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. 

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

struggling to get through the corridors

feeling how she was starting to enjoy the scent of blood and chaos she was leaving behind her. Each new

this place and her – as possible.

part of the decoration for the marking ceremony, and there were plenty around the castle. She watched the flames catch onto the curtains

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 from the maps the day before, and something none of

down while still in

thing left to do

understand that she would come back for the Gamma. He was one of Kai’s closest friends. She couldn’t simply leave him

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

growled and pushed the door that

as there was a thick circle of bears guarding Aspen and

have

like she had found a rhythm to all this. It became a part of her and felt so natural that she scared herself.

she couldn’t stop. She had to do it. While there was still sanity left in her.

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

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

threw him on top 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

it. They needed a beast now. They needed

surprisingly, that helped Aspen to

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

Aspen repeated his mate’s name. “I

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

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

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

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

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

ears this time because it was so much closer.

believed that she did. Moreover, they didn’t know what to expect from her anymore.

didn’t hesitate and unleashed herself on the startled enemies, tearing their flesh 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

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

her, tracing her every move, and this was when she realised their order was to get her.

the darkness outside Bjorn’s home. She knew where her

bears followed her and that none of them got lost on the way. Slowly, her priorities were changing. She couldn’t

her anymore. She wanted to be killing bears. Her instincts were telling her to kill them all, and

circling over her

left her soon because

She pounced at the closest one, tearing him to pieces

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

overpower her, cornering her to a rocky hill. She wanted to kill them even more

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 because

escaped her. This time it was a sound of a dying,

under her feet was icy, the darkness was

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

knowing that the enemies would finish her off

moved in between all the warriors so fast that none of them couldn’t detect it. Yet  there was no denying that someone else was

Or something else. 

menacing roar emerged, and it became so cold that sharp pieces of ice flew in the air. Only that the

against all odds, and she didn’t know what the reason  for

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

by one, she clawed her way to sanity until she was panting on the cold ground  covered with frost.

she was back. She was alive

on her mind now. Why?

over her frame. Some parts

some kind of coverage. Even

knew there was nothing lethal. She would heal if