"What's going on?" Angelina demanded.
She felt the unease and shock ripple in the room. She shifted in discomfort, seeking Mason's attention.
"If there were any lingering doubts in any one of us that you are the Luna of this Pack, this has erased it, completely." Irene informed her. That expression of intrigue still remained on her fine boned face, verging on contemplative. "Only the Luna of the Silver Dawn Pack can see the Spirits of those who have gone beyond."
"Spirits?" Angelina tried to make sense of Irene's words. None of it made sense. Spirits? Like dead people? That couldn't be possible. She wasn't some necromancer that could communicate with the dead. That had never happened before in her whole life. Irene was spouting out nonsense or at least, she wasn't exactly convinced of what she was saying.
Casper spoke this time, interrupting her flow of thoughts as his voice rose from the tense silence in the room, utterly tortured and hopelessly bereft as he gazed off to a point over her shoulder. "May's dead."
"Casper." Dani whispered, holding his arm firmly.
"There's still hope Cas-" Drake began.
Casper shot to his feet; his fists squeezed tight at his sides. "I appreciate the support and all but we all knew she was dead the moment we searched for her for weeks after she went missing. It's been years! Fucking years! We haven't found her body but this just confirms everything Drake! May is dead. Gone. No longer here." His voice suddenly lost tension like ice breaking into fine mist as he swayed hopelessly back into his seat, utterly defeated, and sucked out of life.
But his words still rang clear in the room.
Angelina pictured May's young face and her cheeky smile. Not too long ago she felt her little arms offer her comfort.
May couldn't be... just gone.
"Mason." She whispered, seeking his eyes. "This doesn't make sense. I saw her not too long ago. We spoke together. She hugged me. I felt her. She's not dead."
Mason's expression made her feel sick.
"She's not dead." She repeated.
"Angelina." He whispered.
"She hugged me! She's flesh and bone. I felt her little heart against me. Beating. Like butterfly wings. Her heart fluttered like butterfly wings against me."
"That's impossible. Lunas can only see Spirits, not touch them." Irene announced.
"I'm not making this up. I would never." Angelina shook her head in disbelief.
"She's been missing for five years." Casper's words carried nothing but ghosts. "We're not sure how she was able to leave Pack boundaries but she did. We searched for her for days, weeks, months, and years but nothing came up. There were some clues that indicated she was still alive but you know how things get, the longer she was gone, the less confident we were in finding her alive."
"Babe, you don't need to say anything. You don't owe any of us an explanation-" Dani began.
"No, what's the point of caging all this shit in anyway Dani?" Casper sighed, "There's no point to any of this. I've been denying the truth for a fucking long time. A truth I should've accepted years ago when the trail went stale."
"Casper."
"And she just said she'd seen May, Dani. Isn't that proof enough? There's no hope left. Nothing."
"Mason." Angelina softened her voice, seeking his gaze, "Explain what's going on. I don't understand." She knew she had to tread carefully. There was real lost in his voice. A deadness to it.
"Just tell her Alpha." Casper urged, his expression flat. "Just tell her what the Luna of the Silver Dawn Pack can do. She's already the Luna. She should know what she can do now having place beside you."
Mason nodded, "Very well."
Angelina waited patiently. She ignored the shared glances around the room, especially Irene's tilted smirk she wanted to slap off. It was like the woman didn't know how to appropriately conduct herself in certain situations. Tamsyn wasn't sharing anything remotely close to what Irene was feeling. Angelina felt as if she was actively avoiding her gaze altogether, squirming in her seat as if she wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"What is it?" She focused on Mason.
"You know, there's a reason why we're called the Silver Dawn Pack." Mason began, tapping his fingers soundlessly over the table surface, "As you know, Dawn is referred to the first appearance of light in the sky before a sunrise."
"Yes, okay."
"In this Pack, we like to refer to it as 'a silver of dawn' or 'silver dawn' because in that short span of time before night is completely chased away by the sun, we have that moment between night and day where a silver of light spears through the shadows of darkness, granting the world its first rays of light. Like a rebirth of a new day."
"It was one of Mason's great-great-great-great-whoever-the-fuck-knows-grandmother who named this Pack after that. One of the Lunas in the times of old. She thought it was ideal." Drake chirped up like an eager student.
"That wasn't the only reason Dipshit." Riley rolled her eyes, "She said it was also the time Spirits that were trapped in this sphere caught the first lights of the sun, following it back to the place beyond where they could find eternal rest and happiness."
"How did she know Spirits did that?" Angelina asked, although she already had an inkling.
"All Lunas of the Silver Dawn Pack have the ability or affinity to see Spirits who still linger here. They can't see those who've crossed already, only those who are still with us here." Mason explained, "Sometimes they help Spirits cross because they don't know how to or they want help for something before they can go. Think of the Lunas of this Pack as Mediums, or the link between the living and dead."
Angelina could only listen in shock. It would take a while for her to fully comprehend the meaning of his words. "So this is something all the Lunas in your Pack have been able to do? See Spirits?"
"Yes, only the ones here with us not the ones who've crossed. It's something that just is. Maybe the Moon Goddess favoured us in bestowing every Luna woman in this Pack this affinity."
"I-" Angelina truthfully didn't know what to say. The more they spoke, the more questions that piled up.
If what they said was true..."You say that the Luna can only see Spirits in this sphere. There are Spirits who haven't crossed fully?"
"Yes." Mason nodded.
"Then May...if she's..." She couldn't say it. She still didn't believe that her little soul was completely gone. She had been a source of comfort for her with her little ladybug dress and beaming smiles.
"Dead. You mean dead." Casper spoke. "You can say it."
Angelina winced, "To me, she isn't dead."
"Then snap yourself into reality. May is dead. Fucking dead! Dead! Dead! Dead-"
Mason stood just as a sorrowful cry tore from Casper's mouth. His big shoulders shook as he backed away from the table, falling to his knees. He curled himself into a ball as more cries left him, consuming him whole. Dani was at his side quickly, whispering soothing words but the man was lost in the abysmal depths of his grief.
Mason soon was at his side. Casper tried pushing him away but Mason held firm and cupped his Pack mate's cheek.
As if a switch was turned, Casper's body abruptly slumped, deflated from the emotions that seized his body. His breaths were hoarse, escaping his lips in an erratic flow. Dani was silently crying, her arms curled around his shoulders as the violent shakes slowly eased from his body.
"Dani, you take Casper." Mason instructed his friend. Dani wrapped her arm around Casper's trim waist, helping him up.
They slowly approached the door but just as Dani wrapped her hand around the knob, Casper glanced over his shoulder, catching Angelina's gaze. The whites of his eyes were red with distraught. "I don't know why May is still lingering around but...if- when you see her again, let me know. Let her know her big brother is waiting for her." He pleaded, his voice a broken rasp.
"I will." Angelina promised as they both left.
"We'll be taking leave too." Irene informed the room, looking at no one in particular as she tugged her daughter up by the hand. In fact, the woman looked uncomfortable. "We see you two may need some space."
"I'll be going too." Evan rose from his seat, appearing uneasy.
As soon as the trio left, Killian was up on his feet, "This meeting was heavy."
"Don't be dramatic Dad." Mason squeezed his shoulder. Killian returned the gesture with a grim look. "We're still waiting for you to bring Angelina home." The man winked in Angelina's direction; his smile charming despite the worry still lingering in his gaze for Casper. "Or you can just bring yourself. Leave this guy at home." He teased, offering a small smile to Angelina.
"Never going to happen." Mason assured the man, which only made Killian smile wider.
Riley and Drake were at the door, ready to take leave but Angelina stopped them. Mason glanced at her, curious.
"If I can see Spirits as you say, I think I spoke with Jack the other night at the warehouse. He mentioned an address and said a Mischa lived there." Angelina said, "I wrote it on this slip of paper so I wouldn't forget it. I didn't know what to do with it but this seems right." She handed it to Mason.
He scanned the address quickly, "Drake and Riley, will you both go scope out this place?" He gave his Pack mates the slip of paper, "Report whatever you see or find."
"Of course."
"Are you sure it was Jack you saw?" Riley asked.
Angelina had pondered over the young boy's image moments after they returned to the Pack. She remembered his cobalt eyes and the kindness that radiated from him. His face had been the same one she saw on the small picture she'd seen of him when she'd been studying the marked map Casper produced some weeks earlier. "Yes, I have no other possible explanation I can apply to the situation. In my heart, I know it was him."
"Don't doubt it." Mason assured her, "Spirits have always helped out those that could see them if they willed. Jack was that type of kid to extend his hand if something was awry."
"Yeah, Jack was like that." Riley swallowed the lump in her throat, brushing a finger over the paper in her palm. "Jack would've done something like this."
Once the room was cleared, Angelina couldn't stop thinking about what Mason had mentioned earlier. She faced him. "You said something...Lunas can only see Spirits who haven't crossed? If that's true, that means May is still lingering here. Jack too."
Mason affirmed her words with a solemn nod, "Yes. I don't know why. You're the only one who can find out Angelina. I think this is what kills Casper the most, knowing that his baby sister is just lingering around when she should be resting."
She didn't like the idea that May was purposely keeping herself here as well as Jack. She had a feeling Jack remained behind because of Evie but May...she couldn't come up with a good enough reason why the little girl hadn't claimed her rest. She had to find out. It bothered her that she was still here with them. She believed there was a special place just waiting for her to claim.
Mason cleared the space between them. One big hand cupped the side of her cheek as those hazel eyes with the specks of green and honey caressed over her features. "You alright?"
Angelina couldn't help but lean into his touch. She closed her eyes, completely aware of the rough texture of his fingers against her supple skin. It was proof enough that Mason was a hands-on type of Alpha who didn't mind using his hands for hard work, outside of the office. His thumb stroked a soothing pattern across her cheek. She wanted to just sleep and feel his feather like touch against her skin.
"I know it's a lot to take in." His voice sounded closer than usual.
"But at least things are beginning to make sense." Angelina replied, "I don't like not knowing."
"Some people would prefer it- the whole ignorance is bliss thing."
"Not me. I like to know everything, down to the small details, no matter how unimportant it could be."
"Why is that Angelina?" He asked, his voice almost like a lullaby now.
She opened her eyes, meeting his searching gaze, "The unknown is scary Mason." The admittance of her statement made her want to curl up into a ball as his gaze seared right into her but she didn't. She simply breathed in his scent, focusing on how warm he felt standing in front of her.
The not knowing always made her squirm in discomfort.
"Look at me." Mason urged.
Angelina obeyed, although she wanted to bury her head into his chest and forget she ever revealed something as vulnerable as that to Mason. The words just slipped. Yet, Mason hadn't laughed or had given her a look of feigned empathy.
"I apologise you had to hear about this now. It should have been something I told you before you were officiated." He said, "Everything was done in a rush. I didn't prepare you."
"There really wasn't time Mason. Is this part of the reason why you needed the Montgomery heir mated to you?"
His touch moved to her hips, "Partially. The Silver Dawn finds structure in having a Luna but more than that, we had been unbalanced for a while. The Luna grants that special kind of balance a Pack needs. Any longer without a Luna, things would've gone downhill for us."
"And only the Montgomery heir could help with this?"
"That's what the Oracle said. We have no reason to not believe her."
"Have things improved? Changed?"
Mason stroked his thumb across her brow, "I haven't seen the Oracle yet to know. I'll bring you with me the next time I see her."
"Alright." She breathed in his scent, finding comfort in the familiarity of it. "It's like having a weird superpower, I guess- this whole seeing Spirits thing. I still don't think I've wrapped my head around it. It seems too surreal."
"My mum used to have the same thing going on for her. She usually wasn't able to sleep well. Thankfully dad was always patient and calmed her when she needed it. There were always spirits trying to get to her, some didn't permit her to sleep but most of the time, she did like that she was able to help those that couldn't be aided by anyone else but her. She said the older you get, the better your grip on the affinity is. I think she misses it. After I received the Alpha Authority, she stopped seeing the Spirits. She slept better but she felt like a little piece of her had been snatched away." Mason reminisced.
"I have a question though."
"Tell me."
"You said only the Lunas of the Silver Dawn Pack have this affinity?"
Mason nodded slowly. "Yes."
"But I saw May before I was officiated as your Luna."
Mason shook his head, watching her with an expression akin to that of mild amusement. "You didn't need to be officiated to become the Luna of this Pack Angelina. The moment you entered this world, it was your destiny to be the Luna. The Pack chooses the Luna. Not you. I believe you being here, only activated the affinity that was made to be yours at some point."
"If I could, I would gladly return this affinity to your mum." Angelina admitted.
Mason tangled his fingers into her hair, cupping her scalp. "It's yours now. It's part of you. Claim it."
Angelina soaked in his words, comforted. This man- he was starting to get to her.
"Is she really gone? May?" Angelina asked quietly after a long moment of silence lingered. The words felt like gravel in her throat. She watched his eyes for any morsel of deceit.
Mason closed his eyes, surprising her by resting his forehead against hers. Their noses brushed and she was very aware of how close they were but more than that, she could feel his pain ripple through his body. "Describe her to me Angelina. When you saw her...how did she look?"
Angelina thought his question was strange but her mouth moved, forming words before she was even conscious of it. "She has really green eyes. The greenest shade you've ever seen. Almost like the heart of an emerald stone. Sweet. Innocent. She has a cheeky smile. One that takes up her whole face when she does. Her front teeth are missing but it's cute. Very May. She has brown hair, maybe the shade of melted chocolate. Not too dark or light. She loves wearing a dress that reminds me of ladybugs. She's got plump cheeks and remnants of baby fat in her face. She's a cute little girl."
"That's her." Mason confirmed with a nod against her. "That's Trouble."
"She said that's what you call her." Angelina whispered fondly.
"She was always a wrecking ball but a good one. Kept everyone on their toes."
"Why did you ask me to describe her?"
Mason opened his eyes, a sad look drowning his countenance. "If May was still alive, she would be eleven this year. What you described to me was a little girl. May went missing five years ago. That means she left this world probably the same age she disappeared."
A leaden ache gripped her heart.
Angelina shook her head, "I don't believe it Mason. I can't."
She was more than stunned when his arms looped around her waist, pulling her close until she felt the hard contours of his body. She felt stupid realising that this would be difficult for Mason himself. He was May's Alpha. He had known little May and had called her 'Trouble' with what looked like fatherly adoration. He needed the comfort more than she did.
Without thinking too much about it, she raised to her tippy toes and curled her arms around his neck, burying his face into her shoulder. She briefly forgot about the fact that she wasn't the type to offer comfort and hug people but Mason deserved one, even if she could only give a crap one. She was learning. May hadn't minded her awkward hug. Mason surely wouldn't give two fucks about how she hugged him. He needed comfort and she was willing to provide it.
An exhale of relief escaped her lips when his grip around her tightened in response. She felt the wild rhythm of his heartbeat against her chest.
She could only hold on as they both tried to get control of their emotions.