The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert Read Online
Chapter 35
Kai gr0@ned, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“It’s… everything,” he muttered, but of course, it wasn’t enough for Savannah. “No offence, but your brother is the biggest pr*ck I’ve ever met.”
“True,” the Princess agreed, stretching the word. “But so are you. What’s the story there? Tell me because Gideon says the same thing about you. Even Riannon didn’t get much out of him, and she is a superwoman, no less. There must be more to the original version you both share.”
“The story starts before I met him,” Kai grunted hesitantly and then pulled her higher on his ch3st, car*ssing her back. “Savvy, whatever you hear now, please know that I love you and please promise that ….”
“I will not stop loving you because of you being honest with me,” she snorted. He felt relief running through his veins.
“Fine,” he exhaled heavily. “When my parents d*ied, Elene went into a state of shock. She was their little princess, and they adored her. Without them, my sister was completely broken. After crying for months, she became quiet and never left her room. These were hard years for me, Savvy. I was very young, she was still a teen, and it was just her and me. At some point, I was afraid I would lose her.”
“Sounds familiar,” Savannah sighed, and he placed a soft k!ss on her forehead. She lost her parents too.
“Penelope was the one to help me with Elene initially,” Kai continued, and suddenly Savvy did not like this story. Why did Penelope have to be a part of it?!
“How … nice of her,” the Princess said through clenched teeth.
“Anyway, she was helping, but Elene still wasn’t her usual self,” Kai continued. “Not even close. She only talked to Pen.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Savannah couldn’t handle it anymore and placed her index finger on his l!ps. “Never call her Pen again. Not in front of me.” But after thinking some more, she added. “Not ever!”
Kai’s l!ps curled into a feline grin, and he quickly bit her finger gently with his teeth, sending tingles all over her. Then he took her whole finger in, closing his l!ps around it and released it slowly, bit by bit.
“Stop this!” Savvy almost M0@ned. This was so silly, but it made her want him again. Somehow it was never enough.
However, she decided that finally hearing this story was more important. So, she pulled the cover higher on them to cover up all the goods, not to be tempted anymore. It wasn’t helping much. Luckily, she was stubborn enough to endure this.
“Continue, please.” She put on a serious face, trying to play it cool and only the devilish glint in Kai’s eyes told her that he knew what had crossed her mind.
“Very well,” he started drawing circles on her exposed skin. “So, one day, my absolutely platonic friend, who is actually more of my sister’s friend than mine, and whom we shall not name anymore, brought her to my Alpha training. You probably already know that it’s exclusive to the top-ranked wolves. Lycans go there as well. Anyone who is about to a*s*sume the position from Alpha to Delta is obliged to study there.”
“Of course,” Savvy nodded, not biting his joke. That was more like it.
“So, naturally, this was where Gideon and I met.” Kai scratched his chin, noting that a beard was forming there again. “I wouldn’t want to lie to you, Savvy. There was no chance in hell of us ever becoming friends from the very beginning. Do you know how compet*itive your brother is?”
“Very,” she had to admit because there was no point denying it. Gideon loved his victories.
“And so am I,” Kai chuckled. “We were at each other’s throats in everything. Especially combat training. Whatever compet*ition they had; we were there. One time he would win, and another time I would win. Well, mostly me, of course.”
“Of course!” Savvy giggled, remembering that her sibling insisted he was the one leading their sc0re.
“Once, Elene and her nameless friend witnessed our training,” Kai continued. “And after that, they kept returning almost every day.”
“They left the North for so long? That training center is far away from both our kingdoms.”
“Elene’s health was more important back then, and my uncle was taking care of the kingdom in my absence,” Kai explained. “I thought they were coming to see me, but I caught Elene giggling next to Gideon after one training session. Savvy, you have no idea what it meant to me! She was smiling and looked happy again. After such a long time.”
“I understand,” she whispered. She knew far too well how the pain from the loss of her own parents felt.
“Your brother was always polite with her, so I was starting to warm up towards him. But then… One day I heard Gideon talking badly about her.” Savannah looked at the Northern King in surprise and saw how tense his face was. The memories were unpleasant.
“What did he say?” She asked, sure that it must have been a mistake.
“Lachlan and I heard him and his Beta talking.” Kai’s voice was lower than usual, deeper. “The Beta asked if Gideon was interested in Elene, and your pr*ck of a brother said that he would rather stay alone forever than be with someone like my sister. He called her a spoiled brat who liked to play victim all the time, and when his right hand asked if it was okay for him to pursue her, Gideon prohibited, saying that she wasn’t worth the time.”
Even Savannah had to admit that it was harsh. However, knowing Elene, she believed there was a reason for everything.
“Did you ever speak to him about it?” she muttered.
“No, I tried to ignore it first and ordered Elene and the nameless one to return to the North,” Kai grunted. “But … Elene burst out crying and became depressed again. She … She tried to K*ll herself.”
Savvy gasped for air. This wasn’t something she expected.
“I had to leave school for a while to take care of her. She was depressed again, and I was desperate.”
“Was this when you asked Gideon to marry her for the first time?” Savvy felt so sorry for him. She could only imagine now what it was like for someone as proud as Kai to make such an offer to her brother.
“Yes,” he replied dryly. “And?”
“And it went really bad. We almost K*lled each other in the process.” The reply shocked her. Gideon never told her anything about that. “It got worse from there.”
“So, then you asked for my hand in marriage?” She looked at him questioningly, brow arched.
“I was a fool because I simply wanted to piss him off,” Kai admitted. “Who would have known that you are… you.”
“Well, the desired effect is achieved.” Savvy tried to suppress a laugh. “You are not the only one with a younger sister and no parents, you know?”
“I know,” he admitted. “I would have handled it differently now. But now I am older and madly in love with you.” Kai bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Back then, was still the bitter, rebellious boy who had to pretend he was a king and had no boundaries.”
“Kai,” Savannah bit her lip and glanced at him through her lashes. “I always wanted to ask you something. Remember Bjorn?”
The sound of this name made the Lycan sit up and meet her eyes.
“That went from unpleasant to infuriating rather quickly.” A soft laugh rocked his chest, but she could see how puzzled and unsettled he was.
“As you know, we had a conversation,” Savannah decided to come clean about everything, but first, she had to find out one thing. “He said a phrase that stayed with me. He said that you cannot be K*lled in a battle. Why would he say that?”
She watched his face closely, but not a single muscle twitched,
Kai hoped to postpone that revelation for later, but since she asked, not telling her would be the same as lying. And all he wanted was honesty.
“I can be K*lled, of course,” he answered after what seemed like forever. “But that’s a challenge for everyone.”
“K*lling a Lycan is always a challenge,” she retorted.
“True,” Kai nodded slowly, and she knew he was choosing his next words. “Savvy, this is something I have to tell you anyway. The northern royal bloodline is special. And it’s not
because we just say that. We can do something that other Lycans can’t.”
“What would that be?” the Princess chewed on her l!p nervously.
“We can control our third form,” Kai confessed, and his beloved couldn’t believe her own ears. “I can shift into my beast when I want, and I never have trouble shifting back into my wolf.”
It had been days since they were in contact with Savannah and Zara knew everything was in her hands now. She had to be somewhere close since the King was missing too, and they were told that the two of them were spending time together.
It was possible, and Zara knew that. The sparks between the Princess and the King were undeniable. Everyone who worked at the castle or took part in the Trials knew that Kai only had his eyes on Savannah. This wasn’t a secret even despite them acting in public like they had nothing to do with each other. It was impossible to ignore all the glances or the fact that when the King was supposed to have dates with other contenders, he ended up only exchanging a word or two with them briefly. Penelope was the only one who got the honour of a more extended conversation, but he didn’t look at her the way he looked at Savvy. And the length could have been explained by them being friends.
So, Zara was hopeful that what the Northern Princess was telling her and Kyle was the truth. Savannah was just spending her time with the man she was infatuated with.
However, since the recent events, Zara couldn’t sit still, knowing that Savvy had to be in the castle.
This was why she started looking for the one she swore loyalty to. The one who gave her a new home and a new purpose in life.
After the Red Harem, which Zara refused to call that Eden in her mind, she was lost. Savannah took her under her wing and helped her to feel useful, smart, and brave again. Something that Castiel and her flock, which banished her, took away a long time ago.
The snow made flying challenging, but at the same time, it covered her from all the eyes on the ground. They were told not to look for the king, and technically, Zara was disobeying Princess Elene’s orders.
It was too bad; she served a different princess. And the black hawk didn’t plan to stop looking for her since Kyle couldn’t reach her via the mind link.
On her first day, she flew around the capital and surrounding areas, but there weren’t too many people outside. Sadly, she realised very fast that her abilities were limited and she couldn’t fly too far in such weather without risking death in the process. This wasn’t an option.
She tried flying over the surrounding mountains on the second and third days but had to return to the castle quickly because of a heavy snowstorm.
Next, she decided that she needed to be more innovative. The King couldn’t have been missing without anyone knowing where he was. Elene knew their location for sure, but she wasn’t going to share. The other one who had to know Kai’s whereabouts was his Beta, Lachlan. So, when Zara saw him speaking to Elene on the other day, she shifted into the smaller version of her black hawk and watched him until he left the castle in his wolf form. Lachlan had a cream-coloured wolf and was hard to spot in all that snow, especially during a blizzard, but she still managed to do it. When he stationed himself as one of the mountain guards, Zara knew that his King had to be close.
But then the lycan was on the move again, and she had to follow him deeper into the mountains. Luckily, the weather was finally allowing it, and she could spy to her heart’s content.
Until he entered a cave.
Grunting, Zara shifted back to her human form. Thankful for the fact that birds got to keep their clothes, unlike the wolves and cats. However, she still wasn’t dressed for the occasion. Her black jeans and leather jacket weren’t enough. It was freezing in the North now, and she couldn’t believe they were parading outdoors in open dresses just days ago.
Zara walked into the cave, trying not to make any noise. She did not see the Beta Lycan anymore and, after some time, a*s*sumed that he was gone. When she walked further inside, she realised this wasn’t just a cave. There was a long dark passage inside.
Swallowing the lump in her throat and determined to find Savannah today, Zara confidently entered the cave’s depths.
However, she didn’t walk for too long as someone grabbed her neck in the darkness and slammed her against the surprisingly smooth wall.
“What does a pretty bird do in a place like this?” Lachlan chuckled darkly, opening a lighter’s lid and illuminating the space around them with the tiny flame. Barely enough for her to see his stern face or the outlines of his n@ked body. Where on Earth did he take a lighter here?
“Just stretching my wings,” she lied without blinking, and his l!ps curved into a menacing smile.
“Is it a physical activity that you seek?”
“Why?” she raised her brow, not letting herself be intimidated. “Are you offering?”
“How can I deny a pretty bird like you?” He stepped closer so that she could smell his scent of blue spruce. She had already noticed it before when they stood next to each other at official events, but right now, it was incredibly intense.
His face was suddenly too close to hers, noses almost touching.
“What happened? Do you feel that I am your mate? Do you want to growl mine?” she taunted him with his large palm still around her thin neck. He could have snapped it here and there if he wanted to. Their eyes locked, and for a few seconds, it felt like a battle of two minds.
“I already had a mate,” Lachlan snarled, and Zara found herself slightly disappointed hearing this. Not that it mattered. She already knew they weren’t mates.
“Oh, did she reject you and run away?” she smirked and felt his grip tightening. “She is dead,” he let go of her at once, almost making her collapse to the ground and turn away. Now she was feeling guilty for being such an evil brat. What was she thinking, laughing at someone’s mating situation? She was the one to know that these things were never simple after what happened to her.
“I am sorry.” Zara suspected that he didn’t care for her lousy apology, but she owed it to him anyway. She knew a broken heart when she saw one.
“Go away,” he gr0@ned with his back towards her, while she let out an apologetic sigh. “Return to the castle.”
“I am sorry,” she repeated, “but I have a mission to complete. I am not a pretty bird. I am a bird of prey!”
“Don’t you dare!” Lachlan warned, but it was already too late.
The girl shifted in a blink of an eye and flew deeper into the dark tunnel at high speed. She could hear a furious growl behind her back and knew that the Lycan had shifted into his wolf already. Luckily, she could feel the airflow and knew that after a while, the dark tunnel would end with an exit, leading her to the other side. This was also why Lachlan was so angry. He would laugh her off if she flew into a dead end. But he was following her, roaring on his way, which led her to believe she was on the right track.
After a few minutes, she saw the light and was finally able to use her top speed. In a flash, she was soaring high in the sky, trying to adjust her eyes to the brightness.
It was still snowing, but the blizzard was definitely behind them. She saw the frosted woods and cliffs, but there was one thing that attracted her attention at once. A generous
clearing on the shoulder of one of the mountains looked well kept, and a little cosy-looking house stood right there. Two people were running around it and throwing snowballs at each other.
For a moment, Zara was sorry that she was going to break up their happiness. All the shifter gods knew that Savannah deserved to be happy.
But at the moment, Kyle needed her help more…