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.

and leaned against them, unbuttoning her fur coat, letting it fall to

little good deed did not go unpunished, and she bit her lip until the familiar metallic taste of blood touched

it still so painful after all

Shouldn’t the pain have subsided by

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

taking

if Aspen shifted, he couldn’t possibly have gotten here faster than

eyes gleamed in the darkness with familiar warm light, and a part of

her heart and soul. She wasn’t home. Not with him. Her home would never be

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 the

hating the weakness in her voice.

a beat. Was he going to acknowledge that they were mates once? “Queen,” Aspen finished

her back. “Well, I am here now. What do you

with him, and it took him a while as he was

rush him or be impatient. Instead, she watched him with the respect he deserved

it felt to lose him, Savannah’s words echoing in her memory. She

better. She wished there

say anything, Aspen’s hand closed around her neck, and he pushed her against the door,

though she deserved it. She deserved whatever he was going to do with her, and

demanded, and she instantly knew who he was

figured he was

he growled menacingly, tightening his grip. It 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

his canines dangerously close to her neck, hot breath prickling her skin in this cold,

want from me, Aspen?” she dared him, meeting his glare. He was

everything inside her exploded with the desire to have him

she taunted further, their breaths tangling in a fight for dominance as his thumb brushed over her lower lips. Something he did not intend to do but ended up

breathtaking tonight in her thin silver

into a pulp in between the hourly knee-breakings made his blood boil.

didn’t choose him… because she did not deem him strong enough

mind, and he let go of her. All this wasn’t the best of

hand was on the handle when Brigit

are dead!” she said, voice confident.

tighter

lying,” he muttered without

am not!” Brigit insisted. “I– I killed

moment to process

your

tears stinging her eyes as she

scoffed, piercing her heart

that she did

my mate for me.” The words hang in

to laugh at her or to say something hurtful. Gods knew she deserved

But Aspen stayed silent.

and she stepped closer, feeling brave with him for the first time in a while. He needed to know

care of- It was the same as you killed the others ,” she admitted, “just a different place. I took them to the top of the icy bear cliff and challenged them one by one.

time and tried to assess how serious

about the third one…

first. I found him on the battlefield right after I was blessed. I knew him too well

at her, turning to face her, just

hate me all your life, but you can’t prohibit me from caring! I

what she had just done, what she

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

understood that it was a rhetorical question. Why didn’t she come to him? Why couldn’t they both have been smarter? Why was life so unfair to them?

don’t–” Brigit 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 granted, because she

hair, breaths joined as one, Brigit ripped his shirt off, greedy to feel his

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

with his mouth, rolling it

in his arms. It felt so good, so right… She did not expect to ever feel this way again, so she wanted to use this moment to remember this. Remember

time she was working his length slowly up and down, eliciting a growl from him. The sound brought her more joy than

her, and she licked her lips, which made him bare her canines at her.

didn’t sound too desperate.

Queen,” he slid his hand in the slit of her dress and

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

stopped touching her and she was afraid she

lips parted. He

her legs wrapping around his waist, their

but when she heard his next words, her

f*ck you on your

whole flight of stairs, and he

her and their eyes met, the world around them

you– What?” Brigit couldn’t find the

and shifting her on his lap so her back was against

lacy underwear off her, throwing it far away. The thought of one of her advisors finding her torn panties tomorrow distracted her from

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

“Through–” she panted, “–space?”

kingdom. Aspen was one of the changed ones!

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 their lives. A queen