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. 

the crowd and made a clean sweep, clearing the path for her

struggling to get through the corridors of the

bears were already alerted via their mindlink and everyone they met tried to attack them, slow them down… Yet, Savvy knew she only had minutes left of sanity, feeling how she was starting to enjoy the scent of blood and chaos she

away from this place and her – as

down every candle on her way past. Luckily, they were a major part of the decoration for the marking ceremony, and there were plenty

team were already missing, either killed or sacrificing themselves to delay

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 the walls before them opened, revealing a dark staircase. This was something Savannah learned

in their wolf forms, and this got them several minutes

thing left to do now – get Aspen.

that she would come back for the Gamma. He was one of Kai’s closest friends.

back. “There is something I need to tell

growled and pushed the door

a thick circle of bears guarding Aspen and

wouldn’t have to wait anymore.

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

She had to do it. While there was still sanity left in her.

look good. He was barely conscious and his gaze was unfocused. There were cuts and bruises

they were soaked in something that burned her fingers. Claude was surprisingly the

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

needed a

surprisingly, that helped Aspen to come back to reality. Even if

took her for a white bear in this form. Just like her wolf, her Lycan was white in colour, with black

his mate’s name.

the square, and Savvy was starting to worry about how they were going to leave this place. She had

more of them than she could handle, but at least she would die trying. She didn’t 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 she was

preparing themselves mentally for the m**** “e that was to follow, and Sawy closed her eyes just

never asked you for anything,” she prayed silently, “but if there is at least the tiniest chance of me saving them and

then, one of the castle towers exploded. Pieces of the ancient stone were landing around them, hitting some

so much closer. Ash growled excitedly,

but the bears believed that she did. Moreover, they didn’t

their flesh off and ending as many of their lives as she could. She

she managed to command her friends when she created a safe corridor for them through one of the broken castle walls. She

her, tracing her every move, and

all fours, charging into the darkness outside Bjorn’s home. She knew where her friends went; she could feel it. Thanks to that, she chose to run

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

anymore. She wanted to be killing bears. Her instincts were telling her to kill them all, and each roar she heard from them excited her. A fight. A hunt. Only they weren’t

in the middle of a clearing and waited. The annoying bird was still circling over her head, and she was ready to kill her if that hawk

soon because the

fur between the 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 the spot and enjoying it. Then another one tried

all, feeling only pure rage running through her

cornering her to a 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… Lost

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

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

howl, her breathing turned into snowy mist, and for the first time, she felt cold. The ground under her feet was icy, the darkness

something. Something she couldn’t explain, some kind of strange pull that made her think that she did want

fell to her knees, knowing that the enemies would finish her off now.

in between all the warriors so fast that none of them couldn’t detect it. Yet  there was

Or something else. 

of ice flew

back to her against all odds, and she didn’t know

and she felt a strong desire to shift back into her

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

was alive and she didn’t turn into

was only one question on her mind

red dress still hanging over her frame. Some parts of the gown were very stretchy, and now she

kind of coverage. Even

pain, but she already knew there was nothing lethal. She would heal if no new battles occurred