* * *

The following morning, Sage woke up with an ache deep in her chest. One that caused her to rub the spot in between her breast—Though she huffed at the texture that she found on herself, more than between her chest, but on her stomach as well.

"Morning, Munchkin." Remus cooed, nuzzling deeper into her neck. Something that she hadn't truly noticed, not when it felt so normal.
So right.

With a long inhale, she rose up to sit up, leaving Remus without his pillow and the better half of the blanket. Allowing her to get a full view of her mate, and so early in the morning too.

"Keep looking at me like that, and my promise to wait until we're in Crescent Moon is going to disappear."

"No. We have promise and no biting." He nodded, going to check his phone before throwing off the rest of the covers and getting to the restroom.

Giving Sage the silent push that they were getting up for the day, even if her legs felt like absolute mush, her body was still in the lovely bliss that she didn't want to end.

Now Sage wasn't usually a bed hog, but seeing her still wrapped up in the sheets had caused Remus to tilt his head—Toothbrush still in hand. "Sage?"

"Hm?"

"You feeling alright?"
"Tired. Excited for today." It was the truth, they had a final check of things before taking the designated team to travel as close as they could to the deceased pack.

"Tired, huh?"

"Cocky males don't get any fun, Remmy." She reminded, a stern face washing over her morning smile. And he pointed his toothbrush off in her direction before agreeing.

Though in the midst of it all, a knock settled their teasing as Sage called out for them to come in—All before Remus could stop the guest from doing just that.

Blake, the unfortunate male that he was, caught one look at Sage on the bed and another glimpse of Remus storming towards the door that he called out his apologies and slammed it shut.

"I'm sorry! Sage said—"

"Five minutes, Blake!" The Alpha interrupted, and Blake did not hesitate to take the chance and run so the male could cool down before he lost his tail.

"That was mean."

"Sage, he knocked for a reason. He could've waited a minute so you could get dressed."
"Oh, sorry." The pout was hard to ignore, so he took the small detour and kissed her—A proper good morning introduction that he should've done when he first woke.

With that, the two made their way out of the guest room they were staying in before heading down to join the rest of their pack and team.

"Ah! The couple has risen. Gave Blake quite a scare this morning, huh?" Kendal teased, and Sage stalled in confusion as she bent down to rub her cheek with the Alpha as a polite gesture.
"No teases, Alpha." She claimed, her eyes shifting as she did indeed have a bit of leverage over him.

But he tipped up his mug of coffee in response, a silent confirmation that he understood.

"Egg sandwich with bacon okay?" Sage nodded up to her mate eagerly at the sound of eating. "Potatoes too?" Remus pulled out her spot at the table as he smiled.

But being alone with the Alpha gave Sage the perfect opportunity to get a reading on him, and properly this time.

"So...Before my wolf and I go berserk over the possibility of meeting my future mate. Can you give me any details? Some kind of hint?"

"I don't have details or hints, wish I do. But I can't help until I see and meet mate. No control." Sage did wish she could ease the male's beast. But that wasn't up to her, nothing was.

"And this works? You're sure?"

"Yes, I remember I find out my brother's mate when I first meet her, she not eighteen and I don't know what mates are yet. I will find them, it's okay if they can't see mate yet." She smiled brightly, and it was perfect timing as Remus returned with her dad and Blake.

And the Rogue still couldn't look Sage in the eye after the last twenty minutes occurred. As there was most definitely a difference between seeing a female shift to a female the next morning after reconnecting with her male.

"Look who I found head-deep in the coffee pot..." Hayes cheered, loving the General's discomfort and target painted on his back for this morning's mistake. But Sage smiled lightly as her father kissed the top of her head in a quiet greeting, though he did share an amused glint in his eyes.

The entire guest list knew of the Alpha couple's rekindling, but Hayden didn't want to dig any deeper into the relationship status. He knew well enough that Haley absolutely hated his meddling, so he was okay taking the sidelines.

For now, at the very least.

"We better get a move on soon, a bit of a drive to the outskirts...Thanks again for letting us borrow your buses, Kendal." Remus interjected, and Sage nodded in agreement. "Better than running." She cheered, and the Alpha of the territory scoffed.

"It's a risk, I'll admit. But it's the least I can do. Who would've thought you'd get the packs to agree to this search?" Sage eyed the Alpha for a moment before they caught sight of the guests that came for this very mission.

"Helps old pack members from Crimson and helps us find clues." She added though that was enough conversation on her part as she hurried to inhale the sandwich and hefty serving of potatoes. Leaving Remus to ask if she wanted another plate, she shook her head.

The nerves were starting to get the better of her.

With the plan of returning back to Moon Ridge following their trip to Crimson pack, there really wasn't much to get together. Though that didn't stop Sage from managing hers and Remus' pack as the males were making the final preparations.

What Sage wasn't expecting, was to hear a knock just when was getting started. "Come in!"

"You sure? I don't want to get my tail ripped off if—" Sage rolled her eyes and whispered the enchantment to have the door unlock from her seat on the floor.

"No tail ripping. Come in." Blake took a cautious look before ducking inside and closing the door right behind him. "Do you need some help?"

"I can do it...Everything okay?" It was clear that there was something on the General's mind, especially when his eyes shifted back and forth. "Not really."

His answer to her question had caused Sage to pause in putting in another rolled shirt into her bag, turning to him with a confused frown. "Not okay?"

"I'm—I'm okay. Yeah. But um, Andrew...I haven't seen him today." Worry had spread right across as she didn't realize that she hadn't seen Andrew all morning!

"Not at breakfast."
"Uh...I was going to check on him, but I thought maybe you should come with me when you're done." She blinked for a moment before Blake started to itch the back of his neck. "Listen, I hate to be the middle wolf. But I'm loyal to you, Sage. You're my Mentor and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you pulling my head out of my ass—Sorry, it's a habit. But last night...Last night upset Andrew." While Sage had been caught up on the curse word he used, the ending mention had managed her to tilt her head.

"Upset Andrew?"
"You mated with Remus."

"We don't mate." Now that enacted the former Rogue blushed as he sucked in a breath. "Uh, yeah. It didn't sound like that." The entirety of Sage's person had risen to her feet in pure frustration and panic as she hurried to the door.

Only for him to catch her by the waist.

"Hey, hey. Easy...Think about what you're going to say first."
"I say sorry."
"Sorry? What do you have to feel sorry about?" The question once again managed to make Sage stop in her pursuit to the door with an annoyed huff.
"That I almost mate with Remus."
"Then that means you're in the wrong. Never apologize for something if you didn't do anything wrong." Stalling for time, he managed to stand in blocking the door before nicking his head. "You've picked Remus?"

"He's my mate."

"And Andrew?"
"He's my friend." Blake sucked in a breath and shook his head. "Look Sage, things like this don't work out. I don't blame you, nobody blames you. You thought Remus was dead and needed a male to help you through your Heat. But that's in the past, are you ready to pick Remus?" It was a little late to go over her options, but Sage had followed with a nod.

Though there was still some hesitation.

"Is this because of what happened in the soul swap? Or because you don't want to hurt Andrew?" Sage's shoulders fell as she turned back to the bed and sat down. "Both."

"Both?... Yeah, both makes sense. But there isn't room for two males in an Alpha couple. You pick Remus, you have to stay with him. There's—Well, unless he does some stupid shit again. That's for me and Hayes to sort out." The mention of her dad had caused a smile, remembering kindly to her father's words of advice.

"Don't want to hurt males." She decided, and Blake locked his hands on his hips to shake his head. "Sometimes it's bound to happen. Maybe Andrew has a mate out there, we don't know." That piqued her interest, perhaps she could try and help?

Sage had hoped to help all the wolves in Half Crescent to find their other half, they just needed to be patient and rejoin the pack society.

"Andrew is upset." She figured, and Blake nodded. "It was hard for him to hear it last night. And Remus was pissed for him trying to help you with the whole earache. Things are going to get worse if you don't fix things...What do you plan to tell Andrew?" The question reappeared and Sage groaned.

Just this morning she was enjoying the aftermath of having Remus' attention.

She wouldn't have bothered if she knew it would cause this type of trouble.

"Nothing to say, Andrew will still be hurt." Blake agreed with her prediction but was subjective to the fact that any person in this situation would be hurt. Though it would be better to be honest, and to have a conversation.

"You know...I had a falling out too. N-not with a female, but with a friend." That piqued Sage's attention once again as she turned up to meet Blake's eyes, only to find the pain blooming in them as he was reliving that time of his life.

"What happened?" He chuckled, only issuing another strike to his heart. "Remember when I told you about my friend, I shifted with him in the woods—Too far from our pack?" Sage nodded, recalling the time they were stargazing and she needed a distraction with Remus away.

"He was my best friend, I loved him like a brother. And the pack was small, really small. About the group we're about to take, maybe even a little less. There were hardly any secrets between each other." Sage remained silent, catching the heaviness in Blake's tone get hoarse as he continued on the tale.

"My friend was the Alpha's son, not really a rank but he owned the territory. That was enough of a title for anyone...But that meant he made some of the more difficult decisions." Blake's hand had cleared his eyes from the onset of tears, adding to the tension that was filling the room.

"What happened?"

"His father sold me to the Underground." Sage's body surged forward and roared at the betrayal, not believing that this could happen. "What?!"

"He was like a father to me, he took me in when I was so young and I—I thought I was going to stay there until we moved on together. But the Goddess couldn't control his actions." Tears brimmed Sage's eyes in reaction to Blake's past.

"Why don't you tell me?"

"Because I'm not proud of what I did after I left the Underground." Now that had changed the tone, and Sage smiled.

"Kill Alpha?"

"Well, maybe you would be proud of it...But my friend, he banished me."

"You don't want to stay in pack. You tell your friend?" Blake nodded but came forward with a shaky grin to Sage's protective nature. "Family has the power to hurt us, whether they mean to or not. I couldn't rest knowing that bastard could do it to another pack member. And you're right, I didn't want to come back to the territory anyway...I think he knew—I think Pax knew." The name had given Sage a target to hate.

But Blake could only feel the warmth of his Mentor's protection and it projected directly into his heart and soul.

"Pax is not your friend."

"Yeah, I figured that after he didn't seem so surprised about me killing his father—Well, maybe because I actually went through with it." Sage gave him a fitful nod before coming forward and placing a hand on his cheek.

"Pax is not your friend. You are a dad now, you have a mate now. You're my Rogue General. You are fighting here, with me. You're better now."

"Hell yeah I am, but you see my point? Or did I just break my heart all over again by sharing that—" Tears had burst out of Sage's eyes without a second thought as she tackled him in a hug, it startled the wolf but only because he hadn't expected it.

Sage had gone from distracted, to enraged, to tearful. And Goddess he would be skinned if Remus found out that he made Sage cry over something as trivial as his past.

That, and he didn't want any Alphas in the area to know that he killed his former—That it had been too easy to do so.

In the midst of Sage's emotional relay, the door creaked open to showcase Andrew, holding his own bag in his hands. But that isn't what caught her attention, not when Andy's eyes were blotched red. Indicating that he didn't manage to soothe his aching heart at all last night.

"When are we leaving?" He questioned, though his voice wasn't it regular stern exposure. Yet his question was forgotten the second his nose caught wind of Sage's tears.

Instant anger coursed through Andrew as he stocked forward and grabbed Blake by the likes of his shirt and twisted. "Explain."

"Goddess, Sage and I were just having a heart-to-heart. Can't I talk to my Mentor without my ass getting handed me to?" Familiarity with the situation sparked as just last night, Blake told him about the time Eli overacted to him hugging Sage.

And here Andrew was, doing the exact same thing.

"Sorry. Rough night." Another sob sparked out of Sage's chest as she knew exactly what her former male was getting at.
Goddess, how could her heart feel so full yet so broken all at once?

"I—I'm gonna get my bag together, you two talk shit out...Or something." With that, Blake nodded to Sage before glaring at Andy as he left the room. Which could have acted as a warning while also suggesting that Blake was not going to forget that sudden move of protection, he was the least likely of anyone besides Sage's father to hurt her.

Accidental or not.

With a small sniffle, Sage realized that she was now alone with Andrew—In the very room that still smelled like her and Remus' activities from last night.

"Blake tell me story from when he's a Rogue." She whispered, wiping her eyes and going back to the floor to finish packing. Andrew knew that she was trying to distract herself, so he bent down to help her finish.

"I'm guessing it didn't have a happy ending?"

"He's happy now." She shot back, and Andrew held his tongue—Never did he expect to be jealous of another male. Not only did he have Sage's loyalty, a mate and a pup—But he was well respected among the Crescent Moon pack.

Andrew couldn't say the same thing for himself.

"Did you eat?"

"Look, Sage. You don't have to bother with me anymore, alright? I get it. Remus is your male and I'm not. Simple as that."
"Not simple. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Yeah, well it's a little late for that, don't you think?" He growled, and Sage's eyes widened at Andrew's comment as she stalled her next step.

"I—I told you I have pups! I told you that I don't know if my mate is alive! I told you! You don't listen!" Perhaps it was a crack in Sage's emotions, but Andrew did not have any right to make her feel worse than she already did.

Where would that get them?

"No, I didn't. And neither did you. You let me help you during your Heat, led me to believe that you might be carrying my pup, and agreed to wear my mark. What was I supposed to think? Did you have any feelings for me at all?!"

"I do! But I have a mate! Remus is my mate, your friend. We can't—"

"Yeah, we can. If you wanted me as your mate then you could choose me. But why would you? I'm a Rouge Alpha without a pack, I couldn't even fucking give you a pup when the goddess gave us a chance! Everything is stacked against me, then last night all I could hear is you—" The tears blurred Sage's vision as she ducked her head down.

"Can't be friends...Can we?" She croaked, and Andrew growled at the final option. He didn't want to leave, not when he would be leaving his birth pack in the process.

But what did Crescent Moon ever do for him?

"I wish we could be, hun. But Remus—He's like a brother to me." Sage's shoulders sagged, another strike of emotion and tears filling her eyes and blurring her sight.

"I want to be friends." Her heart tightened as Andrew frowned once again, this time meaner than the last before he had taken one to inhale and changed the direction of his tune. 

"I dunno...Raincheck?"

Her brows scrunched together as she tried to figure out the term 'raincheck,' but caught sight of her father lingering in the doorway. "Come on, Bubbles. Buses are ready." She nodded to Hayes and managed to get the bags ready in her hands before slinging them over her shoulder and hurrying out.

Though she didn't miss the chance to have her eyes linger on Andrew, hoping he could decipher what he meant by a raincheck. But the male remained quiet in her father's presence, and so she joined Blake in the hall and made the hike out of the Packhouse.

Andrew's head ducked for a moment before glaring at Sage's father, not having as much reservation as he had in the past few weeks. "Why are you putting yourself through this kind of torture?" Hayes questioned, and the Alpha of a fallen pack laughed.

"I'm a sucker for punishment if you haven't guessed. Do you think I like smelling Remus on her? Am I supposed to be happy about it?"
"Yes. Happy that I don't hang your Hyde on a fucking flag pole in Mystic Grimm for abusing my daughter's situation. Don't think for one second I don't know what you're up to, Clark. Don't you dare guilt trip her!"

"I'm not!"

"Yes. You are. Remus and her need to solve what's between them without a third party...If you're not on the bus in five minutes, we're leaving without you." It was an option to stay behind, but Andrew had stuck to one promise and intended to keep it. Even if he sat at the front of the bus and tried to ignore just how much his nose seemed to target Sage's scent in a sea of them all.

Even if it had the remnants of Remus featured in her undertones. Perhaps Hayes was right, he was a glutton for punishment.

______

Date: 06/17/23

Time: 9:27

Words: 3532

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay in posting, I had a family emergency and there was no way I could have managed to post. Not to mention I had a full workday, and I am still exhausted.

With this in mind, I will hopefully update The Brave Human Mate tomorrow if I can. 

Now for the recap, Blake was betrayed by his first makeshift family, but he managed to get his revenge.

Or Sage and Andy's small argument, even if it hurts, it's going in the right direction for him to accept her decision.

Let's just hope that everyone can keep their heads on while they're on their way to goddess knows what.

Next chapter we're going to enjoy the bus ride to Crimson Moon

I hope you all have an amazing rest of your weekend and I will see you Monday for updates!