Mina POV
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“Owen!”
The moment the hall doors closed behind her, Mina ran. She was thankful for Sam’s insistence to keep other wolves away until the end of the choosing event, and raced through the empty foyer. She slipped through the main doors and out onto the cobbled street, slowing her pace as she spotted the guards. The glare she threw at them had them averting their gazes, before she swept her attention down the streets. The familiar tuft of brown hair weaved away from her, already so far.
“Owen.” She called again. He didn’t turn. With a huff, that pushed away the formalities of her role, she hiked up her skirt, preparing to run, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“I think he might need a bit of space.”
Though Sam's touch held her in place, Mina strained to watch Owen as he disappeared around a corner and out of sight. Then, she sagged. “I just don’t want him to be alone.”
“I’ll go and talk to him.”
Her brother pulled her into a quick hug before running off after their friend. The affection wasn’t nearly long enough to calm her racing mind, but it was enough to keep her head held high as she headed back into the packhouse. Mina grimaced at the thought of her mother’s glare. How could she have abandoned the choosing event like that, and in front of the whole Hayre family. In front of Alastor.
Her cheeks burned, but she willed away the heat. Owen was her friend, first and foremost. Her loyalty to him was worth the reprimand which was certain to come from her mother. She too had thought he would be her mate; she had hoped he would be. However, at least, she hadn’t watched him choose someone else to take her place. She couldn’t imagine what that must’ve felt like.
Mina swallowed the lump in her throat, but it only landed like lead in her stomach. Her heart ached for him. She hadn’t seen his face, but she could imagine the pain etched into it, deeper and harsher than she had ever seen on his features before. It felt so wrong that she was the one who caused it. Could she have somehow mixed up the two wolves? They had been standing side by side. No. She had been extra careful. She had no doubt that Alastor was her mate.
The Hayre family were filing out of the hall as she re-entered the foyer. Though they gave her the obligatory nod of respect, no one was smiling anymore. The glee had been sucked from the air and smashed to pieces by her choice. Mina’s breath caught as Alastor left the hall; last, alone. His jaw was set, his eyes hard. They barely skirted over her as he passed, leaving the packhouse without a word. Her posture crumpled as her innards warred. The guilt of feeling upset at Alastor’s lack of acknowledgement was swarmed by the grief of losing Owen entirely. How could she consider asking him to continue being her friend while she mated his brother?
“Williamina, stand straighter.” The Luna snapped. Her body reacted on reflex, but even her mother’s harsh glare couldn’t stop the tremble of her bottom lip. “My office. Now.”
Oddly, the command was soothing. She moved on autopilot, following her mother up the stairs.
The sound of the office door clicking behind her was usually the signal for a barrage of criticism to ensue, however, silence followed. With nothing to do, but stand in her usual spot, Mina waited. She already felt close to breaking, one more bang against the cracked glass of her composure would make it shatter. It had only held so far due to muscle memory. She was already slipping, clenching her hands tight enough to whiten her knuckles. It was her only hold to keep herself steady against the coming onslaught, but the Luna didn’t notice. Instead, she wrapped her in a hug.
Mina stiffened, not recognising the warmth of her mother’s affection. The arms around her didn’t seem to notice, patting her back with a little too much gusto to feel natural. When she pulled back the Luna was smiling at her, a full beam of happiness.
“What a fantastic outcome. Well done, I knew you had it in you.” Her mother patted her arm once more before returning to her desk.
Mina still hadn’t moved. Had her emotions got the best of her. Was she hallucinating?
“If you keep your mouth hanging open like that, you’ll attract flies.” Even that was said with a rusty chuckle.
Immediately she smacked her lips shut, the audible pop the last jolt she needed to wake up. “Why are you happy? The tradition has been broken. I’m mated to the wrong wolf.”
“No. You have bonded perfectly.” The praise sounded odd. “Alastor was supposed to be your personal guard until they had another pup and decided a wolf your age would be more appropriate. The Moon Goddess knew better. You knew better.” She waggled a finger at her, as if Mina had been teasing her the entire time.
“But I didn’t know better.” She frowned, shaking her head clear. “I don’t know better. I wanted Owen to be my mate.”
Her mother hummed. “And what do you want now?”
The immediate answer halted on her tongue, keeping back what she should say in favour of the truth. She couldn’t hold the Luna’s gaze as she thought back to the moment Alastor had held her; his arms strong, his body warm, his scent intoxicating. “Does it matter?”
“I suppose not.”
It stung, but what could Mina say? She couldn’t defy the Moon Goddess’ wish, just as she couldn’t deny the power of her Legacy. Owen wasn’t her mate. She had stabbed her best friend in the back and couldn’t do anything to help him.
Her mother either didn’t notice the turmoil on her features, or maybe she didn’t care. Instead, she trotted to her desk draw, collecting a familiar item. The Clear Blue heirloom she had worn for the Luna court. Without instruction Mina held out her wrist, accepting the beautiful jewellery. It was the bright blue of the pack’s colours, with a shine to the enamel coating that didn’t quite match the flickering light in the room.
“It’s time you knew that the heirloom is the source of the Legacy Luna power.”
“I thought we were the source?”
“Of course we are, Dear.” The bracelet snapped in place around her wrist, tight enough to pinch the skin. “But this channels it to the pack.”
All Mina’s life she had been told the power of the Legacy Luna was in her blood. How could such a thing be channelled by a small bracelet? “I- I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to yet.” Her mother smiled, patting her hand before letting it return to her side. “I will explain all about it once you take over the pack, but I wanted to gift you something after today.” For the first time in years, she squarely looked Mina in the eye, a hint of pride shining there. “You made a hard decision, but a good one.”
Mina’s stomach turned as her mother’s hand cupped her cheek. There was no warmth from the touch, but an icy chill, that crept through her body. As it leeched around her wrist, it centred in on the bracelet.
She hadn’t really made a decision. The mate bond wasn’t something a wolf chose. She knew who she would've picked if given the chance, souring her mother's praise. Worse than that, it somehow seemed that Owen’s heartbreak was its price, darkening the honour. Suddenly, the heirloom felt very heavy, weighing her down with the guilt rising within her. It felt wrong on her skin, restrictive, cold, and it took all her strength not to strip the thing from her wrist and fling it away.
“I sometimes questioned if you were mine, Williamina. Your features were always more like your father’s.” The hand slipped from her cheek, a familiar weight pressing over Mina. “You idealised some silly romance and lacked the strength a Luna needs to keep her power.” The slight curl of her lip took the harshness from her words, but Mina had heard them too many times to feel their bite. “You’ve really matured, and this bracelet resembles that. You’ll make a fine Luna with Alastor at your side."
There was nothing else she could do but to hide behind a tight smile.
Mina POV-The silence and peace of her bedroom was welcomed after her birthday party. Despite asking the Luna to cancel it, it went ahead, and her attendance was mandatory. Though it was a small affair, the private celebratory dinner dragged. Its atmosphere was far from joyous. A stiffness hung in the air, centering on the newly mated pair forced together at the head of the table. Alastor hadn’t spoken a word to her the entire evening, but no one addressed the chill between them. The reason was as obvious as the Luna’s attempt to pretend it wasn’t there. Though, Mina wondered if his behaviour was much different from usual. The elder Hayre sibling didn’t often speak to her or spend much time in her presence. They only mingled when he was working, or when she spent time at Owen’s house. She wasn’t sure she had even been alone with the man. There had never been a reason to. He had always just been Owen’s older brother. He had never invited anything beyond that to form between them, no
Mina POV - The office door slammed open, feet thundering into the room, but one look at the scene had the warriors hanging back. Only three stepped forward, but their approach didn’t move Mina’s fixed stare. She looked at the intricate handle of the blade, sticking out of her mother’s chest. Its pale blue shone proud in the candle light, as it stole the Luna’s life. It was the ornamental blade she had often admired in the office, but she had never been allowed to remove it from its glass case on the wall. In fact, she had never seen it removed, but could see now how well it had been cared for. There wasn't a speck of dust on its surface, only flecks of red marring its perfect sheen. She was certain its silver blade would have been polished to perfection too. A warm hand cupped her cheek, gently guiding her focus away from the weapon. The noise around her suddenly grew. There was movement beside her brother’s body, another warrior opposite her at the Luna’s side, more behind her at
Mina POV - Dread pooled within her gut. Mina turned to Owen, desperately taking a step towards her friend. He took a step back. “Owen?” Her voice cracked, her hand reaching for him, but he jerked away. He was pale, a sickly colour, his eyes flitting to his father. Oliver must’ve mindlinked him the contents of the letter while she had read it. “It isn’t true. You have to believe me.” She went to take another step towards her friend, but his father blocked her path. “Yet the only wolves who could verify that are either dead or unconscious.” He stepped towards her. There weren’t many wolves that Mina would retreat from, but the head of the Hayre family was one of them. “You got here before everyone else.” He stated, stepping forward again. “I couldn’t sleep.” “You’re covered in the Luna’s blood.” At the mere mention, her fists clenched, her stomach turning at the sticky heat of her mother’s blood coating them. “I was trying to save her.” Mina’s voice shook. “She s
Alastor POV - If it wasn’t for her scream, Alastor would’ve walked right by Mina. She was curled tight on the muddy floor, her body muffling her weak sobs. Though he knew she was running, he hadn’t been able to envision her as anything but her usual composed perfection. He had been searching for the woman who had attended the Luna court only a few days ago. The woman who had managed to wrangle the tidal of feelings attached to their new bond, when it had him wanting to carry her away from prying eyes and claim every inch of her body. The woman at his feet was neither. She was broken, she was a mess, she needed help. Mina only roused when he covered her with a blanket. Something in his chest unwound when she spoke his name, but the tension returned when her eyelids fluttered shut. She slumped against the cold ground, and he moved quickly to pull her to his kneeling form, her head coming to rest on his lap. He had to move her, to get her to somewhere safe. Before he could conside
Alastor POV - The late hour made it difficult to find a safe place to stay, so Alastor didn’t take Mina far. Though they were now rogues, he knew the territory around the Clear Blue pack and chose to stay close. On first look, the flat land didn’t leave many places to take cover, especially when he wanted to stay hidden from the pack and the wilderness alike. However, he knew every divot and weave of the land and found a slight hill that would cover their position and give him a wide view of the open space. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do until morning. Thankfully, the rest of the evening was quiet, but Alastor moved at first light. Mina was still sleeping, so he carried her again, taking her far away from the place that broke her. As an accomplished member of the Hayre family, he had travelled more than most, accompanying the Luna and his father on trips from the territory. He had made friends in other packs, building his own connections to wolves over the nation. A fe
Mina POV - As a Legacy Luna, Mina was used to finery; her pillows were always plumped, her mattress soft, the warmth of home surrounded her each morning. However, she had never woken up so comfortable in her entire life. The bed beneath her was warm and cradled her like it was personally built for her body. It moved with her breath and purred as she nuzzled further into its comfort. It was heavenly, and she enjoyed every second as she was lulled from her deep sleep. Her stirrings awakened something around her, blooming a fresh scent that coaxed at her consciousness. It drew her from the dark, so light and clear. Her eyes fluttered open as she inhaled the breath of fresh air. Her nose chased it, pushing into her pillow. It tickled against her cheek, soft, teasing, drawing a smile. Light brown fur swayed in her vision, dancing in a breeze she was too warm to feel. Mina spread her hand wide in the fur, humming as it played through her fingertips. A rumble answered her, deep and low,
Mina POV - Despite promising to answer her questions after breakfast, Alastor inhaled his food and set about working on their camp before she had even finished her first bite. When she stood, ready to talk, he fired instructions at her, one after another. The rest of the day followed suit. When she had done whatever job he had asked, another one was already lined up, stealing her attention off the impending conversation. It was frustrating, but as their campsite began to take form, she decided they could talk after they were done working. It didn’t look like much when they had finished, but it was the first shelter she had ever built. Mina smiled, wiping the sheen of her efforts from her brow. They had found enough fallen trees and branches to create a shed of sorts, with three walls and one open side, overlooking the lake. They had cleared the ground inside but hadn’t bothered to find anything to form beds. The dirt was soft enough for them and, if it got cold, they could simpl
Mina POV - There was peace in the night. As much as Mina loved the warmth of the sun, and the bright colours it spread through the nation, the night brought its own calm. She was certain most wolves felt a deep connection to the moon, finding comfort in its light as if it held the Moon Goddess' love, but it was slightly different for her. Back home, the night had meant a time to rest. A time when she was alone. A time when she was nobody and nothing more than Williamina. The responsibilities of her future title slipped away and she basked in having nothing to do, no orders to follow. Spending the day building the shelter had brought her that same peace, but with Alastor at her side, she hadn’t been able to fully calm. He was asleep now. His steady swells of breath broke the crisp air. She felt them as much as she heard them, pushing her body to rise and fall in a rhythm that tried to lull her to sleep. Mina resisted. She had told him she would be the one to stay awake, to keep wat