Lacking Humanity|Half Crescent

Chapter Twenty-Three (Rewritten)

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Some time had passed since Sage had submitted to the exhaustion coursing through her body, as the denial had left her helplessly hot and achy.

As if she had a fever.

What awoken her had been a small vial against her lips as her head was tilted up. "I'm sorry, Luna, it's best if you're relaxed as you go through this..." Elena whispered, running a hand through her hair as Sage accepted the gentle gulps of whatever concoction that the witches had offered.

Surprisingly enough, it tasted very good. A mix of berries and something bitter, but not enough to have her gagging with each gulp.

"Pack...Okay?" Sage managed to ask, and Elena had smiled, yet her eyes turned towards another figure in the room. And as Sage's eyes locked onto the figure, she too grinned weakly towards Lilith.

A perfect contender to come and add her, considering she would be immune to the scent of a Heat. "Everything is perfect, Luna. We've masked your scent with strong candles. The Alpha has acted as a perfect guard. All you need to do is rest, eat, and keep hydrated. We are still in the first day."

That had caused Sage to groan back into the pillow, but at least things had shifted into something where it wasn't extreme pain and longing.

It instead, had turned into a sort of pulsing dull need, one that could be ignored if she truly wished. But the scent of the candle and the taste of the berry tonic had allowed her to focus on the others.

"How many days...do I have?" It was an innocently cruel question, wanting to know what she was in for had turned into an inconclusive answer, given that it could vary so widely.

Her previous Heats lasted nearly a week. A week.

Perhaps she could find solitude then, meditate or something besides withering in her sorrows.

It was unfair for Sage to demand that the two females keep her company, but in allowing them to leave, Elena returned shortly after with a bundle of goodies she'd managed to collect.

Apparently, others had heard word of the blessing and said their well wishes, a basket full of snacks, a plethora of soap, and oils to help her through the next few days.

Even now, she picked through the lovely lavender-scented soap in her robe, and she sighed once more. Lilith had to help remove the blockade so Elena could leave, but an open window would still allow the birds to come and go when needed.

With the door blocked and a free night, Sage decided to take a cold bath. Although appealing at first, it soon became uncomfortable. Clearly, the tonics were working better than she accepted if she could feel the temperature rather than the simple bliss it was supposed to offer.

Perhaps she could enjoy the book she borrowed from a she-wolf last week, it had been a decent start to feel like her old self. Even if the book wasn't that great, it still would help her pass the time.

The only issue is that Sage was never one to take a casual day off. There always had to be a reason, even if that reason was because Kenzie had sent her on early maternity leave.

A threat the Healer would continuously give if Sage couldn't get through her Yoga sessions.

In the present, however, it was constant trips between heading to the bathroom, as she was drinking too much water and needed to relieve herself. In addition to sinking back into the bathtub, trying to enjoy the soothing water and everything it possesses.

Yet every time she refilled it,  Sage hoped she wasn't using too much water for the sake of the pack, but when asking Lilith during her next drop-off, it hadn't mattered.