The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Savannah and Kai could hear the sounds of the water threatening their friends’ lives. Water was merciless to shifters unless they were

sirens. Thanks to their regenerative abilities, they could survive if they were thrown into a fire. Bullets were useless because most shifters

moved faster than them. Cold weapons were dangerous only in another shifter’s hands and only if special conditions were met; it had to

be a special type of metal or poison, plus it had to go through the heart. Decapitation was also an option.

But water… water did not need special conditions. If a shifter was trapped under it, it would kill him sooner or later from lack of

oxygen. In the middle ages, it was one of the three types of executions for lycans and werewolves.

The stakes were ridiculously high.

“Where is the entrance to the catacombs?” The Princess demanded as she followed the Northern King.

“Not here,” he informed her, and she froze just for a second bclore anger made her clench her fists.

“What do you mean not here?1” She was furious as this wasn’t the time for jokes or mistakes. The stakes were too high.

“We wouldn’t get there in time if we went to the main entrance that should be unscaled. ” Kai replied, “That is why I am looking for

… this!”

He pointed at a carving on one of the walls, and Savannah stared at him with a raised brow.

“How does that help us exactly?” she wondered, but the Northerner brushed his palm over the carving.

“Everything is not what it seems in the Forgotten City,” he explained and then, as if by magic, the stone with the carving moved,

revealing a small window with metal bars. “This was done for security reasons so that guards could watch over the priests while they

performed rituals in the catacombs.”

But Savannah wasn’t interested in the explanation anymore. There would be time for that later if they survived today. And if not.it

wouldn’t matter.

The little window gave them a view of a closed room full of water, but it was too dark, and they couldn’t see anything else. If there

was some light before, it was gone now. The water level was rising rapidly, and one could tell it would soon reach the window.

“Da.mn it!” Kai swore under his breath, sensing his Beta close. There was no other place for him to be. “Sawy, step away!” he

ordered and closed his eyes, preparing for the shift. He knew very well that he would have to use his third form for this task.

Savannah gasped as she saw his bones breaking as he stood. A transformation to the royal lycan form was different from shifting into

a wolf. It was painful, and usually, it took more time. But not for Kai. He made it look so… easy. Almost effortless. She was nowhere close

to that. However, she was happy that he was able to become the lycan beast. They sure needed one now!

Their eyes met just for a second as she nodded to him in approval, and he knocked the metal bars out of the window, destroying a

generous chunk of the wall along with it.

without hesitation, he shifted back into his human form and dove into the water, his eyes glowing to illuminate the area around him.

Kai followed his instincts and soon saw his Beta floating unconscious, chained to the werebird, who also didn’t show any signs of

life.

Too latel He was too late, and he would never be able to forgive himself. He wasn’t sure that Savannah would forgive him for this

either. After all, it was his fault they still went through with the stupid Luna Trials. Even capturing Bjorn wasn’t worth losing their friends.

And they didn’t manage to take the werebear prisoner. It was all in vain.

He grabbed the chains, silver coating burning his palms slightly and swam back to the surface as fast as he could.

The water came right next to the cavity he created, and the first thing he saw were Savannah’s terrified green eyes.

He pulled their friends out of the water, and she grasped the chains to help him, trembling when she noticed their pale faces.

“They aren’t breathing!” She said what they had already both known. Without speaking to each other, they grasped the chains from different sides and broke them, working in perfect sync to separate the couple and using their royal lycan strength for it. Then, in

complete silence, they started performing CPR as they heard yet another explosion far away.

“Sawy, you should leave!” Kai told her when they dared to look at each other in between chest compressions.

“No,” she firmly declined, and right then, water gushed out of Zara’s mouth. Immediately, Savannah helped her turn to a side and

held her until she was taking breaths on her own. The werebird still had shackles around her wrists, and the Princess suspected they were

suppressing her healing and preventing her from shifting.

“Steel is underneath the silver coating,” the bird rasped, confirming her suspicions as she caught her gaze, but then she noticed Kai

still trying to save Lachlan and somehow managed to become even paler. She didn’t have strength in her and tried to crawl in the

direction of the two northerners.

Sawy helped her up, and Zara took the Beta’s large palm into her hands.

“Hey,” she whispered with tears forming in her eyes, “unawarewolf, wake up!”

Kai kept pressing with his hands. Mechanically, tactically, not thinking. Not ready to give up.

He wasn’t losing his best friend. Not today. Not like this.

“Come on, big guy!” Zara pleaded. “If I did it, so can you! Come back to us!”

However, it was taking too long, and the three of them knew Lachlan’s chances were lowering every second that passed.

“They poisoned him,” the werebird couldn’t hold back tears anymore and rested her head on Savannah’s shoulder. “He… he could

have fought them off or at least escaped, but he stayed because of mel”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from my Betal” Kai grunted. He should have stopped already, and they all were aware of this. It was time to get his woman out of here, but every time he pressed on his friend’s chest, he promised himself that it would be just a few more

pushes before he gave up. And if nothing happened, he would stop.

“Lan, get your ass back here! That’s an order!” He growled loudly and slammed his fist into his friend’s chest harder than he was

supposed to. He felt a bone cracking, but at the same time, water burst out of his Beta’s throat from the pressure. Lachlan tried taking

desperate breaths, but it was hard, and Kai had to help him just like Savannah did to the werebird a few moments ago.