Luna Revealed

Chapter Thirty One

"Today, Viktor Nikolayevich Sokolov is to be executed, as deemed by both the local council and the Lycan Elders, by Luna Dahlia Hemming."

Julian's voice echoes through the quiet grounds and he looks around before continuing. "The method of execution will fall on the executioner. Due to the violent nature of Viktor Sokolov, we ask that no one leave their seats or approach the arena until told to by me." He then turns and looks at me, his green eyes swimming with guilt. "Luna Dahlia, you may proceed."

Quick and efficient, I think, the phrase echoed by my wolf as she moves her way to the surface. I close my eyes and allow her access to all parts of me, including my body. The air begins to shimmer and shift around me and suddenly, I explode into my wolf form.

The shift is painful, our joints cracking and twisting in response. We let out a rumbling howl, sitting on our haunches to allow our body time to adjust. We sit that way for a few minutes, staring down at Viktor, as the sun begins to crest over the horizon. He is mumbling something, too quiet for even our heightened senses to pick up. Our curiosity pushes us towards him and we stand, making our way next to him.

He mumbles a few more times before we can hear him. The words don't register at first, stuck in our ears. He says them again and again, his brown eyes sparkling behind the wolfbane daze.

"I know who killed Akemi."

Rage spikes inside of us and we nudge him roughly with our snout, pushing him onto his back. Julian disappears from our view and we hear him speaking to Phoenix in a low voice behind us. We ignore what he says, fixated on Viktor's words. We lift a large, white paw and press it against his bare chest.

He lets out a ragged breath under the pressure and says it again. "I know who killed Akemi."

Who? We scream internally, knowing he can't hear us. We press our paw against him harder and one sharp claw digs into his chest, breaking the skin. Blood blossoms on our white fur and we feel a memory coming to the surface, sharp and nauseating. We shake our head, pushing it further away.

Viktor laughs, the sound choked and hollow. "Look in a mirror, kotenok. You were made in his image." Memories of blood-streaked white fur and amber eyes increase our anger even further and we growl at him, the sound rumbling in our chest. We hear something crack and we look down. We must have broken one of his ribs under the pressure. He doesn't seem to react though, instead just smiling at us, his eyes hooded and shimmering in the early sunrise.

What do you mean? What do you mean! Viktor finally shuts his eyes, done talking after his confession, and the rage finally consumes us. We feel something – something dark – bubbling up inside of us and we begin to tremble. The air around us is silent and still, everyone in the audience watching with fearful gazes. We take a breath, lifting our paw from his chest and placing it back down on the ground beside him.

Quick. We open our jaws and snap towards him, biting into his throat. Efficient. We pull back and a spray of blood flies through the air, raining down on the ground around us.

We stagger back, away from his lifeless body. We look down at our paws and see red against white. The memories flash again, a similar scene from so many years ago forcing its way into our head. His white fur covered in her blood; his hard amber eyes, so similar to ours, staring at her body on the forest floor. We look at Viktor's body – his head laying a foot away from his shoulders – and feel the intense need to flee. Our entire body tenses, ready to run, before we feel the sharp sensation of someone entering our mind.

Dahlia, my love. It's over.

I shut my eyes, feeling my wolf slip back from her overbearing control over my body. I turn to look over at where Phoenix is standing, his hands outstretched as if approaching a scared animal. He steps towards me and says quietly, "It's over."

My body sags forward with relief and I stumble a step towards my mate. The air begins to shimmer around me for a second time and I feel a blanket being tossed over me before I shift back. Ilya catches me before I hit the hard ground and calls for Mikhail, who comes running from his seat in the front row. I am trembling, my entire body shaking from exertion. Mikhail wraps another blanket around me while Phoenix reaches towards my face with a small towel.

I see red on the towel when he pulls it away and I lift a hand up in front of my face, turning it to inspect the smears of blood on it. His blood. My head turns quickly to see Viktor's body being loaded back into the van that has pulled as close to us as possible, blocking the audience's view of us. His head is loaded last, his eyelids open and the soft brown of his irises looking out at me.

I let out a chest-wracking sob and Phoenix pulls me into his arms. He lifts me up and begins to carry me out of the training grounds, Mikhail and Ilya following closely behind. Ilya is on the phone with someone, speaking in rapid-fire Russian, and I catch Viktor's name. He's calling Dziewanna to tell them Viktor's dead. The thought sends another round of sobs through my body and I begin to struggle in Phoenix's arms.

"It's okay, Dahlia, we're almost to the car," he says, trying to calm me down.

I push against him harder. "No! I want to see Erland," I cry. "I need to see my brother."

Phoenix's eyes harden. "Not right now. We need to get you cleaned up and home first."

A sudden rush of strength allows me to break free from his arms and I fall to the ground, barely catching myself. I pull the blankets around myself tightly and look at Ilya, who is still on the phone, but is regarding me with surprise.

"Get my brother. Now," I command, looking between him and Mikhail. "Tell him I know who killed our mother. Who killed Akemi."

Mikhail's face twitches from the order, his wolf instinct not allowing him to disobey me. He looks between me and Phoenix before turning and running back the way we came. Phoenix grabs my arm and turns me to look at him, his face furious.

"You need to go home, Dahlia. You're overwhelmed and stressed. You need to rest." He reaches to pick me up again, but I shove him away.

"I'm not a child, Phoenix!" I snap. "You don't understand; this is important and Erland has to hear it." I know that I sound hysterical, but I can't help the desperation that floods my voice.

"Dahlia!" Erland yells as he comes running towards us. He is much more alert now, the execution having sobered him. When he reaches me, he throws his arms around me, pulling me into a suffocating hug. "You did good, Dahlia. I'm so proud of you."

I struggle away from him, pushing his chest until he lets me go. My eyes are wild as I say, "I know who killed mom."

His brows furrow in confusion as he regards me in my panicked state. "What do you mean?"

"It was him, Erland," I say. When he shakes his head, I scoff and grab his hand. "It was Magnus. Our father killed her."