Unforgivable

III. One Step Closer - Part 12 - What Can I Do

Sage and Alpha Sloan were furious when they heard about the altercation between Sophia and Calvin. Beta Steeve, Beta Aaron and even Luna Vanessa had a hard time calming them down and preventing them from attacking Black Paw's pack. In the end, Mara had to threaten to send them to prison to convince them not to do anything. Now they would have to screw up her plan on a whim! Sage had left the room and criticized Mara for not siding with him. Mara had ignored him knowing how implusive he was. Orion joked that on this point Mara and Sage were polar opposites.

A few hours later, while Mara was training with Amaia, Orion, Hayley and Sam, she found herself alone with Sam who asked her what had happened again with Sage. She explained and he defended his brother, explaining how implusive they were in the family and that Sage's words had gone beyond his thoughts. Mara retorted that the problem with being impulsive was that afterwards you came back like an idiot with your tail between your legs. Aaron and Dakini had joined them quickly. He and Orion had become very close over the weeks.

Orion took his place in the pack and he loved it. He loved everything he had experienced with Mara and he knew he would continue to travel with her but he really hoped to settle down here. His relationship with his little brother and his parents was good, all three adored Amaia and Matteo. He wanted to continue to solidify those relationships and for that he needed to stay.

Moreover, he believed in the powers of mates and for him Mara would only find the peace and serenity she deserved in Sage's arms. Ditto, for Sage, even he had still outbursts where he went too far in his words. In fact, since Mara had given in to his advances, he had already noticed a change in her behaviour.

Every day he was more and more involved in the pack and in his role as Alpha. He was helping Mara with her daily duties. This was very nice to see as Sage followed Mara's decisions and trusted her blindly on how to run the pack. Orion and Aaron were both surprised and wondered how he was fighting his Alpha instinct to control everything. What they didn't know was that Sage and his wolf had blind trust in Mara and there was no power struggle. For him, he had to prove himself as Alpha before he could take his rightful place again, but in the meantime Mara was her Alpha and that was fine with him. He wanted time to redeem himself with his pack before he was burdened with the obligations that came with the position.

After training, they all hung out together in the kitchen. A debate was going on between Sam and Aaron as to who had the coolest mate. They were both arguing about who had the most exceptional mate when Sage sheepishly joined him. Seeing his face and eyes full of remorse and regret, Sam couldn't help but burst out laughing, thinking about Mara's words. Indeed, he came back with his tail between his legs, not knowing what to do to win his mate's forgiveness. Sam decided to tease his older brother, earning a smile from Mara. When he boasted, Sage left the kitchen furious again.

"Seriously Sam!" Aaron said in a disapproving tone.

"Seriously Mara!" Orion said at the same time.

"You really think that was necessary!" Aaron continued.

"Mara, you really pick your moment to smile! Sage was racked with remorse!" Orion added, shaking his head.

Mara looked him straight in the eye, "You blame me for not smiling naturally enough and for once I do, it's not okay. You need to make up your mind about what you expect from me."

She left the kitchen to join Sage, following his scent to his room. She found him in the shower and decided to join him.

"I'm sorry if my reaction hurt you, it wasn't meant to." She declared, hugging him from behind and kissing his back.

"I'm the one who should apologize for my comment earlier. I didn't mean it." He murmured, turning to hug her.

"Matt used to tease me all the time, giving me moments of normalcy that I cherished. Your brother just reminded me of my own brother." Mara explained.

"You don't have to explain yourself. Sam just annoyed me because there were too many truths in his jokes." Sage explained in return.

"I love you the way you are Sage. Sure it's annoying me when you lose your control and talk before thinking but it's what makes you who you are."

Sage's heart stopped beating when Mara told him that she loved him for the first time.

" Say it to me again!" Sage ordered her, unable to restrain himself. He needed to hear it again.

"I love you Sage..." She claimed, looking him straight in the eye.

Sage growled before capturing her lips with his.

"I love you Mara. You are my life. Mine!" He whispered against her lips.

"Yours!" She agreed, before kissing him again.

"Stay with me. Let's eat in bed and then sleep in my arms." Sage offered, almost pleadingly. Mara nodded before closing her eyes and savoring the comfort of her mate's arms.

Sage was surprised the next morning when he awoke to feel sparks where his body was touching Mara's. They were faint but there. He savoured the sparks as he watched Mara sleep peacefully. Every time he had time to watch her like this, disconnected from the world, she took his breath away.

When he felt her wake up, he asked, "Can you feel them too, baby?"

"Yes..." She murmured incredulously, running her fingers down his chest. Leaving sparks in their path.

She smiled and added with a lustful look in her eyes, "I'd like to feel those sparks inside me too. Will you show me what it feels like?"

Sage jumped at her! Damn right he wanted to explore that too!