* * *

Sage had continued forward with her classes, managing to catch up well enough with some hard work and dedication. Especially now that the stress was off her shoulders and her emotions being caused by the pup in her stomach.
It felt easier to regulate that way, and when she felt tearful or anxious she took a deep breath and remembered it was the pup making itself known to her.

Her wolf felt happy and it was easy to be determined.

However, today's agenda was very politic heavy. And while it was because she was rounding out the entirety of the American packs with the last one on the list:

Crescent Moon.

It started off easy, but the further Evie spoke, Sage felt a stab in her heart as she began to realize that the pack was not the same as it once was years ago.

There was no longer a punishment grounds, no more jailhouse and no more Rogue wall.

They were trying to be the dominant pack in America—And goddess, she didn't know that the council was created because of Crescent Moon.

It didn't occur to Sage that they were considered the most hated pack for years, that Remus' mother was stolen from Grey Hallow—A descendant from the same family tree as Issac and Ian.

It was why Grey Hallow didn't hate them, and the work Remus did in compensation for his father's damage to the wolf world was the building blocks of creating the council alongside Hayes Mystic.

She recalled Remus telling her about Romulus, that it was the lost Moon heir—But she didn't put together that he was apart of the so-called curse. And before Evie could tell her that it wasn't true, that it was just a rumor. Sage ran out of the house and hurried to her mate's office.
The textbook in hand felt like it was burning as she continued to hurry up the steps, the sound of sniffling and scent of tears followed by the blossoming sweetness of the Luna's pregnacy caused Jack to stop his conversation with a warrior.

"Luna...? Are you okay?" She shook her head, and while she was going to say that she knew—That she learned and was starting to understand the reservations the pack had or why it was the borders were closed prior to her arrival, Jack simply wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lead her up to the Alpha's study without a second thought.

And while Remus wasn't very busy nor surprised that Sage was crying—He felt it over the bond, he hadn't realized she was a sobbing mess.

He hardly had a moment to thank Jack as she left her Delta's side and went directly to sit in her mate's lap. After waving the dismissal of the Delta, Sage accepted the pure reassurance of her male's touch. Especially when he whispered into her ear that she was safe in his arms.

But she didn't stop crying, this wasn't her little struggle of the day. Something happened.
"Come on hun...It's alright." She shook her head and pointed to the book, one of which that Remus ignored and focused his attention only on his female.
But once he focused on the book long enough, her emotions were making a lot more sense.

She knows.

"Sage—" She hid her head into his chest further and cried. So he did what he should've done a while ago, look to see what the council approved to be written in the history textbook.

And most, if not all, is true.

"I come frome dead pack...?" Was this her intuition?
Was she mourning the loss of a possible pack? Remus squeezed his eyes closed and tried to relinquish the thought.

But it was clear in her eyes that she was thinking the same way.

"Sage my father—He was awful. He wasn't meant to be Alpha."
"But he mean to pack, to his pack. And to other packs, because he think goddess tells him to." Remus nodded, was the pack severe before he was born? No, it was stricter than most but it wasn't until Randal's sudden snap that it was clear he was not fit to be Alpha.

Much less Alpha King.

And certainly not after losing both a pup and mate.

"Sweetheart...? Look up here hun." She peeked up for a moment, and while she did adore the love in his eyes. She was scared, and it hurt more than Remus ever thought possible.

He hated that his father still had a sway of how people saw him, and yes, Remus was still a bit of a hard ass when it came with other Alphas. But they grew up being handed everything on a platter, while Remus trained and fought for every damn day that he managed to survive with his father.

It was hard to live knowing that your own blood felt like an enemy.

"Why was he mean?"
"I don't know hun, I wish I knew."
"Other packs think we're mean?" Her question rang a lot of truth, yeah he did have to face fear and resentment—And now if he was thinking about it, it was a wonder that the council even considered him apart of America's packs.

The main reason everyone picked on Sage at the Luna meeting, they thought she was a weak link and were proven wrong in minutes.

"Yeah, but we're not mean anymore."
"And the Rogue wall...And t-the pun-ish-ments?" He closed his eyes to remedy his thoughts before he cracked open the book and began reading through it himself again.

"They don't have all of them listed hun, a lot of them had to do with silver and collars. Sometimes whips."
"What's 'offense'?"
"That they broke the law, now we just have jail time and I promise it's only for a few days—The pack is very well behaved. It's usually the pups who like to cause a little trouble, and the punishments aren't much more than community service." Sage looked at the pictures of the structors, as it was stated that the punishment stand stood right near the packhouse.

"That was one of the first things I did hun, my father was very old school—He kept old laws and he liked old methods. I burned it down with Harlow's dad before my father was even put into the ground."
"I don't like the whips," It was one of the many punishments that Sage hadn't encountered.

And Remus could agree, it wasn't his favorite punishment to witness or receive. Not to mention his father saved the more personal issues against him in the privacy of their own home.

"I don't either." He said with a slight growl, and it reassured her that it wasn't a method they still used. But that was only taking Crescent Moon into account, they had their own style and customs while the rest of the packs across America were different on their Alpha's preference.

Something that Sage was still learning.

"When do packs fall?"
"Sage, your mom could've been on the run from my father and tried to hide, there are so many 'what ifs' that I don't want you thinking about this, it's not good for you or the pup."
"But I have to learn, can't live here and not know about where I live." His own wolf defied him and grumbled in approval, he was feeling the need to cater to his mate.
And sure enough, it earned him a smile.

"You're right, and I should've told you most of this—All of this before."
"It's not easy. I feel bond hurting." Bending his head down to meet hers, he lingered for a moment before kissing his lips.

"I'm sorry."
"Not your fault, it's your dads."
"Yeah, a lot of my problems are because of him."
"Like what?"
"Well...The ideals we have are still closed up, and I should've opened the borders sooner—" She hummed with a slight glint in her eyes, one she always had when anyone mentioned something near the subject of almost being kicked out of the pack territory.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"Can you let go?"
"Nah, probably not. Again, I was an asshole. I didn't even meet you or come by and talk to your brothers. I was more concerned with whatever pack I was visiting because I...I thought I needed to keep their friendship."
"Did you keep friendship?"
"Sort of, a lot of packs are still bitter. It's like when you hear a name and you have feelings about it already in your head." Sage was silent, a clear indication that she was trying to understand the words.

"When you smell peaches, what do you think of?"
"Breakfast?"
"Yeah, that's kinda what it is, hun. So when someone thinks 'Crescent Moon' they think of dad before me. But you know what they think of now?" She turned to him in confusion with a tilted head, a shiver running up her spine as his breath was just an inch or two away from her mark.

"They think about my beautiful mate, and how badass she is."
"Bad...Ass?" He might've taken Issac's favorite nickname for Sage, but it caused her to turn to look at her bum.

"My ass looks bad."
"No, I love your ass. It's perfect and mine...Badass goes with how you train and fight—It's a compliment." He saved his own hyde, and it held a bit when his hand firmly gripped her bottom and gave it a squeeze.

He wasn't usually sexual outside the privacy of their home, nor did he initiate this type of behavior of being possessive into claiming his stance on her ass. But she seemed to like it as she hummed again.

"They think about the changes that followed your initiation...You're a blessing in disguise. We're letting transfers into the pack, rogues into pack members. I kept some of my dad's rules in the beginning, now they've all been changed. The pack has been a lot happier with you around." It was true, and so when she locked her chin onto the spot where she knew his tattoo was of her name was.

"And the curse?"
"Ugh, they put that in the book too?"
"Yeah, is that going to happen to our pup?" Her body was already shaking in fear of something harming the lil pup, so his hands pulled her up further and kissed away her fears.

"No hun, Crescent Moon isn't cursed."
"Evie said it's rumor, but why my Luna ceremony attacked." His nose twitched, which meant he was surely debating it with himself.

"What if that's why theres hunters?"
"Sagey, you can't go down that 'what if' hole, we'll figure it all out and this pup will be here soon. But that's why we can't tell any of the other packs yet."
"Why?"
"Because this pup right now is very weak, and if we're not careful we could lose them—I want to be honest with you, I'm not telling you this to scare you. But Kenzie said you need to take it easy, and this stuff is not easy on you or for the pup...You're in danger munchkin, and if we keep quiet for a few more weeks then other packs don't have enough time to plot something." She kept hearing that, especially from her females.
That she needed to take it easy, but her wolf felt fine. They were acting like she was hurt.

That she's weak.

Remus had gone over a few other things in the textbook, confirming or denying what he could. But it was clear that she couldn't stand anything more, this entire thing was his fault—He had been so caught up with other things that he meant to be keeping track of how far she was getting in that class.

Granted, he didn't realize so much of their history made it in the textbook, and in another few years, it would be updated with her face and name in there as each Luna had their own excerpt.

The rest of Sage's day was spent with Blake, learning to cook or working on the pup's wall. It was taking her a while due to the lack of time as well as her lack of a proper sleep schedule.

While she did have a large lunch after hearing about the truth of Crescent Moon, Blake reassured her that no pack was innocent throughout the history of their kind. Even if it made her happy that Blake was starting to be more positive in the sense of being included within a pack, it didn't mean she felt comfortable hearing about the horrors.

She thought of the possibilities, and it started to make sense as to why rogues seemed to attack Crescent Moon—They were probably descendants of the lost packs and their sick minds had to lead them to the root of their problems.

"Sage?!" Remus called from downstairs, and she squealed as he was finally home. "Remmy!" She said to give herself a moment to put the paint down, Blake had only left a minute or two ago as Remus linked him.

However, the second her nose locked onto the smell of food that Remus brought home, she gagged and slapped her hand over her mouth and darted to the bathroom.

Puking up most, if not everything from lunch. Of course Remus heard and put the food in the fridge and opened the window in hopes of airing it out before peeking his head into the bathroom.

And sure enough, she was still gagging. "Bad smell."
"I hate to break it to you, but I think it's over with you and Mozzarella sticks." Her body was shaking as she tried to calm herself from it, and Remus so easily took the hair out of her face and soothing her back.

While his free hand filled up a small cup of water and held it up in offer. "Thanks...I can't have Mozzy sticks anymore?" She said a sniffle, her eyes burning right beside her throat.

"That's alright, we'll save them for later. Can I make you some tea? Ice tea? Can munch on some ice cubes." She nodded, and managed to get up to her feet on her own, but it was clear that she was exhausted after that.

He was just thankful that he managed to air out the room so she wouldn't have another attack. But what shocked him was that a growl erupted into the room and it wasn't Sage—Or it was, just coming from her stomach.
And she looked more shocked than he was.

"Pup's hungry." She said with a bit of laughter, so Remus bent down before the couch and tapped through her shirt. "Alright pup, what are you in the mood for?" Trying to sort through her craving she realized it was her wolf who was itching to hunt.

"Deer." She said looking off at the time, it was getting late and Remus smirked. "Fresh or steaks?"
"Fresh, and I didn't shift today. I want to come." Rubbing her thigh, he said they'd go in a few minutes when she finishes her water.

Her wolf was anxious, so when he left to go check his emails on his phone. She chugged the water and was eager to get going. It's been a while since she had shifted with Remus that she felt rather saddened in thinking that way, with the last time at the pup ceremony?

She couldn't even remember!

"Alright, let's go!" He called out and it earned him a quick jog as she was already in the midst of taking off her sweater and leggings. But the new technique that Kenzie prescribed is that she already bend down onto the ground so it would be easier on her wolf.

And Remus couldn't help but shift quickly and watch the transformation, his mate's stomach was protruding in both skin and fur. His wolf couldn't help himself by coming towards her and sniff her stomach, and he flicked his tongue to lick the space between her now visible teats.

Did the shift hurt?

No, I go slow like Kenzie said.

After smothering his scent over her, the couple continued at a decent pace to the hunting grounds. But Sage did no work at all, her wolf hung back and followed the lead of her Alpha mate. Remus had no issue with this, it was his wolf thriving on the ability to provide—And it sparked brightly on their bond.

There was a difference between cooking and hunting, and one of the many things Kenzie claimed that Sage would crave was fresh meat. It was an addition to the pregnancy diet, even going so far as eating raw steaks in skin would happen eventually but she wasn't there just yet.

Sage watched from the bushes as Remus took down a very meaty deer, and the single drop of blood caused her to drool.

Remus barked to alert her to come and she moved up from her crouched position and licked her mate's jaw in thanks but also to take a small taste to the blood she craved.

You eat first, you need it more than me

That was all she needed before she ate greedily, while Remus took the task of guarding his mate. He didn't dare let himself get distracted as he patrolled in a circle, even the scents of his pack members brought a bit of anger to his wolf but he bit those thoughts back.

Nothing was more protective than a male and his pregnant mate, and to top it off, he was an Alpha in his prime. His own dominance and need to guard and nurture was coursing through his veins more than he anticipated.

Sage, however, managed to eat her weight in deer meat but saved Remus the liver. Going so far as to going onto her stomach lightly and placing it by his feet before looking up with a sloppy tongue.

A wolf's thank you.

He and his wolf laughed, that even in her hunger, she managed to save him his favorite piece of the kill. He wasn't that hungry, but to humor her he ate it in two gulps before bending down to lick her clean.

Did you eat enough?

I was really hungry, I ate a lot.

That's the pup, they want some too.

Maybe I don't throw the deer up?

He could only hope, but since the two were already out and Sage looked content in being in fur. The two managed to take a stroll around, until Sage stopped in their leveled jog around the territory as her head turned into the direction that she felt the need to go.

Wolf wants to check den.

Already?

It wasn't too much of a surprise, she would feel the need to do so in the next few weeks. But wasn't it early?

Remus came over towards her stomach and sniffed again, it smelled the same as it did yesterday and the day before.

Did your wolf tell you that?

She nodded her head before issuing a sneeze to confirm. So the two ventured off towards the Sanctuary, and Remus took careful lead but also a keen eye to check to make sure Sage was keeping up alright.

He would have to take more time out of the day to get some fur time with his mate, while it brought a level of caution to his wolf.
He never felt more at ease with just her presence beside him.

The lining of the tree started to grow thicker, a reason why the very first Luna's decided to make this the Alpha's den of the territory. Sage found herself taking a sniff of the undisturbed chunk of land, as it wasn't allowed for normal pack members to wonder in here without proper cause.

It wasn't traditional.

Remus waited for his mate to make the first move in deciding what to do, but instead her nose was down to the floor as she followed the wildlife tracks that seem to have come through the area before looking down into the hole.

It was dark for sure, and deep.

That's the one my mom made, you don't have to use this one. You could make your own or find a previous Luna's one to use.

I can fix your mom's?

His wolf rumbled in approval as she took a long sniff of the outer rim, no wonder she was curious about the scent there. Something else had used it as a home and she was anxious about whether they could use it or not.

It smells like a fox, it's alright...Do you want me to go in first?

She let out a small nod and Remus crawled on in, and sure enough, it felt very claustrophobic. He couldn't recall if his own father stepped into the little makeshift hole, but he wanted to.

And the space here was simply not enough for him and Sage to be comfortable.

It needs a little more space for us munchkin, it's going to be home for a few weeks.

Remus informed her as he stepped on out, but it made her all the more comfortable that the unknown scent was gone and replaced with her mate's.

After looking around for a moment, Sage began digging and it occurred to Remus that perhaps she was farther along in the pregnancy than he or Kenzie first thought.

Course it was public knowledge for pack healers to know how to take care of a pregnant Luna who's expected to shift for the birth. So it seems like tomorrow he would have to take her to just make sure that everything's alright.

A comment on her size made it worrying, the average weight of a she-wolf in skin was about one-thirty to one forty—All in constance with her height and age of course.

It was just the proportions were all off in regards to the size of her human to the size of her wolf.

Remus was looking around, wondering how he could be of some help. But it was the she-wolf's job to service the den and make it useable, yet the least he could do is get some scrubbers and out the entrance.

He did his best tugging the bush, knowing full well it wasn't really normal to shift to skin while being here. But he took the chance to manage the outside a lot better and give the hole an overlay, the last thing he wanted was it to rain and flood the hole.

Just as he returned back to fur, Sage issued a half bark half yelp as she emerged from the hole.

Think I fix it. Can you fit too?

She questioned and returned back into the hole, and sure enough, it was a decent bit bigger and enough room for a pup to be comfortable for the first few weeks of their life.

It's cozy.

And cute.

Yeah, I think it's pretty cute. We can always make it bigger before the pup comes hun, we have to hunker down here for a while.

He didn't know if a male mate was meant to sleep with the she-wolf down here, but it sounded like she wanted him to and he was all for whatever she wanted.

The two took their time getting home, but the second Sage shifted her looked to her hands and rest of her body. "I'm really dirty." She said with her nose hitched up, and Remus chuckled.

"Rolling around in the dirt will do that hun, come on. We can take a shower together. Save water."
"You like seeing my bad-ass." Sage wasn't never one to flirt, not unless it meant giving him a wanting look or one that suggested her not so innocent thoughts, but this was surely a change.

"You're not wrong hun, you're not wrong." He said, kissing her temple as he locked an arm around her shoulder to pull her into his side.

______

Date: 08-13-2021

Time: 10:42

Words: 4096

Sage is learning the sad truth about Crescent Moon's history, it was only hinted at previously and never fully explained.
Now we get the version everyone else is feeling, why Mystic Grimm is so uplifted
while Crescent Moon is feared and hated.
Randal Moon is a busy man, and he was up to no good.

Alright, twenty more chapters to go--
A lot can happen in that amount of time😈

Have any questions? Let me know!