don't know." He bobbed his head caught sight of Severin looking off towards Sage.

What do you think?

Andy called out to his Beta in an attempt to get a proper private feel of what he though. And the small nod of his head came to life.

I think the Luna wants to prove herself, she's been trying to help everywhere around the pack. Younger years with homework, in the kitchen, helping she-wolves, train? Let her try and if it doesn't work, then we know.

It was then that Andy had nodded his head to his Luna, and while he had expected her to bounce in glee. Her already narrowed eyes had turned to either Severin and Andy.

"Sage, it's—"
"You don't trust me, do you?" She hissed, but the tone of regret made Andy sigh. Of course she would see it like that, especially when the room had gone silently for a few beats.

"Fine. Do it yourself, never mind." She grumbled, hurrying out of the room. The anxiety of not having a proper place in the pack and only a title was starting to build upon both herself and her wolf, even the warmth of a shower wasn't working.

Not the way she hoped for anyway.

Andy didn't have to search for long, not when he heard his shower starting to run from the hallway. But of course, Sage knew right away how to lock the door.

"Sage? Can you open the door for me, hun?"
"Fuck off." It was at that moment that he knew, that he fucked up.

If she wanted to get treated with delicent baby fingers, then she would stop trying to find her place in the pack. As if she didn't have that struggle before.

"You know I'm not against breaking down this door. And what happened to the 'no swearing' policy?"
"Break the door, I'm angry." She said, and Andy followed through. Proving that he was an Alpha male to his word.

Sage hardly looked up from her position underneath the shower's head, her small body curled as she glanced up at him. Not at all surprised by his outburst or him following her, what she was indeed taken back from was how he kneed down just a bit in front of her.

Mindful of her nudity, it caused him to remain a steady eye contact as he certainly hadn't earned that right yet.

"I don't want to talk."
"Yeah, but I think we have to, babe. You're upset with me." He laughed at the end as Sage's nose pulled up in hearing his new nickname for her. So instead, he reached forward to stop the oncoming water, and began wrapping her in a towel.

"I'll find a better nickname...How about sweetheart? Dove? Princess? Uh...Peaches?"
"Friend calls me peaches."
"Ah alright, how about Munchkin?" It set her off completely. He should've left well enough alone when she was already aggravated enough. Yet the way her eyes had instantly started to swell up with tears had proven that it was not a good choice of words.

"Don't call me that. Mate calls me that."
"What? Really? Oh goddess, I'm such a fucking dickhead. I keep saying the wrong thing, hun...How about you tell me what you wanna be called, alright? Come here." She hadn't let out a sob, but the mixture of the shower's water and her tears were easy to decipher.

"I...I don't know. Takes me a long time to find pup names." She claimed, his arms gesturing for her to join into his embrace, and her wolf all but forced her hand. Her wet hair instantly stained his shirt, but at least he was fixing one of the few things he's made.

"I don't want you going so far away from the pack grounds, that hybrid status of yours goes for big money. Bounty hunters might not be the biggest issue for America with the established packs shields, but we don't have that here."
"But we can make them. Need five witches." Andy was once again caught being unfamiliar with the witch culture and abilities, he's only met a handful, and all were either power-hungry or on death's row.

"A-alright, we'll get on that soon. How about I get you some clothes to wear, and we can watch a movie." She shook her head, after all that's happened she wanted to be left alone. But Andy persevered, instead, he asked to be brought with her while she whisped and he could now see the rush and join that she found while doing it.

He agreed, without hesitation this time, that she was cleared to do it. But that meant she'd have to place five wolves there first, then transfer back and forth with the supplies. Though it wasn't an issue, not when the witches crafted a large and endless sack that proved to be useful yet again.

Even for Sage, who was not even practicing for a year, were handy in what they knew without any references to guide them. Between the twelve and a half, they worked well in piggybacking off what they recalled.

It was honest work, whisping all day, and by the end of it, the pack had gotten their share of supplies in a much more easier fashion, though that meant Sage had fallen asleep for a good thirteen hours before she was revived.

"How about darling?" Sage's eyes rolled at hearing that one, Darius was usually the one to say that, him and Enzo. "Cutie?...Sorry, can't help it. You're pretty cute." It earned him her full attention, but really it was an utter annoyance as she was attempting to read a borrowed book from one of the she-wolves.
As it turns out, Andy hadn't a clue on how much Sage loved to read.

"I think I've listed everything there is pumpkin, we're running out of options." A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she tried to look away, as silly as it sounded. That sparked something in her the same way Munchkin had, of course, everything sounded endearing.
But this was still silly and fun that she couldn't deny this one.

Not when the goofy face already accepted it after her reaction.

"Pumpkin it is. My favorite kind of pie."
"Stop teasing Andy. I'm trying to read."
"My mistake, Pumpkin." He bit back, and she sunk further into the couch to hide behind her book. Though their conversation was cut short as Severin came in, clearly something amiss since they were linking privately.

But low and behold, Sage knew all too easy to get into someone's head.

Maeve's causing issues again.

What is it this time?

Rallying up the wolves in Black Crescent, they don't have the numbers to retaliate. But it sounds like they can start making an argument to Sage, and she made them a promise to—

She made a blood oath to me. We're going when it's safer, and the threat of lone Rogues and Bounty Hunters aren't as high. She knows that, and they do too. I swear if Maeve does anything else, I'll have to—

"You leave my female alone, Andy. I'll talk to her." She instanced, rising up to her feet after marking her book. "How the hell did you even hear that? Sev was talking to me."
"Secret." That was all she said with a small smile.

Course her quest to find off where her former Delta female went had gotten interrupted as Andy had followed after—Quiet quickly, however, the hand on her shoulder enacted a quick defense and blackened eyes.

He'd never get used to finding the difference between when she did or didn't want to be touched. And this was definetly the time to consider, when she was unexpected.

"Sage...You have to respect privacy. It's rude to ease drop like that."
"Not rude to talk to me like I'm not there?" She had a point, and Sage rarely did anything  without reason. It'd been hard enough to establish at least a decent relationship with his warriors, but now it was easy.

Yet that didn't mean she was still wary of Severin and Grey, even if they were the first she'd met.

"I know you don't have Luna for long time or see what Luna does for work. But this is what they do, wolf is telling me to talk to she-wolf. Forget it's Maeve, Luna's help she-wolves and pups." "You're right hun, but she keeps causing trouble. And rounding up supporters looks an awful lot like an overthrow."
"Over...Throw. But you're Alpha. Witches can't lead. And I'll protect you." He couldn't help but laugh, though it was exciting to see that Sage would have his back at a moment's notice.

"Is that right, pumpkin? Then I don't have anything to worry about—But if I do, then you'll tell me...Right?" She remained silent, but the weeks with her in the pack already signified that she wasn't dumb.

Patience was key as she either looked over what he said to what she was going to say, so instead, he brought her finger to curl up under her chin. "That also extends you telling me if you're in trouble. Alright?"
"I'm always in trouble, Andy. Troubles my best friend." She says with a smile, but he did catch the small crack and pain that developed in her eyes.

Why did it hurt to say those words? To repeat what her father said on her second time visiting Mystic Grimm. It's strange to think about, considering that she missed her father while at the same time trying to bite back the nerve, since she didn't know him more than being Harlow and Haylee's dad.

So when she came towards the cabins where the majority of her she-wolves and witches are, she was met with half glances that were too scared to look at her.

Good. They knew that she was here for a reason.

"Start talking, I say it before...There a problem, tell me." She issued, and that had surely made the silence grow deeper. Better yet, she felt the conversation of the wolves around her converse, and what they were saying was not pretty.

"You want to leave with Maeve, that's fine. Go. Getting to Crescent Moon or any pack is going to be hard travel. Three weeks, are you ready to go?...Do you have food packed, skins ready? Are we healed and ready to go? No. If you leave with Maeve, don't come back." Her throat felt sore from speaking so much at once. But how did they plan to leave without her and her position as Luna in Crescent Moon? They hadn't gotten that far but decided without much thought that it was better than Half Crescent.

"And there it is...I told you this would happen. You promise we'd see our families and get to go home!" Maeve spat, and Sage just looked at her numbly. It hurt much more than she wanted to admit that she liked Mae, but she was problematic.

She couldn't take much more.

"It takes time, Maeve. It's dangerous with Bounty Hunters and other Rogues." The term had scared a majority of those around the growing crowd. Apparently Bounty Hunters weren't as well known among them, and so she nodded.

"Two snooping other day, they're dead. They hunt wolves for sport and like our pelts. Witches they keep like Vampire keep you. That's why we wait, I make a deal with Alpha Andy. He doesn't have to help, but he is. He need a reason to help us, and now he does." Elena had caught the hesitation in her former Alpha's face and hurried forward.

"Sage...What did you do?"
"I make promise. I am a real Luna now, and if my mate is dead then I come back here." It was met with records of damnation and yells, and Maeve was the voice above the rest.

"Why not just tell him! Tell him you're already a Luna. It can't be that hard. I'll do it right now." The newly deemed Luna hardly had to raise her hand to enact the vines to trap the former Delta by the feet. Having been in half a step, she fell to the ground, and the other vines had awaited for the second calling.

But Sage did not want to punish the female, even if the glare invoked her wolf.

"Anyone tells the Alpha—Or anyone, that I am the Luna of Cresent Moon...I will kill you. Understood?" Elena shivered at the idea, the remorse in saying it was there. Of course, it would be.
Sage was a beautiful leader and would hate to do it.

But this was about safety, and it had been a worry since they arrived that the packs were still at war and anyone could use her as a trading piece.

"We won't...Nobody will. It's not worth it."
"Ha! That's not what you were saying before, Elena. Stop lying and stop playing favoritism for—"
"Shut up, Maeve! You're already on death's row with the Alpha. If you can't survive a Rogue pack, what makes you think you can survive a real one?! This is what it is, following the rules and following orders. Sage is lenient. Others wouldn't hesitate to punish." Sage's eyes turned warmly towards her Beta.

Instead, the group of females started to make up a list of what could be required to speed up the process, but now that they saw the list of everything...They knew it'd take more than what Maeve was talking about to get moving.

______

Date: 09/05/22

Time: 10:14

Words: 2960

Author's Note:

I'm exhausted, work is stressful and I don't have as much time to write as I wish I do. In the mean time, I'm editing the next story when I can and writing for other projects.
Also reading! I made a goal for myself to read 100 books this year, whether it's on wattpad, physical or on the kindle.

I haven't counted on any list besides my kindle, but I'm up to 75! Not many more to go!
Booktok has been the easiest way to get recommendations, though I'd love to hear some of your favorite stories here on Wattpad.

Anywhooo
Things are starting to slow down in Half Crescent as of right now,
but don't get too comfortable😏

Alrighty, hope everyone has a good week and I'll see you Friday!