The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert novel Chapter 54

Cruel, Beautiful Things

That’s your real scent.” Savannah whispered, and Bjorn nodded, confirming her guess. He leaned closer to her, brushing his palm over her cheek. She Ilinched away, and the motion disgruntled him, although he tried not to show it.

Her skin felt so mooth lo his touch like the petals of a most delicate flowet. He couldn’t gel enough of the sensations when he touched her. He hoped that by now, she would say the one and only word he had longed to hear from her lips for so long. Mate.

“Yes, Savannah. This is my real sceni. The one i barely use anymore. I didn’t even let you sinelli the low times we met, although I knew at once you were mine.” He tried to be patient with her. He knowleliad already overstepped too many boundaries to push her now. She looked so weak, felt so broken… Maybe he should have left her sister-in-law alive as a little consolation gift for Savannah. He could dispose of that woman’s baby later and pretend it was an accident. That little gili could have made the transition easier for his mate.

Although he remembered very well how dangerous Riannon Stormhold was. She alone was the sole reason for his brother’s demise. That sealed her late.

Savannah stayed silent, and he took it as a sign of her wishing to know more.

“When I ran in the forest back then. I was going to kill the woll who witnessed me in lycans’ territory. This was whall always did. Kill, destroy and get rid of the body.” He was so calm that Savvy felt beads of sweat forming on her skin. “If it was anyone else but you, they would be dead. But it was enough for me to inhale a drop of your scent, and everything changed. All my plans went to chaos.”

“Didn’t you call me Kai’s toy?” she reminded him, and a smile reached his lips. At least she was talking to him. This was some kind of progress for them. He was sure that, over time, she would give up and accept him. She simply had to and he couldn’t wait.

“I was a bit frustrated at first,” he confessed, “I wasn’t looking for a mate. I didn’t think I would ever get another. And it took me a tew seconds to realise what was going on. How you affected me. Who you were to me.”

“And what happened to your first mate?” Savannah asked, ignoring his confession. She looked so pale that he knew she’d saint again soon. Now that she was here, there was no rush anymore. He could take his time with her.

**That’s a story for another day.” Bjorn dodged that subject. Today I want to speak about us.” He took her hands into his again and realised they were cold and limp as it life was slipping out of his mate.

“You think we have a future?” Savannah asked weakly, her eyelids too heavy again. “Of course we do,” he didn’t hesitate to respond.

“Good,” the Princess’ lips curled into a smile, and the bear’s heart skipped a beat. She had never smiled at him before. He should have released his true scent long ago just for this alone. He was about to say something when something changed in her face. That beautiful smile of hers turned into a sheer as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Very good,” she added, “because that means I can hurt you the way you hurt me. Although that’s unlikely. You hurt me so much that unless I destroy what you love the most, you will never understand. But even this is good.”

“What are you talking about?” Bjorn released her hands, anger and disappointment burning in his chest.

“I don’t feel anything.” she stated calmly. “Your real scent doesn’t awaken anything inside of me. I hate you just as much as I hated you before you let it out. I don’t want to say the sacred words to you. You will never hear them from me!”

He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her up, not really knowing what he wanted to do. Kiss her? Hit her? Take her? Things were already bad and she looked like she was about to faint anyway.

Why didn’t she feel it? What happened? Or maybe she was lying to wound him? She must have been angry with him for killing her family. It was understandable. She was also recovering from her previous bond breaking. That exhausted her significantly and that poison to weaken her didn’t seem to be such a good idea now. If she died, it wouldn’t change any of his plans. He would still take the North. He already had. And the West would fall too without a ruler. What had been planned with Castiel was finally achieved, even though his brother wasn’t there to see it.

However he didn’t want her to die. Even if that was what she wanted, he wasn’t going to grant her this wish. Time would pass and she would give into the mate bond. She had to. He did.

After the last time, he swore that if the gods granted him a mate again, he would kill or at least reject her on the spot to avoid the pain However, as won as he met Savannah, he couldn’t do it. She didn’t recognise him, didn’t try to claim him and, although deep

nude he knew she was his, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

After their fort encounter, he found out everything he could about her. He went through all the old reports after his brother’s death andrealised that he wasmated to another. Moreover, that person had been seeking an audience with him for a while.

He instantly disliked/ack Morpan. Too pretty, too polished, not manly enough to be called an Alpha; yet Zack had an ego bigger than his own. He started talking about his mate early sure thai she would be his ticket to being appointed the King of The West when they wil done with the current rulers. Little did that pup know that this was never the plan. Castiel would have never given that crown to anyone el

Bjorn cringed when lach mentioned this one and only night with Savannah and this was when he decided that the stupid werewolf

would die soon. Just the thought of him touching Savannah enraged him to the core. Initially, he planned to give him a slow and painful death, starting by cutting off his fingers one by one and then moving on toolher..protruding parts. However, this was when Zack mentioned the little game he played with his male to remind her of hum. As long as they had this bond, he could torture her softly. Zack could influence her, distract her. And thal was something Born needed.

He already knew she was here to join the Luna Trials to compete for the Northern Crown. There was no love lost between her and The king, he was sure of that. Nevertheless, he wanted to take cira recautions and he couldn’t do it himself since they hadn’t had a chance to mate vet. Not to mention how much work he had on his hands. Taking Savannah out earlier than necessary could unite the two kings and ruin his plans. So, /ack was the best card in his hand loi now

It all started to bother him more when he found out they were poing on a date. At first, he took it calmly. Dates were normal at the tuna Inals. It was when he realised that Kawaslaking her outside olthe castle that the whole thing, started to worry him. He had been studying Kailor you and he knew what that place meant to him. He would never bring a simple contender there. And when he watched them both from the opposite mountain, gazing at the city and the stars, he’d had enough.

He was risking everything each time he met her, but each time only made him more confident that she was the one for him. She was his second chance mate, and she would feel this too the moment Zack died. However, things only got worse and worse from there. She wasn’t thinking of him; she ignored his gifts and did not kill her annoying mate when she had a chance. All so she didn’t ruin her chances with Kai. Biom never liked the Lycan king of the North, but he started to hate him with his whole heart after this. His old rival was getting what he wanted the most. Apain.

The desire to get Savvy out early and to claim her was almost unbearable, but he knew he had to wait for the right chance, or all of his work, including his brother’s legacy, would go to waste. It wasn’t fear it was torture,. But this was all he could do.

It all paid off in the end. All of his enemies were dead, and she was with him now. Except that her eyes were cold, her lips were pale, and she despised him. He could leel it even without that sneer of hers.