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. 

clearing the path for her friends.

were struggling

she only had minutes left of sanity, feeling how she was starting to enjoy the scent of blood and chaos she was leaving behind her. Each new kill was becoming easier and easier. Soon she wouldn’t care whom she was killing. By then, it would be best if her friends

far away from this place and her – as possible.

a major part of the decoration for the marking ceremony, and there were plenty around the castle. She watched

Ash’s team were already missing, either killed or sacrificing

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

way down while still in their wolf forms, and this got them several minutes to 

just one thing left to

back for the Gamma. He was one of

Ash shifted behind her back. “There is something I need

the door that led to the

right as there was a thick circle of bears guarding

they wouldn’t have to

tearing, snapping, breaking, destroying… At some point, she felt like she had found a rhythm to all this. It

couldn’t stop. She had to do it. While there was still sanity

Aspen was chained, he didn’t look good. He was barely conscious and his gaze was unfocused. There were cuts and bruises all over him, and Savvy almost threw up when the smell coming from him hit her nostrils. What have they been doing to

her

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

it. They needed a beast now.

to come back to reality. Even if

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,

name. “I knew you’d come.”

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

There were 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

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

for anything,” she prayed silently, “but if there is at least the tiniest chance of me saving

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

explosion sounded, piercing their ears this time because it was so much closer. Ash growled excitedly, knowing that his little gift worked.

had nothing to do with any of it, but the bears believed that she did. Moreover, they didn’t

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

command her friends when she created a safe corridor for them through one of the broken castle walls. She knew that Ash would have

follow her friends. All their eyes were on her, tracing her every move, and this was when she realised their order was to

Bjorn’s home. She knew where

to make sure that the bears followed her and that none of them got lost on the way. Slowly, her priorities were changing. She couldn’t wait to be left

telling her to kill them all, and each roar she heard from them excited her. A fight. A hunt. Only they weren’t the ones hunting this time. She was.

waited. The annoying bird was still circling over her head, and she was ready to kill her if that

these thoughts left her soon because the bears finally arrived.

inside of her couldn’t wait anymore. She pounced at the closest one, tearing him to pieces on the spot

she was killing them all, feeling only pure rage running through

wanted to kill them even more now, to taste their blood and to

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

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

cold. The ground under her feet

strange pull that made her think that she did want

enemies would finish her off

so fast that none of them couldn’t detect

Or something else. 

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

that Savvy was going to complain. Her humanity was getting back to her against all odds, and she didn’t know what the reason  for it could

problem anymore, and she felt a strong desire to shift back into her

one by one, she clawed her way to sanity until she was panting

she was back. She was alive and she didn’t

only one question on her

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

kind of coverage. Even

from the pain, but she already knew there was nothing lethal. She would heal if