aahhh this is it, the final story arc! I'm hoping to have the story done by the end of July, but thank you to everyone who has read this far, it really means a lot <3
Mina POV - The charge buzzing in her veins, from the confrontation with Oliver in front of the packhouse, only got her so far. Mina carried herself into the grand building, her head held high, accepting the glares and muttering of the wolves inside. Other Lunas and their units were in the entry hall, waiting to be announced as they moved into the grand hall where court would take place, while Clear Blue warriors lined the walls. Rather than join the queue of Lunas, she was directed to the stairway and told to go to the Luna’s office. Mina declined the need for a guide, bristling when the warrior insisted. It seemed that the Clear Blue wolves had forgotten it had been her home up until last month, when they threw her away. She could be blindfolded and still find her way around these halls better than them. However, when she saw them palming their weapons, she understood. They still thought her a murderer. They still believed the note and stood by their decision to reject her from th
Mina POV - Tension filled her, thick and heavy, as she stood before the grand hall. Her unit were around her, imposing, their eyes on the Clear Blue warriors, keeping them at bay so she could stay calm and focused. Almost every wolf around her wanted her dead or imprisoned, but she couldn’t let that distract her. Not only did she have to win over the Lunas of court, but she was a Luna of a pack hated because of her predecessor and their export of silver. She couldn’t be seen as weak and leave her pack open to attack. ‘Be careful, Willi. Even if your innocence is proven, there are people who won’t want you here.’ Her brother’s warning rang clear and true in her mind as she stepped forward to be announced. Only a month before she had done the same at the Diamond Ridge court, concerned about her dress and her hair. Those worries seem so small now, the naive concerns of a pup. “Luna Williamina...” She glared at the warrior when he paused, the sharp look making him stumble to co
Mina POV - They weren't left waiting in the hall for long, the space used for socialising during the breaks of the day. Soon, all the Lunas and their units were guided to a side room which held a large, round conference table at its centre. Mina hadn’t been in there before, despite growing up in that packhouse. Her mother kept it locked except for the one day, every three months, when Clear blue hosted the Luna court. It was smaller than she expected, but maybe it was the table that made it seem small. It filled the majority of the room, a doughnut shape that allowed a clear space in the centre for a wolf to stand and present their thoughts. Most Lunas moved to their assigned seat without needing to check the name cards. There were three larger chairs placed evenly around the table and most of the Lunas headed towards one of them before filtering to their seat. It took Mina a moment to realise they were for the Legacy pack leaders, and the Lunas had separated between them as their
Alastor POV - The other units were eyeballing them, but Alastor was more than happy to give it back. As the Lunas formed groups in the main hall, discussing Mina’s evidence, their mates were left glaring at the wolves that had caused the delay. He knew from experience that Luna Courts were no fun, he had escorted Mina’s mother enough times to know the hours of boredom felt like days when all you could do was stand and listen to the leaders discuss the nation’s problems. However, this was a delay he could get behind. Mina had presented her evidence and asked for her name to be cleared. With Evelyn and Chelsea’s support, it was likely the vote would go in their favour, but something strange was happening among the Lunas. Usually, most congregated around the three Legacy leaders during the breaks, standing with their ally or trying to weasel their way closer to a stronger pack, however today they were spread thin. There were still some who stood around Evelyn and Chelsea, but the r
Roman POV - Mini’s interruption to Court delayed everything, but Roman didn’t care. She was a free woman. The vote was heavily in her favour, with only a few anonymous Lunas voting against her. The relief was palpable in their unit. Now they wouldn’t have to worry about the bounty on Mini’s head and which wolves would try and claim it. It also gave them far more wiggle room to investigate the night of her mother’s murder. As with all the guests of the Luna Court, they could now roam Clear Blue freely. With the Court extended a further day, due to the delay, the unit didn’t waste a moment of the opportunity. Mini used the meeting to share all the details of that night and the information they found afterwards, in the hopes the other Lunas would know something. They also used the breaks to speak one-on-one with the leaders. No one knew anything, but Roman knew someone must’ve been hiding something. It was late now, but him, Alastor and Blake still searched the territory together, u
Mina POV - Her head thumped with a throb that echoed through her entire body. Mina swore her bones were pulsing with the force, its beat hammering as she attempted to open her eyes. She groaned as a sharp pain sliced through her skull, spearing down the back of her neck when she tried to lift her head. Hands were on her, easing her, and she thought she heard someone talking, but the sound was so distant amongst the whirling in her ears, that she could’ve imagined it. However, Mina gave into the incessant pushes, keeping her lying down on her side. She didn’t think she’d be able to do much anyway if she tried to sit up. Well, except maybe vomit. While she waited for her body to heal, she reached for the memory of what happened. She had been searching in the packhouse, talking to the other Lunas, then went to speak to Sam in the office. He wasn’t there, no one seemed to be, but when she turned to leave there was a blinding pain, and then nothing. Someone had knocked her out from behin
Mina POV - If she didn’t feel like she would’ve passed out if she tried, Mina would’ve lunged for him. Owen walked right up to the bars of the cells, wrapping his hands around them as if it was something else keeping them apart. The keys at his belt told her different. How dare he apologise to her. How dare he look at her with pity like she was merely a wounded animal in a cage. How dare he think one word would change everything he allowed to happen. “I suppose you're not here to let us go.” She spat, growling when he shook his head. “Then what are you doing here, Owen? Standing by again? Doing nothing while I’m hurt?” “I...” The justification halted before it started. Owen just turned from her, keeping his back to her as another wolf stepped closer. He held a dart gun, fully loaded, but there was nowhere to run. “Look at me.” She roared, ignored the raw rub of her throat. “You’re the one allowing this, so look at me.” Owen turned back to her just as the warrior fired, his e
Mina POV - Mina’s feelings toward Owen had changed over the years. When they were pups, she had adored him, following him around, happy that she could always spend time with her best friend. Romance had bloomed between the pair when they hit adolescence, developing into strong feelings as they continued to grow together and share their lives. The night her mother had been killed; his behaviour had disgusted her. She had thought on it many times after, feeling gross that he had almost been the one she had mated, hating him for betraying her trust, but she had never been scared of him. Not like she was now. Owen hovered close, a gleam in his eyes that made her flinch, wearing a grin that made her squirm. She wanted to be as far from the man as possible. She pressed back into the table, turning her face away, moving her gaze to Chloe. She still hadn’t moved, though she cried more freely now. Her bottom lip wobbled, her small sniffs echoing in the dank room now that Owen had stopped ra
Mina POV - The room was a rush of excitement, everyone moving around, getting ready, beaming with joy. Mina watched them all from the nest, pillows carrying her mates’ scents propped all around her. She inhaled it, letting the familiarity wash though her, soothing any lingering nerves for the day ahead. Two new scents mingled with her unit’s. They were fresh and clear like the morning air after a night of rain, but crisp and warm like a dry heat in the middle of summer. They warmed her with a love she didn’t know she could feel, one that was buried deep inside her, unlocked the moment she realised she was pregnant. It had been three days since her daughters were born. Three days to recover and bond. Three days for her love for them to grow so unbearable strong that she didn’t think she could contain it all. Small faces peaked out from yellow blankets, staring up at her with inquisitive eyes like they knew there was something different about that day. For young pups, intelligence
Mina POV - Concern for Blake swamped any grief that Mina had for Sam the moment he died. She raced to her mate, her eyes widening at the gash that carried the length of his body. She had seen him twist away from Sam’s blow, likely knowing he’d be the one targeted out of the three of them, but to see the amount of damage that had still been done made her feel sick. The cut was shallow but carried from his shoulder to his rump, in one straight slice that threatened to be so much worse. If he hadn’t anticipated Sam’s response, if he hadn’t twisted enough, if he hadn’t... A wet nose pressed to her cheek. ‘I’m fine.’ Then he rumbled a chuckle and gently pushed her to make her turn. ‘Though maybe the others need some attention.’ Mina spun on the spot, panic slicing through her, but it eased the moment she saw Roman and Alastor’s pout. She’d expect it from Alastor, but Roman’s bottom lip was firmly popped, eyes averted. They had shifted back into their human forms, leaning on each other
Roman POV - Given the look on Blake’s face, the wound was bad. It hurt like hell, but Roman had held a slim hope that his body was exaggerating the pain. The iron tang of blood and the wet heat coating his shoulder told him otherwise, but it was the worry etched into his mate’s features that convinced him. Not that it mattered. He could’ve lost his entire front leg, or been knocked unconscious, but would still get back on his paws and keep fighting. He did that now, forcing his legs beneath him, letting his unharmed three take the majority of his weight. A searing heat sliced from his shoulder to his front paw when he attempted to put any weight on it. He whined, but Blake was there, giving him a solid form to lean against, helping him to stand. Roman appreciated his lack of arguing, but it would’ve been hypocritical. If the unit had demanded the others to rest every time they were injured, Blake would still be in the packhouse cells and Allie would’ve clocked out after Derren’s hit
Blake POV - The brutality of Sam’s actions made Blake jerk. If how he treated Chloe, his own mate, wasn’t bad enough, he was trying to bond with another wolf just after she lost her own mate. Whether it was an act of desperation or pure cruelty, it was wrong. The anguish contorting Chelsea’s face twisted further as pain ripped through her. A forced marking was unpleasant, but it must’ve felt a lot worse coming from someone she had trusted. Blake knew it did from the way she struggled, the way she screamed. She tried to pull free of Sam’s hold, but his arms locked around her, holding her in place. Even the Diamond Ridge wolves around them, those who had ignored their Luna’s pleas to help Derren, looked uncomfortable. Finally, Sam pulled back, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, matching the red line that slid across the Luna’s throat. “Accept it.” He snarled. “You promised me this, now’s the time to pay up.” Tears were already streaming down Chelsea’s cheeks, cries tur
Chapter 103 – I’ll do it myself Roman POV - The tightness in Allie’s jaw worried him. Derren’s blow had been hard and, if they were right about his ability, the hardest punch Allie had ever received. Roman was certain he had heard a crack, yet his mate was back on his feet again, walking into formation. He wanted to tell him to him to go back to Mini, to protect their Luna, but Taylor was already there, keeping an eye on her, Oliver and a still whimpering Owen. Besides, against a foe they didn’t know much about and already were struggling to face, the full force of their unit would be needed to kill him. With the cuts and bites on his own body, Blake still being weighed down after the poisoning, and Allie’s jaw, Roman wasn’t sure they could muster their full strength, but they had to try. Their packmates were fighting around them, keeping the bulk of the enemy away while they took on the leaders. They couldn’t let them down. They had to try and end this fighting before any more unn
Alastor POV - “Isn’t this sweet? A little family reunion. Two Hayres close to dead, and one soon to be.” Sam’s voice grated on Alastor as his attention flickered between his father and the bastard responsible for this mess. He avoided looking at Owen, his brother’s screams lessening to whimpers as the silver took root in his body. The knife Taylor used wasn’t pure silver like the blade that Owen had stabbed their father with. His brother would be able to bare the pain for a few hours before the poison would kill him. Alastor intended to leave it until the last possible second, so Owen would feel a small amount of the pain he’d caused Mina. “Your mother is going to be utterly heartbroken about the death of you three, and that’s before I let slip about the infidelity.” Sam laughed, the sound cruel and haunting. Alastor was sure he didn't care about the Hayre head cheating on his mate, but there was still some satisfaction to the words that let him know he relished every ounce of ang
Mina POV - Lover? Mina was struck immobile with the urge to recoil and surge a protest all at once. Her brow furrowed as she tried to picture her mother on Oliver’s arm, but she couldn’t do it. Not just because it was Oliver, but because it was anyone. Not once had her mother discussed having a partner, nor had she ever had a date. In all the years she had spent with her mother, Mina hadn’t even seen the woman look twice at another wolf. Not unless they had said something rude and she had to make sure they felt the full wraith of her glare. Surely, Mina would know if her own mother was keeping the company of another wolf under the packhouse roof? Yet, Sam seemed to know, and he had lived there just like her. But what about Oliver’s mate? Alastor’s mother? Did she know he was cheating on her, did she care? Mina was pulled from the questions flooding her mind at Oliver’s wheezes. Before he had cast her out of the pack, she had considered him something of a father figure. Despit
Mina POV - As Sam and Chelsea whipped around to face the oncoming threat, her unit pounced. As one, they charged forward in a blink, hitting the front line of the enemy wolves. They moved so fast, no one reacted before three throats were torn out, the first blood of this battle splattering across the floor. Mina winced. Two of those wolves were Clear Blue, but she hardened against the discomfort, knowing they were choosing to side with Sam. If they hadn’t known the truth her guilt would’ve eaten her alive, but she couldn’t feel bad with her unit protecting themselves. These wolves would kill them if given the chance and she knew her mates would give them the same consideration. However, they were trained wolves and wouldn’t go down easily. Alastor, Roman and Blake only took out one wolf each before the others reacted. They pulled around the closest member of her unit and battle ensued. The clash of warriors was a grating sound, the stench of blood slicing through the air immediat
Blake POV - Though a heavy weight riddled his body, Blake stood tall behind Willi. His canines were bared and he stared out at the mixture of Clear Blue and Diamond Ridge wolves that came to do Chelsea and Sam’s bidding. Though their presence was a threat, he was more concerned about Willi. She was still standing strong, challenging the enemy, but he could feel her through their bond. A deep, welling ache was growing beneath her composure as she faced the betrayal of her brother. Blake hadn’t known her when she had been close to Sam, but he knew how it felt to be discarded and used by family. He hadn’t even liked his, yet their betrayal cut deep. He couldn’t imagine the pain she was forcing herself not to feel in that moment. “So, you want to cut me off? You’re doing all this, so I won’t rely on you?” Willi called out. “Rely on me? You did more than that. I was your support for everything and what did I get for it? A whiny sister who didn’t know how good she had it and no credit