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.

the massive doors behind her back and leaned against them, unbuttoning her fur coat, letting it fall to her feet. It was obstructing her from breathing. She

that Aspen noticed her. Her little good deed did not go unpunished, and she bit her

so painful after all these

each other. Shouldn’t the pain have subsided

voice made her flinch and snap her head in

the lump in her throat, taking a few steps forward. Surely, it

if Aspen shifted, he couldn’t possibly have

a part of her felt as if she was home for the

soul. She wasn’t home. Not with him. Her home would never be with him. Not after what she had done

elbow resting on the throne’s armrest. Right now, he was

the weakness in her voice. She did not want

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

regained herself and straightened her back. “Well,

from the throne he was sitting on and slowly descended the stairs. His cane wasn’t with him, and

the respect

was here. At least he was alive. She couldn’t forget how it felt to lose

safer, better. She wished there was a different way to

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

are they?” he demanded, and she

bears. Brigit figured he

some kind of physical contact with him, something she had been craving for a while. Even if it was like this. So,

his canines dangerously close to her neck, hot

want from me, Aspen?” she dared him, meeting his glare. He was so handsome, her ex-mate. The one she

with a growl, and everything inside her exploded with

his thumb brushed over her lower lips. Something he did not intend to do but ended up doing

tonight in her

Aspen’s voice broke to his own surprise. Just remembering how they beat him into a pulp in between the hourly knee-breakings made his

Maybe that was why Brigit didn’t choose him… because she did

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

on the handle when Brigit broke her

she said, voice confident.

fingers clenched tighter

without sparing her a

insisted. “I–

a moment to

“they ate your porridge

hurt my mate!” the Bear Queen confessed, tears stinging her eyes as she tried to

back then,” Aspen scoffed, piercing her

did

mate for me.” The words hang in

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

But Aspen stayed silent.

them?” his voice rasped, and she stepped closer, feeling brave with him for the first time in a while. He needed to know this. She knew very well why he

of the icy bear cliff

her for the first time and tried to assess how serious

third one…

last,” Brigit shook her head, making her white shiny locks fall forward onto her chest. “He was the first. I found him on the battlefield right after I was blessed. I knew

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

freely down her cheeks. “You can hate me all your life, but

what she had just done, what she had

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

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 other even

lips into hers. His tongue immediately pressed for entrance which she granted, because she was going to take everything he was going to

one, Brigit ripped his shirt off, greedy to feel his hot skin. It was just as she remembered,

ripping the silver fabric to release her flesh underneath it and groaned in delight when her perky

leaned down to capture one of her n*pples with his mouth, rolling it with his tongue while tugging the other one in between his fingers while

did not expect to

she was working his length slowly up and down, eliciting a

for all your guards to hear,” he told her, and she licked her lips, which made him bare

said, hoping that she didn’t sound too desperate. She was afraid to repulse him with her

the slit of her dress and cupped her warm

that. She wasn’t his queen, he had to stop calling her that. She would literally

my Queen,” he stopped touching her and she was afraid she just ruined it all.

He didn’t just say

her roughly and scooped her up, her legs wrapping around

it was painful for him but when she heard

rather f*ck you

was a whole flight of stairs, and he was holding

world around them spun and in the

What?” Brigit couldn’t find the

seat and shifting her on his lap so her back was

legs and ripped her lacy underwear off her, throwing it far away. The thought of one

Aspen’s tongue traced the curve of her neck. His hardness pressed against her back and his fingers dipped between her thighs before bringing them

“Through–” she panted, “–space?”

send his injured best friend to the bear kingdom. Aspen was one of the changed ones! He was

deep inside… it made Brigit

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