The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert

Chapter 54 

“That‘s your real scent,” Savannah whispered, and Bjorn nodded, confirming her guess. He leaned closer to her, brushing his palm over her cheek. She flinched away, and the motion disgruntled him, although he tried not to show it. 

Her skin felt so smooth to his touch. Like the petals of a most delicate flower. He couldn‘t get enough of the sensations when he touched her. He hoped that by now, she would say the one and only word he had longed to hear from her lips for so long. Mate. 

“Yes, Savannah. This is my real scent. The one I barely use anymore. I didn‘t even let you smell it the few times we met, although I knew at once you were mine.” He tried to be patient with her. He knew he had already overstepped too many boundaries to push her now. She looked so weak, felt so broken... Maybe he should have left her sister–in–law alive as a little consolation gift for Savannah. He could dispose of that woman‘s baby later and pretend it was an accident. That little gift could have made the transition easier for his mate. 

Although he remembered very well how dangerous Riannon Stormhold was. She alone was the sole reason for his brother‘s demise. That sealed her fate. 

Savannah stayed silent, and he took it as a sign of her wishing to know more. 

“When I ran in the forest back then, I was going to kill the wolf who witnessed me in lycans‘ territory. This was what I always did. Kill, destroy and get rid of the body.” He was so calm that Savvy felt beads of sweat forming on her skin. “If it was anyone else but you, they would be dead. But it was enough for me to inhale a drop of your scent, and everything 

changed. All my plans went to chaos.” 

“Didn‘t you call me Kai‘s toy?” she reminded him, and a smile reached his lips. At least she was talking to him. This was some kind of progress for them. He was sure that, over time, she would give up and accept him. She simply had to and he couldn‘t wait. 

“I was a bit frustrated at first,” he confessed. “I wasn‘t looking for a mate, I didn‘t think I would ever get another. And it took me a few seconds to realise what was going on. How you affected me. Who you were to me.” 

“And what happened to your first mate?” Savannah asked, ignoring his confession. She looked so pale that he knew she‘d faint again soon. Now that she was here, there was no rush anymore. He could take his time with her. 

“That‘s a story for another day,” Bjorn dodged that subject. “Today I want to speak about us.” He took her hands into his again and realised they were cold and limp as if life was slipping out of his mate. 

“You think we have a future?” Savannah asked weakly, her eyelids too heavy again. “Of course we do,” he didn‘t hesitate to respond. 

“Good,” the Princess‘ lips curled into a smile, and the bear‘s heart skipped a beat. She had never smiled at him before. He should have released his true scent long ago just for this 

alone. He was about to say something when something changed in her face. That beautiful smile of hers turned into a sneer as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Very good,” she added, “ because that means I can hurt you the way you hurt me. Although that‘s unlikely. You hurt me so much that unless I destroy what you love the most, you will never understand. But even this is good.” 

“What are you talking about?” Bjorn released her hands, anger and disappointment burning in his chest. 

doesn‘t awaken anything inside of me. I hate you just as much as I hated you before you

knowing what he wanted to do. Kiss her? Hit her? Take her? Things were already bad and she looked like she was about to faint

him? She must have been angry with him for killing her family. It was understandable. She was also recovering from her previous bond breaking. That exhausted her significantly and that poison to weaken her didn‘t seem to be such a good idea now. If she died, it wouldn‘t change any of his plans. He would still take the North. He already had. And the West would fall

he didn‘t want her to die. Even if that was what she wanted, he wasn‘t going to grant her this wish. Time would pass and she would give in to the mate bond.

at least reject her on the spot to avoid the pain. However, as soon as he met Savannah, he couldn‘t do it. She didn‘t recognise him, didn‘t try to claim him and, although deep inside he knew she was his, he wasn‘t so

found out everything he could about her. He went through all the old reports after his brother‘s death and realised

Alpha; yet Zack had an ego bigger than his own. He started talking about his mate eagerly; sure that she would be his ticket to being appointed the King of The West when they were done with the current rulers. Little did that pup know that this was never

the thought of him touching Savannah enraged him to the core. Initially, he planned to give him a slow and painful death, starting by cutting off his fingers one by one and then moving on to other... protruding

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influence her, distract her. And that

since they hadn‘t had a chance to mate yet. Not to mention how much work he had on his hands. Taking Savannah out earlier than necessary

started to worry him. He had been studying Kai for years and he knew what that place meant to him. He would never bring a simple contender there. And when he watched them both from the opposite mountain, gazing at

was the one for him. She was his second chance mate, and she would feel this too the moment Zack died. However, things only got worse and worse from there. She wasn‘t thinking of him; she ignored

desire to get Savvy out early and to claim her was almost unbearable, but he knew he had to wait for the right chance, or all of his work, including his brother‘s legacy, would go to waste. It wasn‘t fear – it was torture,. But this was

were dead, and she was with him now. Except that her

She knew what she was doing

got his face so close to hers that his lips were almost touching hers, “but your soul will heal, and our bond will snap in its place. You will take these

I ever feel anything towards you,” she taunted him, almost laughing, although her tiny delicate body was shivering in

we will live unhappily ever after,” he pulled her closer and whispered a promise into her ear. “Either way works for me. The rest is up to

in her left to fight it. Her eyes closed, and for the first time, Bjorn worried that he‘d crossed the line with her. He left the room and growled at the maid who waited outside to tend to him and his

and clean her up! She needs to eat, and she needs detoxifying. The healer will know what to do!”

King,” the older

to her breathe and fearing each breath would be her last until the maid arrived with two younger girls and

to leave. His duties couldn‘t wait

“If she gets

all bowed to him in silence. This

what to do next. They had just been majorly outplayed by that werebear. His