I get up and knock on the bathroom door; I can hear the shower running and still feel that Sage is upset. She thinks I have given her false hope, but that has never been my intention. I just want to point out what Donnie and I know.
“I am going to retrieve Jonah. I will be back soon, okay?” I ask her.
She doesn’t reply, but I leave her be, knowing she needs time to herself.
Grabbing some clothes from the walk-in closet, I walk back into the room and put some jeans on before pulling on my tank top. Hearing the water shut off, I listen for a few seconds and hear Sage sniffle, my heart instantly sinks.
She will see, she will see we are right – I remind myself.
Sighing, I walk out of the room and down the stairs. I just need to grab our son. I have missed him the last couple of days, and I know Jonah could always bring Sage out of the dark places she sometimes slipped back to. If I can’t, he always can.
I don’t even have time to knock on Malik’s door before it is thrown open and Jonah smashes against my legs, his little arms wrap securely around them as he squeezes tight.
“Dad! Dad, dad!” He bounces excitedly on the balls of his feet, and I reach down to grab him under the arms, lifting him into the air and placing him on my hip.
Malik walks to the door, looking exhausted but otherwise happy. “Good morning; he has sat by the front window, waiting for you or Sage to pick him up,” Malik says before ruffling Jonah’s hair. I kiss Jonah’s cheek, and he smiles happily.
“Where is mom?” He asks, looking over my shoulder at the packhouse.
“At home waiting for you,” I tell him.
Malik yawns loudly, covering his mouth with his hand, before stretching. “Alright, kiddo. I need some sleep. I have patrols tonight.” Maliks tells him.
“I can take your patrol,” I tell him, feeling bad that he is exhausted and has been helping Zane with the pack for days.
“I’m fine; it’s just the heat berries. Now that Sage is out of the heat, and I don’t need to keep eating the crap, I will nap and be good as new.” He assures me.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask Malik, and I look at Jonah in my arms. “Quick, rush home, and go find mom,” I tell Jonah, placing him on the ground.
He giggles, rushing off toward the packhouse, and I wait to see him run through the open door before turning back to Zane.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Malik says just as Casen wanders out the front and onto the porch. “Oi, no eavesdropping,” Malik scolds him.
“No, he is fine. Better two opinions than one,” I tell Malik, and Casen smirks at him while Malik scoffs at his cockiness.
“Sage’s heat-”
“Fucking lasted days, tell her thanks for three days of blue balls, gave Ms. Palmer a workout, practically rubbed the skin off it,” Casen says, not letting me finish, but he just answered my question.
“So, you could sense it? So it was a proper heat from what you could tell?”
“Yeah, it was real. Strong too, like the first heat. I suppose it was, but still, even with the jam, we had to remain inside. Only the mated have been able to leave the house; Zane is exhausted. Even previously mated ones were affected by her scent.” Malik says, rubbing a hand down his face.
“Why are you asking?” Malik asks.
“Sage believes it’s a phantom heat, and I tried to tell her it wasn’t, that she is fertile. Donnie thinks she is with pup now.”
“Wait, hang on, Sage can’t have kids,” Casen states.
“Exactly,” I tell him, and he seems to ponder that.
“Unless a certain Moon Goddess healed her,” Malik smiles, and so do I.
“Well, I need to get back. I want to check on Sage and play with Jonah.”
“Look at you all domesticated,” Casen taunts, and Malik smacks him up the back of the head. I chuckle, shaking my head and walking down the few steps to the grass.
“I will be sure to tell your Luna you spent three days wanking over her.” I call out to Casen.
He growls, making me look back at him. “You wouldn’t,” he snarls, glaring at me, and I smile. Malik chuckles beside him, nudging him with his elbow, and I turn back, heading home.
Andrei
Two weeks later
“Just break it down. Why is she hiding from us?” Donnie snarls in my head.
He has been trying to get Sierra to listen to him for the last week. Both are in denial, and Sage is still mad.
I bang on the door again, becoming annoyed as she continues ignoring me. “Open the door, Sage!”
“I’m fine. It is just that stupid coffee. We need to switch brands,” she gasps out.
I roll my eyes. It is not the damn coffee. I have been trying to get her to see the doctor for the last week, but she refuses. She insists she is not pregnant, but Donnie and I can smell her scent, smell the changes, and until she confirms it, not only will Sage not believe us, but Donnie won’t stop keeping me awake sniffing her while she sleeps. I shake my head.
Last night was humiliating as he forced control, only for Sage to wake up during his sniffing fest while I looked like some creep.
Donnie forced control and jammed my nose into her belly button. If he was going to be a creep, he could at least do it in his form, so she knows I am not the perverted one sniffing her while she sleeps, and it was my bizarre, domineering wolf that had the sniffing belly button fetish. The look she gave him, well me… I facepalm myself, trying not to relive the memory.
“It isn’t a fetish. If she went to the doctor, I wouldn’t have to sniff-test her to make sure she progresses,” Donnie spits at me.”Just be grateful she didn’t wake the first time when I sniffed her-”
I growl at him, cutting his words off. I don’t need the reminder of how perverted he can be.
“Ah enough, don’t remind me, you are damn deranged,” I tell him.