Lacking Humanity|Half Crescent

Chapter Four (Rewritten)

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UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF HOURS AFTER

Maeve and a few of the other she-wolves lingered around Hera, helplessly watching her as her body convulsed and the putrid stench of her mate mark began to rot. She was one of the only wolves who could stomach it, having never been able to find a mate herself.

Yet that didn't aid Hera's pain. Nothing did. Not even the cooling wet blankets or the soothing prayers that embraced a spiritual and peaceful atmosphere. Or tried to, anyway. 

While Hera wanted to feel the support around her. The pain was getting worse. It was pure torture, and the theorized reason for Hera's condition being so bad was due to the fact that she had pups.
The stronger the mate bond, the more there is to break.

And breaking it surely felt.

"Why don't you take a rest...Go on, girls. I'll stay with her." The calming voice lulled Sage awake, but only partly. There were a few times she wished for death in her life, and this was undoubtedly one of them.

And while she promised Luke and Kenzie to never resort to using her claws, she couldn't even if she wanted to. They were inaccessible, making her wolf feel even more enclosed than before.

The howls in her head only caused the ring in her ear to worse, and without the faint touches of the she-wolves to distract her, Sage was left with nothing more than feeling every fiber of her body break.

"Come here, sweetheart, it's almost over...That's it." She acted like a child, hugging instantly into the soft embrace and squeezing to find a comfortable position.

It didn't aid the pain, but it did give her comfort. And the soft rocking and 'shushes' to follow her tears reminded her of what she would do with her own pup.

"You didn't tell me she was nursing..." The voice questioned, but Sage couldn't make out the mumbles that followed. Instead, her eyes popped up to look faintly at the woman she was holding onto. And if the fates could rip her heart out and replace it with a new one, Sage was sure it'd hurt worse than this.
Because just before her, the she-wolf combing her hands through her hair was no other than Willow Mystic herself.

"Mamm." Willow ignored the almost word of the wolf she was comforting and ordered one of the others to fetch some more water. And much like Sage would do for Rue, she was fed gentle sips of the refreshing water. Unfortunately, it did nothing to settle the ache, but it did help her wake up from her haze all the bit more.

One of Sage's wishes had been to find her mother, and a part of her felt the connection at her fingertips. But it felt strange to be in the arms of the woman who gave birth to her.
That named her—That carried her, and all Sage could do was cry.

"I know, sweetheart, I know. Let it out...You'll feel better." No. Sage yelled in her mind, she knew she wouldn't. The 'what if' of Remus being dead or alive stung her wolf, and if Remus was feeling the connection, then would he follow her.

"F-follow...To the moon." Willow had remained still and silent for a moment, letting the words echo in her mind before continuing her actions. "Your mate will be there to meet you again. Not to worry. We'll be seeing them again." The sureness of her voice brought pictures of Hayes together with Willow, as Haylee thought it was important to see them together as a family.

And Sage understood outright what it meant. The light in her father's eyes was never the same. And she didn't need to hear that from her sister to prove that.

However, what irked Sage, was how her mother was here—Here and alive. And never, not once, tried to escape?
Where was her mother's demon?

She doesn't have one, Sage. It was you or her. And I chose you.