* * *

The second Remus left the room, Sage felt the emptiness creep inside. The chill made her body pulse as she gripped onto the blanket he'd provided—Even through the slight crease of the door, she knew he wasn't near.

In the house, yes, but not close enough for her liking.

His presence had felt like a revival, one that gave her enough energy to get to her feet and make her way into the hallway. And even if she was leaning against the walls, it was easy to track his scent.

Remus smelled so heavenly, after all.

This worry started sinking in further as tears bristled in her eyes. It was nothing short of a remembrance of being alone, and while it still felt like a dream to be able to stand in her home, the separation still tugged at her heart.

Perhaps a bite would solve this.

Perhaps a bite would relay the part of things she's missing, craving, even returning the added comfort of claiming and being claimed.

"Remus...?" She called out, her throat a little closed, likely because the taste for some iced tea had taken over as a new mission. However, tackling the stairs had been its own struggle, as maintaining balance meant two hands on the other side.

Sage didn't doubt that she looked ridiculous—Wearing Remus' clothes that didn't fit her at all, though that didn't matter. Not when his scent was confirming that he was here.

Here.

Alive.

Ready to help her when she asked.

"Remus...?" She called out, her eyes slowly scanning the living room—But it wasn't until Remus touched her arm that she nearly shrieked.

Her reaction had shocked him, even making him flinch. But the record of her breathing so quickly had made him ease his hand around her waist and level her head to his chest, offering a silent apology as he soothed her aching heart.

"I was just making a platter from Gigi's cooking," he whispered. " You haven't eaten anything yet today."

"Okay."

"And I also have the prescription from Kenzie. How are you feeling?" She hummed, allowing her eyes to flutter closed—Hating that this clingy demand had Remus held in place without any escape. "You were far away. I don't like it."

"Hmm, just a little so I can put this together, hun. I was going to come back."

Sage huffed, but managed to pull away from his embrace to fix the blanket around her shoulders to look downstairs.

The house, for lack of a better word, was an absolute mess.

Between how many wolves were currently living here and the pups, it made sense.

"Jade felt awful leaving things like this, but Harlow dragged her out before she cleaned up a bit." Remus said, moitoning to the room, yet Sage shrugged her shoulders, usually, it would make her uneasy that everything was out of place.

But now, all she wanted was a snack, Ice Tea, and to lie down in the fresh set of sheets upstairs.

Remus seemed to agree, as he managed to finish his task before leading Sage back upstairs, making their room a comfy haven—Dimming the lights and even closing the blinds.

Hoping that it wouldn't distract her from relaxing, but it was a little funny seeing that he had put a fake fireplace on the television as he curled up beside her with the tray in his lap. "What is that?"

"Think it's a holiday-themed thing. Some houses don't have a fireplace, so it sets the mood. And downstairs is..."

"Messy," Sage said, finding the word as she smiled up towards the tv. Though a guilty look crossed his face, Sage hadn't minded that they were stationed up here. Not when her body finally started to get past the initial pain.

"I'll try better to keep things a little more organized." He decided, and the sigh coming from Sage had caught his attention, his inner beast howling at the thought of being any more of a disappointment.

"I'm not mad, Remus." She whispered, the idea of submitting to exhaustion soon to be winning now that she found enough comfort to fall asleep.

"...You being disappointed is just as bad sometimes," Remus grumbled, trying to busy himself by making the tray of food look presentable.

"Pups are messy. Lots of Wolves are over. It's okay." It did relieve him of some of the tension in his chest, but with how his lips hovered over her temple. "I miss you holding me."

"And I miss holding you, hun. You have no idea." The pain laced in Remus' voice had caused her to fight through the case as she looked up, but Remus was doing his best to keep his eyes pinned to the screen in front of them.

It was almost alluring to see the fake flames flickering in the reflection of his eyes, so when Sage had finally pushed herself up, coming to pull his chin to look directly back to her, she rewarded him with a kiss.

A soft one, one that instigated such an alluring pull that it changed their position with ease. With Sage sinking down into the pillow with Remus following her lead, she had smirked, liking the fact that the mere fact that his weight was giving her the necessary comfort to continue forward.

But with her acceptance to engage, Remus had started to turn lively. The male couldn't enough of the sound of her, or the scent of her dripping Heat, and an idea quickly took over.

His Wolf demanded a taste, something he couldn't delay for much longer. Yet, with the way Sage was taking her time with each movement, he knew that she was treading carefully, almost scared of her next few movements.

So all Remus could do was take the lead, reminding her that they were a team, a couple—A mated pair.

In lowering himself further, he focused on her neck, then her perky breasts, taking his time to give them both equal attention. His eyes flickered in wonder, yet Sage was so focused on the pleasure that it distracted her from the lingering pain that the Heat instigated.

Meaning Remus' goal had been achieved, even if the ache was still being managed. The euphoric feeling being shared between them would only continue to rise the further he sunk down, and the moment his lips made contact with her dripping Heat, the groan that escaped Sage's lips had enacted his own.

With a quick readjustment, Sage's leg arched over Remus' back so he got the perfect edge on it, and it only made her fall apart harder than before.

Again.

And again.

And again.

When Remus resurfaced, Sage's gaze was hardly held, but the smile was permanently plastered as she tried to pull him forward. In getting the idea, he'd slowly returned to the forefront, allowing her the moment to enjoy the relief in everything.

He propped himself on his elbow and watched the discomfort altogether leave her brows, "What did Kenzie give...?"

"It's for me to worry about, hun." He whispered, kissing her cheek and bending down to grab the small box—Reading the instructions while coming to cover himself just as directed.

A frown emulated Sage as she caught sight of just what their solution had been, but dammit, there was little reason to care. Not when the desire was getting impatient to wait.

"Almost, sweetheart, almost." That word was only a placeholder, and even with how much pleasure she'd experienced, it hadn't sedated her.

Not yet—Not for a while.

A whisper had escaped Sage's lips, but Remus couldn't allow for another one to emerge. So he trapped her in another kiss, making sure that the condom had been correctly placed, all while distracting Sage from his nearly impossible setup.

It felt tight and unwanted, but their discussion of pups had been decided. It simply wasn't the right time. And Remus was perfectly fine with that. Yet, with rushed movements, he lined himself up with her dripping heat, and the moment that Remus' length had wholly entered her, Sage had withered in the sensation of feeling complete.

Yet that pleasure had only remained for a moment, and so in an attempt to urge him forward, Sage tilted her hips in demand, though it was taking Remus all the self-control he's managed to muster so far in his life not to mark her now.

He wanted to embrace this moment, not end it so early.

Bliss was an understatement, and perhaps after being apart for so long and then being in close proximity with hardly any time to speak about their relationship, not when most of their time was spent with the rest of their family.

But that was a matter for another time, not when Sage's eyes were rolled to the back of her head with how Remus had rocked so methodically, keeping a steady pace to keep her on the edge.

When he bent down for his lips to press against the base of her breast, her head turned further into the pillow. A small giggle escaped her lips as her arms wrapped around her mate further.

Even going so far as to lace into the overgrowing locks of his hair. Tightening her grip as she continued to move along with him, even going to nibble at his neck in temptation.

That acceptance had allowed him to want to do the same as if living for the fact that their bond was right there.

It had been such an odd spot, but then again, Sage knew Remus had picked it for a reason. However, now her skin continued to burn to the touch, and her former mark was craving a revival.

A flash of scenes caught Sage in a trans, making it difficult to fully focus. At one point, she realized that Remus had eased her into another position. One where he lay just behind her, making sure his chest was well pressed against hers.

That had been close and slow, drawing out the pleasure for what it was worth.

But that was before, and their bodies had been still and silent for a while now. However, she had instinctually curled into Remus, who had returned to his original position—Leaning against the bed frame with his arm curved underneath his head.

The day hadn't gone the way that either of them planned, but the way Sage's cheeks were burning red had suggested that they were well into her Heat now.

This allowed Remus the time to recover, as he was surely out of practice—And his stamina certainly wasn't what it had been before.

It was challenging to think that it had been so long since they had been intimate with one another—the night before she was set to leave for Mystic Grimm.

Well, Remus managed to keep up so far, but it felt as though the second he closed his eyes, it had instigated a countdown, as Sage hadn't lasted much longer before she straddled back onto his waist, taking the time to pump his length hard and fast to prime him.

All before she lowered herself down, pleasing herself.

It was a beautiful sight that Remus adored seeing as she took control—So much so that her blackened and grey eyes had pierced through her desires. With a sharp growl, Sage had locked his wrists to either side, trying to keep his wandering hands to himself.

In Remus' attempt to retaliate, he jerked his hips up to meet her unexpectedly, giving her the friendly reminder that he was allowing her to be on top.

The Alpha could only smirk against her forceful kiss, allowing himself to drown any and all problems they had and were expecting in the near future as nothing else mattered.

Just as Sage began to choke on her final moments of paradise, Remus whispered a final prayer she had repeated in a soft mumble.

It had been about duty, acceptance, and reassurance. This hadn't been just something for the fates or the Goddess to listen in on, but it had also been a promise for Remus to Sage.

He would be by her side through thick and thin, regardless of whether there was a claim on her neck.

___

Date: 02/25/25

Time: 1:21

Words: 1999