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. 

threw herself into the crowd and made a clean sweep, clearing the

Hall behind them quickly, and now they were struggling to

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,

from this place

sure 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

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

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

still in their wolf forms, and this

thing left to do now – get

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

Ash shifted behind her back. “There is something I need to

she growled and pushed the door

a thick circle of bears guarding Aspen and waiting

wouldn’t have to wait anymore.

had

it. While there was

was chained, he didn’t look good. He was barely conscious and his gaze was unfocused. There were cuts and bruises all over him, and

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

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,

They needed a beast now.

Savvy roared, and surprisingly, that helped Aspen to come

wasn’t surprising he took her for a white

his mate’s name.

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

and Savannah could already feel the desire to sn.ap all those necks. There 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 together with Kai. Maybe she could ask for this little

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

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

of the castle towers exploded. Pieces of the ancient stone were landing around them, hitting some of the white bears.

piercing their ears this time because it was so much

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

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

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

were on her, tracing her every move, and this was

into the darkness outside Bjorn’s home. She

none of them got lost on the way. Slowly,

her to kill them all, and

circling over her head, and she was ready to

her soon because

their white 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 another one tried to get her but to

killing them all, feeling

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

her wounds were multiplying 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

of a dying, desperate animal, and she put everything in that sound.

for the first time, she felt cold. The ground under her feet was icy,

that made her think that she did want to survive after all.

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

warriors so fast that none of them couldn’t

Or something else. 

so cold that sharp pieces of ice flew in the air. Only that the trajectory seemed off. Unnatural.

getting back to her against all odds, and she didn’t know what the reason  for it

she felt a strong desire to shift back into

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

was alive and she didn’t turn into a lycan

one question on her mind now. Why? How?

hanging over her frame. Some parts of the gown were

kind of coverage. Even if it

wounds made her hiss from the pain, but she already knew there was nothing lethal. She would