* * *

Sage had survived the first night, though she did face a nightmare. That the parasite took her wolf, but Blake was right there in the living room on the opposite couch and calmed her down.

He explained the dream to the Beta and Delta and they were partially worried, more so in the sense that this was her intuition trying to hint something. They were taking nothing for granted after the bounty hunter attack, and it was a blessing that the witches were still on the property as Blake had no problem bothering them.

He was the one well versed in witches after all.

The coven didn't categorize it as anything more than a bit of physical trauma after what happened in the previous days, and since Sage couldn't shift, Derek humored the Luna and shifted into his own form.

Which was a mistake on his part because Sage babied the little fox. Carrying and cuddling him for a good portion of the day. Even if he was a teenager, he took it with a small bit of masculinity dwindling away from him.

By lunch it was only Blake and Sage in the house, as everyone needed to get a few things in order. Involving both reformed and pack business

The witches were on a time strain, but it was the two left at the house who were trying to make it pup-proof and make some snacks that a child would like.

Which wasn't that hard, Sage ate like a child most of the time. Unless it was chicken and potatoes.

"Hey Blake..."
"What's up Luna?" He called back, having settled a decent load of chicken nuggets into a baking sheet while another was just fries.

"I have another dream...But it was different than the par-i-site."
"Yeah? Was it scary like the other one?" She blinked for a moment, trying to settle her thoughts.

She remembered one major detail and that was it. That it involved Raven.

"I don't know if in-tu-ition, and I don't want birdie to be angry if it's wrong."
"Why would she be angry hun?"
"Because I see Raven, they take her somewhere else." Blake had no idea who the hell Raven was, but the second Sage broke down into tears he dropped what he was doing and went to hug her.

"Hey...Hey it's okay, I'm sure they'll take any information Sage, if they're missing a coven member then they'll—"
"Birdie's niece." Understanding washed over Blake as he looked into Sage's eyes, his thumb wiping the tears away and she tried to smile.

"I miss her...She was my first friend." Blake understood what that meant, he remembers his first friend. His first family. But he's lost them all under the strain of growing up like he did.

"You'll see her again, it's alright..." He tried his best to calm her down, not thinking of anything of her sitting on the kitchen counter as she sobbed on his shoulder.

So when Eli walked into the kitchen with the news that Arabella was about ten minutes away, he stilled at the sight before him.

"Back the fuck up—Now!" Eli growled, ripping Blake from Sage's grasp. And while she was crying, Eli's teeth had sunken into his lips as he thought—

"Relax. She was telling me about—"
"Outside, NOW!" Sage was choking on her breath, not understanding what was happening. She looked between Blake and Eli in complete confusion, but his feet moved without consent.

He accepted the Alpha and Luna, meaning the orders of a Beta still rang through as a greater hierarchy as he threw open the back door and shifted to get his laps through.

Eli had attempted to touch Sage, but she jumped back, her head bumping behind her to the cabinet and her eyes a solid black.

A sure sign that was scared, scared of him.

"Sage, sweetheart I'm sorry but he—" A sob escaped her and she started to shake.
"I t-t-old B-blake t-that I had a dream a-and se-see Raven." She tried to explain but her breath was starting to make it difficult to speak.

Eli had a duty right beside Jack to protect the Luna, and right now he had the highest rank since the Alpha was away. He and Sage.

"Why you make Blake leave?!" She shouted, and Eli ran a hand through his hair.
"I thought he was...Taking advantage of you." He was prepared for her to be confused, to have to explain that he thought Blake was fucking her.

"WHAT?!" She screamed, and no longer was she scared. She and her wolf were pissed. And Eli realized that a minute to late, her voice paired with her black eyes. Yet seeing her jump down from the counter to stand in front of him was causing his wolf to quiver.

"TAKE ADVANTAGE?! YOU DON'T TRUST BLAKE?!" Jack heard the beginning of that sentence and felt the need to already show his neck, good goddess what the hell happened?!

"Sage I didn't mean to—"
"YOU DON'T TRUST ME?!"
"Of course I do hun, this doesn't have to do with—"
"OUT!"
"Luna, I'm sorry but—"
"No! You kick Blake out when he give me hug! I don't mate with anyone but Remmy! You out now!" Her voice was firm, angry and in full demand of her Luna status.

And although he was considered the highest male on the pack grounds, a fired-up Luna was not to be reckoned with.

Much like Blake couldn't deny the order, Eli found himself exiting the home and passing by Jack with his head down in shame. And while he was about to question if everything was alright, he heard the front door slam followed by a crash in the kitchen.

Sage had exerted too much energy, and while her wolf was fired up, she was also was still trying to heal from the last few days. So when she tried to grab the plates she fell.

"Sage! Goddess, Peaches what happened?" The smell of her blood was throwing him off, and while he wanted to ask about Eli and her's conversation. He needed to stop the bleeding, it wasn't bad, he simply took a washcloth and settled it from getting any worse.

"Should I call Kenzie...?"
"No, not bad." She said with a sniffle, but her head was certainly woozy and before long she agreed that it was best to call the healer.

Kenzie explained that the Luna had summoned her wolf, and Jack categorized it as it was out of anger she felt towards Eli. And while Sage didn't want Blake back, thinking she was going to get yelled at by Eli...He did send over the females, hoping that they would hear the story while he questions him.

Eli was in the pack house, pacing back and forth. Remus was going to come home in two days and beat his ass, he was screwed. And all Jack could do was look in awe, never having seen his friend that miserable in his life.

"Yeah...So I'm going to need to know what happened there because Luna collapsed, and before I call the Alpha and report that to him she did. I'd like to know why she collapsed, and why she was yelling?" Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Earning himself a growl from the Beta, but in this regard, the Luna's safety was a part of the Delta's territory, meaning Jack had second rights behind the Alpha.

"I thought Blake was raping her." He said, his wolf hoarse and close to the surface. Jack couldn't feel his reaction, it was completely numb as his wolf tried to sort out the details.

"And you thought Blake would do that?"
"Remus said to watch the Luna."
"Watch. Goddess Eli, you scared her to fucking death! She's a shaking mess and she didn't even want Blake to come back to the fucking house because you threw him out! Are you insane?!"
"What the hell was he doing hugging her, I get that she had a dream about Raven. Sure, fine. But he has no right, she's the Alpha!" Jack was in complete and utter awe, and he wasn't the only one.

Because when Julia heard what happened she marched right towards Eli's office at the pack house.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" She screamed, walking straight past Jack and directly in front of her mate. "You thought Sage would cheat?! She doesn't even know the word! She didn't even know other wolves mated with other partners than their mates. What the fuck Eli?!" The Beta leaned back, his job was being taken care of by Julia in a matter of two seconds.

"Babe I—"
"And I am not yours, Sage is not the Alpha's. She was crying and he was comforting her! And out of everyone in this room, do you think Sage would betray Remus?!" It steamed from there, as it wasn't the first time Remus had been cheated on.

Kelly was certainly a whore out for power and influence, she fit the criteria and met the demands as they came.

Eli and Jack couldn't convince Remus that she was cheating, there was no evidence.

"Sage isn't Kelly." Jack reminded, and Eli growled in spite of it. He realized his mistake letting his shoulders fall in defeat.

He needs to apologize, and he started with his mate first as he sat on the couch and pulled her into his hold. "You big overprotective mutt, you scared the Luna when she was already on edge as is," Julia whispered, petting her mates' locks.

But Jack was still furious, and instead found his way off towards Blake's cabin, it wasn't too far from the pack house. However, in seeing the door cracked it allowed Jack to come in without waiting for a response.

Though he still knocked in a warning.

"Blake...Hey, look—The Luna yelled at him real good man. He's a pouting mess. Are you—" Perhaps he wasn't expecting it, but he'd never seen either male so stricken down before.

Blake was curled up into his knees into the corner, and sweet goddess herself it was sort of strange to see him like that.

"Beta tell you to kick me outta here too...? Gonna put me a cage?" Jack kneed down a good distance away and he shook his head.
"No cage. Promise. Eli jumped to conclusion, Sage pushed herself too hard her wolf took up her energy." It was better to tell him, but Blake was shaking once again.

"I know. I felt it." Fuck. Jack forgot about the whole charge bond, no wonder he was comforting her. They were in tune with each other's emotions and— "Is she okay?"
"Yeah, pissed off, and she only cut her hand on some plates." Blake felt better in knowing that she wasn't injured worse than that, but it didn't help that this could've been avoided.

"I'd never take advantage of the Luna, never, she's...She's like a—"
"A sister? You're not the only one who thinks like that, besides, you and the Elwood brothers and her have something in common." He shook his head.

"No, Sage and I have something in common. Those brothers lived a good life here, Sage and I...We grew up in hell. It's like I told her—I rather take starving out in the woods than those metal walls again." Jack allowed Blake to get his breath in order, feeling Sage's emotions was difficult in itself. He was surprised that he hadn't gotten a call from Remus in questioning what the hell was happening, but he was sure it'd come soon.

"She's my guardian, she—She's the only one to give me a chance, even when I was being an asshole."
"You mean a lot to her too, you're not just her charge either, you're her friend." Blake took that as a compliment, a smile rallied on his face but he still felt awful.

"How...How old are you?" Blake turned to look up at him, but then shrugged his shoulders.
"Twenty, twenty-one maybe."

"But you look—"
"It's the hormones...I guess I'm closer to the Luna's age than I thought." It was strange to think that Sage could possibly be older than Blake, that he roughened up in the prime of his life—But then again, he didn't live in a pack.

"We're protective of her too, Remus wanted to kick Sage out."
"He wanted to kick his mate out?" Blake scoffed, looking. As though he ate a sour candy.
"Hm, he didn't meet her yet—She was here for about a month...Month and a half?" It earned him a shake of the head, the Luna's charge was pissed for a whole new reason now.

"And? Did he get his head out of his ass?"
"He was dating an Omega, a Rogue she-wolf didn't concern him."
"Ah, I think I heard that...She beat his ass?"
"Yup. Well, first she beat the Omega's ass for challenging her for the position of Luna and then went straight up to the Alpha. Looked him dead in the eye and said 'no mate' and punched him right in the jaw...Before darting off into the woods." And that, is what earned back the smile on Blake's face, uplifting his attitude as he heard the tales of Sage trying to get used to life in the pack.

With his mind finally beginning to calm down, Sage was feeling the same tranquility. But it was clear that the relationship she had with Eli was going on a downwards slate. Julia tried to explain to her that he was feeling the pressure the Alpha put on him to keep the pack and everyone safe was getting to him.

But even Julia knew that Sage didn't need the aggravation and thus, the two stayed on opposite ends of the Alpha's house. Which wasn't that difficult when the she-wolves were all googly-eyed over Arabella.

Whether she was cuddled up with Sage, doing Julia's hair, or doing a tea party with all of them. They were infatuated with her, and Luke couldn't help but yearn for his own pup, especially when Ellie carried the girl around the house.

When Remus called that night, Sage didn't share what happened. Instead, she shared that she had a dream about Raven and shared it with Birdie, and while he knew she couldn't control this—He wanted her to relax.

It was as if Sage just couldn't find any relation.

However, he soon called Eli, either he or Jack turned into a bucket of nervous. When the call graced their ears, the Delta sighed.

"So...Anything interesting happen today?" Remus question, a sadistic part of him liking that his beta was quivering. But the only thing he could categorize as indifferent was Sage's nightmare about Raven.

"Sir, I apologized to both Blake and Sage over my actions—"
"And what did your actions entail, Eli...Because I really would hate to call Sage again." Both males were shocked that Sage hadn't tattled, but then again they should've expected that.

She wasn't a tattle tailer.

"Sir, I thought Blake was...Taking advantage of Sage." Remus, who was in the same cabin that Sage and the group she took for the Luna meeting, but his laughter echoed through his room.

"Alright, and how did that go?"
"Sir, I thought they were, he was just comforting her over what she saw in a dream involving Raven."
"Better learn how to make some mozzarella sticks or something, Eli. An upset Luna is an upset pack."
"Sir?"
"Goddess Eli, you don't think Sage and I get into fights and she's furious at me or I am at her? I get it, I can't say I'm that mad for you defending my mate when I'm not there. You have a mate now Eli, it's not a one-way street." Jack was a smiling mess in the corner.

And you were sweating bullets, wuss.

I'm one more comment away from throwing you out the window.

"Anything else?"
"Well the Witches think Sage has a bit of trauma over the parasite, otherwise the shields are gaining. You'll feel it when you fly over for sure." Jack jumped in after Eli had taken the heavy fire.

Sage knew that after she was on the phone with Remus, he'd call them. She didn't want anyone to get in trouble, so when Blake snuck into the house while everyone was upstairs, she smiled.

"Hi." She said, and he chuckled. He never really had to be careful in a friendship between someone before, even when he was friends with witches.

They didn't care, but being so close to the Luna and a mated female was striking a different cord.

"Sorry for causing so many problems, Luna."
"No, don't say that. You're not trouble." She said, and so the two were met in at a crossroads.

"I don't have many friends Blake, Raven my first friend...Luke and Liam are my brothers. Jack and Eli are mate's Delta and Beta. I have Ally and Izzy, but I...I love you too, you're my friend." Blake couldn't hold back the tears as he stared at the Luna.

"Thank you." She wiggled back into the couch and smiled towards him, her eyes managing a small tear as she sniffled.

"It's been a long time since I had a friend." He honestly admitted, though he looked up towards the ceiling as he couldn't manage to look at her.

Not without breaking down into further tears.

"It's not easy being a friend, or my friend. Trouble finds me. Like the hunter."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat, Luna."

"Thank you." She said, and a rumble confirmed it from her wolf side as well. Either was highly grateful, and Blake took it with pride in protecting his Luna and providing a shoulder to cry on for his friend.

He just had to be cautious on how it appeared to the higher-ups.

______

Date: 07-27-2021

Time: 1: 47 AM (So sorry this is late)

Words: 3017