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.

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 was always a mess

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

so painful

rejected each other. Shouldn’t the

her flinch and snap her head in the direction where it came from. Her

throat, taking a few steps forward.

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

gleamed in the darkness with familiar warm light, and a part of her felt as if she was home for

Not with him. Her home

lips curled into a cruel smile as he angled his head at her, his face lazily leaning over his fist, elbow resting on the throne’s

the weakness in her

to acknowledge that they were mates

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

wasn’t with him, and it took

respect he deserved and didn’t let a single muscle on her face show how sorry

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

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

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

realising it was just a scare tactic. He wasn’t hurting her even though she deserved it. She deserved whatever he was going to do with her, and she was surprised he

he demanded, and she instantly knew who he was asking

figured he was looking for

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 like this. So, she decided

he hissed, his canines dangerously close to her neck, hot

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

a growl, and everything inside

fight for dominance as his thumb brushed over her lower lips. Something

tonight in her thin

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

choose him… because she did not deem him strong

let go of her. All this wasn’t the best of ideas, and he distanced himself from her, wishing to leave and forget it all

the handle when Brigit

voice confident. “All three of

fingers clenched tighter

lying,” he muttered without

Brigit insisted.

a moment to

ate your porridge and sat on your

Queen confessed, tears stinging her eyes

back then,” Aspen scoffed, piercing her heart with the

she did

be my mate for me.” The words hang

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

But Aspen stayed silent.

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 was searching for

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. Then, when I won, I dropped

the first time and tried to assess how serious she

about the third

on the battlefield right after I was blessed. I knew him too well to miss him. Bjorn’s minion!

turning to face her, just inches away from

retorted, tears finally streaming freely down her cheeks. “You can hate me all your life, but

realising what she had just done, what she had

if it were

come 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 after

her neck again and pulled her closer, slamming his lips into hers. His tongue immediately pressed for entrance which she granted, because she was going to take everything

each other’s hair, breaths joined as one, Brigit ripped his shirt off, greedy to feel his hot skin.

to release her flesh underneath it and groaned in delight

leaned down to capture one of her n*pples with his mouth, rolling it with his tongue

so right… She did not expect to ever feel this way again, so she wanted

length slowly up and down, eliciting

now for all your guards to hear,” he told her, and she

hoping that she didn’t sound too

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

saying that. She wasn’t his queen, he had to stop calling her that. She would literally give a kingdom for

he stopped touching her and she was afraid

He didn’t

up, her legs

painful for him but when

rather f*ck you on

It was a whole flight of stairs, and he was

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

What?” Brigit couldn’t find the right

walk so much anymore,” Aspen smirked, taking a seat and shifting her on his lap so

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

curve of her neck. His hardness pressed against her back and his

“Through–” she panted, “–space?”

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 any destination in a blink

made Brigit feel a

as she arched her back, leaning into his chest. If anyone walked in right now, they would witness