* * *

FIFTY-NINE HOURS LATER

Sage had slept off the medication fitfully to what she could only assume was the weekend. But by the grim look on everyone's faces, she concluded that it was indeed Monday. However, she reserved the right to ask.
No part of her wanted to move from her spot, and she only did to use the restroom.

It was one of the common areas that the two groups shared, in addition the metal carts the meals were served from. The Luna realized that there were no individual Henrys to sneak them extra biscuits or pour her water after every training section.
No. They were diligent with what they had. And it didn't take long for her to find that there was a never-ending supply of water, something she was ever so thankful for. 

With the light shining in from the windows above, she was thankful to see something. If she looked at a certain angle, and perhaps just underneath—She could maybe see the sky if she tried. But for now, she caught a slight tint of nothing. However, in analyzing the room properly, the tire imprints on the ground suggested that this was a garage, and it certainly smelled like one. Once she separated the scents, that is.

It truly felt like she was finally starting to accept the idea that she wasn't going to wake up in the traveling R.V with her family, or in Crescent Moon.

Pretending this was a fever dream wasn't going to get her anywhere, but it did take time for her mind to fight off the cloudy exterior and allow lucid thoughts to reign over.

Thankfully, Clementine remained close to Hera as she healed. The pup was a comfort she didn't have the last time. And it was certainly better when she still had the small remnants of a pup scent, one she enjoyed sniffing throughout the night to pretend it was Rue.

An older Rue.

The mother of two already tried desperately to call out to others through their shared Link, yet it failed. And she realized that they were either too far away or the medication she was fighting off was making it difficult to call out.
Either way, she couldn't make a connectable link. The same goes for Darius as well.

The bell rang once more, and another set of females was called upon and stood away from the group before heading in a line at the door. It didn't take long for Clem to find the stitched number on Hera's shirt to tug her to go up with them, and that caused Sage to frown. "What pup?"
"You have to go." She mumbled, saddened that her new friend was set to leave. As the possibility of coming back hurt or not at all was left in the air.

Sage didn't realize that the number two was stitched on the breast pocket, and thus she rose up to her feet—Her unsteady feet. Mindful that the last time she had, her legs felt like it was asleep. However, she felt better, and instead wrapped her blanket around Clem and placed a kiss on her head.

No words were needed between the two, but it was clear that there were a hundred or more things the pup wanted to say. Yet nothing would change the loving feeling she received when Hera's lips touched her temple. "Stay here, be safe." The pup nodded and nuzzled further into the blankets, she didn't have a number for today, and Sage—Hera—The Luna of Crescent Moon, was going to find out the hard way what it meant to stand alongside the rest of the she-wolves.

Maeve caught Hera's eyes remaining on the others on the opposite end, and she leaned in for a moment. "Those are witches."
"What?" Sage gasped, eyes wide as can be and the woman nodded. "They have those bracelets on, can't use magic if they're on. We've kept the peace so far, and they won't touch Clementine or Poppy." Sage had indeed smelled another pup within the midst of the room but hadn't scoped her out, the only thing that she truly knew was the fact everyone here was female.

Not that there was a species difference between them, but now Sage knew to be careful. She didn't want those silver bands on her, though she wondered if they would truly be effective.

If they're silver at least.

The kindness on Mae's face instantly vanished once the metal doors stood at their sides and a band of male guards came in to escort the collective bunch through the halls. It didn't take a genius to recognize the sort of room they were headed to, and every hair fiber on Sage's body stood up in attention.

The years that were wrongly stolen behind these walls—the blood, sweat, and tears were enough to make her dry heave. But alas, another wolf had caught her just as she was about to hunch over.

Perhaps the medication wasn't done festering in her body, but she was immensely thankful for the unity that the wolves seemed to have. Though she hadn't been introduced to anyone besides Maeve and Clementine as of yet.

It was a robotic feeling, to follow the crowd and be placed at the center of the room to await the same male with the damnable lab coat and clipboard in hand.

What Sage had found amusing, however, was how damn easy it'd be to just snap his neck. The skinny fellow dictating orders was nothing shy of her own height, and what was a human against a hybrid like herself?

"Alright ladies, let's get started for today..." Another surprise was how vocal the scientist was being, as though this was normal. That the pain he was causing was such a vital process to whatever the hell was going on here.

Sage remained planted right where she stood beside the others as she watched the first female step forward into the center, and a single male appeared from the opposite end. Musclier and vastly different than the main scientist who was violently writing down notes.

She tilted her head and watched how the two sparred, but it occurred to Sage that the feeling she had previously in the metal room was correct. This wolf had lost her ability to shift, the signs were all there. Whatever sort of medication that was withholding them was bound to be inside her now.
No wonder she felt awful!

It might play in her favor, the tolerance she's built up. Not to forget about the Alpha blood running through her veins, in addition to the Halliwell blood, there was hope inside that she was immune. However, seeing the human starting to get the better of the she-wolf was weighing heavy on her.

Stay, Sage. Don't risk it.

Darius! You're back!

Just barely, I've been trying to track you down for days, sweetheart. What the hell happened?

I don't know, I was in bathroom and then I wake up in chair here. Are the pups okay? And papa? Is everyone okay?

I'm sure they're all fine, Sage, but what matters is you right now. They're testing out your strength, I'm not entirely sure what's going on at this facility or where it is, but my father be damned I'll help you get out of here if it's the last thing I do. Alright, wolfie?

Okay. What should I do?

When you're up, put on a good fight—But lose.

Lose?! It's a human! I can't lose against a—

Sage, sweetheart, they're going to break you down until you have nothing left to fight for. Let them think you're weak.

I am not weak.

No, you aren't. But once they find out what type of blood you have, they're going to section you off goddess knows where. Trust me, Sage, this is the only way you'll be able to take them by surprise. There's only the females you've seen here, I can't see anything more throughout this facility. It's tight-knit and secluded.

"Next!" Sage returned to focus on the rest of what was happening, and when she caught the twig scientist smiling as he looked at her as though she were a new toy.

And that made her cringe.

Instead, she managed to find the exact spot the others had placed themselves in, and readied herself for an attack. The only people who've got the better of her were her father, and perhaps Remus on the occasion he was feeling his Alpha title being threatened.

Otherwise, it was playfights with the pups.

This, however, was a strain on both her ego and wolf. The internal battle caused her to start blocking more than actually attacking, making the male assume that she was afraid.
"You scared, pretty girl?" He teased, and she wasn't sure if she had heard the sigh of Darius in the background, but she didn't fault him if he had. As the hesitation on listening to his words had evaporated instantly.
It was the solid kick into his stomach that caused him to fall to his knees.

Perhaps breaking his entire row of ribs in the process.

After curling onto the ground, Sage turned over towards the scientists and huffed.

"Next!" She bustled, and the scientists were baffled with their jaws dropped. Yet sure enough, another two had come inside to do the job the previous one couldn't. Unfortunately, the comment was still fresh in Sage's mind, so while she did best with the next pair—It did earn her a fair bit of bruises by the end of it all.

But she hadn't killed anyone in the process, which Darius had to admit, was a surprise all things considering.

When returning to the shared cell room, she was relieved to head back to her corner. Even though it earned her a few hardened glares from the witches, it seemed they hardly ever left the damn room. Otherwise, they would've been worried about seeing the state she was in, the taste of blood only told her that her lip was busted.

Not how much.

After falling asleep in her corner, she was awoken by a rather cool wet cloth on her cheekbone down to her lips. After realizing it was Mae, she swallowed her growl. But didn't remove all her defense as her eyes silently questioned her.

"Mondays are gym days."
"I know. Tuesdays are experiments." Maeve's lips parted and Sage nodded her head. "I was born in cage. I know."
"Then what the hell are you doing fighting like that?! You'll get killed by the end of the week." Sage's nose twitched at being spoken to like that, by a regular wolf, no less.

Which caused her to take the rag from the female and finish cleaning her face herself. "But you have a mate bite..."
"I escaped. Not same people...I hope." Sage said, though she partially regretted it as she hadn't a clue whether or not she could trust Mae or not.

"Get some sleep. Clem will get you dinner when it comes." Sage let out a nod before curling back onto her bent arm she was using as a pillow. But before she knew it, the pup came to deliver the food, as promised.

And with the added comfort, Clem remained by her side for the rest of the night.

Morning came and went in a flash of an eye, and Sage couldn't understand what happened after breakfast and being assigned a room. All that truly stuck with her was just how awful and groggy she felt in her small corner. She was thankful to see Clem sitting right beside her, playing with the bands on her oversized pants—Only for Sage to reach and poke her. "What are you doing, lil pup?" She questioned, and a small whine escaped her as the pup snuggled deeper into Sage's neck.

"You wouldn't wake up...Mae said it would take a long time." The young girl said in a rush, and as Sage's senses started to come to. She realized that not only was her stomach empty and bladder full, but the small phantom pricks and pokes were also making her wolf tense and murderous.

Coming to sit up, her back began to burn with rage. She must have been asleep for a while if she was still this hazy and unresponsive. Yet Clem did her best to steady the she-wolf to her feet and hurry over to the bathroom area, where she splashed water in her face and provided her with another soaked rag.
"Thank you, pup. You're very sweet." It was clear that the little female made a face of appreciation, though Sage retracted her next move of cupping the pup's cheeks.

Blake warned her how dangerous it was for a pup in this situation, was Clementine in for the same treatment as Levi?
To wait for a certain age and then be stripped of her life?

"How old are you?"
"I dunno, I lost mama a long time ago. Other wolves think I'm a Rogue."
"It's okay to be a Rogue." Sage instated, and it was clear that there was a bit of unshared light glistening between the two.

However, the stern voice of a witch caught Sage's attention.
"You two done?" One hissed, and Sage rolled her eyes, knowing now that the female's tone was a sign of irritation that could only steam from their nexus being blocked by the silver bracelet.

 "What coven are you from?" Sage asked, so easily interjecting her own question to defuse the witch...If that were even possible.

And it downright confused the witch, making her brows stand up in question. "I'm friends with the Warren's, Ember Circle." She explained, but alas, the witch didn't stick around to answer Sage's question. Instead, she darted out of the bathroom, most likely to share the findings with the other witches.

"What's a coven?"
"Like a pack, witches have a Luna too." It was clear that the little pup had been here longer, and in that given moment, she picked the young girl up into her arms—Ignoring the pain that came with holding the pup, it was the only thing that was keeping her sane.

She needed it.

"Is there a lot of Lunas?" Clem questioned, just as they were getting back to their corner. And Sage nodded, though her eyes remained closed. "Can you tell me a story?"
"What kind of story?" Her question went unanswered as Clementine didn't know a story, so Sage simply curled up beside her and started to recite the full first chapter of 'Wonder', the wolf book that her own pups readily adored.

And for once, the entire room had fallen into a better mood, all in tune with the story that Sage—Hera, had been repeating. Or had, until she fell fitfully asleep, and Clem was not in a place to wake her from it.
Nobody was.

The suspicions grew on Hera's story after another day of training. She was getting better at holding back her punches and retaining a decent win, nothing too special. Considering she didn't want to appear as unique on Darius' advice, though when she attempted to shift the following night, Sage was left with the great reveal that she couldn't.

And her shadow talked her out of using up all her magic in one go.

They decided together that she would need to spend the week or so analyzing and coming up with the best plan, and all she had to show for it was a mesmerizing pattern of where the gym was located and a hazy memory of being wheeled back into the garage.

That's what the she-wolves called it anyway. From passed on prisoners, the theory went that this was an abandoned military base for humans. Meaning that this was indeed a garage, the plus side is that it was most likely above ground.

The bad news was, it didn't aid her in the fact that she had no idea of her location. Even if she was in the state of Wyoming, it wouldn't help.

Who would she even contact?

Sage had relied on Blake and the witches to navigate through human territory, Enzo too. She doubted she could do that alone, and better yet. She had no money!

In the downtime before fighting off the controlled temperature and soothing her wolf, Sage found herself lost in her memories. Picturing Remus coming to knock down the door would cause her eyes to burn, and while she remembered Aurelia's claims about how powerful manifestation is...No part of the Luna could conjure that outcome, not when Sage herself didn't know what was happening.

The days passing came in hazes, and Darius suggested that it had something with the food that was making her sluggish. But she needed to eat, and the company of Clem and Poppy settled the ache in her chest that needed to be filled with a pup scent.

The witches hadn't bothered Sage after the small run-in in the bathroom, though it wasn't as telling as she'd hoped.
Yet her hopes were dwindling left and right.

When the week relapsed, she never felt groggy in her life. And her wolf felt like she ran miles—Her heart tightened and wouldn't release, she could hardly categorize the feelings with anything she knew prior.
In or outside her imprisonment.

It didn't make sense, and Darius simply prescribed meditation. Trying to reach out would work, if not for him to reach her—Her to reach the pups.

The likeness is what kept her motivated, and actively taking care of the pups here that made her feel like her actions had meaning. Especially when she'd brush or braid their hair, or just tend to their needs and clean them up. Sage had a feeling that it was Mae's task previously, but the weary looks all the females had given her were starting to cause her fur to rise.

That Monday and Tuesday had marked the first week of Sage's return to hell, she felt...Content.

Not in the sense that she wanted to stay, but the strong urge to fight and help these females overtook her. And that made the pain of what she lost much more approachable. Her communication with the rest of the wolves was simply greetings and partings, though Sage forgot from time to time that the name she gave them was 'Hera,' which caused her to miss a few callings.

Though she picked up on it much better this week than the last, she was still considered new and the prime interest of everyone's mind. And most came from those she fought alongside—Those listed with the number '2' stitched to her chest.

It tore Sage's heart when she caught the '4' on either Poppy and Clem's shirts as well, yet it felt rather...Strange. This wasn't a normal procedure from what she recalled. Did she have numbers on her uniform?

Or was it simply a chip in her arm?

Sage made it a pattern, after having scratched the letters of the week into the floor. She left the spoon to indicate which one, something that everyone would check or change when the day had ended.

It was a surprise when the witch from the bathroom had come over this very night to change the spoon. But it caught Sage's attention when she remained crouched and alert. "How are you feeling?"

With narrowed brows, she cautiously rose from her position and huffed. "Fine. Sore. But fine." She argued, there were going to be worse days than this. However, the witch turned over her shoulder for a moment, obviously having caught the attention of the wolves, which caused Sage's nose to twitch.

Everyone had been acting strange since Monday, and it hardly made any sense. Yet when the offering hand had started to evaluate Sage's sore shoulder, it earned the witch a steady warning. But that didn't cause her to submit.

"My name is Isla...I'm from the Rising Circle." Sage nodded but her eyes turned away, not understanding why she was being touched—Yet her wolf didn't sense any harmful intentions. Otherwise, she would've snapped, especially when the pups were snoring just beside her.

"It should start soon..." Isla whispered, and it earned her the she-wolf's attention once more. "What starts?" And the conscious decision to touch her mate mark caused her to frown, her shoulder was crying out now.

"I'm sorry." The female whispered before rising back up and not daring to look back, and if anything—There had hardly been any bits of eye contact. Not that Sage was at all displeased, her corner was claimed by her, and all she needed was the pups.

If she needed to get up to get breakfast herself, then so be it.

And the next sparing session, she decided she needed to be careful. The damage done to her shoulder would need to heal properly.

However, what had started out as a pleasant dream—Back at the house in Crescent Moon, where Sage watched a shirtless Remus prepare breakfast at the stove had been rudely interrupted by the damning burning at her throat.
The pain had been so blindsided that her only reaction was to cough and choke. It was instinctual for her to turn to her side, and whatever dinner that hadn't been digested made its way forward.

There had been heavy commotion around her, but she was mute to it all. The only thing she could do was call out and cry, for both her pups and Remus—It felt worse than getting poisoned or getting shot.

Worse than feeling Remus getting shot

Sage would've gladly taken all those combined than suffer through this.

The she-wolves had attempted to keep her body cool by drenching a blanket and covering her with it, but it was no use. The loss of a mate caused everyone in the room to recall their own horrific experience, it was a matter of time.

A missing mate would always end in the same way.

Had Remus followed her to the Moon like he said promised he would?

______

Date: 01/17/24

Time: 12:46

Words: 3893

Author's Note:

Hello!
I was planning to update on Friday, but I'll be getting my wisdom teeth out that day and I can promise you, you won't want to read anything I write while recovering after that.

These first few chapters will be a little slow and very similar to the previous story, but don't worry, we have plenty more exciting things to get through!

I hope you all have a fantastic week, and I'll see you soon ✨