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

and now they were struggling to get through the corridors of the castle.

enjoy the scent

this place and her –

past. Luckily, they were a major part of the decoration for the marking ceremony, and there were plenty around the castle. She watched the flames catch

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

then paused by an old wooden bear statue. One

vision, they went all the way down while still in their wolf forms, and this got

one thing left to do now – get Aspen.

would understand that she would come back for

behind her back. “There is something I need to tell you-”

the door that led to the square

as there was a thick circle of bears guarding Aspen and

wouldn’t have to wait anymore.

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

stop. She had to do it. While

were cuts and bruises all over

they were soaked in something that burned her

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 taking over

she regretted it. They needed a beast now. They needed

helped Aspen to

His vision was probably blurry so it wasn’t surprising he took

his mate’s name. “I

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

she died, maybe the Moon Goddess would be so kind as

halted, probably preparing themselves mentally for the m**** “e that was to follow, and Sawy closed her eyes just for a second, feeling how her mind was slipping

she prayed silently, “but if there is at least

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

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

any of it, but the bears believed that

and ending as many of their lives as she could. She pounced, and she

corridor for 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

on her, tracing her every move, and

stood on all fours, charging into the darkness outside Bjorn’s home. She knew

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

black hawk flew over her head, screeching, but she ignored it. Birds did not interest her anymore. She wanted to be killing bears. Her instincts were telling her to kill them all, and each roar she heard from them

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

left her soon because the bears

wait anymore. She pounced at the

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

cornering her to a rocky hill. She wanted to kill them even more now, to taste their blood and to see

by the minute, and it didn’t look like there were fewer bears around her. She roared in frustration, realising that this could be her end. She would die here today, killed by some weaklings just

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

her feet was icy, the darkness was replaced by clouds of snow. Everything happened so fast that she couldn’t tell

kind of strange pull that made

finish her off now.

moved in between all the warriors so fast that none of

Or something else. 

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

her against

anymore, and she felt a strong desire

clawed her way to sanity until she was panting on

cheeks, but she was back. She was alive and she didn’t

only one question on her mind

her frame. Some parts

of coverage.

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