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 to that, they were able to leave

behind them quickly, and now they were struggling to

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 was leaving behind her. Each new

far away from this place

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

killed

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

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

one thing left to

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

her back. “There is something I need

pushed the door that led to the square

was right as there was a thick circle of bears guarding Aspen and

have to

breaking, destroying… At some point, she felt like she had found a rhythm to all this. It became a part of her and felt so natural that

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

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

the silver chains with ease, although they were soaked in something that burned her fingers. Claude was surprisingly the nearest to

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 regretted it. They needed a beast now. They needed

Aspen to come back to reality. Even if temporarily.

was probably blurry so it wasn’t surprising he took her for a white bear in this form. Just like her wolf, her Lycan was white in colour, with black fur decorating her

repeated his mate’s name. “I knew you’d

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

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 so kind as to bring her back

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

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

ancient stone were landing around them, hitting some of

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

believed that she did. Moreover, they 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

a safe 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 to

follow her friends. All their eyes were on her, tracing her every move,

the darkness outside Bjorn’s home. She knew where her friends went; she could feel it. Thanks to that,

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

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

middle of a clearing and waited. The annoying bird was still circling

soon because the bears

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

them even more now,

bears around her. She roared in frustration, realising that this could be her end. She would die here today, killed by some weaklings

her. This time it was a sound of a dying, desperate animal, and

howl, 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

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

knees, knowing that the enemies would finish her off

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

Or something else. 

cold that sharp pieces of ice flew in the air.

to complain. Her humanity was getting back to her against all odds, and she didn’t know

bears weren’t her problem anymore, and she felt a

she clawed her way to sanity

streaming down her cheeks, but she was back. She was alive and she didn’t turn into

only one question on her mind

over her frame. Some parts of the gown were very

coverage. Even if it

there was nothing lethal. She would