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 that, they were able

quickly, and now they were struggling to get

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 kill was becoming easier and easier. Soon she wouldn’t care whom she was killing. By then, it would be best if her friends

away from this place and

to knock down every candle on her way 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 onto the curtains and spread over them quickly. That  should distract them.

from Ash’s team were already missing, either killed or sacrificing themselves to delay the bears behind them.

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,

still in their wolf forms, and

to

that they would understand that she would come back for the Gamma. He was

back. “There is something I need to

she growled and pushed the door that led to

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

have to wait

she had found a rhythm to all this. It became a part of her

it. While there was still sanity left in her.

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

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

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

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

to come back to reality. Even if temporarily.

he took her for a white bear

repeated his mate’s name. “I knew

the square, and Savvy was starting to worry about how they were going to leave this place. She had to get her friends out.

she would die trying. She didn’t mind. If she

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

silently, “but if there is at least the tiniest chance of me saving them and reuniting with Kai, let it

stone were landing around them, hitting some

it was so much closer. Ash growled excitedly,

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

many of their lives as she could. She pounced, and she dodged. She ignored the

for them through one of the broken castle walls. She knew that

her friends. All their eyes were on her, tracing her every move, and this was when she realised their

stood on all fours, charging into the darkness outside Bjorn’s home. She knew where her friends went; she could feel

did 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

but she ignored it. Birds did not interest her anymore. She wanted to be killing bears. Her instincts were telling her to kill them

clearing and waited. The annoying bird was still circling over her

her soon because

fur between the dark, ancient trees as they approached, but the 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

all, feeling only pure

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

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

escaped 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 so fast that she

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

finish her off now. However, each bear that was getting close to her was

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. Only that the trajectory seemed

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

she felt a strong desire

bones were slowly breaking one by one, she clawed her way to sanity until she was panting on the

was back. She was alive and

only one question on her

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

some kind of coverage. Even if it was questionable.

there was nothing lethal. She would heal if no new