The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert novel Chapter 4

The excruciating pain was too much, and tears were burning Savvy’s eyes. She did her best not to scream as her nails dug into the wooden surface of the library desk.

“That mother***ing bast*rd!” she gritted her teeth, calming Athena down as best as she could. The two of them were Alphas; they wouldn’t be crying over a man even if it was their mate. Even if he was hurting them. Especially knowing what kind of man their mate was.

Savannah hated how the mate bond worked. When she found out about Zack’s betrayal and escaped him with the list of traitorous packs who plotted to kill her brother, she made sure to try and reject him when she reached a neighbouring pack of werecats where she was safe. But Zack did not accept her rejection. She still remembered how he stood there, on the border, naked and angry, his hazel eyes piercing her soul. And she spat out the words only for him to refuse to do at least that for her. He did not wish to set her free even though he wasn’t going to be a real mate for her. Unfortunately, since they were true mates chosen by the Moon Goddess herself, for their bond to be broken, she needed him to accept the rejection. And until he did, they were tied to each other forever.

Mates were supposed to take care of each other, love each other unconditionally, and do everything for each other. But her mate only saw her as a good option for breeding strong pups and getting more power. This was all that she was to him, and it still hurt her more than anything.

Then he was gone because he knew that his cover was blown and that Gideon would be ready if they attacked. So Zack escaped, and they never saw each other again. But after about a month, she started to get these little reminders of his existence. The pains were rippling through her body in torturous sharp waves.  As if someone was thrusting a knife into her flesh over and over again.

The first time she experienced this, she almost passed out, and it was Zara who found her. But it was Athena who explained to her what was happening.

“It’s him,” the wolf said, trying her best not to howl from all the pain, “it’s Zack. He is…”

She did not need to finish that sentence since Savvy was clever enough to figure it out. Her mate was having s*x with someone. It was so painful on so many levels, but she ended up laughing through tears. She laughed and she laughed while her elongated claws were leaving marks on the concrete floor. While Zara was holding her and asking if she had to call for help, Savannah only shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. She did not want anyone’s pity. She also did not want her family to be worried about her. All of them had enough on their plates already. So, she made Zara keep her secret, and this was one of the reasons they got so close in the past months.

Over time, she learned to tolerate that pain, to handle it better. She was almost used to it. Luckily, Zack’s intimate moments with others were short. A few minutes at best. Not at all like their first night together, where they couldn’t get enough of each other.

But Savvy slapped herself the moment she let her mind go there. They were done. Mate or no mate, she would have to kill him to get her freedom. And she would never find herself in his arms again…

The arms around her grasped her tighter, and this was when the pain finally became dull.

“Hands?” Savvy mumbled in frustration.

“Earth to the maid,” she heard a familiar voice and blinked a few times. What was all this?

Savannah found herself staring in the face of the gardener she met earlier, his clear blue eyes watching her intently, brows furrowed as he scanned her face. It took her some time to come back to her senses, and she clenched her lips when she did, realising that he was a witness to her weakness. It was bad that he saw her so close this time. He was still thinking that she was a maid, and that part was good, but he would soon see her as a princess. It was inevitable. And who knew what he would be telling people then?

“Space to the gardener,” she pushed him away and stood up, fixing her clothes. At least she looked decent. At this moment, anger for Zack filled her heart as the pain disappeared completely. He was done, and so was she.

Previously, he at least used to have his fun during the dark hours; now, it was still the middle of the day. Which was why she was so careless and went to the library alone. Which in turn led to this situation.

“What was that?” The guy sat on the top of the wooden desk she used previously and traced the marks she left on the surface with his large calloused fingers. “You were… out of your…”

“Don’t finish that sentence!” she ordered in her princess tone, only later remembering that she was pretending to be someone else. The gardener did not look pleased and hopped off the desk to tower over her.

“Or what?” he asked, his minty breath caressing her skin.

He was much bigger than her, much taller. With an aura of confidence around him that gardeners back in her kingdom did not possess. He was also brutish and still didn’t even look clean.

“Or you’ll regret this,” she smirked, folding her hands on her chest. “The gardening section is that way,” Savvy pointed with her index finger.  “Hurry up. Your roses definitely need some work.”

“Only because some crazy lady shredded them to pieces,” he chuckled.

“I heard she only did it because they were that ugly,” she tried to get away from him, but he only bent lower, inhaling her scent and pinning his hands to the desk on both sides of her, which got her trapped.

“No wonder you hate roses when you smell like forest flowers,” he was so close to her that his beard tickled her. Savannah never liked beards. Or man buns. Those were two things that she hated. But Athena, who was always very defensive about their personal space, was unexpectedly quiet now. “Bluebells?” their eyes met when she heard the word. No one ever guessed that on their first attempt. Not even Zack.