Chapter 123 – The Luna Trials Novel by Marissa Gilbert

Filed To Story: The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert

And this was when Savvy snapped out of it. “Stop!” she finally found the strength to push him away.

“Why?” He didn’t move but retracted his Cannes, replacing them with his soft lips. She was trembling in his arms, and he knew that she wanted this to some extent as well. “I like you, Savannah Stormhold. More than just like you…”

“Too bad!” She tried to distance herself, but he wasn’t letting her go, still holding her waist..

“I can’t say the same! The more I find out about you, the more disappointed I am.” That hurt. But he knew where she was coming from.

“What can I do to fix it?” He asked bluntly because he wasn’t one to bit around the bush.” am serious about this.”

“Then prove it!” She met his gaze again, and he rubbed his chin, thinking of ways to do it.

Someone was approaching them, and their Lycan ears picked it up easily.

“King Kai! There you are!” Savvy recognised Petra’s voice. Only the pink-haired girl could decide to follow them when they left in such a way!.

“Oh, look!” Savvy couldn’t help her smirk. “It’s your child bride!”

He gave her a reproachful look, but she already got out of his grasp and was walking away from him, holding her skirt. He followed her with her gaze until she was completely out of sight.

Savannah was so glad that she managed to escape him. This whole quandary with Kai was getting out of hand, leaving her lost an avalanche of emotions. She was supposed to win the stupid Trials, get her alliance and get the hell out of here. However, she was not supposed to make out with that stupid hot king, and she was not supposed to want him so badly. She had a great plan, and this was definitely not the plan! All she had to do was to get back to her original intention..

On her return, she couldn’t help but notice that everyone present in the gardens had their eyes on her as she walked out. It only worsened when she returned to the contenders, and she quickly realised that she was probably now smelling like Kai.

“That was fast!” Celine accused as she walked out arm in arm with her blonde best friend, and they both stopped right in front of her with unpleasant smirks on their faces.

“I hope you don’t think that by spreading your legs, you are going to fix your sad situation!” Inga pretended to look at her nails. “Kai never gets serious with his bed warmers. He has them once or twice, and then he moves on.”

“Exactly. He wouldn’t touch a girl he was serious about in such a manner and in front of everyone!” Inga sneered.

“Oh, good then!”  Savvy mimicked their tone.  “Then Penelope has nothing to worry about, right? He had an opportunity but hasn’t touched her for, what? How many years now? Ten? Twenty?” They both gasped at her words and clearly wanted to add something else, but it wasn’t meant to be.

“Enough!” A sharp and authoritative voice cut through the air, immediately stopping their banter.

For the first time since her arrival, Savvy saw Penelope up close. The woman indeed looked as if she was already a queen. Although her brows were knitted together, surprisingly she was pointing her sharp, displeased gaze at her friends.

“Please,” she sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead carefully, so as not to ruin her make-up, “I asked you not to do this. We are rivals here, but not enemies. We can still be civil with one another.”

“But…’’Inga protested, clearly wanting to object, however, a warning look from her leader was enough to close her mouth.

“Let us chat for a bit,” Penelope offered, suddenly changing her facial expression. Her two minions backed away, lowering their heads in submission. While they all had alpha blood, Penelope’s authority was undeniable.

Savannah mentally prepared for another battle, but the girl surprised her again. She took her arm and led her away from the crowd. A drone flew after them, and Savvy stretched the sweetest smile on her face just in case they were being filmed.

“I wanted to introduce myself,” Penelope stated. She was the picture of elegance and friendliness. “I have spoken to every other contender today except for you. Welcome to the North, Princess Savannah Stormhold. It’s our honour to have you here.”

It did not escape Savvy that she welcomed her on behalf of the whole North as if it belonged to her. The other issue was that although she used her title to address her, she was still holding her hand and leading her somewhere – a sign of them being equals. When they were not. Someone was getting ahead of themselves.

“You are very sweet,” Savyy complimented, strategically deciding right now wasn’t the appropriate time to clash with Penelope. It was, however, the right time to learn more about her opponent.

“Sorry about that,” the girl apologised as she waved off her two friends, who had chosen to remain close by. “I really meant what I said. I think we can be good friends in the future. It will be great for our nations.”

Of course, she meant the future where she would be the Luna of the North and Savvy would return to the Western Kingdom.

“Yes, that’s true.” The westerner nodded, realising that her plan to wait it out was going to the bin. “I heard that your pack have always supported the royal family. Let’s keep that tradition alive.” To Penelope’s credit, she didn’t even blink at the little jab.

“Another person I wanted to apologise for is Elene,” the girl said suddenly, sighing deeply. “We are like family. She is overprotective and really wants me to win…”

“Oh, that must be so stressful for you.” Savannah tried really hard not to roll her eyes. It wasn’t like she was learning anything new after all.

“It is. Kai and I are good friends, but we are just that-friends.” Penelope looked up at the sky. We all grew up together and are very close. But we don’t love each other, and we know that.” Okay, this was new.

“Why are you telling me this?” Savvy eyed her curiously. This was getting more and more intriguing by the minute.

“Just so you know I am not a threat.” Penelope stopped and looked at the flowers next to them. They were roses, and Savannah did her best not to frown. “Just because so many people see me as their queen doesn’t mean I will become one. I’d say it’s unlikely.”

“I can say the same,” Savvy shrugged her shoulders innocently. Two could play this game. “I am here to improve our kingdoms’ relationship and learn more about my family’s history. I was deprived of the northern part of my heritage, and it’s time to fix that.”

The drone was right above their heads, and the princess grinned at her companion. “Do you like roses, Penelope?” she asked the northerner to startle her.

“Yes, very much. A rose is the queen of flowers.” Penelope’s hand brushed over delicate flowers, but Savannah simply cut one of them with her sharp nail. Then she carefully attached it to the girl’s hair, not bothering to find a good placement for the flower. It was awkwardly sticking out of the golden headband she wore in a feeble attempt to p@ssit off as a crown, and now the whole thing looked silly and pompous.

“It suits you,” Savvy fixed the rose so it would be difficult to remove from her hair.

“Thank you,” Penelope blushed because she couldn’t see it herself yet “You are not at all what I imagined.”

“I hope that’s a compliment!” the princess giggled.

“Yes, of course.”, The other girl let out a little laugh. “Look, I am trying to support all the contenders here. This is what I’ll do.”

“You are kind and generous,” Savvy told her what she wanted to hear. It would have been rude not to.

“Thank you,” Penelope graciously accepted the praise. “This is why I want to warn you now. Elene has something planned for the brunch. It’s …” She looked around as if she was afraid of spies, while the drone was still inches above them.

“Oh, my!” Savannah covered her mouth, pretending to gasp, l/l/hen in fact, she wanted to yawn. This game was a very boring one.

“It’s a history quiz.” Penelope pursed her lips, waiting for her reaction.

“Oh, no!” Savvy acted as much drama as she could muster. “But it was supposed to be break time for us.”

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