The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert

Five in total.

Five bears who hurt him the most when he was a prisoner in Bjorn’s castle. Five bears who were going to die by his hand.

Well, three now since two were already off the list.

And boy, did Aspen enjoy killing them. Such scum did not deserve to live.

The Northern Lycan Kingdom wasn’t just a country. People here had honour. They had rules they’d followed for generations.

No one, absolutely no one, was to harm a man who was already down and couldn’t defend himself. No one was to humiliate prisoners of war. No one was to take another Northerner’s dignity. What was done to him was done for fun, and he swore that everyone who participated in his torture would pay.

Not only that, but those five bears made a spectacle out of him, torturing him for days while laughing about the death of Aspen’s king and family. They laughed at what Bjorn was going to do with his queen as well. Then they mocked him about his mate, promising to f*ck her on his behalf since she preferred bears anyway.

No, he couldn’t find it in himself to forgive them.

Maybe it made him a bad man, but he had no regrets.

The one whose life Aspen took just now broke his knees every hour as if he was on a clock, knowing that it was the only way to permanently injure a lycan. His friend, who carved insults on his chest with a silver knife and laughed as he watched them heal, was also already dead. Aspen left his b*ody in the woods, where he deserved to stay and rot. The same destiny would follow this one.

Aspen unclenched his jaws and let the wolf fall to his feet, a pool of blood gathering around him, soaking the grass.

He lifted his head to look at the moon, and at the same time, the familiar sweet scent hit his nostrils.

She was here. Brigit was here.

Just like the last time, she didn’t do anything to stop him. And it was annoying! After all, what kind of queen lets her men get slaughtered by an ambassador of another king?

He wanted her to get angry. He wanted her to confront him about her men.

His wolf pleaded with him, telling him their ex-mate wanted to get together. That this was her way to gain his forgiveness. Only that it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.

Some part of him would always love her, but he knew they were over. He would never be able to trust Brigit. He would never be able to call her his.

They were perfect mates that never happened.

This was all they were now.

Aspen sensed her leaving. At first, he did not want to follow. She did the same when he challenged the first white bear. Although fights like this were frowned upon, it wasn’t necessarily illegal. Shifters fought each other all the time and died as a result. As long as it was a fair fight, it was fine. Fair being the key word.

Aspen always gave them a chance to stand up for themselves.

However, at the last minute, something inside him snapped as Brigit’s intoxicating scent enveloped him until he couldn’t breathe properly anymore, and Aspen decided to go after his ex.

It was annoying, and she had to stop this. This… whatever this was!

Brigit sensed him following her and sped up, only fuelling his desire to catch up with her more. At least in his wolf form, he could still do it.

However, his tormenter was cruel. They left the woods in a few minutes, and she rushed into the night city. It was surprisingly busy now, and Aspen had no choice but to shift into his human form and get the clothes he had hidden nearby for this exact kind of situation.

Although they were technically allies with the bears now, he still had to stay careful. Not all the bears were “reformed”. And only a few of his warriors were around at this time to back him up. So, he had to choose the safer way.

Brigit managed to disappear as if she wasn’t the one who stalked him in the first place.

The thought alone annoyed Aspen. He never looked at her at official events. And she never allowed him to see her outside of those. At least, not alone.

But she followed him both times he was hunting his enemies. Which led him to believe she knew everything about his little revenge quest. And also… she knew where the remaining three bears were. She had to.

She must have hidden them because he couldn’t find anything about their whereabouts. Not even from their “friends” he fought and killed. The three bears disappeared one by one, and no one ever saw them again.

There couldn’t be any other explanation. Brigit had to be hiding them somewhere, protecting them from his wrath.

And today, he was going to confront her about it.

Enough was enough. She was going to give him… answers!

Aspen knew very well where the Bear Queen of Nova Oberon would go. There was only one place she could hide from him. It wasn’t her bedroom. It wasn’t her office. He could reach those because his room was in the same wing. Brigit wouldn’t go there now that she tried to avoid him.

The Throne Room.

This was where he couldn’t go because it was always heavily guarded. This was where she would be hiding from him now.

Little did she know that he had a surprise for her.

***

Brigit passed her guards with a stern, disinterested look as she strolled into her throne room. Sadly, this was the only safe place she could think of.

coat, letting it fall to her feet. It was obstructing her from breathing. She was always a

not go unpunished, and she bit her lip

still so painful after all these

mutually rejected each other. Shouldn’t the pain have subsided

a while to get here!” The familiar voice made her flinch and snap her head in the

in her throat, taking

he couldn’t possibly have gotten here faster than

with familiar warm light, and a part

She wasn’t home. Not with him. Her home would never be with him. Not after

he angled his head at her, his face lazily leaning over his fist, elbow resting on the throne’s armrest. Right now, he was the one who looked like a royal. And she looked like

her voice.

to acknowledge that they were mates once? “Queen,” Aspen finished coldly,

and straightened her back. “Well, I am

the stairs. His cane wasn’t with him, and it took

be impatient. Instead, she watched him with the respect he deserved and didn’t let a single muscle on her face show how sorry she

he was here. At least he was alive. She couldn’t forget how it felt to lose him, Savannah’s words echoing in her

Lycan Queen. That life would be safer, better. She wished there was a different way to obtain it, but it was what

Brigit could do or say anything, Aspen’s hand closed around her neck, and he pushed her

wasn’t hurting her even though she deserved it. She deserved whatever he was going to do with her, and she was surprised he didn’t do

they?” he demanded, and she instantly knew

missing bears. Brigit figured he

felt so good, though. Finally, she had some kind of physical contact with him, something she had been craving for a while. Even if it was like

close to her neck, hot

his glare. He

They?” He repeated with a growl, and everything inside her exploded with the

further, their breaths tangling in a fight for dominance as his thumb brushed over her lower lips. Something

breathtaking tonight in her thin

a pulp in between the hourly knee-breakings made his blood boil. He hated showing weakness in front

Brigit didn’t choose him… because she did not deem

wasn’t the best of ideas, and he distanced himself from her,

on the handle when

she said, voice confident.

tighter around

lying,” he muttered without sparing her a

am not!” Brigit insisted. “I–

a moment to process

“they ate your porridge and sat

confessed, tears stinging her eyes as she tried to blink

mates back then,” Aspen scoffed, piercing her heart

that she did

The words hang in the air between them. Heavy. Unbreakable.

expected him to laugh at her or to say something hurtful. Gods

But Aspen stayed silent.

stepped closer, feeling brave with him for the first time in a while. He needed to know this. She knew very well why he was

different place. I took them to the top of the icy bear cliff and challenged them one by one. Then, when I won, I dropped their bodies to the Northern Sea to feed the fish and be useful

to assess how serious she was

about the third one… the

fall forward onto her chest. “He was the first. I found him on the battlefield right after I was blessed. I knew him too well to miss him. Bjorn’s minion! He

at her, turning to face her, just inches away from her warm

care!” she retorted, tears finally streaming freely down her cheeks. “You can hate me all your life, but you can’t prohibit me from caring! I love you, Aspen!

realising what she had just done, what she

that before him for eternity or if it were mere seconds, but she was afraid

him? Why couldn’t they both have been smarter? Why was life so unfair to them? Why did the gods pair them up as mates? And why couldn’t they stop loving each

didn’t get to finish her response as Aspen grasped her neck again and pulled her closer, slamming his lips into hers. His tongue immediately pressed for entrance which she

as one, Brigit ripped his shirt off, greedy to feel his hot skin.

pulled the top of her dress, ripping the silver fabric to release her flesh underneath it and

his mouth, rolling it with his tongue while tugging the other

did not expect to ever feel this

his zipper and in no time she was working his length slowly up and down, eliciting a growl from him. The

he told her, and she licked her lips, which made him bare her canines at her. She wouldn’t mind that

it then!” Brigit said, hoping that she didn’t sound too desperate.

the slit of her dress and cupped her warm s.ex, making her

am not your Queen.” She couldn’t stop herself from saying that. She wasn’t his queen, he had to

her and she was afraid she just ruined it all. “But

parted. He didn’t just

grabbed her roughly and scooped her up, her legs wrapping around his waist, their chests pressed

but when she heard his

f*ck you on your

a whole flight of stairs, and he was holding her. He had no cane, no support.

her and their eyes met, the world around them spun and in the next second they found

did you– What?” Brigit couldn’t find the right

smirked, taking a seat and shifting her on his lap so her back was against his

parted her legs and ripped her lacy underwear off her, throwing it far

of her neck. His hardness pressed against her back and his fingers dipped between her thighs

“Through–” she panted, “–space?”

afraid to send his injured best friend to the bear kingdom. Aspen was one of the changed ones! He was limping and yet he was able to transport himself to

made Brigit feel a bit

caressed her sensitive bundle of nerves as she arched her back, leaning into his chest. If anyone walked in right now, they would witness the show of