The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert Read Online
Chapter 55
The creature stepped out of the darkness, and even Gideon grew tense at what was before his eyes. The wolf was larger than any Lycan or werewolf he had ever seen, with fur in a midnight blue colour, almost as dark as black, but not quite.
All this, however, wasn’t what amazed the King of the West the most. It was the spikes of ice that grew straight out of the wolf’s fur. Larger over the top of his neck and back, smaller on the sides. He looked majestic and ominous at the same time as he bared his sharp, sparkling white teeth.
New. He was so new! As if he was just… born now.
It was hard to ignore how cold the night became, and snowy mist started to form around the creature whose eyes were gleaming like two northern stars.
“Amarok,” Riannon whispered. She was the only one smiling now because she was the only one who knew the creature’s true ident*ity.
The true Lycan King of the North, he was on his land and in his right. The ruler that was needed now more than ever.
“Who?” Gideon still trying to gently move his Luna behind him in an attempt to protect her. It was hard for him to tell whether the beast meant well or not.
The bones started snapping, and in just a few moments, the wolf turned into an ice lycan standing on his two feet. This sight was even more incredible than the first one.
However, in just a few moments, slowly, and it looked painful too, the lycan tried to retract his spikes, but something wasn’t working, making him growl in frustration and fall back on all fours, turning back into the ice wolf.
“He can’t shift,” Ria explained, voice barely a whisper, but everyone present heard her. She seemed to be reading the creature’s mind.
“Stay back, Ria,” Gideon still wasn’t convinced it was safe, the memory of holding his pregnant wife’s dead body was still haunting his mind. His family being destroyed before his eyes was the scariest thing he had ever experienced, and he was ready to d*ie ten times over to not let that happen.
“Don’t you see it?” His wife furrowed her brows as she glanced at him. She knew something he didn’t again. “It’s Kai!”
“What?” Lachlan stepped in front of them.
Seconds ago, he was mourning his best friend and blaming himself for not being able to get Kai’s out of their burning home, and now a beast stood before his eyes, and it felt so new and so familiar at the same time.
The Western Queen’s words ignited a spark of hope in him. Was it really his King? He was ready to accept his new form, he was ready to follow him to hell and do anything just for the chance of getting his friend back.
This monster walked out of the castle that wasn’t burning anymore and he was the one that put the fire out. The second his paws stepped onto the ground, frost covered it, spreading fast around him. This wolf was a f0rce of nature and the embodiment of the North.
“Kai?” They all heard Elene’s weak voice as the Princess walked closer to the wolf. Their eyes locked, and she threw herself at him before Lachlan had a chance to intercept her. Gideon was ready to step in if it was necessary, but Riannon dr@ped her arm around his and leaned over. Neither she nor the princess had any doubts.
“It’s fine,” Ria said, “he would never hurt his Sister.”
“Kai!” Elene sobbed. “I thought I lost you too!
Thanks to Fenrir!”
There was so much pain and despair in her voice that it was impossible not to feel sorry for the northern princess. Elene had many talents, but inner strength wasn’t one of them. If Kai was dead, it would have broken her forever.
“What happened to him?” Gideon asked quietly.
“You called him-“
“Amarok,” Riannon repeated the name.”Onyx can talk to him.”
“Why would she be able to talk to him?” Her husband didn’t really like their sudden connection.
“Because they are the same,” Ria explained with a smile, knowing what was bothering him. She gave him a disapproving glance. “Well, not exactly the same, but they are similar. They have been both blessed by divine power. Thanks to that, I can hear him.”
“But why can’t 1?” Elene looked at Riannon questioningly. “He is my brother, my Alpha and my King.”
Ria looked back at the ice wolf before her, the pair talking without any words said out loud.
“It’s because he d*ied” Riannon sighed, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “He was dead and then he was brought back to life. Just like me.”
“Lucky bastard! He doesn’t even believe in the Moon Goddess!” Gideon chuckled, hugging his wife from the back. He knew she was relieving the memories of her own death and rebirth. No matter how much time passed, no matter how happy they were, it was almost heart-breaking for her to remember those times.
“It wasn’t the Moon Goddess,” Ria responded.
Kai says it was Fenrir and that it’s a really long story.”
“Fenrir needs to do better work then,” Gideon said, observing his old rival’s new form. “Why can’t he shift into a human again?”
“Patience, my love.” Riannon rolled her eyes, knowing that everyone was looking at her now and that they needed motivation and hope. “After Onyx and I were reborn, it took her weeks to shift for the first time. And Kai has been Amarok for barely an hour. All in due time.”
“We don’t have time!” Gideon interjected. “My sister was taken by that white bear monster and we have to get her back before-“
“Yeah,” Riannon rubbed her forehead. “Kai says the same, and to that, I have to tell you both that you need to give Savannah more credit. I am pretty sure stepped on her ex’s heart when we were leaving the castle, and something tells me she was the one to rip it out of his chest. Not to mention, when she was betrayed by him on their first night, she managed to escape in mere hours and bring us valuable information and werecat f0rces when we needed all that the most. They may have taken her, but this was probably their biggest mistake.”
Everyone grew silent while Zara and Naya both nodded, proud of their friend.
“We still need to get her out as soon as possible,” Lachlan said, and Amarok growled in approval, the air getting even colder around him. “
We need to let them know that the Lycan King still stands and-“
“Absolutely not!” Riannon and Alpha Ramina said in unison, exchanging understanding glances.
“You have something in mind?” Gideon’s l!ps curled into a smile as he observed his beautiful and brilliant wife, who never ceased to amaze him.
“Right now, this is our biggest advantage,” she smirked as she looked at him. “They think we are all dead, and the victory is in their hands. They expect everything to fall into their hands now since they didn’t even bother taking the capital. And let’s be honest, if we were all dead, that would have been an easy decision to make.”
“But we are here,” Lachlan snorted, pulling Zara into his embrace shamelessly.
“And they have no idea,” Elene placed her hand on Amarok’s ice fur, and it didn’t seem to hurt her in any way.
“They don’t expect us,” Kyle stepped closer with Evelyn by his side.
“We can see what they plan,” Zara took the Beta’s hand, entwining their fingers.
“And we can ruin it so that they would never recover,” Naya sneered, playing with her white hair.
“So, let’s strike them so hard this time that the problem is solved once and for all!” Gideon agreed, and right before his eyes, Amarok stood on both his feet again in his most dangerous form, stretching his hand with ice claws. This did not scare the Lycan King of the West. He knew what his old rival…
no, what his new friend wanted to do and stretched his hand to him in return, shaking it as their first-ever pact was created. “Together. The West and the North!”
Savannah was in and out of consciousness, abrupt scenes unfolding before her eyes. Some women she did not know washed her and cleaned the room, bringing her back to the bed with fresh sheets. They put on a silk night dress on her, and then a man who looked like a doctor with a bag full of potions and shifter medicines did a basic check on her, pouring some liquid down her throat as she tried to protest.
“It’s just some vitamins and a healing accelerator” the man a*s*sured her.
They all looked worried, but Savvy didn’t care.
They worked for Bjorn, they lived with him and supported him. They encouraged him and approved of his actions by doing so. They were a part of the problem, and she didn’t owe them anything.
The liquid tasted bitter, and Savvy wanted to throw up again, but luckily, she was too weak to do that and simply fell asleep again.
From time to time, she was waking up and finding someone in the room with her. She was never left alone, but then again, that was probably wise because otherwise, she would try to burn this place just like they had burned the bod*ies of the people she loved in Kai’s castle. She dreamed of doing this to Bjorn and his followers, even if it was the last thing she would ever do. Just thinking about it Savannah realised that this would be last thing she would do. She just had to think it through and get some strength back into her body.
She woke up again in the middle of the night when the veil of darkness surrounded her, and someone’s cold fingers were car*ssing her hair.
She wanted to slap that hand away, knowing very well that only one person would be bold enough to touch her like that. She stopped at the last minute, coming to the realisation that if she did just that, he might consider her strong enough to do other things. So, she chose to bear with this for now and hoped that he would leave again as he did before.
The scent of chestnut and Wintergreen enveloped her, and she hated to admit that it did not repulse her. If it was anyone else but her worst enemy, she would have probably even liked it. Yet to her relief, she honestly did not feel anything resembling a mate bond. Her bones ached after K*lling Zack, but her soul and heart were hurting for Kai. Bjorn must have been imagining their connection. After all, wasn’t this exactly what his brother Castiel did to Riannon? He did not call her his mate, of course, but at the same time, he didn’t get to spend too many days with her. Hopefully, that would be the case for her, as well. She loathed to even think of having to stay here longer.
Bjorn stopped playing with her hair and wrapped his hands around her waist, bringing her closer, pressing her against his torso. Only the thin silky fabric of her nightgown what’s separating them now, and this made Savannah’s heart beat a bit faster. Not from ple@sure or anticipation. From the horror.
“I know you are not sleeping,” he told her, and her whole body went rigid when his grasp on her became tighter. “Being so close to me will help you heal faster, and our bond will finally fall into place.”
His hot breath burned the skin on her neck, but she did not move an inch. Not sleeping was one thing; being awake was another. Savvy knew he was testing her, and she did not wish to discover what would happen if he found her strong enough to perform Luna’s duties. She had a break because she was weak and unwell, and she hoped to prolong it as much as she could. She regretted not drinking more medicine when she was offered it last time. She would have had something in her stomach to throw up in front of him again if she did.
Hopefully, she would be able to do this next time.
Bjorn’s fingers brushed over her arm. At the same time, His l!ps pressed against her shoulder, making a slow w*et trail of k!sses up to her neck. He grunted as his breathing became ragged, but she gave him no reaction whatsoever. Deep inside of her, Athena was still weak, but she was ready to fight if they had.
“If he gets his thing out,” the wolf hissed in their mind, “we will do the same thing we did to Zack’s heart. No one would want to mate us again, but considering the mates we have been getting, this is probably for the best.”
This gave her strength, although they both knew that the werebear would overpower them easily now, and it was best not to test their chances. After all, revenge was the dish that was best served cold.
Bjorn growled in frustration and disappointment, breathing into her neck. He stopped car*ssing her and simply pulled her closer and tighter in his arms as if he was afraid that someone would take her away from him at any moment.
“Soon,” he promised, whispering into her ear, but that was probably said more to himself than to her.
He held her in his arms without any intention of letting her go, so she had to accept the idea that she would have to sleep like this today. Probably even tomorrow. He couldn’t claim her the way he wanted to, but he was not going to let her forget to whom she belonged to now.
Some part of her was happy she was so weak at this moment, because her eyelids were getting heavier each second, and she had almost drifted off to sleep when she heard the white bear speak.
“You asked me how I lost my eye,” Bjorn said into the darkness, holding his most prized possession tight. “I never tell this to anyone. Only the people who are closest to me know, and now this includes you too.”
She didn’t care. She hoped she would be able to get the second eye out soon, right before delivering the final blow.
It is a long and complicated story.” Bjorn Continued, and she couldn’t tell if he knew she wasn’t sleeping or simply wanted to imagine they had some kind of a connection and were getting closer. “My mother was a beautiful woman with Alpha blood from one of the biggest brown bear packs on the border between the North and the West. She met my father when she turned eighteen, and immediately, the two of them recognised each other as mates.”
He sighed, and Savannah knew that wasn’t the end of the story. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, and she thought that if it went like this, he would suffocate her by the morning, depriving her of her revenge.
“They were very happy. My father was content to be the ruler of the white bears in the North and didn’t think much about rebelling against the lycans. He had everything he ever wanted and did not need anything else. However, one day, different bear clans and packs gathered together to celebrate the Spring Awakening, the holiday of our ancestors. I was about five back then, and remember that everyone was so happy, One of the bear Alphas brought his friend along with him, the then Fox King.”
Bjorn stopped talking and clutched Savannah tightly. For a second there, she was afraid that he would leave bruises on her and would not continue his story. She wanted to listen because she needed all the information he could give her. It could come in handy later.
She felt him k!ssing her hair and sighing as if he was in pain, which evoked no emotions in her. She was numb after everything he had done to her.
If anything, she only desired to hurt him more.
“This is usually a very wild celebration,” he started speaking again, twirling one of her curls around his finger. He wanted to study every inch of her, but this was good enough… for now. “There are a lot of drinks, festivals, dances, banquets, and feasts. It all goes on for a week. That year, when the bears were done celebrating, my father found himself missing his Queen. He searched for her everywhere, but she couldn’t be found. One more person was missing as well. That sly fox. Later my father confronted him, bringing his bear warriors with him to the borders of the foxes’ territory, but the king denied everything. My father left just like that. He didn’t even fight for her.”
For a few good minutes, Bjorn didn’t say a word, and Savannah thought that it was the end of the story. The bear let go of her hair and car*ssed her cheek again.
“Two years later, my mother appeared back in the North with a newborn baby in her arms. She said that she was kidnapped by the Fox King, but my father did not care. He rejected her before my eyes and told her she was now tainted. She cried and begged him to let her and my brother stay, even if he did not want her as his mate anymore. But he did not want to see her at all. She was now an eyesore to him. His warriors threw her out.”
Savannah heard Bjorn svcking in a deep breath before he went on, “I ran after her. I wanted to live with her that day, but she stopped me and told me to go back. She told me l had to get strong and powerful and that once l was ready, I could come back for her and my little brother. She promised that we would be together again, and I believed her.”
He became quiet, and Savvy realised he had never shared this part of the story with anyone else.
She wasn’t even sure that he had shared it with his first mate, whomever she was because it looked like every word was hard for him, painful even. He was only revealing all that because he believed she was asleep or not in a state to understand him.
His hands finally unclenched around her, and he pulled himself away. Savannah was afraid to move, not to give herself away, but she felt him get off the bed and was ready to sigh in relief. However,
Bjorn did not leave the room. He only went for the window and continued his story.
“I trained hard. I learned everything there was to learn.” He was looking somewhere deep into the night, the moonlight illuminating his silver hair and strong perfect features, making them visible in the darkness. “I was a good heir to my father, but it was never enough for him. After the insult, he finally became ambitious and decided to destroy the foxes and claim their territories. He had a big grand plan on how to do it, but the Lycan King of the North ordered him to stop and blocked his every move to avoid the war. This was when he appeared in our lives for the first time… The Serpent.”