* * *

With Sage now laid out in the guest room, she was able to be treated and replenished with another round of the herbal concoction from the witches approved by the wolf Healers.

But also another mixture of Andy's blood, straight from the source.

It wasn't something Sage favored, but it was giving her some relief that she couldn't outright deny it.

For Julian, seeing Hera so caught up in the aftermath of this poison, was a shock. Shifting his initial reaction from the first outbreak, but didn't have the time to make an official message—Not when had been berated by Alanna multiple times for withholding Hera without any more concrete evidence.

Or evidence that it didn't look like it had Lucy's fingerprints all over it.

Even if Luna of Oak Wood hadn't been born into the pack, she was very familiar with the laws and bylaws and even took to reprimanding the Alpha. This evidently led to an apology that Julian had made at Sage's bedside with the room packed with other visitors.

Even now, with Sage snoozing away, battling an onset fever caused by her immune system still being as weak. Alanna had made another attempt to visit the couple, even if she had already visited an hour before. The tray of ready-made sandwiches in her arms seemed pointless now.

Not when Hera had refused to eat in the previous meals, but Alanna carried it with the hopes that Andy would eat something, given that it's been half a day so far, and he still refused to move.

"You know...In your letter warning us about Noah's attack, you never mentioned her."
"I thought Swift Tail attacking us was much more pressing than a potential mate bond that's not going to work out," he responded, his voice rougher than normal. But Alanna was not discouraged when she managed to get him to speak. "Of course it will. She loves you."

"She loves her Mate, whether he's alive or not—She loves him." Andy sighed, hating the truth more than thought possible.
"I love my Mateo with all my heart. Julian knows this. And I know Julian loves and adores Emily, but we can't always have what we want. If her Mate is still alive, then...Then your agreement is off." Alanna's whisper of the settlement caused his eyes to flicker towards her momentarily.

"You heard?"
"It was hard not to when your Betas were discussing what you said, but I see how she looks at you, too. This was an act of jealousy, Andy, and she was right to feel worried."
"Where is Lucy now?" Andy questioned, wanting to—needing to know. And Alanna's smile emulated as she nodded. Perhaps her visit came with a fair bit of good news. However, even though she was still healing from the side effects she endured throughout the night, it was blessed knowledge to know that the truth was coming out.

Slowly but surely.
"Chained outside, you know the rules. The victim gets first dibs on what is given as punishment." Andy nodded instantly, his body straightening as he tried to settle his erratic heart.

It was one thing to believe Lucy was up to no good, but have factual evidence behind it?

With a quick step up to the window, he pulled away the curtain to see the tiny specks that made up both Lucy and her friend. Though, it was difficult to see the chains through the blizzard swirling around, threatening a brutal night.

They wouldn't die, no, not when they were forced to shift to fur, then chained.

"What's your plan when her Mate is alive?"
"Kill him. What other choice is there?" Alanna gawked that the answer fell so easily. "You'd kill him? The father of her pups—" 

Andy turned away again, growling as he wasn't sure what lie to keep to himself or not. "I am capable enough of fathering two pups. Hers are young enough that they can adapt quickly. I did it, so can they."

"I know you did, but you cannot expect her to keep her feelings for you if you do this."
"And her Mate will open his arms willingly when he finds out she's made a promise to another male? That there's a possibility that she's carrying another male's pup?" Alanna thought for a moment and shook her head. Even if it was a lie, Andy didn't think an Elwood would put up with any of this.

If he prepared himself mentally and physically to challenge her mate, then he would—

"You're going to put Crescent Moon right back to the Stone Age if you... Haven't you learned—?"
"My wolf agrees, whatever happens after that, we'll figure it out then. America is easier to navigate than Canada." Alanna shook her head, silently showing her disapproval.
"You think you can take her and the pups away from Crescent Moon? You'll be making yourself an enemy to them and Mystic Grimm. Is that what you want?"
"No, but it's the worst thing to happen... Nobody in my pack wants to give her up, and if we join her pack...Then what? What are we? I won't be an Alpha, and she won't be a Luna. Sure, maybe her brothers or Mate's brothers will track me down to the ends of the earth. But that hasn't stopped me so far." He concluded, and Alanna sighed, raking her hands through Sage's unkempt hair.

Though through this morning's chaos, it was well excused. "You'd hurt her like that...When she has so little already?" She whispered, her eyes tearing up at the damage her boy had seemingly caused. "How cold have you turned—?"

"I love her...I'm doing this for her!"
"If you love her, Andy, you'd let her return to where she belongs. I don't think you were meant to be with her. Whatever the Moon Goddess is doing to make you feel this way, I think she was meant to bring you back to where you truly belong. Back home to—"
"I'm not staying. We're not staying."
"And where would you go? Because she won't be willing to follow you after that, a promise isn't permanent."
"Yeah, neither is a mating mark, apparently. Stop trying to make me feel guilty. I've already planned it." Alanna retracted her hand from the unconscious she-wolf and shook her head.

"Then I'll pray that she doesn't kill you."
"She won't, we're—"
"Together? A team? How many times did she warn you about Lucy? Clearly, the only ones that was shocked about this was both yourself and I. I failed your Luna, and I'll admit to that, but when I killed Mateo's murderer, I never felt more joy. Not until I met Julian." Perhaps admitting to his plan was faulty, but he knew the remaining members would follow loyally behind.

The question now stuck with what the Black Crescent portion was meant to do. Off the top of his head, there were fourteen wolves—or twelve wolves and two pups from Sage's side—and the remaining dozen witches.

She was right; this wasn't a pack. A pack was more than a few dozen, not scrambling for numbers. With that, he took hold of her hand, wrapping his fingers between hers before letting out a faithful squeeze.

"Please wake up," he whispered, kissing the back of her hand before he continued to stare at her, Hoping she'd wake back up soon.

Alanna had left, as she was Luna after all, and had plenty of work trying to reassure the pack that things were safe. And while she heard the pleas and concerns of Lucy and Kendra's parents. She didn't want to hear it. She was known to be strict and fair.

"Go ahead and try to release them. Just know I've sent word to every Enforcer to collar and chain a wolf who dares question the Alpha and Luna's orders." She said with a daring glare. Alanna would not tolerate disrespect, and she certainly could hold her own from the younger generations who were trying to undermine her.

This incident put many things in perspective, starting with the identity of Hera, who was still slumbering away in the guest room.

Alanna's limit on Andy's obsession lasted until dinner, when she clapped her hands together and startled the said Alpha. Yet Sage remained undisturbed.

"Alright, that's enough of that. Get some dinner and wash up. Sitting around doing nothing, I never liked a lazy male."
"I need her to wake up."
"And you think the first thing she wants to see is you, two-face. Get a move on." Alanna huffed, all while he chuckled. It's been a while since someone referenced his comic book nickname. "Call me when she wakes up." She nodded, extended her arm towards the door again, and slammed it shut. Once Andy was out of hearing range, Luna allowed her forehead to connect to the door.

The honesty that her adopted son had given was too brash, too extreme. Before they all left her pack's territory, she needed to give a warning.

The kind Luna had gone over and resumed the spot Andy had occupied most of the day. "You've changed him, and I'm worried he'll lose himself if you—If you don't recover, sweetheart, if you and the pup aren't alright—Andy and his wolf might be lost. He's suffered so much. Come back...You need to come back." She whispered faithfully into the she-wolf's wrist. But unfortunately, she remained slumbering.
Though Alanna couldn't blame her, the stress and the idea of losing a pup were making even herself nauseous. Even if Andy's lie was unnecessary, Luna was still attached to the prospect of life.

It didn't help that the Healer's suggestion of Hera being a new mother made her all the more vulnerable to the contents of the Murax leaves. Pregnant or not, Hera would need to be closely monitored.

Andy's heavy boots had alerted her of his approach, and when their eyes met, he knew without asking that Sage didn't wake up yet.

"I don't trust Lucy's parents not to try and retaliate...Did the Healer come?"
"Hm, if she doesn't break this fever soon—He suggested flying her to Arctic Crest."
"What the hell would they be able to do that you wouldn't?" Alanna sighed. We've not been much more advanced since you left, but her heartbeat has grown stronger in just the last hour. It'll—" The goddess heard their desperate prayers, and suddenly, Sage's body jolted forward in a fit of panic as she tried to catch her breath.

"Sweetie, sweetie—Listen to me, look at me. You're alright. You're safe." Alanna's voice hardly mattered, not when Sage's eyes were pitched black. Andy used the strength of his scent as he engulfed the entirety of her body into his. Her nose tickled his neck, and she shivered and cried towards him.

"Get the Healer back in here." Alanna had been pinned to her chair and only jumped at his voice, not soon after they had been left alone. Andy had barely managed to push the trash can in front of Sage as she vomited whatever was left in her stomach from breakfast, but most of it was bile—causing her to groan at the pain in her throat.

Once she had finished, Andy pulled her back into his embrace. Allowing his breathing to be an example for her to follow along with, she did just that—Though another sob pierced through.

"Gone. It's gone..." Sage's voice had turned into a violent hoarse, and goddess have mercy on those girls' souls. Even now, Andy was attempting to stop himself from shifting. But the cries of torture were beckoning on his female's ears, a reminder of what this morning brought in.

He had gotten a better understanding of what Sage was getting at, and whether she remembered his warning to pretend that there was a pup. Perhaps she thought the poison was now gone from her system, but it was better to keep up the story that Andy had created to protect them.

"Shift, Andy. Your wolf will heal her better," Alanna whispered beside the Healer. It was all Andy needed to hear as he shifted. Thankfully, the necklace had left his clothes on unscathed, but that didn't matter.

Nothing mattered.

He and his wolf craved two things: His female to be alright and those she-wolves' heads on a spike.

His entire body pinned itself on top of her, his nose working overtime in sniffing at her neck, trying to get any reading as to what was causing her this type of pain.

The healer remained impassive, while there was no doubt in a female's intuition. But there could be a chance, and when he locked eyes with Andy, a nod had urged him on.

"You're thinking about that too, the old laws? Marking a female in skin and fur...There isn't proof, but it won't hurt to try it." Andy's snoot pulled away, only to lick up the redness of Sage's face that was crying in pure agony.

He growled, hoping that he could catch her attention. But there was no need, not when Sage's hand had taken to hold the spot on her neck where Andy had been given too much attention; it was not a look of submission like he was hoping for.

But here she was, safeguarding her neck from him.

As Sage was under the impression that if Lucy's attempts had been successful, the evidence would fall between Sage's legs.

Yet there was another fear lingering in the back of her mind. Would this hurt her in the future to have more pups?

Had Lucy, a female that she had just recently met, taken away such a precious ability away from her. 

Away from Remus.

Away from the twins.

Away from Crescent Moon.

Instead, Andy had forgone the temptation and closed his eyes, trying to look as if he retracted his previous thought from ever being conjured. However, he planned on giving her another cup or two of his blood once the witches returned, considering she refused his bite.

In the midst of it all, Sage felt another presence join the room, and Julian's look caused another ache to course through her heart.

It was the look of betrayal, and Sage knew it well.

"We have a problem," Julian admitted, holding a slip in his hand, and Samuel laughed. "That can't be real. It's forged."
"It was on my desk, no less. I believe that Lucy planned to poison Hera and challenge her." Sage's head perked up at hearing her almost name used in the conversation, but it took longer than it should have to connect to what they were talking about.

"It's not valid. We're not savages to poison an enemy! That won't hold up in court." The Luna shouted to her Mate, but the Alpha only sighed loudly as if he was disappointed.
"And you're too close to this situation. You know the rules, Alanna. You acted without a clause, and now I have two females being put on trial outside in a blizzard! Not to mention that you're still healing!" The harsh growl caused Andy to shiver. His adopted mom held just as much rage as Sage.

"You're going to make her respond to a challenge slip when the poison killed their pup?! That hurt me? That hurt a handful of our females?!" Alanna growled, causing Julian's eyes to rise tenfold, his eyes analyzing Sage's dizzy body and tear-stained cheeks.

The Alpha had missed the last five minutes of panic and desperation. But even Sage had managed to look as convincing as she could, given that there wasn't even a whiff of a pup's scent.

"Luna Hera, you have the option of following through with this challenge and dealing your own punishments to Lucy in the ring—Or you can go to court like my mate is suggesting. How do you want to go about this?" With the strain in her throat completely blinding her as she tested out her voice, she nodded.

"What are fight rules?" She issues, and Andy shifted back within the moment—His hands holding him up just beside her head. "You can't be serious. You can barely stand!" Her smirk rose slightly, while her head turned back to Julian.

"Well, to this standard, all bets are off—As I've heard your pack say. Claws? Fangs? Half shift? Whatever you please. Lucy didn't specify what type of fight she wanted." She nodded and leaned further back into the pillow.

"I heal first a little more, then fight." She decided, and Julian claimed that a challenge had a shelf life of five days before it was a forced event.
"Absolute fucking not. I thought I lost you—You—I can't. No. As her mate, I veto it." Julian rolled his eyes, but Alanna calmly told him that that wasn't how it worked anymore.

"So you're condoning the fact that she still has the right of a pack member. We're your guests! For goddess sakes, Hera could've bashed the she-wolf's head in like she wanted to all this time, but you're—"
"I'm defending the right a pack member has under the law she's lived her entire life. That's my duty as her Alpha, and what I explained to Alanna, the duty of a Luna. We don't know if your female is pregnant, and we don't know if the pup is lost...But judging by the look she's giving me, I can expect a good match." Sage shook her head and leaned further into the pillow.

"Expect a short match," she said, her voice highly determined and filled with a gentle bit of spite. From the short time Julian had spoken with Hera, he couldn't expect anything less.

"Oh I do bearslayer, Andy's told me all about that story...In the meantime, we are still investigating what really happened and why Lucy found the herb so easily in your room." While it strained her to smile, she managed to do both and close her eyes. A very wolf trait to be seen in skin form, and Alanna leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Rest, I'll come with dinner, and I expect you to eat it all." The stern look resembled similar to what her father would do, it was the kindest way to give out an order.

And thus, the room had turned silent—Only with Andy's heavy breathing weighing it to shift. "Sage, I—"
"I know. Nobody listens to me, and I keep getting in trouble. You're not the only one. It's not okay right now, but I'll be okay...I think." She said, her eyes flickering everywhere, just not to his figure.

He pinched her chin with his fingertips to gain her attention outright. "I'll make this better. I promise you that, female. Whatever it takes." She hummed and held onto his hand to give a gentle squeeze.
"I know...I'm still learning how to be a wolf, too. Can't always be saved from laws."

"Yeah? Did you get special privilege back in Crescent Moon?" She nodded quickly, and that confused him. "Yeah, I guess the Elwood name would get you some leeway. And that survival story, goddess. My dad would've loved to hear that one."

"What happened to your mom and dad?"
"They're dead, Sage. Simple as that." She remained silent, and when his eyes turned up to see what she was doing with his hand, she was tracing out the small scar lines. "We're leaving soon. Just hold out for a little longer."

"But I like Alanna, and Julian is a good Alpha. It's hard to pick, and I'm a stranger. Even if I'm your female."

"Don't give him too much credit. He's blinded by the fact that Alanna was hurt. He could've sided with me instead of Lucy's parents. But I doubt she's up for a challenge after tonight anyhow." Andy reminded, smoothing back the likes of her hair, feeling the need to touch her, worried that she would fall back asleep if he didn't try to keep her awake.

"What's tonight?" Sage bustled out the question, blinking towards the window to try and see for herself. But the attempt failed when she couldn't keep her head up for more than a few seconds.
"Blizzard. They put up a tent out of mercy, but I think Julian only allowed it because he knows the outcome." Sage nodded along, but her eyes wandered off toward the tray Luna Alanna was carrying, and it earned her another laugh. But Sage was more interested in the scent of bone broth that filled their bedroom so easily.

"Alright, alright, eat up. And if any of Lucy's family—"
"Better get one of those slips ready with my name on it, Luna Alanna," Andy growled in warning, grinning to see that it had affected Sage as she turned to him with a small glint of approval in her eyes.

With Allana's confirmation, he grinned one final goodnight and began to help Sage sit up to regain her strength. Otherwise, Lucy would get exactly what she wants: a weakened Luna in the ring.

______

Date: 07/05/24

Time: 12:58 

Words: 3465