The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert Read Online
Chapter 77
Brigit was clutching Aspen’s body, tears streaming down her beautiful face. Their love story that never happened flashed before her eyes. What would they be doing now if everything was different, if she didn’t reject him when they met? Would they be happy, celebrating Kai and Savvy’s wedding? Or it could be time for their own mating ceremony.
How would his mark look on her neck? And would he allow her to claw his flesh to mark him in return? She felt like he would. He used to love her so much… His love could warm her heart now if she hadn’t ruined everything.
Aspen was what she had always dreamt of, her perfect mate, the flawless man of her dreams, but they… they never happened. And now they never would.
Luckily, Brigit knew just the person to blame.
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If Bjorn’s greed and ego didn’t come into play, if he was not controlled by his obsession with the woman who did not want him in the first place, this war wouldn’t have happened. And yes, Brigit knew that Joran played his part too, but Bjorn was the one who had controlled her life since the first time they met. He was the one who f0rced her to reject Aspen when there was no need for this. And “because of his threats, she couldn’t accept her mate in the first place.
He was the one she was going to K*ll today, and she was going to enjoy it. Luckily, she knew just the way… She’d come prepared.
Her bears were still defending her in a circle, and Brigit leaned down to k!ss the wolf in her arms one last time. It wasn’t enough. Those rare moments they shared would never be enough. She would regret this loss forever, unable to recover.
“This life or any other I ever get, I will only love you, my mate that never happened,” she whispered as her salty tears rolled down to his deadly wounds.
She carefully placed him on the ground, brushing her fingers over his soft red fur and wiped her face with hands covered in his blood, knowing that it would be smudged over her skin. Brigit did not care, though. In fact, she did not mind This would remind her of why she was doing this.
In less than a second, she shifted into her bear form and ran into the epicentre of the battle, followed by her warriors.
Savannah watched the love of her life being thrown over the sharp, deadly cliffs of the Northern Mountain chain. Her breathing hitched, and it seemed that life itself stopped because this couldn’t be happening. The whole world around her froze.
She’d already lost him once. She couldn’t go through this again. She would go mad. One person couldn’t possibly endure this much pain. Her heart wouldn’t be able to bear this..
Savvy wanted to jump right after him, and only the thought that she was carrying Kai’s baby in her belly stopped her from doing this. Her North Star mark ached, and this brought tears to her eyes. If Kai did not survive now, she did not want to live either.
He was the only one who could make her happy. He was her mate, her love, her husband, her better half and also the worse one at the same time. They went through so much, fought so hard… This couldn’t be it for them.
“Kail” her scream pierced the air above the mountains and down to the battlefield.
Joran still wasn’t satisfied. Some bird tried to catch the lycan while he was falling, and it infuriated him so much that he sent a wave of fire down its way. How annoying were these little specks of mortal dust? His brother’s Champion had to d*ie. It was only fair for interfering in his matters and for resisting after all this time. After all, Fenrir had to know better.
But somehow, it didn’t feel like it was enough. The punishment had to be bigger, harsher, more cruel. His brother, who swore not to meddle in his business, just defied everything. Again. And now Joran had to give him a proper response.
His eyes fell on the Princess, who now called herself a Queen without his permission. The one who did not take his generous offer. The one who rejected his Champion despite how hard it was for him to get this bond for the two of them.
Now that he looked at her better, he saw something else. Something he couldn’t ignore. The mark on her neck was glowing like starlight while she screamed in agony, but that glow had something else in it. Something he did not expect to see.
The Seer’s words came to his mind. You aren’t getting that firstborn.
Because someone else had already claimed it!
Fenrir. His brother had already laid claim to the child in that woman’s womb.
This was the last straw for Joran, and he charged at Savannah, ready to reunite her with her beloved. guy? So be it!
She wanted to be with that
Bjorn wanted to gloat or to feel happy, at least. His rival was now gone, thrown away to suffer a miserable death unworthy of legends. His woman was so close he could practically taste her delicious bluebell scent. All that was left was to grab her and get her home, but he couldn’t move.
Savannah’s face contorted from the pain she felt, and the sound that left her chest was so… broken. She was broken. His beautiful Princess was crushed, and he wondered how many times one person could be destroyed and be rebuilt again.
The White Bear King tried to push these thoughts away. He had been through a lot too, and he was fine! Their mate bond would heal them both. They were meant to be, and this was it. He knew that Savannah belonged to him from the moment he saw her.
He worked so hard to get her, and he couldn’t question all that now… But why did his heart clench so painfully when he looked at her grief-stricken face now? He’s seen her broken many times and it had never had this effect.
Their eyes locked, and he knew that all she desired now was to K*ll him. He wanted to lie to himself again so badly and persuade himself that this was temporary. That she would cry it out and get back to her senses, that he would fill this void that was forming in her soul now.
Just a few seconds passed, but suddenly, he knew the truth. They would never be together. Even if their bond would snap in its place now, she would still hate him forever. Until the day she d*ied.
He couldn’t have her no matter what he did.
He could burn the world for her, he could wage and win thousands of wars, but Savannah would never want him as her man. She would never feel the way he felt. He knew that now.
Her hand was resting on her belly, and he instantly realised that he was too late. He’d been too late all this time… She had already created a family without him. She was already happy without him.
And he had just helped to ruin it all.
He had nothing to give to her to replace that.
Darius sensed a familiar energy and lifted his eyes to the sky to see his mentor flying towards them. It was rare to see him in this form. Let alone for so long, but the speed with which Joran charged at them told him that he was angrier than ever. The deity was radiating with rage.
And there could be only one person on the top of that mountain on whom he could loose his rage.
Savannah…
He had less than a second to think of what to do. It was barely even a moment… But Bjorn jumped in front of her and pushed his mate out of his w ay into a pile of snow before Joran’s enormous claws clutched around him instead of her in his deadly grip.
Their eyes met, and he saw the shock in hers. Savannah had not understood the extent of what he felt for her. She never knew, never believed him. All the words he told her, all the effort from his side – she never took it for what it really was, and that knowledge pained him as the Serpent took off back into the sky with the wrong victim in his claws.
At least he’d given her a chance to survive now. It made him a little bit happier, knowing that she would walk the earth thanks to him.
His mate was getting smaller and smaller until she was just a tiny dot on the white snow that covered the mountaintop. Bjorn closed his eyes, and a single tear f0rced its way down his chin against all odds.
Maybe she would know now… Maybe… just maybe, she would know that everything he did was out of love for her. The sick, twisted, overwhelming love that would never fade in his heart. He would have given her the stars if she’d only let him… Perhaps, they weren’t meant to be after all, but even now, he had no regrets. He tried to give them a chance, and it was worth it….
Joran was furious. What was this boy thinking? Why did everyone under his control defy him today? He’d invested so much in this. bear cub! He’d spent years training and shaping him to become a perfect champion, to serve his agenda and rule over the Moonrise Kingdom they tried to restore. And he was throwing all this away for a woman?
He knew that Darius was obsessed with his mate, but was she even worth it, considering how many times she’d rejected him? She now had another man’s baby in her womb and wore his brother’s divine protection. Savannah Stormhold Fionnlagh, or whatever she was called now, was a lost cause not worth their time. Joran made his intentions clear, but Darius fought him on that.
This infuriated him even more. The bear would survive the fall, but he had to learn his lesson and never oppose him like that. He could get him another mate if it was so important to him, but respect and obed*ience were of utmost importance. Joran had already forgiven his disciple too many times for his behaviour.
So, to remind him of who was in charge here, Joran loosened his claws and let Bjorn fall down into the depth of the snow covered mountains. He would survive, of course, thanks to his blessing, but the cub would have to think twice about crossing him again.
The dragon deity watched his Champion’s descent. Tomorrow would be a new day, and they would talk again. They would work on the mistakes that were made today and find a solution. They always did.
He wanted to burn the whole battlefield to the ground seeing how his champions were losing the battle one by one. Disappointed…. He was so disappointed with each and every one of them. Not worthy, not strong enough. They would have crushed the enemy in a minute or two if they were like his dragonfly.
Joran knew that he had to find her, and then everything would return to normal. This was a setback, but he would work on a better plan next time. For now, he had to find her and make her regret betraying him. He broke her once. He could do that again.
However, he couldn’t leave without a little surprise. He’d bury them all here as a punishment for their resistance and failure.
When Gideon saw the dragon flying in the direction of the Northern Castle, he knew that Riannon had tricked him. It was too easy to make her stay behind this time, and he naively thought that it was because of her pregnancy when, in reality, she simply had more important things to do. She must have known that she would meet the dragon and planned accordingly.
He broke into a sprint, worried sick and leaving the battlefield at a crucial moment to go to her, but her calm voice in his mind stopped him.
“I am fine, my love,” Ria a*s*sured him. “It was quick, and he is already gone. I am fine, and no one got hurt.”
“Oh, someone will get hurt right after that baby is out of you, Riannon!” he warned her.
“I am so scared!” she taunted him with a chuckle, shifting his state of mind into a completely different one. His Queen played him like a fiddle, but he didn’t really mind. As long as she was safe and they were together, he could take it all.
“What were you thinking?!” he snarled, not wishing to let her off so easy.
“I got what I wanted,” she replied. “The answer to everything. Or at least I think so.”
“Ria, was it even worth it?” The Western Lycan King gritted his teeth.
“I’ll guess we’ll know soon enough “she sighed.” Get back there, Gideon. Savvy needs you more now than ever. Take care of her.”
“Stay where you are!” Gideon growled, hoping that maybe for once this stubborn woman would do as she was told. And then, remembering that Riannon Stormhold did not take orders, he added, “Please, Ria. I beg you.”
“I’ll stay here until it’s over and I am needed again. Now go, Gideon. You have to be there now.”
He knew better than to ignore his wife’s words. She knew things. She always knew everything before everyone else, so he started looking for his little sister since Ria had mentioned her name.
When a wave of power hit them, he saw Reid changing before his eyes, but instantly felt that his Beta would be all right. The change was for the better.
However, he still couldn’t find his sister. The Luna Squad was still fighting, but she wasn’t there anymore.
Finally, he noticed Amarok sprinting to the top of the mountain, and he knew this was where Savvy would be. Those two were inseparable.
However, when he reached the top using his Royal Lycan form, he only found Savannah, unable to speak, and the damned dragon flying away with what looked like a man in his claws.
“Savvy!” he shifted back into his human form and grasped his sister’s shoulders, turning her to look at him, but she still stared somewhere at the mountains and pieces of a horrible picture puzzle began to click together in his head. “Where is Kai?” he asked, and Savvy’s body shuddered at the mention of his name. This couldn’t mean anything good.
He stared at the dragon flying in circles in the sky, his serpentine body had to do that to defy gravity. As soon as he dropped the man he was holding, Gideon knew that it was Bjorn and not the Northern Lycan King.
“I need to find him!” Savannah muttered to herself as if she wasn’t there with him. He could tell that she was shaken by deep shock, the raw emotions were still on her face.
“I need to get you back to the castle,” Gideon said cautiously, still watching the deity that seemed to fly back at them at high speed. “Come quickly, Sav.”
“No!” She resisted the moment he pulled her hand, wishing to stay.
The dragon was already so close that they could not escape his wrath. Gideon grabbed his sister f0rcefully, unable to count on her coming back to her senses in time. He jumped to a lower ledge of the mountain, keeping her close. Savvy did not make it easy for him as she struggled against his grip. However, Gideon knew that protecting her now was more important than anything.
His worst fear came true when the dragon slammed his long tail against the mountaintop, causing it to shake. The Lycan King could feel the vibration, the snow started to move, and he knew he had just a fraction of a moment to hide.
He shifted into his Royal Lycan form and made a leap with Savvy in one of his hands while grasping the ice rocks with another not to slip all the way down to their death. He was aiming for the cave where Savannah’s warriors fought, and luckily, he managed to reach it just in time.
“Inside!” he roared to the warriors still left there, and all of them obeyed his Alpha command fast. Even the white bears listened to his order, and he did not find it in himself to push them away. Every shifter felt that they had seconds to do what they were told or be wiped away by an avalanche going down the sharp cliffs as an unstoppable f0rce.
With no time to spare, Gideon threw Savvy inside, closing the entrance with the rock used as a door. The light that went through the little cracks was gone the moment it was done, and they all were drowned in the darkness, buried under piles and piles of snow.
Trapped…