* * * 

Sage had sat right beside Luke and held his hand tightly, promising that she'd heal him soon—But realistically, at the thought that she is pregnant, Luke said he was feeling a lot better than he had in the beginning.

His immortal wound starting to ease up and become a natural part of his day, but Sage still felt immensely guilty. Just like she did with everything else.

She had checked in with those outside, explaining that meals were well on the way. But as of right now, they were just thankful that there was a bathroom and shower that was at their disposal, and better yet—The basement was enough for a good dozen to be comfortable.

"There's plenty of bedrooms in the house, your Beta and your Beta female can take the guest room and that Viking fellow can sleep in my office upstairs," Remus offered, until his eyes landed on Sage.

Where would she sleep?

It was wrong for him to just assume that she'd go straight back into bed with her. "I'll take any couch down here." Andrew claimed, but Remus quickly shook his head to deny it.

"No, Sage's bedroom is upstairs—You two can stay up there. If she is pregnant, I don't think you'll want to be that far away from her." Sage's eyes flickered up towards Luke, it was clear that he didn't agree with the choices she's made, but watching her look between ether males with the same amount of love and protection was starting to dawn on him.

This turned out to be much more than he could ever dream of dealing with when he had taken to looking at her like a sister.

To segway this, Sage turned to Luke with her chin propped up onto his shoulder. "So you're a papa now too?" She said, and the male laughed.

"Yep, and she's a lil spitfire." He said with a slight nudge to his sister, however, Sage's eyes had gone wide. Who would've thought that Luke's firstborn would be a girl?

Elenor quickly excused herself to go and get their daughter, and Leo couldn't help but lean back at the idea of the family becoming complete once again.
While he had been gifted a granddaughter, nothing was more heartwarming and heart-wrenching than having his adoptive daughter return after being pronounced dead.

"How mad is papa Hayes?" Sage questioned, and that caused either male beside her to shift uncomfortably, even Andrew seemed to be a little worried on that front.

"Depends who's his target. He'll probably start off with Remus all over again, lead it to Andrew—And can't forget Eli." Luke dwelled, which only led to more questions on Sage's behalf.
"What did Eli do? Blake looks mad at him."

"Oh he is, little flower, but your father will probably kill me if he isn't the one to explain it. And besides, you just focus on meeting the twins, yeah? All the heavy stuff can wait." It was now Leo who spoke, and sure it aided her to start feeling calmer, the sudden movement of Remus taking hold of her hand and rubbing his thumb into her skin caused her an abrupt feeling of relaxation.

His touch was similar to Andrew's and it was beyond confusing to both her and her wolf that she could only sit in a slight bit of discomfort, luckily it took her thoughts away from the looming danger that came with meeting her father again.

The silence dwelled for a moment, only for Andrew to catch Remus' tattoo clearly on the side of his arm.
Sage didn't lie about that, and sure enough, it caused him to laugh.

"I thought she was kidding about the matching tattoos." He said through his teasing laugh and Remus blew into his coffee with pure annoyance.

"Yeah? What else did she tell you?"
"That you had a girlfriend before she came, any chance I'd remember the name?" This caused Remus to flicker his attention off towards Sage, but she seemed relatively impassive at the moment.

"Kelly Snyder—"
"Kelly Snyder?! You're fucking—Oh goddess, have mercy." The annoyed huff wasn't enough to stop Andrew's laughter, though now he was close to tears.

"They've been sucking ass since and still managed, are they all dead at least?" Now, this certainly caused Leo to raise a brow. "Why do you say that, son?"

"They're all traitors, it was Kelly's dad who tattled on me after having me believe he changed for the better. But they're all snakes, every last one of them."
"Kelly and Tina poison me, that's when Remus whipped them." So while Sage hadn't been entirely honest, the small details would've made sense had the name of her mate been actually spoken out loud.

"Alright, now what you're saying is starting to make sense, pumpkin."
"I do make sense, Andrew. Why didn't you say something in the mountain?" Now that certainly caught the other male's attention.

"You were in the mountain?" Liam questioned, and Sage nodded. "I wasn't feeling good and then a storm hit, stuck there for a few days."

"She collapsed is what she's trying to say." It earned Andrew another glare but he just rolled his eyes to deflect it.
"I don't mean to collapse." Leo had wagered in that she needed to take better care of herself, especially after traveling for so long.

"Job's not done yet, everyone needs to go home."
"And those who don't have one? We're near max capacity as is hun." Sage turned towards Luke with pure disappointment.

"Go tell that to them outside. They'll eat you," Sage said taking another sip of her tea, and to be honest, it was just how she remembered it.

"Luna Sage, I can't believe it...Stealing my jokes now?" She grinned off towards Severin who stood in the doorway, but at the polite voice of Elenor he held it open—And Sage's eyes landed instantly towards the little pup.

A small gasp had fallen short of her lips as she tried to get up, but having been boxed in it was useless. But that didn't stop Ellie from passing the pup to her Luna.

"You look familiar...What was your family name before—?"
"Mystic, Sage is my cousin." Elenor cleared up for Andrew and the male grumbled a quick 'I'm fucked' into his coffee.

"What's her name?" Elenor squealed and pointed off towards the blanket, and it was hardly a moment before Luke combed through his daughter's hair.

"Lavender Elwood—Or Lavender Sage Elwood, I should say." The quick sniffle on Sage's end was hardly unexpected, not when she missed the birth of another member.

"Julia is pregnant too, just a few weeks though." Ellie shared, and that sparked another smile on Sage's face—Though through her watery eyes, it was difficult to place her emotions at the moment.

They were completely scattered.

"Did you want to get dressed? That can't be too comfortable." Leo questioned and Sage shook her head. "It's very comfortable, and it helps fight against Draugr." And the attention on Leo caused him to smile.

"I saw those swords of yours, and Liam said you fought against Eli beautifully...You might have to teach a few lessons." The retired Master of Arms had segwayed, but Andrew shook his head.

"The Healer in Oak Wood said another few weeks, if she doesn't smell like there's a pup I think everyone outside would be ready to help beef up Crescent Moon." Andrew offered, then added that Torin was the one who taught them everything they knew about the zombie wolves that were running wild.

With every mention of the pup, Sage would look at Remus—Prepared to get yelled at for a third time, but what Andrew had said prior at the window really stuck with him. That she was already being so hard on herself that she didn't need another reason to cave in.

"The tarmac is cleared, Alpha. But the pups saw the lil one and want to see." Sage turned towards Lavender's parents and they nodded eagerly when Grey mentioned Poppy and Clementine.

"Nothing's more precious than pups playing with pups," Elenor said with a bright smile, part of her knowing that she'd be looking after the pups as well. Though another scent popped up on Sage's radar as her eyes shot toward the door.

"Levi?!" She shouted, covering the baby's ear to shield them from her excitement. And the little pup's duel-colored eyes landed on one of his saviors as he squealed.

"Sagey!" He looked different, the time lost had certainly built up his little figure and given him enough to look like a normal pup. And to add to the mixture, another pair of pups had fallen in suit.

"Hi! I'm Poppy, this is Clementine! We're sisters!" The young male blinked at either of them and smiled. "You wanna meet my sister?" Sage's heart began to burst as the pups started to crowd around her, Poppy even going so far as to crawl under the table to get a better look.

Which certainly uplifted the room, though there was still a lingering sense of dread upon thinking about the arrival of the Mystic family.

With the rest of the pack seemingly eating away, and Sage having managed to devour a chicken sandwich in a record time—Or so says Blake, anyway. 

They soon started their trip off towards the tarmac in question.

A few witches were left at the ready to clear the tarmac as the snow was starting to trickle in once again.

Sage had remained in her clothes, even if others had offered her the chance to get changed. But something about her bear fur was beautifully warm and cozy. Acting as a second layer of protection from the elements.

Though when Andrew stood beside her, Remus could see that they were indeed a powerful couple. In addition to the fact that they were more or less in sync.

"You know...I can see your glares, even if it doesn't look like it." Andrew claimed, motioning to the upper part of his face, this caused Remus to suck in a breath, followed by an apology.

"It doesn't look that bad. Promise."
"That's what Sage said, the same exact way. Try again...Hey look, it is what it is." It was surreal for him, the fact that Sage's voice would carry and earn his attention outright without any feelings tied to it.

Nobody doubted Sage's feelings for Remus with or without a bond, it was just the addition of Andrew that was troublesome.

"I wish I could've stopped it." Remus ushered out, closing his eyes as he allowed the guilt to seep through further—But it was ushered away when Andrew clasp another hand over his winter coat.

"You did though, you stopped a lot more shit from happening. Otherwise, Crescent Moon would still be feared. We'd have an Alpha King at our doorstep ready to keep us up with battle strategies."
"Ugh, don't remind me."
"What I'm saying Rem, is that I tried, and look what happened. I was thrown away without hesitation. It's what happened to Willow and that's how Sage ended up the way she did. We have more important things to worry about, so even if it unburies a whole lot of shit, we need to move past it. Alright?" Remus hated it, he hated that Andrew hardly acted as if they spent more than a decade apart. "I get you couldn't help but lie to me, but it still hurts."

"And I hurt you worse for dragging Sage into it, and I'm sorry. If I knew she was your mate I would've—Fuck, I would've just made a call in the human town instead. It wasn't safe. And to be honest, would you believe the call?"

It was relatively safe to say that he wouldn't, not on purpose, but his mind was very good at tricking him into thinking that Sage's scent was still around the house.

"Probably not, I already lost my mind...It'll take some time for me to realize that this is real. That she's real again." He spoke, but then he jumped in seeing that Sage had just managed to appear a step behind him.

"Goddess Munchkin, now you're sneaking up on me?"
"You did it too. And stop talking about me!" She said, shaking a bit of snow that fell beneath her hat and onto her face.
"That's pretty difficult pumpkin—Munchkin—Ah, so that's why you like that," Andrew said, as though he figured out the moral code.

"I just thought it was cute."
"Yeah, I thought it was pretty cute at the time too," Remus said in defense of the created nickname and Andrew simply shrugged his shoulders.

"And I am real, see?" She said, pulling Remus' hand out from his pocket and underneath her bear's coat to feel her heartbeat. Which earned her a laugh. "I think it's going to take me a few days to realize that you aren't just a dream hun, or that the pups will be back...Hopefully." Andrew narrowed his eyes towards Remus, the older male didn't know the rules on pup responsibility when the parent dies or isn't fit.

"I will gladly go to court...Oh shit, I guess I never did get to meet the council. What a shame."
"Not shame, I was called a pig by Luna's and they're all mean. And older Alpha's are dead—They're dead, right Remmy?" Remus nodded in confirmation, though he soon nicked it forward.

"That's for another day, 'cause I think the plane is on its way." It was hardly visible, but the passing minutes allowed the others off behind them to come closer.

Her excitement and worry intertwined, leaving her to bounce on her feet. So while both Remus and Andrew were sweating in response, Sage couldn't be contained. Until the thought of them being rather angry at herself rallied inside.

That she took so long?

That she might be carrying a pup that wasn't her mate's blood?

"You okay, Sage?" Remus questioned, but her eyes remained connected off towards the incoming vehicle—One that she had a rather unsteady relationship with.
"Hold hand." She claimed, and neither male hesitated and gripped her hand. Once they realized what happened she laughed.

"It's okay—Oh. It's weird. Nevermin—" Remus shook his head. "We just have to get used to it, until that mark is off your neck, at least." He dwelled and Andrew hummed in agreement, while his previous plan of killing Sage's mate rang in the back of his head. 

He'd never do that to Remus, he couldn't.

"Uh, sir? I haven't met a Mister Alpha Hayes before, but if he's anything like Luna Sage...What's the plan that he actually kills you?" Grey whispered, though anyone could hear the said question, and while Jackson laughed, Sage hadn't been all that in differed about it.

"Well for starters you can make sure my son isn't named after a flower." Sage gawked and Remus rolled his eyes. "I think I can handle that, thank you." But having the two tall males both talking to one another above Sage caused her to stomp her foot. "I have name already."

"You do?!"
"Yes, and no getting into fights with Papa Hayes. I'll tell you later." That certainly caused a reason for Andrew's back to straight, though Sage found herself jumping at the sound of the plane's tires making contact with the ground.

Everything about the plane itself looked beautiful and fit to fly and land at ease, though Sage wasn't about to go anywhere near one for a while.

Not without heavy convincing and a promise that it won't go down like the last.

It wasn't long before the plane's cabin door had unlocked to reveal the staircase, and sure Grey and Severin were joking with Jackson about the cargo ship to this piece of beautiful machinery.

It still didn't take away the anxiousness about meeting her family again, the want and need for the past few months had finally been cut down to these last final moments.

And who better to reveal themselves first than Hayden Mystic, retired Alpha of Mystic Grimm?

A gasp had released from Sage's lips, her eyes stinging from the tears filling up in her eyes that caused her to blink through them. Leaving the figure trying to maneuver down the plane's steps a blurry mess.

It didn't take long before Sage had left her male's side and met her father closer than he would've wanted. But the gentle 'oof' sound he made as his daughter collided with his chest caused him to let out a happy yell.

One that was instantly echoed by the shifted wolves of Half Crescent, and of course Andrew laughed along with them.

"Bubbles...You don't understand how much we—Everyone missed you." He said, fighting between the urge to hold her and look at her. Once his wolf was done inhaling her scent, he pulled away to cup her cheek.
"You've come back to us beautiful and strong, I couldn't be prouder of you...Daughter." He said, blessing her tear-stained face with wonderful praise before another voice added to the mix.

"Harlow!" She cheered, who hurried down the steps to join them, waiting for their father to ease up on the tiny female.
"Come on dad, she's here to stay." The blackened eyes had rallied up at the threat of his daughter leaving his hold, all he and his wolf wanted to do was lock her in the house for the rest of eternity.

"Dad, I'm okay. See?" She said with a slight wiggle, which of course her brother thought was utterly hilarious. "And you've got a beautiful coat to prove it...Tell me that isn't a gift that matches that male's coat over there." Sage made a face and claimed to both her blood-related males that she did indeed kill the demon bear.

They set out a laugh together.

Though it was suddenly cut off once the pups in the aircraft had made a combined nose. "Harlow! I need help with the car seats!" Jade called out, and that spiked up Sage's interest.

Her gentle look back to both  Andrew and Remus had called them forward, though they were certainly a bit hesitant in joining the Mystic reunion.

"How hard will the Mystic family fight to keep the twins?" Andrew whispered off towards Remus, and the male sucked in an uncomfortable breath. It had taken them a good while at the pace Remus was going, though Andy didn't fault him.

"I was told I would never get to hold my son again and no longer have my wolf by my side...Sage is never going to forgive me."
"I don't know how Sage acted before as Luna here, but I can promise you—She doesn't sit and let people pick on her. Something snapped, something good I mean. But I saw it already when Jackson's mate spoke to her, I've seen her react that way a few times now. Just completely peeved at being spoken to like a kid. She'll get those pups back. Trust her." Remus hummed and nodded his head off towards Hayes and Harlow.

Though the gruff Mystic males didn't waste any time looking between both Remus and now their newfound target.

Andrew Clark.

Hayes had attempted to make the first move but Sage stood in his way. "One hand on my males and I'll put you back on the plane." She said, her eyes starting to ignite both her Alpha female and her nexus deep in her core, but the added bonus of unlocking her abilities had caused a slight cackle in the air.

This sight caused Andy to bump Remus in the arm with a slight bob of his head, though he never allowed himself to look far away from Sage. "You know the rules, any male wanting to mate with a Mystic daughter has to go through their father."

"You can't stand up straight, maybe after I heal you." She deemed, and Andrew gulped at the sight of Hayes' underlining smirk. "Will do...Go and help your mate with the pups." Harlow's eyes lingered on Remus for a moment but then back to his sister, he wouldn't deny her the chance of seeing her children again.

But the promise he held to protect them reigned still.

"Remus won't hurt them, not again." She clearly instated, and Hayes shook his head. "He did more than that, hun, but right now you need to hold those pups. Now, son." It confused the former Alpha of Crescent Moon to see that Hayes was baiting the idea of being on his—their side.

But the incoming scent of pups had wafted down the plane and then some, making Sage close her eyes and inhale it to the fullest. And once she opened her eyes, she could hardly give Jade much more than a short smile when the she-wolf held Rue in her arms and Roe by the hand.

And another sob escaped the missing mother of two outright.

______

Date: 02/13/23

Time: 8:41

Words: 3656

Author's Note:

This was a very easygoing chapter before the storm, but introducing a new character--

💜Lavender Sage Elwood💜

A beautiful tribute from Luke and Ellie. But just a reminder, the firstborn to a Master of Arms is going to inherit the title. But since Elenor has Alpha blood in her, and her father was the former MoA in Mystic Grimm, it's safe to say that Lavender is going to be just fine in the future.

Ah! It makes me so excited. And yes, Rue and Lav are going to be best friends! That is a MUST.

No spoilers, but shit is about to go down in Friday's chapter. And just like Andy said, Sage is going to fight for her pups.

Now, question time--

Who would be the perfect valentine in the Lacking Humanity Universe?

Alright, don't forget to vote and comment! And as always, I hope you all have an amazing week and I'll see you for the next update!

Also, Happy Valentine's day!