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After I pulled off the feat of a century – convincing Theo to find a witch – Theo's Alpha instincts took over. He started planning for our journey. As soon as I agreed, he did not hesitate to clue Heath and Mina in on our newfound plan.

Both of them would be joining us in our search; Theo reasoned having a pack doctor and a skilled Gamma would increase our odds of coming out of our search with a witch in hand. Max, however, would stay behind to step in and take Heath's position while he was gone.

Theo explained Vanessa Landry was the witch we would be after. Apparently, she was well known among Werewolves and humans alike. While her name carried recognition, she had never been found before. On the off chance you did find her, Theo said it was not guaranteed she would help.

It would take days to reach her through forests and mountains, through all kinds of traps she set for the feebleminded people who were coming to take advantage of Vanessa's powers. It would not be an easy journey, but it would be a worthwhile one. She'd be the key to not only finding out what happened to Ma, but she'd also be the key to saving the Borderlands.

I was not sure what my plan of action would be once I had Vanessa nearby. Of course, I would find out what happened to Ma, but then afterward, how was I supposed to bring her to the Border? She was undoubtedly more powerful than I could ever be, so my plan was to persuade her. I would have to use my words to get her to help me because I had nothing else to offer her.

This was my chance, and I could not mess it up, or else I would be stuck on the Outside forever, and my poor, old Pa would have to pay the price. I shuddered at the thought, my recent nightmare still fresh on my mind.

In the meantime, Theo continued explaining his plan. We would have to pack strategically for the trip. We would need food and water, but we didn't want to be bogged down by overpacking. We would dress moderately, not knowing if we'd be somewhere extremely hot or cold. The preparations we took now could seal our fate.

Not wasting any time, Theo escorted me to his pack's training facility. It was nestled close to the packhouse. It was a large dome-like structure with windows that scaled up the entirety of the walls. The large door and windows made me feel microscopic in comparison.

When we walked into the lobby, Heath was already waiting. Heath walked over to us with a smile as bright as the sun. He had a pair of black and white sneakers in his hands.

"Here," Heath extended out his hands, trying to give me the sneaks. "You'll need these."

My instinct was to decline the pair of shoes. I went my whole life without wearing them save for a couple rare events, and I did not need to start now. It was common for people in the Borderlands to go their whole lives without ever wearing a pair, especially if they had a less demanding occupation.

I opened my mouth to decline the pair of shoes, but Theo was looking at me disapprovingly like he knew what I was getting ready to say. So, instead, I hesitantly took the pair of shoes and socks from Heath, my toes wiggling beneath me before they would be trapped in the shoes.

Taking a seat on one of the benches near me, I pulled the socks on and then pulled the shoes on. The shoelaces dangled loosely, and I stared at them, not knowing how to tie them. Theo chuckled, kneeling down to tie my shoes for me.

"Thanks," I stood back up, not liking how the sneakers felt on my feet.

"Good luck," Theo patted me on the shoulder before lightly planting a kiss on my forehead.

"You'll need it," Heath interjected. "I'm not going easy on you just because you're human, and I'm definitely not going easy on you just because you're Theo's mate."

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Heath did not lie when he said he was not going to go easy on me. I believed he was trying his hardest to put me through hell like it was his personal mission to make me suffer. We started off easy — well, easy was subjective. It was easy by Heath's standards, certainly not mine.

We started off the day by doing stretches. After the pain-inducing stretches, I ran for what seemed like an eternity. I would do half a mile and then take a break. I rinsed and repeated this routine for hours. Heath was not happy with my performance, however. I was running a mile in ten minutes. It felt fast to me as I had never run a mile before, but Heath explained that ten minutes is slow, even for a human.

He was also not thrilled that my pace slowed with each hour that passed by. He remarked he was not too fond of training humans. I wanted to lunge at him, sweat covering every part of my body as my limbs felt like they were all on fire.

I failed to convince Heath the shoes were slowing me down, but he wouldn't have a word of it. He continued making me run to the point I was practically dry heaving after each sprint. It continued like this for two days.

Theo would escort me to the training center, and I would be worked to the bone until the day was practically over. I did not run the entire time. My body would not be able to handle such exertion. Half the time each day was spent on getting my technique correct. Heath said my strides were too short, and my posture when stretching was all wrong.

"You're doing it all wrong, Sage," Heath would grumble every so often.

In two days, I had only been able to shave fifteen seconds off my mile time. I was happy with the progress, but it made me feel so weak compared to everyone around me. And, by everyone, I meant Heath. He would do the exercises alongside me and not even once falter for breath.

After these two days, Theo heard word from Flynn. Flynn had arrived at Eva's pack, but she was nowhere to be found.

Theo explained: "Flynn said he arrived at the pack, but Eva and her mate were not there. Beta Leon said they were on something called a... Baby Moon? I'm not sure what that is, but I told Flynn to come back. We'll have to question Eva later. Flynn should be back in three days time. We'll leave then."

My body almost collapsed at the idea of having to endure three more days of training. I tried to convince Theo to let me take a break, but he said we would be in the car for a while, and I would be able to rest my body then.

The training continued, my knees weak and shaky by the end of each day; every fiber of my being was unsteady. I would come back to Theo's house and collapse on the couch, almost falling asleep instantly each night. Theo would have to wake me up to eat dinner, but it was rare for me not to fall asleep with a fork in my mouth at the kitchen island.

It was both a blessing and a curse. My body was feeling the effects of the rigorous training, but the training was also allowing my brain a distraction from all that was going on around me. I didn't have enough mental bandwidth to battle all the different contradicting thoughts floating about my mind.

However, once Flynn arrived back home, I would no longer have a distraction, and I would have to face the pounding thoughts in my mind. I'd have to confront the fact I'd soon find out what happened to Ma, and I'd have to confront the fact I'd be within reach of a witch.

By now, two weeks remained to bring a witch to the Borderlands. I just hoped the journey to the witch would not take that long. Otherwise, Pa would be in danger, and it would be my fault.

"Wake up," Theo nudged me gently.

"What time is it?" I rubbed at my eyes, my movements sluggish from all the training I had endured over the past couple of days. My eyes slowly rolled open, greeted by the pitch dark room.

Before I could muster up any strength, my body lulled back to sleep, eyes shut, breathing steady.

"Early," Theo said, as I distinctly heard him shuffling around the room. Suddenly, something lightweight hit me, as I tried to mumble out a defense. "We're leaving now."

I let out a low groan, as I hoisted my body off Theo's bed. My body protested the movements, but I had managed to stiffly get out of bed. Theo left a change of clothes on his dresser. Despite it being the end of summer, Theo set out a pair of jeans and a short-sleeve shirt. He packed a puffy coat in case we would need it, but the jeans could be cut if our destination was overly warm.

Once I was done getting ready, I tried to not mumble and groan as I maneuvered down the stairs. Upon walking into the well-lit downstairs, I was greeted by a much chipper Mina and a brooding Heath. Mina was also dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt while Heath was wearing shorts and a pullover.

"Good morning!" Mina exclaimed, coffee in her hand. She had a backpack slung on her back, and she looked abnormally happy, even for her.

I tried to smile at Mina, but my face protested, falling flat instead. Theo came down the stairs shortly, a backpack slung around his back as well.

"Alright, we've got a long journey ahead of us," Mina and Heath nodded at Theo's words, but I just stayed motionless, too tired to fake enthusiasm. "We better head out."

Mina and Heath went to head out the front door, and I trailed behind, but Theo put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. I whirled around to face him. Theo looked deep in thought, readjusting his backpack.

"Have you thought about what I said the other day," Theo asked, his eyes staring straight into mine.

"What?" I scoffed, not remembering what he was referencing.

Theo cleared his throat. "About you accepting the Luna position."

"Oh," I too cleared my throat, trying to stand up straight. "I hadn't had too much time to think about it."

It was the truth. With everything going on and all the training I had undergone, I had completely forgotten Theo asked me to be his Luna. Did that have a nice ring to it? Luna Sage. I tried to chuck those thoughts out of my mind.

Theo nodded his head while he bit his lip before taking a deep breath. "I see. I hoped you would have said yes by now. Just know that if things get too dangerous over the next couple of days, I won't hesitate to mark you as mine, Sage."

Silence overlapped us, as we walked out to the SUV. Heath was sitting in the driver's seat while Mina was in the back. Theo opened up the side of the SUV to let me in while Theo took a seat in the passenger's side after having placed his backpack in the trunk.

We were off to find a witch.