The Twelfth Moon || ✔️

72. The Battle pt. 2

I nearly fell to the floor at the sight of my friend with a knife piercing his skull. Or was it a sword? The weapon tipped him at the nape of his neck, finding its way through his throat and pinching its way out of his mouth.

Blood bubbled out of Vince's mouth, covering the metal with a crimson red. His killer stood proudly behind him, twisting the dagger a bit more - dragging out Vince's torture. My eyes rapidly crossed the square - looking for Lotta again, but as my eyes landed on her, so did the attacker's teal gaze.

His smile grew as he saw Lotta approaching, killing her way through, clearing her path with death, barely taking her eyes off Vince, who still seemed to struggle, refusing to let go of that last bit of life he had left.

Some of his blood spattered on his opponent, but it was barely noticeable, mixing with other wolves' blood on his darker skin. Vince was just one of many.

Though the villain's amused grin told me Vince was about to become more than just one of many. He was about to become a toy for Lotta's torment - who was still making her way over.

The assailant was patiently waiting, holding his dagger securely in its place as Vince slowly but surely stopped struggling.

Two wolves near him were keeping him unoccupied - killing any who dared to reach out to him. And just before Lotta made her way over to him, he pulled out his dagger from Vince's neck and ducked down, narrowly avoiding a dagger Lotta had thrown.

Vince's body fell to the ground, leaving a light visible cloud of smoke from his last breath in this chill air. He never got up again.

The wolf who had killed Vince mouthed something at his two companions, and shortly after, all three of them disappeared into an alley - Lotta just reaching Vince's body and screaming out in pure agony.

But she had no time to grieve her loss, as she immediately had to use her dagger that lay on the floor to ward off another wolf, who came to attack her from behind.

I saw her wipe her face, before she got up, her chest moving in notable breaths, each of them fuming with rage. She was inhaling fury and exhaling vengeance.

She quickly disappeared to the side of the square, heading towards the alley the three wolves had run away to.

My mind was eating away at me. I felt powerless - I witnessed one friend die and another lose a part of herself she would never gain back.

And I was stuck on the sidelines, unable to move, with the gnawing feeling that I was missing something.

I knew the wolf who had killed him - he looked familiar. Every powerful wolf here looked familiar - Beckett liked to keep those close to him, but this one was different.

And the way the other two wolves defended him like it was their sole mission. It reminded me of my training in Apicya, where we were taught to always keep the gifted-

Shit. Sun burn me.

I needed to get to Lotta, now. She was walking into a trap she wouldn't be able to escape from.

And as the realization suddenly hit me - it all came together at once. He was one of Beckett's favored minions, one of the most powerful wolves in the pack. He had to be blessed by Agni.

And Vince's chilly breath I had seen - it wasn't an exhale at all. No one else showed their breath that way.

In his very last seconds, Vince had been boiled alive. And I had seen the fumes from his boiling blood. But why? What would he gain? Why would he use his powers on Vince, and tire himself, when he would die anyway?