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. 

herself into the crowd and made a clean sweep, clearing the path for her friends. Thanks to that, they were able

they were struggling to get through the corridors

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 kill was

far away from this place

way past. Luckily, they were a major part of the decoration for the marking ceremony, and there were plenty around

were already missing, either killed or sacrificing themselves to delay the bears behind them.

all of them, she knew exactly what she was doing when she turned into a small passage and then paused by an old wooden

they went all the way down while still in

to do now – get

illusions about that. 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

back. “There is something I need

and pushed the door that led to

there was a thick circle of bears guarding Aspen and

have to wait

threw herself at the enemy, tearing, snapping, breaking, destroying… At some point, she felt like she had found a rhythm to all this.

She had to do it. While

where Aspen was chained, he didn’t look good. He was barely conscious and his gaze was unfocused. There were cuts and

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

practically unconscious, and the princess was worried that he’d fall

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

helped Aspen to come back to

damage. His vision was probably blurry so it wasn’t surprising he took her for a white bear

mate’s name. “I knew you’d come.”

about how they were going

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 if she

preparing themselves mentally for the m**** “e that was to follow, and Sawy

at least the tiniest chance of me saving

stone were landing around them, hitting some of the white bears.

ears this time because it was so much closer. Ash growled excitedly, knowing that his little gift worked.

that

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

the broken castle walls. She knew

tracing her every move, and this was when she

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

none of them got lost on the way. Slowly, her priorities

telling her to kill them all, and each roar she

annoying bird was still circling over her head, and she was ready to kill her if that hawk got

left her soon because

wait anymore. She pounced at the closest one, tearing him to pieces on the spot and enjoying it. Then another

feeling only pure rage running

were so many of them that slowly, they started to overpower her, cornering her to a rocky hill. She wanted to kill them even

the minute, and it didn’t look like there were fewer bears around her. She roared in frustration,

it was a sound of a dying, desperate

under her feet was icy, the darkness was replaced by clouds of snow.

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

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

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

Or something else. 

and it became so cold that sharp pieces of ice

humanity was getting back to her against all odds, and she didn’t

felt a strong desire to shift

breaking one by one, she clawed her way to sanity until she was

but she was back. She was alive

on

the red dress still hanging over her frame. Some parts of the gown were very stretchy, and now she was happy

of coverage. Even if it was questionable.

was nothing lethal. She would heal if no new battles occurred