* * *

Laura did her best to clean up the Luna, but it was difficult. Especially when Sage offered no help and tried to remain planted in her sleeping bag—Staring up to the ceiling, almost lifeless.

It aided her, at the very least, that her wolf felt more comfortable and on terms with what happened. But the lingering set of eyes on her was not what she wanted.

And if remaining still and quiet was keeping Laura from speaking, so be it. She had enough judgment from Jade for a lifetime, and that was only based on the decision to Mate with Andrew during her Heat.

Not knowing that there was an actual pup growing inside her...worried her.

As Laura was finished, Sage allowed her hands to drift down to where she couldn't wait for the swelling to begin. For her body to transform and be allowed to nurture something so precious as a pup.

It didn't fit into Andrew's plans of keeping distance or her choice in wanting to be with Remus. But it did answer the hopes between the two, even if the rest of the family had hoped against them.

Sage knew from the start that Andrew's family was dead, much like Remus'. She had been so excited to give her mate a family, to add to the one she joined and found, that she felt the same with Andrew.

Even when they do not continue the relationship, they will have a pup to love, care for and teach. While it wasn't the best situation to create, the love in Sage blossomed as she turned to her side and rested her eyes.

The events of the days started to conjoin together with how tiring she felt. Or was it the pup?

It hardly felt like much time had passed before her tent's zipper sounded off, causing her to turn over her shoulder and lock eyes with both the males she had been thinking of.

She hummed in recognition but didn't offer anything more.

As Andrew sat right beside Sage, Remus followed—Just at the opposite side. Both were respectful that if she wanted to face them, she would.

And in a small camp, this is as private as it could be.

With Andrew's eyes locked onto the back of Sage's head, he sighed—Still trying to come to terms with what he caused and what will happen in the future.

He is going to be a father.

"You can't leave now..." Remus whispered, completely cautious in not disturbing Sage's rest. But as Andrew turned, his best friend was sporting similar bruises and tearful eyes just as he was.

"What do I do, Rem? Leave my son or daughter? My pup...? She nearly lost—"

"I know. I can't ask you to leave. But don't think this changes anything. Sage is my Mate. Mine. And I'll do anything to keep up with that promise. You might be the father of that pup, but right now my wolf sees you as a threat." The truth was out, and even as Andrew's hand itched to have some sort of physical contact with Sage and their pup, he receded.

Taking Remus' words of caution seriously.

"I understand. But I plan to be a good father, and if that means putting my neck out there to be a part of that pup's life, I will." Andrew's devoting words had spoken a promise, one that had both upset and rallied a sense of pride in Remus.

"I'm going to be a step-father..." He whispered, almost as if he was trying to remind and convince himself of what was about to happen. And Andrew nodded. "Yeah, might have to pinch me later on that I'm going to be a father."

"It's not as hard as it sounds." Had that comment come from anyone besides Remus, then Andrew might have understood. Granted, he couldn't say much. He wasn't in the position to say anything against his friend either, not when he's hardly managed a newborn pup.

"No, I know. It's still—I can't do anything right now. I feel like I need to do something." Remus' nose twitched with what he was about to suggest, not liking the idea but knowing it was for the best.

"Hold her. Make sure her wolf knows you're there. Fuck, I saw that you calmed her down a lot easier than I could...Maybe that was a sign, I should've—"

"I should've known, Rem. But Sage didn't smell the change either, not until...Not until it was too late." Andrew wiped his eyes once more before making his way beside her, tucking her in properly before wrapping another arm to tuck her in further.

A breathless sigh of relief had sparked, and Remus smirked—Knowing that was exactly what was going to happen. Yet Andrew couldn't understand the reasoning behind it.

"If I didn't mark her—"

"The pup would've died...I know. The problem is, I don't really smell a pup. I believe you, but my wolf thinks you—" Andrew gawked. "What do you smell?"

"It's faint. Like she already had the pups...Maybe that's just what my wolf is processing since we didn't go through a Heat." Andrew frowned, so Remus could smell something but not in the correct category.

"Maybe it's my mark fucking things up, I swear it's only a temporary one. I couldn't think straight, Rem. Not when she was bleeding—"

"I understand." He growled out, almost as though he didn't really understand. But Andrew nodded, it was enough for the time being.

"She shouldn't be here." Remus instated, and Andrew huffed in agreement—She was in constant danger, not to forget her injured ear and the trauma came from the combination of Willow's dream.
In addition to the remanence of the sadistic garden and the near rejection.

"She'll stay back with her dad and the youngest Elwood, maybe Blake too. We can take the rest in two teams. I want her away from the action." Remus offered, but his Alpha demand had caused Andrew's jaw to tick.

Perhaps this was going to be a little more tricky than he first thought, and as the silence took over, Remus frowned. "You want her to join us?"

"I want her next to me. Just trying to choke down that she won't be with us is...A little hard to hear right now." Remus knew that feeling, he knew it all too well. But he couldn't get past his own wolf that Andrew would be this possessive due to his instincts running wild.

"That won't go away anytime soon, just warning you now." Andrew's body buckled with laughter, trying to calm himself down in not to wake Sage up from her slumber.

But as of yet, she had only acknowledged them and nothing more. Clearly, she needed the rest.

"Just promise me one thing?"

"I'll hear it first before making any promise, Drew."

"Don't let her convince me to name the pup after a flower."

"Well, if you didn't know—Ronan is a flower's name too and I didn't know it. She might play that on you too." Yeah, that was certainly a detail that Remus didn't manage to realize, seemed like Sage was always a little devious.

Though he didn't blame her, considering an already stressful mission was already taking its toll on her sanity—Not to mention everyone else in the mix.

Andrew looked as though he was about to declare war on the wind if it so much made Sage cold. And Remus couldn't deny he was that far behind him, even if it was still difficult to process that Sage would be out of commission for the next few weeks.

And another pup would be added to the home—Or would the pup live with Andrew? These thoughts were starting to grow worse by the second, and Sage had grown irritated with all the huffing and puffing happening around her.

Yet when she felt Andrew surrounding her, she allow a small whine to whisper through the tent—Though her eyes flashed in panic toward Remus.

She hadn't been able to get a word to him, not when the excitement of everything had caused absolute panic. "Remmy—" She cried, and he offered a smile.

"It's alright, Drew and I talked." Starting to sit up, Andrew joined her and offered support for her to lean on him, but she managed well enough—Attempting to wake herself up as she continued to wipe away the frustrated tears.

"Talk about what?"

"Well, talking about what's happened. That you're pregnant. That we need to do this together." Together. Those words had been difficult for him to get out of, and Andrew certainly caught that.

"We live together?" She questioned, though her eyes remained locked on Remus, it was his house after all. Even if he had fixed it up as a place for both him and Sage to live in—He didn't have it set with allowing another male to move in completely.

"For now. While the pup is still young." That made some sense, and Andrew nodded along, not wanting to be too far when the pup was still vulnerable, but also couldn't see the point in taking said pup away from their mom.

No. Andrew knew that the mom was important for the first given years of a pup's life—He knew that very well.

"A-and I shift for birth again?" Clearly, Sage was thinking much more about the future than they were. But Andrew nodded without hesitation. "They're an Alpha pup regardless, their siblings shift too. I don't want them to feel already weaker than—"

"Ronan and Rue won't be like that."

"Yeah? How would you have felt about a pup coming into the family with an entirely different dad?" Andrew shot back and Sage growled once again. "We're talking. No yelling and no fighting. Enough fighting. I just want to know what is happening because I need to be careful now." Sage was being serious, ultimately taking control over the conversation in regards to knowing the answers would make this all easier.

"We have plenty of bedrooms. Andrew can keep his room and we'll figure it out later when we get things squared away with the rest of America. And when the pup is older." Sage smiled her approval, but she turned towards the pup's father to see what he thought.

"I have enough funds to build a house, maybe we'll be neighbors." That was what Remus and his wolf were waiting for, that even with the placement of this pup, it still did not mean that he was going to try and continue with Sage. And Sage didn't look at all misplaced, not when Andrew was going to stay and when their feelings were being announced out loud.

However, it was Sage's eyes that had gone wide with fear that pressed either male to dart their attention towards her. "Sage?"
"Hun, what is it?"

"One pup?...N-not twins again?" The mere idea of carrying twins and carrying another set was already giving her a migraine. And Andrew shook his head.

"Probably not. The twins came from Remus' side. Far as I know, I've never had any case of twins in my family." He claimed, pressing a kiss to her temple and rubbing her shoulder, but that still didn't relinquish her fear completely.

And it only added when her father had taken to kneeling down at the tent's entrance and narrowing his eyes to see how close either of the males was to his daughter.

"Since neither of you three work at normal hours, I guess now is a good time as any." Hayes introduced, coming to sit beside Remus who nearly choked on his next breath—He knew that the Alpha was on his side, for the most part, but he was still horrified in knowing the father's true thoughts about all this.

"We're talking," Sage said with a smile, and Hayes hummed. Not being able to take his anger out on his own daughter. "That's good. But I'd like to hear what is happening considering this pup is going to be another grandchild and I'd like to have the same story when we return." Sage wasn't the only one who frowned at the idea of a 'story,' her idea of stories was usually the ones she read in books.

That they were made up. Why would her dad say that?

"Sage returned just in time for Christmas, it was a vocal return and it'll be wise to say that you hid your Heat around that time." Sage blinked in confusion. Of course, the timing was already off with the stress—Another concern that Laura had questioned when helping her Luna clean up.

Why was the pup showing themselves now?

Hayes' words sounded innocent enough, but Sage could feel Andrew's body going ridged. After having come to a decent plan, Sage's father has gone ahead and retracted the better half of it.

And it was not in Clark's nature to yield.

"I know where this is going, and I get you to want to save Sage's image—The pup may be Moon by name, but I—"

"I won't keep you from them, Drew. Never." Remus jumped in, and Sage's eyes had grown wide—This is what her father told her about bastards and the works. Usually, it was the male who would explore or have relationships before they had found their Luna.

Much like Remus had with Kelly.

Sage didn't know if she would have been able to handle knowing that Kelly had a pup with Remus and they would be living with them—The image of it all was making her gag at the thought, but she willed herself to remain silent as the three males continued to go back and forth.

Clark or Moon.
What a question—And Sage didn't see the point of arguing about it right now, why does it matter if the better half of America hates her and the family regardless?

Sage's family knows the truth, which means that Mystic Grimm, White Paw, and even Grey Hallow knew the possibility.
And Kendal made it seem like he assumed the better half of things.

Crimson remained undefined, but Sage didn't doubt that after this trip that they would lock themselves in the earth for another fifty years. They were too skittish for their own good.

Right now, however, she needed to think about this pup. And as their voices grew louder, Sage decided enough was enough.

"I want pup to have Clark name."

"W-what? Sage, think about this...The pup will be singled out within the pack—You'll be—"

"What? The pack will hate me? The pack will laugh? I should be dead, they can laugh if they want. It's not funny to laugh at a pup." This situation was too much to bear, and Hayes wished upon the deity once again that very night, that Willow was here to make things right.

She would know what to do and fix it with ease.

But even Hayes knew that Willow wouldn't have cared who the father is if their daughter was the mother. She would love their grandpup regardless.

"They'll have plenty of cousins...Hardin and Dillion." A soft smile had started to spark on her face, thinking about all the pups playing with one another—But then it fell as she closed her eyes.

"Jade isn't going to be happy."

"Good. It doesn't matter what she thinks anyway." Andrew growled, his arm locking around the better half of Sage's stomach, and pulled her back into his embrace, and the instant spark started to melt away her worries.

At least for now.

______

Date: 08/07/23

Time: 8:04 (Early because I have jury duty tomorrow, ew)

Words: 2657

Author's Note:

Safe to say these are some difficult choices, and perhaps this isn't the best place to heal between Remus and Andrew, but if they act like a united front, everything should fall into place...

Right?

If you're angry with me now, just you wait until we get to Lichen🧜‍♀️

Hope you all have a fantastic week and I'll see you on Friday!