Lacking Humanity | Moon Ridge

Chapter Forty-Two

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Sage had woken up the following morning with a large weight pushing against her chest, and even as she rubbed and soothed the area, it did nothing for to relieve it.

So when she rose up and continued the motion, she locked eyes on Blake—Who was doing the very same thing.

"Shit, sorry...I don't mean to pass it on to you too." He grumbled, turning to stoke the fire once again and Sage huffed her own greeting as she started to get up from out of the sleeping bags.

"Morning."

"Was worried you were going to say a 'good' in there. Because then I would've—" Hayes had growled a warning down to the former Rogue and Blake smirked up.

"Blake, you're bringing morale down. Goddess, she just woke up."

"Yeah, woke up with my pain. Still think I'm faking it?" While Hayes didn't mean to sound so untrusting of the situation, it hadn't made any sense. If either this male's mate or pup were in any harm, the news would've gotten to them one way or another.

Witches were creative like that, he would know—By now he accepted that his Willow was born with a different upbringing, and he didn't mean just by Walter's abuse.

Iris Blue nee Halliwell had undoubtedly taught her daughter a few unorthodox things to a wolf, but natural for a witch. All of which, Hayes loved it regardless.

And he knew that Willow had done the same for Harlow and Haylee, only he was looking at the one child of theirs that needed it the most.
Who was struggling more than any witch or wolf he could think of.

"Doesn't feel like mate is hurt or pup is hurt, Blake. Something else." She discussed, and her Charge nodded as he continued to stoke the fire. "You think it's cause we're in a graveyard?"

"Maybe." She mumbled, taking a seat across from him and searching for the water bottle Remus had told her was in his pack. And she hummed after taking a large sip and passing it over to her father.

"We leave soon?" She asked the two in front of her, and Blake nodded. "Remus is scouting that way with the Elwood brothers and Andrew took his two males the opposite way. Well uh, Grey is still here."

"Your little female is a spitfire." Hayes cheered, smirking into his next sip before dropping it into Blake's lap. "Yeah, I would be too if my mate didn't say that they were leaving."

"Grey's leaving?" Sage questioned and Hayes waved it off. "An issue for another time. Don't think that male likes the idea of staying local, right Blake?" The Charge had sighed and nodded along, but felt as every nerve in his body shot out that he shouldn't lie to her.

It was difficult not to say anything about Andrew leaving, especially since she had just spoken to him yesterday morning about her inner battle of loving one and hurting the other.

Within the next half hour, the two Alphas had returned and thankfully their visible injuries had healed and Sage hadn't thought twice about their lingering glares. The tension was the same as yesterday in her opinion, and she had more things to worry about than those two damn males fighting one another.

Instead, she did her part to pack up camp and stuck with her brothers in hopes of reigning in her thoughts. And by the time it was set to leave, the spirit was high—especially when the former Crimson pack members were in a much lighter mood following last night's prayers.

However, as they had passed by a rather large incline, Sage had paused when she smelled the remains—It wasn't fowl, but the leftover stench of ash and soot was just as prominent as the vegetation that took over the better half of the structures before them.