The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert

63. True Mates 

Savannah charged at him, and this time she was too fast for Bjorn to detect. That’s when she gave him another sla.sh of the divine 

dagger over his chest, making a clean cut. 

“We are mates!” He said bitterly, covering the new wound with his fingers. 

“No. We’re not!” She replied without hesitation. “I’d rather die than be your mate!” 

The words hurt him more than the dagger did, but it wasn’t enough for her. He could see it in her eyes as she lifted her hand to try to 

kill him again. He’d had enough of this. She had to be contained! 

He caught her wrist this time and overpowered her easily, bringing her closer. 

“It’s over!” he roared, shaking her roughly, hoping that she’d return to her senses. 

However, it only made the princess sneer. 

“Bjorn, Bjorn, Bjorn,” she whispered and clicked her tongue. “I am just getting started!” 

Savannah’s bones started snapping before his eyes at unnatural angles, and in a few moments, she was able to free her hand from 

his grasp. Bjorn stepped away, panting, and watching her turn into something else completely. He’d already seen this when he and Joran 

went to observe the battle with Castiel’s men a few months ago and also when Kai did it so effortlessly many times in the past. 

It was harder for Savannah, he could see it, but she was determined to go through with this. 

“Savvy, no!” Darius‘ voice broke. He knew what it meant to her. Other royals rarely used their feral third forms because they were 

next to impossible to control. If they didn’t shift back soon enough, they risked never being able to revert back to their human form again. 

The realisation that she was ready to die or stay a beast for the rest of her life just to kill him, hurt him more deeply than the divine weapon ever could. 

But the monster with glowing golden eyes already stood in front of him. Tall, mighty and deadly. And she was out for blood.  blood. 

His 

Savannah tried to keep control just like Kai had taught her. Lycans were primal beasts who were born at the beginning of times, but her Lycan wasn’t a separate entity; It was a part of her. The part she was taught to suppress, the part she was taught to hide. 

Today she was going to embrace it. 

Bjorn looked like he was suffocating, but she decided just to end him immediately. However, when she took the first step, something invisible stopped her. 

“Enough!” The Serpent said, looking as calm as if people weren’t killing each other left and right around them. He didn’t even spare the Lycaness a glance. He didn’t take part in the fighting. He just defended Bjorn once and that was it. 

Wolves that came with Ash were dying. One of the bears almost grabbed Petra, who was still in her human form. From the corner of her eye, Savvy saw how Chloe shifted into a golden–coloured wolf, and Claude was quickly tying something around her neck. 

She wanted so badly to kill Bjorn… but… her friends were more important. If the Serpent didn’t plan to act, and it looked like he had something else in mind, then they had a chance to survive. If she would help them, of course. 

Growling angrily, Savvy flipped the table and was down next to Petra and Ash in seconds, leaving Bjorn behind. 

“Shift!” she commanded in the beast’s voice, and, luckily, they understood her instantly, following her lead. Petra’s wolf was the smallest, but even in the middle of the chaos, Savvy paused, seeing her unusual colour. The wolf was black with soft pink waves of fur all over her in a beautiful pattern. No wonder everyone wanted her! Someone like her was rare indeed! 

Chloe was next to the group already and Claude shifted in one jump, joining them as well. 

Now all they had to do was get out of that castle. 

If only it was that easy… 

1/5 

The bears were shifting too and Savvy let out a roar so loud that the ground underneath their feet shook. 

threw herself into the crowd and made a clean sweep, clearing the path for her friends.

behind them quickly, and now they were struggling

Savvy knew she only had minutes left of sanity, feeling how she was starting to enjoy the scent of blood and

away from this place

the decoration for the marking ceremony, and there were plenty

missing, either killed or sacrificing themselves to

direction and she could feel how distressed Petra, Ash, and the twins were. Fortunately for all of them, she knew exactly what she was doing when she turned into a small passage and then paused by an old wooden bear statue. One movement and

while still in their wolf forms, and this got them several minutes to  breathe.

left to do now – get

come back

her back. “There is something

she growled and pushed the door that led

as there was a thick circle of bears guarding Aspen

wouldn’t have to wait anymore.

had, Savannah threw herself at the enemy, tearing, snapping, breaking, destroying… At some point, she felt like she had found a rhythm to all this. It became a part of her and felt so natural that she scared

had to do it. While

was chained, he didn’t look good. He was barely conscious and his gaze was unfocused. There were cuts and bruises all

although they were soaked in something that burned her fingers. Claude was surprisingly the nearest to him and offered his back for the

of the golden wolf. She couldn’t do anything gently in this form. But it was better than the people beating Aspen up. He was practically unconscious, and the princess was worried that he’d fall off during their escape. She wanted to say something, but it was becoming harder and harder to form words. The beast was slowly

They needed a beast now. They

Aspen to come back to reality. Even

he asked, looking at her. His eyes barely opened from the swelling and damage. His vision was probably blurry so it wasn’t surprising he took her for a white bear in this form. Just like her wolf, her Lycan was white in colour, with black fur decorating her ears.

mate’s name. “I knew

to worry about how they were going to leave this place. She had to get

mind. If she died, maybe the Moon Goddess would be so kind as to bring her back together with Kai. Maybe she could ask for this little reward if

for the m**** “e that was to follow, and Sawy closed her eyes just for a second, feeling how her

“but if there is at least the tiniest chance of me saving them

stone were landing around them, hitting some of the white bears. But most importantly, it

ears this time because it was so much closer. Ash growled excitedly,

bears believed that she did. Moreover,

off and ending as many of their lives as she could. She pounced, and she dodged. She ignored the pain when they managed to hurt

them through one of the broken castle walls. She knew that Ash would have help somewhere nearby. She just needed to give them a chance to

were on her, tracing her every move, and this was when she realised their order was to get her. Technically, they didn’t

opportunity and stood on all fours, charging into the darkness outside Bjorn’s home. She knew where her friends

lost on the way. Slowly, her priorities were changing. She couldn’t wait to be left alone

it. Birds did not interest her anymore. She wanted to be killing bears. Her instincts were telling her to kill

was still circling over

soon because the bears

dark, ancient trees as they approached, but the primal lycan inside of her couldn’t wait anymore. She pounced at the closest one, tearing him to pieces on

another, she was killing them all, feeling only pure

rocky hill. She wanted to kill them even more now, to taste their blood and to see life leave their eyes, so she kept fighting, kept slaying…

were multiplying by the minute, and it didn’t look like there were fewer bears around her. She roared in frustration, realising that this could be

a dying, desperate animal, and she put everything in that sound.

first time, she felt cold. The ground under her feet was icy, the darkness

couldn’t explain, some kind of strange pull that made her think that she did want to survive after

finish her off now. However, each bear that was getting close to her

her eyes. Something moved in between all the warriors so fast that none of them couldn’t

Or something else. 

it became so cold that sharp pieces of ice flew in the air. Only that

her against all odds, and

anymore, and she felt a strong desire to shift back into her human form.

as her bones were slowly breaking one by one, she clawed her way to sanity until she was panting on the

cheeks, but she was back. She was alive and she

question on her mind

hanging over her frame. Some parts of the

kind of coverage. Even if it

she already knew there was nothing lethal. She would heal if no new