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. 

clean sweep, clearing the path for her friends.

Hall behind them quickly, and now they were struggling to get through

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

place and her –

a major part of the decoration for the marking ceremony, and there were plenty around the castle.

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

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, and something

still in

was just one thing left to do now –

that they would understand that she would come back for the Gamma. He was one of Kai’s closest friends.

her back. “There is something I need

and pushed the door that led to the square outside.

was right as there was a thick circle of bears

wouldn’t have to

threw herself at the enemy, tearing, snapping, breaking, destroying… At some point, she felt like she had found a rhythm to all this. It became a part of her and felt so natural

She had to do it. While there was still sanity left in

conscious and his gaze was unfocused. There were cuts and bruises all over him, and Savvy almost threw up

they were soaked in something that burned her fingers. Claude was surprisingly the nearest

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

a beast now. They needed

surprisingly, that helped Aspen to

surprising he took her for a

his mate’s name. “I

bears in the square, and Savvy was starting to worry about how they were going to

would die trying. She didn’t mind. If she died, maybe the Moon Goddess would

was to follow, and Sawy closed her eyes just for a second, feeling how her mind was

there is at least

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

because it was so much

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

a safe corridor for them through one of the broken castle walls. She knew that Ash would have help somewhere nearby. She

on her, tracing her every move, and this was when she realised

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

them got lost

hawk flew 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

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

soon because the bears finally arrived.

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.

killing them all, feeling only pure

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 leave their eyes, so she

were 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 they had bigger numbers.

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

the end of the 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.

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

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

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 someone else was here.

Or something else. 

pieces of

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

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

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

She was alive and she didn’t turn into a

was only one question on

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

coverage.

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