Once Akari had left the house, Sage found it time for her to be on her way to work.

Before she went to work though, she had an appointment with her doctor.

The way wolves served their packs when they were connected within the community was to offer their job skills and services at a discounted to rate to the other wolves in the territory or to simply pay a monthly territory tax.

Big packs that had multiple cities encompassed in them favored the tax way of collecting funds, while ones located in small towns used the discount method. The goal always was just to be in service to one another. 

Since Black Maw's land had been encroached on heavily and new boundaries were redrawn after the war, there were now no doctors in their territory. Sage would have to cross into another territory to be seen by a physician. Just as humans had to keep their bodies healthy, so did wolves. The kicker was that they had to keep their wolf body healthy as well.

In order to have full function of shifting, having a healthy wolf is key. Those who did not, often suffered from problems as small as canine arthritis or ran the risk of contracting flu viruses that turned to deadly canine distemper. The worse case scenario of not checking up on your wolf's health was a full on "split".

A "split" was just how it may sound. A werewolf being split from the wolf that lived within them. It was a violent process that only occurred when someone's wolf is on the brink of death or dying. Health problems were the main cause of this, but on occasion violent mental or physical trauma could induce the process.

As she put on her coziest cream fleece jacket, Sage made sure she grabbed her purse and dropped her phone in the bag too. Locking up the house then making her way to the car next. 

"C'mon Trina, time to start our day." Sage spoke to the car, giving it a loving tap on the dashboard before starting it up.

Very softly in her mind, Sage could hear the anguished cries of her father as his own wolf died.

Most splits were fatal. You would want your split to be fatal.

Losing your ability to shift often caused a person to slip into psychosis. A part of your soul permanently sealed off from you. Memory loss. Severe personality disorders.

Sage's father, Cain, split from his wolf after the casualties of war and the loss of their mother. It was an embarrassment to the pack and set them back years of progress.

Human doctors were not licensed to take werewolf patients. Without an "in-pack" doctor, wolves were forced travel far and wide for appointments. 

Sage was wolves.

However, Dr. Cristo had been seeing Sage since she was a small wolf pup. She was her family's doctor for years and although the boundaries had been redrawn and separated them, Dr. Cristo was luckily still only 5 miles away.

It was time for Sage to renew her mating contract with the Elder Council and that called for her check up. Mating contracts were simply a she-wolf's way of saying "I am single and not looking". 

Forcefully pursuing any female with an active mating contract had the same weight as the harshest sexual assault charge. 

A she-wolf can officially become "in-season" or put her mating contract in action when she turns 18. Any mate-bond before then is not officially recognized by the pack, the same way human marriages must have two of age parties and a license.

Usually, when a woman dissolves her contract, she has found her mate or she is looking for one. This is when a she-wolf is considered in season.

Perks of being in season were things like being put on the pack's roster of those seeking mates. Special galas were held by the Alpha and his family to help those looking to find love meet. Being in season was supposed to be fun, a sign of youth and fertility.

Since the war, Sage's pack lacked both. With most of the warriors dead or maimed, the men that stayed behind were the severely injured or old. The women who were left were the same and the rest were children. 

Almost all the women Sage's age and under 40 were mated. They hadn't had a single's gala in years and the only men who were still seeking mates were the Elder Council. 

Sage would die before she became the umpteenth mate of a greedy power hungry old man.

To protect herself further, Sage had signed her contract on her 18th birthday, her first official season. It was her gift to herself. Although her father's past and reputation were smeared with blood and mud, that didn't change the fact that he was a powerful Alpha.

Sage had the power and prowess of any disgraced princess. No matter how low her pack wanted her to sink.

As she pulled up to her doctor's office, Sage parked, grabbed her purse, and started towards the building. "The Cristo Care Clinic" had fancy red lettering on the front of the building, right under it on the clinic's window were the business hours and phone number, but also a crescent red moon right where the period of a sentence would be placed. 

Any regular passerby would think it was a peeling sticker or perhaps a piece some mischievous kid ripped off. However, it was definitely a moon. As a werewolf, it means that this doctor is able to treat you legally.

Who would want to treat a wolf illegally?

Heretics that believed werewolves are abominations before God. 

I hope you didn't think wolves had it easy...

But, that's a story for another time.

"Welcome in, Sage!" Reagan, the office secretary, greeted in a chipper way. Reagan was a small South Asian woman with hair as black as ink. Her lavender scrubs had pictures of orange and pink popsicles on them.

The office smelled mildly of fresh linen air freshener and alcohol wipes. It was a comforting smell that allowed Sage's shoulders to drop a little and her posture to not be so straight. The doctor's office reminded her of a time where things were alright.

Sage smiled at the woman, coming straight to the desk and taking the clipboard Regan was holding out towards her. Taking a seat, Sage took in the surroundings of the waiting room. It hadn't changed since she was a little girl coming in with her mom.

There were a lot of pictures of nature and dogs... wolf-y looking ones like Alaskan breeds and German Shepherds. A couple of pugs sprinkled in, but just enough to make it look natural.

There also was a kid's corner with blocks and puzzles. She loved puzzles back then.

The irony of it all brought a small bitter laugh from Sage's lips.

So much had changed since she was a little girl.

For starters, when she was younger her mom had told her mating contracts were promises that your prince would find you for your first mating season. Every little wolf girl hopes that the day she turns 18, the sweetest smell overtakes her senses and one look over the shoulder will lead her to her prince charming.

Sage hadn't looked over her shoulder since the day after her 18th birthday. She knew no prince was coming to save her.

"Thanks for the extra reminder text this morning." Sage told Reagan as she brought the patient sign in back to the receptionist desk. Reagan snorted at that, setting the clipboard down and taking the piece of paper off of it. Quickly filing it away in her desk before coming back to speak to Sage.

"No problem, girlie. I wouldn't dream of letting your paperwork expire while rumor is Cross's still sniffing around you." Reagan gave a playful shudder, but the words were true. Sage couldn't help but shake her head and thank the woman again. 

"Don't be discouraged... your time will come." Reagan tried her best to assure Sage's slightly sullen look, placing her left hand over Sage's right one on the desk. Sage appreciated the gesture, but when she looked own the golden glint of Reagan's wedding band taunted her.

Reagan was one of the lucky ones. When it was her first season, it turned out to be her mate was a local firefighter from the next pack over. One drunken night her first time in a bar, they crossed paths and the rest was history.

Reagan was officially and blissfully off-season forever.

"Sage M?" 

A male nurse came from the door that led to the patient rooms making both Reagan and Sage jump in surprise. The nurse noticed their fright and laughed, "I'm sorry for scaring y'all. C'mon back, Sage." He smoothed things over with them with a smile.

Sage said another quick thank you to Reagan before following the nurse to where he was leading to. In a few seconds, she was sitting down on a reclining examination table in a room with pastel animals dancing around on the wallpaper. 

This is what I get for still using the same doctor who's seen me since before I had my first shift.

From first shifts to first mating contract, this office had seen it all. Sage was worlds different from when she first signed her mating contract. She had went from thinking the world was her oyster and she had many princes to choose from, to the world was an roaring black hole just begging her to finally give up and fall in.

Albeit childish, Sage knew the little forest animals on the walls calmed her nerves every time. No matter how many times she's seen them before.

About 15 minutes passed before 3 soft knocks came from behind the door and Dr.Cristo peeked her head inside. Dr.Cristo was a extremely tall woman, almost 6'3" and as pretty as a freshly bloomed rose. She had red hair so deep it looked brass and it was as long as her torso as well. 

All that beauty was then wrapped in her cozy fun colored mustard yellow sweater that had stray threads popping from it in every which way. The saying "Cheer up, buttercup!" was sewn in bold dark green messy letters.

"Well good morning, Thyme!" Dr.Cristo greeted chipper-ly, smiling from ear to ear at the much too long legged 23 year old waiting to be seen by her. Sage smiled back at the doctor, "Morning, doc. I don't mean to trouble you with a nothing visit, but it's that season again."

Dr.Cristo playfully admonished her with a wave of her hand and set the clipboard she was carrying down on a nearby seat. She then proceeded to give Sage the run of the mill health check up. 

She checked her breath sounds, her throat, her ears, and even did a quick breast exam before allowing Sage to rest upright again. That's one thing she really loved about Cristo's practice though. As cozy and homey as it was, they got you in and out.

"Well, you're still as healthy as a horse, Mint." Dr.Cristo joked with her all the time as a kid by calling her different herbs and green vegetables. Sage gave a small chuckle as she watched the doctor write down a few notes on the same clipboard she'd set down a few minutes ago.

"Alright... now to the fun part..." Dr.Cristo sarcastically mutters to herself as she pulls up a chair to the patient examining table Sage was sitting on. She shuffles the papers on her clipboard so that a manilla colored packet is now on top of the stack.

"Sage Moses, on this twelfth day of September, in the year of..."

Sage had to admit she had only listened to the jargon of the mating contract one time. The first time it was read to her on her 18th birthday. Now she had the wording and pauses memorized to the point all she had to do was regurgitate:

"Yes. I, Sage Moses, of sound mind and body choose to remain unmated and unwilling for this entire mating season. I deny any wolf, Elder or otherwise, from courting me this season. Only at my request can this contract be dissolved."

Sage sticks her palm out without even thinking and Dr.Cristo jabs her index finger with a small lancing device and only when the sharp sting of blood being pushed up rushes her senses does Sage's vision clear.

Next, Sage leaves her bloody finger print on the contract paper. Dr.Cristo sets the clipboard down for everything to dry, cleaning and bandaging Sage's hand as she did so. 

"I know your parents are so proud of the young woman you've become." Dr.Cristo tells her in a soft hushed tone. Almost like its a consolation prize for the prick she just so bravely endured. 

Dr.Cristo had cared for Cain in private when he was at the very end of his split and before he died. Dr.Cristo knew Sage's mother and was there to hold her hand at the funeral when so many were attending to her brother as they thought he'd be the next Alpha of Black Maw.

They should've been here to protect me.

Sage wants to grumble. She wants to snarl and snap at the sentence.

However, when Dr.Cristo hands the clipboard back to her for her signature one more time, Sage rolls her lips inward and nods softly. Dr.Cristo gives her a tight smile. 

She knows exactly what Sage is thinking.

"Your file will be updated within the next hour. Be safe, Sage. Stay strong."

And even though she said this, Dr.Cristo already knew Sage had no choice.