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

behind them quickly, and now they were struggling to

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 she was leaving behind her. Each new

this place and

were a major part of the decoration for the marking ceremony, and there

already missing, either killed or sacrificing themselves to delay the bears

into a small passage and then paused by an old wooden bear statue. One movement and

in their wolf forms, and this got them several minutes to  breathe.

just one thing left to do

would come back for the Gamma.

back. “There is something I need to

growled and pushed the door that led to

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

have to

the enemy, tearing, snapping, breaking, destroying… At some point, she felt like she had

to do it. While there

gaze was unfocused. There were cuts and bruises all over him, and

ease, although they were soaked in something that burned her

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

she regretted it. They needed a

to come back to reality. Even if

he asked, looking 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

mate’s name. “I knew you’d come.”

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

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 for this little reward

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

least the tiniest chance of me

one of the castle towers exploded. Pieces of the ancient stone were landing around them,

was so much closer. Ash growled excitedly, knowing that his little gift worked.

with any of it, but the bears believed that she did. Moreover, they didn’t know what to expect from

off and ending as many of their lives as she could. She pounced, and she dodged. She ignored the pain when they

she managed to command her friends when she created a safe corridor for them through one of the broken castle walls. She knew

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 feel it. Thanks to

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

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 excited her. A fight. A hunt. Only they weren’t the ones hunting this time. She was.

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

soon because the bears

primal lycan 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 to

all, feeling only pure rage running through her veins.

wanted to kill them even more now, to taste their blood and to see life leave their eyes, so she kept

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

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

ground under her feet was icy, the darkness was replaced

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

would finish her off now.

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

Or something else. 

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

humanity was getting back to her against

felt a strong desire to shift back into her human form.

she clawed her way to sanity until she was panting on

was back. She was alive and she

on her mind now. Why?

bits of the red dress still hanging over her frame. Some parts

kind of coverage. Even if

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