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. 

and made a clean sweep, clearing the path for her friends. Thanks to

behind them quickly, and now they were struggling

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

away from this place and her – as possible.

the marking ceremony, and there were plenty around the castle.

missing, either killed or sacrificing themselves

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

their night vision, they went all the way down while still in their wolf forms, and this got them several minutes to  breathe.

one thing left to

had no illusions about that. She knew that they would understand that she would come back for the Gamma. He was one

is something I need to tell

the door that led

was a thick circle of bears guarding Aspen and waiting

they wouldn’t have to wait anymore.

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

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

wall where 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

in something that burned her fingers. Claude was surprisingly the nearest to him and offered

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

she regretted it. They needed a

that helped Aspen to come back to reality. Even if

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

Aspen repeated his mate’s name. “I

they were going to leave this place. She had to get

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

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

at least the

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

was so much closer. Ash growled excitedly, knowing

do with any of it, but the bears believed that she did. Moreover, they didn’t

off and ending as many of their lives

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

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

to miss that wonderful opportunity and stood on all fours, charging into the darkness outside Bjorn’s home. She knew where her friends went; she could

not use her full speed. She had 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 alone with them in the middle of

killing bears. Her instincts were telling her

bird was still circling over her head, and she was ready to kill her if that hawk

thoughts left her soon because the bears finally

the dark, ancient trees as they approached, but the primal lycan inside of her couldn’t wait anymore. She pounced at

after another, she was killing them all, feeling only pure rage running

there were so many of them that slowly, they started to overpower her, cornering her to a rocky hill. She wanted to kill them even more now, to taste their blood and to see life leave

roared in frustration, realising that

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

her breathing turned into snowy mist, and for the first time, she felt cold. The ground under her feet was icy, the darkness was replaced by clouds of snow. Everything happened so fast that she

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

finish her off now.

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

Or something else. 

sharp pieces of ice flew in the

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

felt a strong desire to

her way to sanity

back. She was alive and she didn’t turn into a lycan beast

one question on her mind

dress still hanging over her frame. Some parts of the

kind of coverage. Even if it

wounds made her hiss from the pain, but she already knew there was nothing lethal. She would