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 path for her

now they were struggling to get through

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

away from this place and her

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

Ash’s team were already missing, either killed or

unexpected direction and she could feel how distressed Petra, Ash, and 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,

still in their wolf forms, and

thing left to

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

behind her back. “There is something I need to tell

growled and pushed the door that led to the square outside.

a thick circle of bears guarding Aspen

have to

Savannah threw herself at the enemy, tearing, snapping, breaking, destroying… At some point, she felt like she had

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

look good. He was barely conscious and his gaze was unfocused. There were cuts and bruises all over him, and Savvy almost

her fingers. Claude was surprisingly the nearest to

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 was slowly taking over

a beast now. They needed

and surprisingly, that helped Aspen to come back to reality. Even

surprising he took her for a white bear

mate’s name. “I knew you’d

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

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

bears halted, 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

at least the tiniest chance of me saving them and reuniting

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

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

it, but the bears believed that she did. Moreover, they didn’t

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

when she created a safe corridor for them through one of the broken castle walls. She knew that

their eyes were on her, tracing her every move, and this was when

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

to make sure that the bears followed her and that none of them got lost on the way. Slowly, her priorities

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

annoying bird was still circling over

soon because the bears

they approached, but the primal lycan inside of her couldn’t wait anymore. She pounced at the closest one, tearing him

after another, she was killing them all, feeling only pure rage running through her

cornering her to a rocky hill. She wanted to kill them

it didn’t look like there were fewer bears around her. She roared in frustration, realising that this could be her

a dying,

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

she couldn’t explain, some kind of strange pull that

knees, knowing that the enemies would finish her off now. However, each

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

Or something else. 

became so cold that sharp pieces of ice flew in

against all odds, and she

bears weren’t her problem anymore, and she felt a strong desire to shift back

one, she clawed her way to sanity until she was panting on the cold ground

she was back. She was alive and she didn’t

only one question on her mind

Some parts of the gown

coverage. Even

was nothing lethal. She would heal if no new