The Twelfth Moon || ✔️ [LOTM #1]

18. Retribution

"Wake up, Sari. We've all been called by Aven." A hushed voice took me from my sleep, and hands lightly gripped my shoulders.

"What?" I asked, sleep still intertwined in my words. It took me a short while to register that I recognized that voice now, that it belonged to the only person who had thought to come get me, to wake me up before I'd miss my Alpha's call. Perhaps my first friend here, in my new life; Lotta.

"Aven has summoned every wolf outside," she explained. "We need to go."

"Why?" I rubbed my eyes, removing their slumber as I got up and quickly changed into regular clothes. Lotta's wariness had caused me to awaken rather quickly, my heart spiking and thundering in my chest.

"I don't know." She looked worried as she led me outside.

We joined the rest of the pack, gathered in the gardens behind the Manor. The remains of Death Moon shone in the sky. It was still night, what had been so urgent?

In front of the large gathering stood Aven, surrounded by small fire pyres and five others. I recognized only one of them. Jerr stood by Aven's right side, a dangerously serious expression on his face. All the others in the front between the pyres shared that expression, which could not mean anything good. It sent shudders and shivers down my spine, because they all wore faces of terror, faces filled with dark promises and poisonous songs. 

People around me seemed to feel that same, dark energy. Only murmurs traveled around the gathering crowd, which was growing rather large, but no one dared speaking too loudly. 

Lotta pushed us through the larger part of the crowd until we stood somewhere at the front. From where we stood now, we had a much clearer view of Aven and Jerr. The other wolves in front had to be Feytan and Mallee, the other highly ranked wolves Lotta had told me about. To the side, I recognized the parents of the young boy Beckett had killed. Their faces were cold and full of grief.

But now that I had gotten closer, I could see a seventh man, shackled to the ground. Forced on his knees, he was facing his head towards the ground. The metallic smell of blood carried its way through the air, and I could see it dripping down his face onto the ground. How did I not smell this before, how did I not register the gravity of this scene until I stood right before it?

Lotta tensed beside me as she saw what I was seeing. She probably knew what was about to come, and her reaction to it scared me. But I didn't dare ask her, not with everyone around us being so quiet. Not when I stood so close to Aven, I could see the fury coursing through every bit of his body. 

In the distance, the wind ruffled through the trees that lined the edge of the gardens, whistling eerie songs of demise and promising darkness in this cold night.

Aven finally broke the silence. "Today, a grave crime has been committed. Fire Moon has taken one of our younglings and brutally murdered him." Gasps traveled along the crowd, and Lotta looked surprised too. I forgot I hadn't told her about what had happened, but she kept her stare on Aven, anticipating what was about to come. I did the same as Aven continued. 

"Their Alpha killed a twelve-year-old boy. Tortured him." The boy's parents froze at the mention of the horrors their son had been through. But Aven kept going, rage dripping off his features. "He was taken right from the safety of our city walls."

Aven took a step in the direction of the wolf on the ground and yanked his head up, so we could all see his face. It looked swollen and bruised, and as he cringed, I saw dark holes where once his teeth had been. Jerr clenched his jaw and crossed his hands behind his back when the wolf grunted in pain. Had Jerr done this? Had he been involved? As the Beta, surely he must have been.