Chapter 5 - The man in the window

Mina POV

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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, not even a friendship, and neither had she. He wasn’t one of the wolves she trusted, to him she was the next Luna and nothing more. She had to fulfil that expectation. Not like Owen, who saw her for her, yet the Moon Goddess considered Alastor to be a better mate?  

Her heart was still heavy for her friend. She hadn’t seen him since he had stormed out of the packhouse. When Sam had returned, she had bombarded him with questions, but all he did was reassure her that Owen was as okay as he could be. He had decided not to come to her party and had asked for her to give him space. Mina agreed, but couldn’t help but notice his absence at the celebration. He was the one she usually stayed with to get through such events, but she had had to soldier through it alone. Chloe and Sam had tried to keep her in good spirits, but their efforts were in vain.  

Not even eating some of Chloe’s cupcakes earlier, while she weaved her black mane into an elegant design, could touch the edges of her sadness. If anything, it made it worse. Mina watched Chloe in the mirror, a gleam in her eyes as she showed off her skills. She was sweet and warm, and far better with other wolves than Mina ever was. If it wasn’t for her, Chloe would’ve already been the Clear Blue Luna. As the mate to the Luna’s son, the position would’ve been hers if Mina hadn’t been born. A spike of jealousy willed her to force the title onto Chloe, but she wouldn’t wish that pressure on anyone. Especially not her friend.  

Instead, she had shared some of the burden of her position, spilling everything that had happened in her mother’s office to her brother and his mate. 

Mina flopped onto her bed, and looked at her bare wrist, stretching towards the ceiling. Gone was the party dress, make-up and accessories, but the largest weight off her shoulders was the heirloom. There was something about it that didn’t sit right with her. She hadn’t been able to convince Sam to let her forget to wear it to the party, but he had promised to hold onto it for a few days while her emotions settled. They could excuse its absence to their mother, explaining she was waiting for the Luna ceremony to wear it.  

Mina didn’t want that either, but she hardly had a choice. It was their pack’s heirloom, a bracelet every past Legacy Luna had worn, she couldn’t be different.  

Sam had questioned what their mother had meant about it channelling power, but she couldn’t answer. When Chloe had asked her if she felt her Legacy Luna power now she was twenty-five, Mina had frowned. There had been something different within her that morning, a buzz, a glow, that she didn’t usually feel. She had put it down to the excitement of the day, but that was long gone yet the feeling still remained. She felt it now, stirring beneath the skin. Though it felt no different whether she was wearing the heirloom or not.  

Mina’s arm flopped back to the covers. Exhaustion pulled at her, but her mind was too alive to sleep. It ran away with thoughts of the next few days and the years to come. Could she really be the Clear Blue Luna without Owen?   

Suddenly a mindlink burst threw them all. 

‘Williamina!’ 

Mina jerked upright, her mother’s scream sending her blood cold. Its panic bled into her, forcing her to her feet and out the door. She had never heard such pure fear in her mother’s voice before, the sound ricocheting in her mind with each pound of her feet down the corridor. She didn’t bother calling for help. The mindlink had been pack wide, and the warriors would one their way, but she wouldn’t wait for them.  

She burst into the office, following her mother’s scent. Immediately, a metallic tang pooled around her, turning her stomach, making her retch. Only a single candle glowed on the Luna’s desk, its light spilling onto two figures on the floor. Mina’s eyes flew wide. She took a step forward. Another. Then, a clatter behind the desk jerked her attention. There, crouched in the window frame, a man was silhouetted against the night sky, the candle’s flickers barely reaching him. She froze, terror gripping her in its claws. Her eyes were locked to the man. He was her only focus as she was his. She couldn’t see his face, but felt his scrutiny, before he dropped from the ledge and out of sight. 

As if his gaze had bound her, she rushed forward upon freedom, tumbling to her knees. Sam. Mother. They both laid still, the scent of blood hanging over them. Her hands gravitated to her brother. He was on his front, his face turned away, towards the desk. He was still wearing his clothes from the party, but there wasn’t a single speck of red on his white shirt. She pressed a palm to his back, a rush of relief blowing past her lips. Not only was he warm, but his body rose and fell with soft breaths. He was alive.  

‘Mina. Where are you?’ 

   

Another mindlink pushed into her thoughts. Oliver, Owen’s dad and head of the Hayre family. 

‘The Luna’s office. Hurry.’ 

Though she managed to respond, there was no urgency to her voice. She barely focused on what she was saying as her eyes fell to her mother. If the blood wasn’t coming from Sam... Mina found it. The source of the iron tang filling her senses. A knife she recognised was buried deep into the Luna’s chest, red pooling around it.  

Mina stared. It wasn’t real. How could it be?  

She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing to catch the trick of the light, but the knife remained in place. A cold shiver traced her spine, the chilled night air brushing over her skin. She reached forward, watching her hand stretch out as if it wasn’t her own. It shook as it touched her mother's, her fingers barely feeling her skin before the Luna coughed.  

She jerked, then Mina crawled through the growing pool of blood, drawing to her mother’s side. The hesitation vanished, replaced by an urgency that had her fretting over the wound. Her hands hovered around the knife, until she settled on applying pressure around it. Once the others got there, they could take out the knife and save her.  

A hand slammed against her arm, its force shocking through her. “M-M-M-Mi.” 

“I’m here, Luna.” Mina spoke around the lump in her throat, willing her body to stop shaking as she smiled down at her. Her eyes widened at the red stain on her mother’s lips, the dazed cloud covering her expression.  

“S-S-Sam...” The Luna forced his name out around a gurgle of blood.   

“He’s okay.” She spoke just to keep her mother quiet. “I think he’s just knocked out. He’s still breathing, and I couldn’t see any wounds. The warriors are on their way. They’ll catch the bastard who did this.”  

Hot tears stung her eyes as she glared at the window, its pane blown shut with the wind. She sniffed, but there were no scents in the office she didn’t recognise. They must’ve used a scent blocker.  

The hand on her arm loosened, falling to the floor. Mina tore her attention back to her mother. She stopped. The Luna’s eyes were wide, unfocused, staring through her. Her lips were parted but their only movement was a thick drop of blood sliding its way to her chin. Mina’s brow furrowed. Her hands clamped tighter around the blade, her flesh hot and sticky with blood, but there was no push against them. No breath rising to meet her palm.  

Her mouth dried, her breath catching in her throat. “Mum?”