The Twelfth Moon || ✔️

41. I Spy, I Spy...

I'd spent the rest of the day preparing myself for the horrors I'd be forced to watch this evening. I hadn't told anyone about it - not even Lotta. Because why would a wolf like me know about Aven's plans? Word would get around, and wolves would become even more suspicious of me. Right now, I still had my cover in The Puny Bell as the lowly ranked wolf who could surely hold no danger, and I assumed elsewhere too, so I couldn't risk it by bringing any unwanted attention to me.

Even though being trusted by the Alpha certainly would help for my place and respect in this pack. But it would come at the cost of the tiny bit of respect Aven had managed to reserve for me, along with his trust. And possibly even worse.

So I decided to act as if I didn't know about anything when we were called to gather in the garden.

I pretended to act surprised when I saw thirteen wolves aligned in between the pyres, Ammon in the middle.

I pretended to be shocked at the amount of wolves that would be punished at the same time.

And for the entirety of Aven's speech, I mimicked the reactions from around me, blending into the crowd.

"People of Rahas," he began, the sharpness of his voice causing the murmurs around me to quieten. "Before you stand thirteen traitors. All of these men have been caught, acting as spies for the forces in Fire Moon. A war in itself is unholy, but betraying the very Moon you chose on your Ascension, is one of the most unholy and unworthy crimes one can commit."

Quiet agreements traveled through the crowd. Everyone sent hateful glares towards the wolves in the front, and I did the same. Even if the rest of the night I'd only pretended, my hatred towards Fire Moon and Beckett and all who aided him, was very real.

"We all know the punishment fit for spying. You misuse your tongue, you lose your tongue."

Aven and Jerr both stepped forward, each standing at a different end of the line in front of us. The pyres illuminated their faces, both their eyes shimmering in the reflection of the golden light. But Aven's eyes were cold, whereas Jerr's were warm. They were always warm.

Jerr stood there silently, and formally. He held his hand crossed behind his back, waiting for Aven's command to begin. It followed soon after.

"You shall say your names one last time. And let it be the last time it be spoken." And then they both turned to face the outer wolves. All of them were trembling and crying, but they were shackled and had nowhere to go. And if they ran, the punishment would surely be far worse than only losing their tongue. If they ran, the crowd would go wild on them.

The fear in their eyes, also translated in their voices. Aven nudged the first wolf, a sign for him to speak his name. "Jax," he said quietly. And then Aven's hand went around his throat, while the other went in his mouth. Returning outwards, with the bloody tongue in hand. He unshackled the wolf, but he fell down to the ground in misery.

Almost immediately after, Jerr did the same on the other side of the line. "Briaxen," his wolf said, his name coming out in sobs. I prayed to our Moons none of their parents were here, in the crowd. No one deserved to witness this of their own child.

Jerr's hand went in smoothly, and with the same ease as Aven, he'd rip the tongue out. Like he'd done this before.

Aven moved on to the next wolf, not even bothering to wipe the blood off his hand. With the remains of the previous wolf still lingering, he tore out the next tongue, after the wolf had said his name. "Kino."

Jerr followed suit. "Dialys."

Aven stepped in front of one of the wolves I'd seen in the bar. "Dess." Done. Tongue out.