* * *

Hera indeed accepted the call, thanking him endlessly for being so thought and sweet that she decided that she was going to make him a gift box too. Only for him to try and deny it, but something he learned very early on was that saying no to a Mystic female was just the same as a death wish.

So Remus was forced to accept the gift, though it felt like there was a gun to his head.

But his wolf was excited, he wanted to know what Hera thought he'd like—And no doubt she managed within a few days, lucky on him they were scheduled for a call that night and he waited patiently for her to call—On Jack's phone of course.

"Hey Alpha!" She said with a slight cheer, she seemed to be very happy ever since she sent out the package, waiting for him to get it and today was certainly the day.

"Sweetheart, I begged you the last time to stop calling me that."
"Well excuseee me, I don't think you want your Delta knowing I call you Remmy behind closed doors. So I just saved your ass with that one." She bit back and he growled in response, his wolf liked this playful side a lot.

He never knew the power of mate and a nickname until now.

"And I thought we agreed on literally anything else than sweetheart, I know Hera isn't the easiest name to make something cute out of but—"
"I happen to love your name, but I'll think of something. Don't worry."
"I'm not worried, I'm slightly annoyed. And so is my wolf, she thinks you're mocking her." She said with a smirk and Remus stilled, the last thing he wanted was to offend her worth even further.

"I'm so—"
"No more sorries, Remmy, you've cashed them all in. Now, how was your day?" Her question always came as a surprise to him, and while he went down a list of the manual labor of an Alpha that he went through on a day to day.

He realized quite clearly that Hera certainly did spend a lot of time with her mother when she was younger and it translated strongly now. Hera didn't have a problem throwing her ideas out onto the table or offering her help.

"You know, I didn't really want to end up talking about work with you."
"I don't mind. I help Harlow when I can, Jade too. Besides, you sound a little stressed and the best way to battle through that is to talk about it...Though, I'm probably going to end up sounding like a hypocrite." Remus hummed on the other end of the phone and his eyes flickered to the package.

"Something pretty special actually came in the mail today actually..." He teased, which he thrived in making her gasp. His wolf took it to a rather dark and pleasurable place that he stored it for later.

"D-did you like it?"
"I haven't opened it yet sweetheart, I wanted you on the phone first."
"What?! No, call me back!"
"Nope. Staying right there and I'm going to—"

Remus had absolutely no suspicion as to what she would've sent, but half a set of moose antlers and moose jerky was not what he expected at all. "A moose? Goddess now my wolf is offended, I should've sent you a bear." Hera choked, the mere idea of her mate hunting a bear for her was making her shiver.

And he loved that he could tell she was getting worked up on the other line. If she was nervous she would usually stutter.

"I like my deer skull just fine. It's hanging over my bed." He grinned, setting both items down and reaching further into the box. And close to instantly he had embraced her scent, it certainly had a sweeter cuff than her father's. But it was definitely Mystic Grimm and it was most definitely his mate.

He had pulled up a small black wolf, she thought it was the best resemblance to her own, it was her fur coat after all. "You're making my wolf go nuts."

"Then score one for me! Hopefully everything works out for July."
"July?"
"Yeah, I might've overheard dad and mom talking but he said that the work you've been doing is gaining a lot of attention. And because I'm your mate...I think people feel a little better that Mystic Grimm is a secured friend. But that's what Harlow said at least."
"Huh, do you always spy on conversations?"

"When they're important and involve me? Yeah, I'll spy on them, I feel like a pup on house arrest Remmy. Honestly, I get that dad wants me safe and away from the big bad world but...But you're my mate, you won't hurt me."
"I'll never hurt you sweet—hun, I rather hurt myself first."

"So telling you I banged up my ankle during training is probably not the best idea?"
"How?"

"I told you, I'm a klutz when it comes to things that aren't training."
"Then how the hell—"
"I tripped over a root, I'm pretty bummed actually. The healer is over every day now after the wolfsbane and now this." Remus couldn't help but laugh, he was enjoying her sense of humor.

Even though he could tell she was bummed about being out of commission longer, it was safer this way—Yet the idea of July, he couldn't wait.

His wolf was planning all he could that he sucked in a breath.

"Did...Did I say something? The healer gave me something for pain so my filter's not really on tonight."
"No...I'm just thinking about July."

"Oh, well you still have to battle it out with my dad, Moon."
"And then I have to chase after you, by Crescent Moon standards of finding a mate." Hera had leaned her head back and laughed.

"Well, let's hope you're faster than your Delta, by the time Jack goes home he might be the fastest in the pack."
"I'm plenty faster, sweetheart, just you wait."
"I'll be waiting on the other side of the border, mate." Truth be told he wasn't thinking about that—He was thinking farther ahead.

"Actually...I was thinking where we'd live, after you join the pack and everything."

"I'm gonna guess you don't live in a house? No worries, I live in the packhouse, I grew up in it."
"The way your dad described it is that you have an apartment kinda thing, I just have a bedroom. Makes it easier to live in the packhouse...But my parent's house is still empty, just needs a heavy remodeling."

"Oh...Why don't you live in the—Shit, pretend I didn't just ask that." Hera made a face and covered her hand over her face, mumbling the apology behind it.

"It's alright, it's kinda refreshing that you don't know."
"That just makes me sound inconsiderate, but Mystic Grimm glosses over most of what happened. I promise I'll study up before I move." Remus' silence scared her, but instead, he found himself holding the black wolf stuffed animal tighter.

"It's nice to hear that you're already making plans."

"That's what females do, you don't think I grew up idolizing the idea of finding a mate? Goddess, I wonder if mom still has that scrapbook."
"And what would this scrapbook involve?"

"I think mama liked those shitty human shows too much because I convinced my cousin to make a mate book with me—Like a wedding scrapbook. We used to cut up magazines and stuff and stuffed it. Damnit if my foot was swollen I would go look for it." Yet that didn't stop her from texting her cousin to help her search.

Hopefully, it didn't get thrown out. As it was Hayes' worse nightmare since the moment he heard of its existence.

"What the hell would you be cutting out?"

"I dunno, I was like ten, it's probably all pup names and pictures of puppies." And thus Remus suffocated himself in her scent now and growled.

"Mate want pups." And Hera knew exactly what happened. "Welcome to conversation handsome, but you're going to have to wait a few years cause I'm still a pup too." Remus tried to soothe out his wolf, but the male inside him was far too excited to get her attention that he didn't make it at all easy to regain control.

"But mate wants pups. Later."
"You fluffy mate, what do you expect to happen?" It had been an honest question, and she felt Remus return after a fighting growl erupted out of him.

"Sorry...Usually I have better control over him."
"It's alright, it was nice to hear from him too, I think the wolfsbane is still a little straining but my wolf heard."
"What'd she say?"

"She's my opposite sometimes, but she wants to tease and chase your tail." The hum caused her to smile, though she still found herself spamming Elenor to look for the mate binder.

"Are you feeling tired? I don't want to keep you up..."

"Nah I'm doing alright, I just have to keep my foot propped up. Did you eat today?... Jackson says that sometimes you forget to eat."
"Why do I feel like I'm five being tattled on."

"That sounds like you didn't eat Rem, get some food or I'm hanging up." With her demand set in place, Remus couldn't afford to hesitate in calling downstairs for a meal from Gigi and she was quick to deliver.

"Is that the Luna? Oh, you sweet girl doing the impossible over the phone! I'm Gigi, sweetheart, I keep the packhouse operating. We're so excited to meet you properly!" Hera was laughing over the phone and greeted her politely, course the elder she-wolf was gushing over the fact that she spoke to the future Luna. And of course, it went straight to the kitchens to travel out as a rumor.

"She's adorable. But it sounds like we're going to have a lot more dinner dates."
"I just forget to eat sometimes, there's not enough time and I don't have enough hands."

"Add my pair to the list Alpha, honestly, I'm not doing anything here and Jackson is still here for a little while longer. Wouldn't it be easier? I mean, Harlow is like a two-minute walk away." She was right. Of course she was.

Hera was usually logical when it came to pushing for what she wanted, however, the knock on the door caused her to rise up a bit to sit up. Only to see her mom with a large tray of food.

"Hey bubbles, how's your foot?" Remus remained quiet and listened to the mother and daughter conversation.

"Ellie found it?!" And he could only chuckle on the other end of the line with a stuffed mouth. "You better hide that before your father comes home, he's already told me he wanted to burn it." "But I have a mate now! He can't!" The two said their goodnights and Remus was waiting patiently to hear what the book had.

And of course the laughter was pure as can be.

"Nevermind, I need to burn this."
"Uh, as your almost mate I think I have a little leeway in what my mate was expecting of me. So I'm all ears."
"You're going to think I'm insane."
"Pretty hard on that front hun, now what's so funny?" Hera had trouble explaining what she did.

Since a wolf tradition of naming pups after the first initial of mother or father, Hera went down the alphabet and picked boy and girl names. And Remus had to admit, that was pretty adorable.

"This is on the order side, definitely...And I think I added some as a joke because twelve-year-old me was a lot more innocent than me. Fuck."
"Now I'm intrigued."
"I'm sure you would be, but I don't think I can pull off any of these 'bedroom suits' off. Wait I think I have that one." It caused Remus to choke for sure, the idea of her wearing anything in the realm of lingerie was overstepping every boundary now.

"Sorry sorry! I was thinking out loud, I promise they aren't bad!"
"I don't think I'm worried about them being bad, I think I'm more excited than anything."

"O-oh...Well stop getting excited and eat your dinner." While there was certainly something else he could say, one that mirrored their first exchange, he rightly didn't have to verbally say it as Hera groaned in damnation over the phone.

"Okay, I walked into that one myself. Shut up. I'll eat my sandwich, you eat whatever you're eating. And I'm going to relive whatever childish dreams I had about you. Deal?"
"I love Gigi's cooking, but unfortunately it wouldn't match to how you taste, Munchkin." He grinned in victory as she mumbled her little mewl on the other end of the line.

Score one for Remus Moon.

"Did you just call me Munchkin?"
"They're my favorite, delicious and sweet."

"Then you can enjoy those donut holes all the livelong day and I'm going to be living it up in my pajamas, Alpha." She was certainly testy this afternoon.

"I'll be enjoying both soon enough, now what is the name of our future pups?"

"You're just going to make fun of me."
"I'd never. Not when it involves a future and what you like...Do you still like the name?"

"Yeah, for girls...The boys I butchered just to fill them in. Heidi sounds nice."
"I kinda like that Munchkin, what about 'R'?"
"Well for that one you're lucky I did both. For a boy I wrote down Ronan—Which I don't know where I got that from. Then Rue, short and sweet." Remus found himself adoring the names, especially the giggle that followed.

"Yep, here's the puppy photos. I don't know what your wolf looks like so I'll just pretend they'll get my fur."
"We'll see."
"Yeah in a few years...Oh goddess I even designed a bedroom, what the hell was I doing?!"
"Our bedroom?"

"Hm, and the pup's. I must've been really damn bored huh? Or there was a lack of magazines."

"Well maybe send those my way, the house needs an update anyway, and if it's what you like...?"
"You want to take the mix match furniture that I glued in here probably to fill space to turn it into reality? You sir, are nuts...And if you think we're mating right away you have another thing coming, mister."
"Of course, I was going to have our room—for the future, but you can have your own until we get more uh...Used to each other."
"Is that smart? I can just stay in the packhouse until we get better acquainted. What if you think my breakfast choice is weird? This whole relationship could down the drain."

"I really doubt your breakfast will really be a turn-off for me, munchkin. Honestly."

"Do you like pineapple on your pizza?"
"Alright, I guess we'll have a few issues, but we're mates. I love you no matter what." The line felt like it had gone dead with the way Hera goes silent.

He couldn't even hear her breathing that he had to check to see if it was a connection issue or otherwise.

"Uh...Hera?"

"Y-you love me?... But you don't know me."
"I know enough, and I'm not hugging this little stuffie of you for the fun of it. I love you, and I know I'll love you even more once we get to know each other in person." The sudden sniff made him panic.

"Hera?... Hera, I didn't mean to make you upset."

"I don't know you enough to say it back, Remmy."
"I'm not asking you to say it back, Munchkin, I wouldn't want you to say it and not mean it. No. I love you because you're going to be family soon and call me a little naive, but I might be giving my heart to you too early, but I don't have family...Sure, my cousin in Grey Hallow. But I mean close family."

"That's not true, you have my parents and Uncle's family too...Mom can't wait to meet you! And I know Harlow's excited to have a brother, even if he's a pain in the ass about it. Believe me, once you meet mom you're never going to think that way again...And you certainly won't forget to eat when she's around. I have like a four-course dinner in front of me." She once again proved that loving her was going to be the best decision Remus has ever made.

______

Date: 03/10/2022

Time: 12:37

Words: 3788