This is a new fandom for me and I thank you for taking the time to read and review. All mistakes are mine.

Chapter 2

Sage stood quietly in front of Bran's desk. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her and her face was pinched, as if worrying what to say and how to say it correctly. She was normally a bubbly and exuberant person and fun to be with but the woman standing there today was none of the above.

Bran waited her out. He had already heard from Anna about what had transpired yesterday and of her concern for her friend.

This was not something that could be smoothed over with a pat on the head and a cup of coffee; really, really strong coffee. Bran liked his coffee very strong, a throwback to his much younger years.

He waited patiently for her to begin.

"Bran, I've been living in Aspen Creek for almost twenty years. I needed the time and the space and I thank you for allowing me to heal, but I think it's time for me to go home."

There, she'd said it.

Immediately she felt a sense of relief, peeking through lowered eyelids at her Alpha and waiting for his response. She was under no illusions that Anna may or may not have paved the way for this conversation. Part of the reason she had unloaded her thoughts on Anna was to test out her response.

Bran steepled his fingers in front of his face, his elbows resting lightly on the desk. He appeared to be considering her request. She was unmated and therefore had no official standing in the pack. Sage was not that young having been born before women were allowed to vote. At the same time, she was a dominant female and while officially she held no official place, she was much sought after for her knowledge, her friendship and her many skills.

"Do you need an answer today or can I look into it, Sage?"

Bran looked at her just in time for her to quickly drop her eyes.

"If possible, can you fast track any change in my residency as soon as is proper? I would like to find a home in time for spring, start up a garden and get my herbs in the ground. "

They both knew that that was just an excuse and the real reason was just down the road. The sooner she left, the better.

Bran nodded his head.

"I'll check it out and see what I can do. We have a number of packs out there and there are a few wolves that you know still around."

That said it all. Yes, there were wolves there that she did not want to be near, but she had also left some friends who could protect her if need be.

Sage nodded her head and waited to be dismissed. Instead, Bran stood up and came around the desk, stopping just in front of her. He looked at her and his eyes softened.

"I know, he's an ass, and you have tried, Sage. I just don't know if he can let go his sorrow to let you in."

He was not a tall man, heck he was not even the strongest looking man in the pack, but he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. His power flared and seemed to envelope them both as they stood together.

Sage stifled a sob and nodded as she let her head rest on his chest, quite a feat since she was so much taller than he was, and sighed.

He knew.

Straightening up, she nodded her head and turned to go.

"I'll call you when I make a decision."

()()()()

Bran sat at his desk after Sage left, thinking. He knew that she had feelings for Asil but Asil was adamant that he did not want a 'damn woman' hanging around him. It would mean commitment, and compassion and caring and yes, love. He was holding out that one of these days, and sooner rather than later that Bran would think it was time and kill him.

Bran and Asil talked, never speaking of the 'old days' but generalities about how things change but how they stayed the same. They carefully steered away from speaking of their mates from so long ago.

While Bran had that gift to get into people's minds, he knew that Asil was alone with his thoughts and would unconsciously restlessly wander his house at night.

Bran also knew that Asil's thoughts drifted to Sari in times of stress, or sadness.

He never spoke about her to anyone and there were few stories of their time together. After 200 years, he still missed her. Bran could feel that when he was really troubled, he would close himself off from the wolf pack bond.

He remembered how Anna had killed the witch who had taken Asils' bride from him oh so long ago. Bran hated witches, and for good reason. His mother had been a witch and had imprisoned both he and Samuel for many years, forcing them to do terrible things at her whim. He had finally broken free and he and Samuel had escaped her clutches at the moment of her death. Yes, he had killed his own mother to gain their freedom.

Asil had tried to properly thank Anna, and for that matter Charles, but he knew that they knew how he felt. Anna was an Omega Wolf and even though she had only found out what she really was not that long ago, her caring attitude was like a balm to all who came near her. She was the perfect mate for Charles and he only needed to be near her to calm his own demons his job as the Marrock's second and trained assassin required.

Anna was coming into her own and with Asil's help had embraced the role she was destined for. He had been patient, knowing now that she was a damaged wolf and he had taken his time letting her come to him with questions about proper protocol for an Omega.

At the same time, Sage was around to, as Asil's complaint to Bran said, 'bother me when I want to be left alone'. He heard complaints that she brought him food that he wasn't used to, disturbed the silence of his greenhouse when he wanted to work in peace, and generally, be there.

It took a lot for Sage to get upset but it appeared that Asil had found her final nerve and snapped it.

()()()()

Sage walked out of the house and climbed into her car preparing to go home, already mentally deciding what she should take and what she should leave. Unfortunately she still needed some winter clothes even if she would never wear them back home. It would be too hot for them down south, but unless she delayed her journey until spring had truly arrived, it would still be pretty cold driving through the states in a t shirt and shorts.

She walked into her tiny little house that until now had been a retreat and looked around. So many things she had gained over the years. What to take and what to leave.

She decided to start in the basement where all her stored belongings were. Some boxes were from her move up to Montana and those she tackled first, opening one box after another, wrinkling her nose at the dust.

Generally it was mostly clothes and trinkets and she quickly discarded most of it in her mind. Sage had admitted a long time ago that she was a clotheshorse and her closets, yes, closets confirmed it. These things were twenty years old and yes, they would fit, but she acknowledged that they were way out of style and she wouldn't be caught dead in any of it.

She picked up a pen and closing up the boxes again, she wrote, 'give away'.

Next she tackled her 'summer' closet, choosing what she wanted to take, mindful that her car was only so big. She knew that Bran could have anything shipped and she would never see the bill but she wanted to make a clean start and do it on her own.

All too soon, she had what she wanted to keep corralled in her spare bedroom.

She looked in the fridge, noticing the stew that she had made to supposedly share with Asil. Wrinkling her nose, she dumped it in the garbage, moaning over the effort to make it, but unable to look at it, much less eat it.

In honor of the occasion, she took out a very large steak from the deep freeze and set it to quickly thaw. Today she wanted meat, and only meat, and the rarer the better.