* * * 

The electric touches had been all too appealing to his lower half, though it felt rather uncomfortable against the sheets—And far too demanding to touch anything but his mate.

His bonded mate.

Peeking his eyes open to did he see Sage licking up his wound with determination in her eyes, but upon further investigation to her racing heart and panic mindset. He had to grab her by the waist and tug her to stop.

"Goodmorning to you too munchkin, but if we want to get some breakfast now you'll have to ease up on that." There wasn't an intention to mate again, more so that she woke up in a panic at the smell of his blood and not inspired by the left over pheromones in the room.

"I bite mate."
"Hmm, that's what we do. Fated mates at least, and same ranked wolves." Sage seemed to understand the majority of it and she nodded, finding herself no longer attached to her mate caused her to pout and wiggle to find the embrace she had before.

"The house is on lockdown Sage, we're staying home. But I want you to eat something." "Bacon?"
"Bacon and some omelets hun." Her stomach growled, and with the mating bond comes the added bonus of feeling her entity—her wolf much closer than before.

She was ravished.

Rising up on his side did he grab his boxers, knowing that she would either be red in the face or tempted once again. But his wolf scoffed at the idea.

A sharp pain rallied in his waist, having felt his mate's pain through the bond. "Sage, let me run you a bath...I swear it's help with—" A shriek erupted him, causing the hairs on his back to stand straight, his eyes turning pitch black as his shoulders squared up.

Nobody was going to see his mate naked again, and never would he allow a wolf to be in the house when they mated. It was an unmistaken demand that he would set straight within the—

"You rip my bra! Jade gift me bra!" She cried, tears having started to rush down her cheeks as his action last night hadn't been why she was crying, but because her panties and bra hadn't survived the night.

"Hey...Sweetheart I'm sorry, hey—Look at me. I will gladly get you new bras. All you want, all colors." She wiped her right eye with her wrist, having jumped up to her feet had caused immense pain. And he assumed she combined both her pain with anger, considering he was the cause of both.

"But Jade give me bra for Christmas, and the panties!" Remus knew she was upset, but hearing her say the word panties was truly going to drive him up the wall. How could it sound so seductive that—

Sage had slammed her fist against her bare chest, considerably angry that a gift had been ruined. "Hey hey, munchkin...I'm sorry, but wolves break them when they mate. I'm sorry. I'll be more careful, or you can take them off next time." She pouted again but she felt his sincerity for the apology and thus, she retreated her attack.

"No more rip bras."
"Deal."
"Or panties."
"Deal."
"Or no mate." She drove a hard bargain, but instead he leaned in much to close his breath mere inches from the mark. One of which was still red and in the process of healing, but her body reacted instantly to grow aware of said closeness to her mate.

"No mate? If I rip something munchkin I'll buy you some new ones, you can pick them out." "I like purple ones."
"How about you ask Jade which ones they were from, we'll order them in a few days?" The idea of a new bra caused her to smile.

Maybe he should've gotten her those for Christmas too, he hadn't realized that it was bras that made her excited. He simply thought she liked the witches and birdie that she didn't care what anything was.

Remus was going to blow his budgets on bras, he just knew it. Especially when he caught the way her ass moved to the bathroom.

Mate.

Give her adjustment, she's hurt and hungry.

His wolf then growled at himself to tend to her needs, but the she-wolf had already made her way into the shower. Although it stung quite a bit that his scent wouldn't be as powerful, she didn't know that she'd lose it with her next action...But then the water stopped, and she still smelled quite heavily of him and their intertwined pheromones.

Seeing her shiver was enough for him to hurry into the closet and return with a bundle of her clothes. "Where were you hiding those gifts?" He asked, not having seen them on her side at all. And she grinned at his question.

Her silence was damning, he wanted to see them all. But at the risk of ripping anymore, she wasn't going to tell him anything. Sage wasn't at all devious or intentionally mean, but she held one secret at the moment and she felt rather alive in withholding it.

"I just want to—"
"No! My gift." She claimed, clutching the towel tighter which only caused Remus to fetch another one to put over her shoulders. Taking a small nudge did he start wiping the small droplets on her face before kiss her forehead.

"I'll find them soon. I'm going to get dressed, wait for me." She nodded and watching him leave the room, though didn't bother closing the door when he left.

What everyone failed to inform Sage was that the overprotectiveness of a freshly mated male to their fated is highly possessive. There was a purpose behind him putting the house on lockdown, however, what Remus failed to provide was panties.

Hurrying to her own room did she grab the first pair she spotted that was simply one of the 'random' matches that didn't have a bra to pair with. It hadn't taken all that long before stepped out of her room to feel Remus' sudden stress over the body.

"Munchkin?...Sage?" He called out, and she turned to see him hurry out of the bedroom and pull her into his embrace.
"I okay?" She whispered out, confused as to why he was in such a panic.

"Wait for me next time."
"But I'm here." His wolf assumed it was her being playful and not listening, so he picked her up and carried her downstairs.

Having missed her frown did she watched her mate cook up another feast. "I help?"
"Nah hun, I got it this time. Rest for me." Her wolf was attempting to understand what her mate was doing, but they always prepared breakfast together. Even if she didn't cook herself, she handed him everything, but he placed her at the table with the intent of doing it alone.

And she felt left out.

Her shoulders shrunk as she didn't know what to do, so her hand trailed up to the mark he made last night and a smile graced her face. It was still tender, as was most of her body, but she shivered with content—Though she confused it with being physically cold, thus she went to the living room for a moment and retrieved a blanket to throw over her shoulders.

However Remus had taken a look back to see her with it and he huffed. "I could've gotten the blanket hun."
"It sit on couch, I get it." Whether it was the combined guilt of hurting her or ripping the gift Jade sent her, he was catering to her every whim much more heavily than any other mate would.

"Do you want some tea hun?"
"I make tea." She deemed, but he growled in a stance that he make it for her.

Which had been her final straw.

"No. I make tea." He faced her completely and she looked adorably angry with her brows hurried and her fists locked together. "Hun I just want you to—"
"Not a pup." After not being allowed to do much of anything in her life, and to be finally able and capable to do so much, she did not take lightly to this type of catering.

"I...I'm sorry munchkin, but I can feel that I hurt you last night and...I promised I wouldn't."
"I not hurt." His brow rose, perhaps her pain tolerance was much higher than he expected, but as he neared her it was easy to lift up her shirt and gesture to the scratches.

"I bite."
"Well, I did that too."
"Your back I hurt." He hadn't expected that and so he leaned a hand behind him and he did indeed feel the remaining scabs.

"They'll heal by—"
"Tonight, and I heal later too. I make tea and you no burn bacon." He hurried back to the stove and attempted to save the breakfast, but that didn't mean that Sage left his view. Thankfully she didn't leave the room, or else his wolf would've lost it.

But he knew that she was going to combust sooner or later, she wasn't used to being suffocated before—So he attempted to do better. Yet the urge to have some sort of skin on skin contact was essentially burning him.

"Does bite hurt?"
"Nah, it shouldn't hurt...Does yours—" He turned panicked as her question hadn't pertained to her own feeling, and while he tugged the bond he realized that maybe because Sage wasn't as spiritually connected that she wasn't in tune to such—

"I don't read your head, no read mine." He smirked into his coffee, scratch that she was plenty connected. "You're not lying to me about feeling hurt, are you hun?"
"No, little sore. Shower help, belly warmer?" He sighed at the idea, his wolf growled at not having thought of it himself.

Over the course of breakfast, he did feel the soreness ease up, and she had a hefty appetite all things considering. He grinned when he offered to make more and she shyly nodded.

Even when she had the blanket over her shoulder, and Remus tending to the roaring fire. The cold still crept up on her, so he fetched the belly warmer and cuddled with her underneath the blanket as they relaxed on the large couch.

Only for Sage to fall asleep.

Mate too tired to mate again, we wait. We be careful.

Seems like we weren't prepared for her underthings.

It was a relaxing time to have the company of his mate, healing and soothing her as he attempted to catch up with his show. Though he didn't stop stroking his fingers through her beautiful locks, or reposition the water bottle to different areas of her lower half.

Truthfully the bond was feeling normal now, but he feared she was still cold. Yet that was just the spark of her wanting the touch of her mate as well. Just not knowing how to categorize said feeling.

Sage slept much longer than Remus would've thought, but he had to remember that it always took a number out of the female. She seemed to be attached to him, hopefully it promoted healing, but this was a different type of pain.

One that all she-wolves would face, and she would feel like this again if he wasn't careful.

Careful with mate, mate strong but mate small.

That was indeed the consensus that the two had finally came to, but he was completely content. And a growing smile lingered on his face as he couldn't wait for the day that she their pup growing in her womb.

There was a given rumor that if a male sniffs the stomach of their mate, they could smell the onset of a countdown to their next heat, with her status of Luna it would be coming soon. Most likely in the middle of spring, there would definitely need to be a talk if it comes to that...

Sage was right that she wasn't ready for a pup, but how many chances would the moon goddess give them?

Looking at the time, he realized that lunch was close to ending, and after the breakfast they shared he wouldn't be surprised if she was hungry again.

Closing his eyes he tried to understand the bond and found that it was a usual feeling for his little mate to be hungry, or used to the aggravation in her stomach.

"Hey Sage...Sage hun...Wake up for me munchkin." Her face soon scrunched, but she smiled lightly as her eyes peeked open. "Really tired."
"I'm sorry hun, after lunch we'll take a bath. I can wash your hair." She wiggled, he assumed to get the quirks out of her body, but then he realized she was happy...And this was the easiest way to show it.

"Well, it seems I should've offered that awhile ago huh? I think there's bacon left, do you want some—"
"BLT?" He smirked in victory and held her delicately by the hips. Remus was still bare beside his boxers and she hummed into his chest with a small kiss.

"That I can argue with hun..." He groaned, his wolf realizing that he would go at whatever pace his little mate would give him, but the devious smile she gave him as she locked her waist down onto his.

"No rip panties."
"Better take them off now munchkin." The level of excitement rallied as she hurried to take off her leggings which allowed easy access for either of them to hurry about.

Perhaps he was acting like an inexperienced pup around her, but the level of need his wolf was growing antsy to submit to this activity again.

She giggled and squirmed until she was rightly under her mate on the couch and thus—The couple had spread the scent of pheromones further into the house and it allowed his wolf to thrive, this is what a den was meant to smell like.

As he couldn't remove himself from her just yet, she was simply resting on his chest now as he wouldn't be able to hold himself up from squishing down onto her.

Thus why she was entirely settled with resting her ear against his heart. A wonderful sound as she hummed ever so often. "Enjoy yourself hun?" Her chin soon propped up to look at him, a satisfied grin graced her expression with her eyes closed.

"Yes. A lot."
"Good."
"You enjoy—"
"Yes." His wolf had taken reign of that question as it was too pure of a question which demanded the beast in him to surface.

Which caused for a slight attention to her neck, following a giggle to escape her again.

"Remmy?"
"Hm?" 
"I have good dream." It caught his attention, usually her dreams consisted of running and hunting. So he entertained her and stopped his attack on her neck.

"I dream a lil pup. Likes runs and hunting. And I carry lil pup in mouth." A wide smile fought against his lips as he kissed her temple, but he hadn't let up at all. He was continuing his attack of peppering her with kisses and she only expressed the joy she felt in that.

"Can I see munchkin?" He felt rather breathless, as though the wind had been knocked out of him. And after doing a double-take closed her eyes and exhaled.

It wasn't a single solid image as it was a dream and therefore not entirely real to pass. But he had gotten the general idea, ad soak in his mate's imagination.

"We can make this real hun, do you want to try for a pup your next heat? We don't have to, I'm sure the moon goddess will understand if you want to wait another year or two." His wolf was damning him for saying such a thing, but he could see Sage's calculations on it.

"I want pup. But I not ready for pup, moon goddess give heat when we ready."
"I think that's a good way of putting it hun...I want to see you carry our pup." His voice was highly disguised in a growl, and she scrunched her nose in hearing it.

"I get another growl."
"With all this pup talk munchkin, you can get all the growls and whines you want from me." She nodded eagerly at the idea of that, now knowing his weakness. He attempted to see if there was any chance he could move himself from her, but she hissed in reaction to it.

"Sorry...Sorry. I guess we're stuck like this munchkin."
"That okay, I com-for-table." A soundless laugh escaped him as he began to draw patterns on her shoulder, he had assumed she fell back asleep but she was simply watching the television screen up above.

"Remmy, what's that?" His attention was caught by the sound of his little mate, but also because she poked in warning. "What's what?"
"On person."
"Oh, those are tattoos hun. It's ink that stays on you forever. You can have any picture you want on yourself."
"I get tattoo?"

His brow rose slightly, and Sage huffed as she looked over her question and realized her mistake.

"I want to get tattoo."
"Are you sure hun? It's little needles and it takes a long time."
"Hurt?"
"Not to us as much, but there's a wolf in town who likes to do it on the side." It peeked her interest as to what she could get inked on her body.

The selection was limitless!

"I don't know good picture."
"We could get matching ones."
"Matching?" After he explained what it meant she sort of like the idea that they would have the same pattern on them.

"I like idea, we get later...After lunch can we go run?"
"I think someone forgot we're on lockdown munchkin. How about we go for a late-night run?" It was purely out of the selfish reasoning of being unbothered, the smell of a newly mated couple will surely vacate any trail they are headed on, but his wolf also wanted to see how she was doing.

Both in fur and out.

"I get on shoulder one?"
"We used to have Cresent Moon tribal tattoo hun. Some pack members still have it. Do you want to get that?"
"I see picture later." He hummed, but then he instinctually started drawing the design on her shoulder. Perhaps that was why she was asking for it, she liked what the television shower her, but now there would be a permanent design on her skin.

Their pack.

Remus had soon moved himself from Sage, and although she didn't know how to express how she felt being without him. But he kissed away the given feeling as he caught her pout.

"Later. Promise." She nodded eagerly, her wolf favoring this intimacy and attention drastically.
"I need to get dressed." Her announcement made his wolf sigh, though he did see that she was growing rather cold with his touch, and thus...He returned her clothes while deciding to put on his own boxers once again.

"Any requests munchkin?"
"Lots of sandwiches." He couldn't contain himself and his laughter, but he was surely going to figure out what to make with what they have. There were plenty of leftovers, but better yet there were meatballs, and if she wanted a sandwich then this would be best bet.

And cheese, Sage adored cheese extra cheese.

Warming up the main oven did Sage come traveling over and settled herself on the opposite counter to stay close. Hopefully those who need them today would be warded off by the small of the house, but otherwise the bond of the pack felt—Elated.

It's been decades since the pack had a Luna, and they weren't picky on who it was—It was just that the pack was bias because Kelly was not fated. And even if Remus was a bit of the laughing stock, and his chosen mate wouldn't have been invited to the Luna meeting in Florida due to her true status...He didn't care at the time, but now he could feel how it made Sage react.

There was still resentment, but the she-wolf was far too positive to vocally say anything about it.

Sage was simply kicking her feet lightly and thinking mindless about her dreams. She wanted a pup, perhaps she could go to the library and find a book?

Her wolf howled in many agreements, she didn't want to give the Moon goddess a reason not to gift them a lil pup. "Rem?"
"Hm? What's up munchkin?" She did have another question, but she didn't know how to word it.

The way his wolf was waiting meant it had to do with the pup, and so he smirked in her direction, finished his task before coming back towards her. Spreading her legs apart to make room in between her thighs and leveling out with a kiss.

"I carry pup, and shift to fur for pup birth."
"So the lil pup is shared between us hun, I give you my seed and they'll grow right...Here. And then they grow right about...Here. When that happens you have to be very careful hun, no sparing and not too much running, alright?"
"I careful, don't want to hurt pup." He nodded in confirmation.
"And you have to eat for two." Perhaps this would promote her to eat regularly if she knew it would be beneficial and supportive to a growing pup.

"Tell more."
"I don't know much else hun, I was my parents only Alpha pup. But I'm sure Jade would love all your questions, but I can tell you that we both will be in fur for a few weeks after the pup is born."
"Stay in fur, why?"
"Because our pup is an Alpha offspring, other wolves will shift when they're in their early teens. Sometimes ten at the youngest, our pup won't be able to shift back until they're ready. And that takes a few weeks until they're strong enough to endure a shift." She huffed in agreement, almost trying to image what it would look like in the future.

"Jade tell me more?"
"Well she just went through it too munchkin, she's mated an Alpha male. Remember when she couldn't talk for a few weeks, it's because she was in fur and catering to the pup." She understood then, and what was even better was the smell that wafted from the meal, the second she had gotten the scent of cheese she smiled even more.

"Salad too?" She asked, looking over his shoulder to see what he was attempting to do.
"And then we'll watch a movie in the bathtub, yeah?" That prospect interested her greatly as she hummed, her head nuzzling into her mate while lightly pressing her lips to his mate.

Having not been prepared to bite, his was rushed but Remus didn't mind the look as it was an eager bite from his beautiful mate. And his wolf adored the bite whenever he caught sight of it in the mirror.

In the Elwood residence however, Luke was brooding. The eldest son of the Master of arms was brooding, and he wasn't the only one. Liam found himself trapped between feeling relieved but also feeling rather...replaced.

She was no longer an Elwood now that she was mated, it mirrored marriage in their world. Sage Elwood turned into Sage Moon in the timespan of less than a year.

But he was surely debating on why he felt so surprised, he shouldn't. The four of them were scheduled to head to Mystic Grimm again to visit Harlow and his family, and truth be told, Remus didn't want to enter another pack with a mate who didn't bear his mark. Anyone could realize that aspect, but they still had two weeks before they were set to go.

But then the wolf shuttered in thinking of what they were doing—Now, in this very moment!

"I don't like it ether."
"I know, you've been in your room all day, sulking." He fired back to his older brother, but it just earned him a growl. The two were still on holiday for taking Sage off to Florida, as they hadn't cashed in the days off prior.

But now they were thankful for saving them, as neither could rightly focus. Sure the rest of the pack was happy for the freshly mated Alpha and Luna, hell—Their own mother was cheering and discussing it with Leo in the room right now.

It was simply the natural order of progression, Sage was always going to end up with their Alpha, their arrival to the Underground was inevitable.

The Moon Goddess had her will and way with this entire ordeal, but it left Luke and his wolf wanting a mate. And badly.

Liam was younger, therefore his wolf wasn't as driven on hormones. Leo was suspecting that Luke would petition to go off and find a she-wolf in other packs, or perhaps he was destined to be with someone from their own.

The possibilities were rightly endless, but the idea of his sister finding her mate so close to her integration into the pack made him rethink the whole thing.

Even when they left the house to get some fresh air, they saw the pack rejoyce at the idea of an heir. The unity was felt in the pack's bond, but it was confirmed when the Beta and Delta had come to check on the two at their home after an the endless attempts at trying to reach them through their link.

Only to be stopped by the strong scent of pheromones, but in turn, it called for a celebration and a blessing.

Those who strongly believe the moon goddess had left beautiful offerings of herbal teas and scents to inflict a heat, even if they didn't work on their own.

It was another blessing to the moon goddess to give them an honest chance.

______

Date:  05-14-2021

Time: 8:59

Words:  4352