Lacking Humanity|Half Crescent

Chapter Twenty-Eight

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With Sage laid out on the infirmary bed, not only was she given a herbal concoction from the witches that was approved by the wolf healers. But also another mixture of Andy's blood, straight from the source.

Alanna had checked in on the couple a few times already, and the tray of ready-made sandwiches in her arms seemed pointless. But she carried it with the hopes that Andy would eat something, it's been half a day so far, and he still refused to move.

"You know...In your letter warning us about Noah's attack, you never mentioned her."
"I thought Swift Tail attacking us was much more pressing than a mate bond that's not going to work out." He responded, his voice rougher than normal. But Alanna was not discouraged, not when she managed to get him to speak.

"Of course it will, she loves you."
"She loves her mate, whether he's alive or not—She loves him."
"I love my Mateo with all my heart, Julian knows this. And I know Julian loves and adores Emily, but we can't always have what we want. If her mate is still alive then...Then your agreement is off." Alanna's whisper of the settlement caused his eyes to flicker off towards her for a moment.

"You heard?"
"Hard not to, but I see the way she looks at you too. This was an act of jealousy, Andy, and she was right to feel worried."
"Where is Lu—"
"Chained outside, you know the rules. The victim gets first dibs on what is given as punishment." Andy nodded instantly, Lucy and her friend were chained outside in a blizzard. They wouldn't die, no, not when they were forced to shift to fur and then chained.

"What's your plan when her mate is alive?"
"Kill him, what else is there?" Alanna gawked that the answer fell so easily from his mouth.
"You'd kill him? The father of her pups—"
"I am the father of that pup, hers are young enough that they can adapt quickly. I did."
"I know you did, but you cannot expect her to keep her feelings for you if you do this."
"And her mate is going to open his arms willingly when he finds out she's marked and mated with another male? That there's a possibility that she's carrying another male's pup?" Alanna thought for a moment and shook her head.

"You're going to put Crescent Moon right back to its stone ages. Haven't you learned—"
"My wolf agrees, whatever happens after that, we'll figure it out then. America is easier to navigate than Canada." Alanna shook her head, silently showing her disapproval.
"You think you can take her and the pups away from Crescent Moon? Having Mystic Grimm as an enemy is—"
"The worst thing you could possibly imagine?... Nobody in my pack wants to give her up, and if we join her pack...Then what? What are we? I won't be an Alpha, she won't be a Luna. Sure maybe her brothers or mate's brothers will track me down to the ends of the earth. But that hasn't stopped me so far." He concluded, and Alanna let out a sigh, raking her hands through Sage's unkempt hair.

Though through this morning's chaos, it was well excused. "You'd hurt her like that...When she has so little already?" She whispered, her eyes tearing up at the damage her boy had seemingly caused. "How cold have you turned—?"

"I love her...I'm doing this for her!"
"If you really love her, Andy, you'd let her go back to where she belongs. I don't think you were meant to be with her. I think she was meant to bring you back to where you truly belong. Back home to—"
"I'm not staying, we're not staying."
"And where would you go? Because she won't be willing to follow you after that, this mark isn't permeant."
"Yeah, neither is the other one apparently. Stop trying to make me feel guilty, I've already planned it." Alanna retracted her hand from the unconscious she-wolf and shook her head.

"Then I'll pray that she doesn't kill you."
"She won't, we're—"
"Together? A team? How many times did she warn you about Lucy, clearly, the only one that was shocked about this was both yourself and I. I failed your Luna, and I'll admit to that, but when I killed Mateo's murderer, I never felt more joy. Not until I met Julian." Perhaps admitting to his plan was faulty, but he knew the remaining members would follow loyally behind.