The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert

25. Gilded Armour

Savvy clenched her lips so tight that they formed a thin white line.

“Can you imagine how great it would be if Kai ended up marrying a witch?” Kyle snorted loudly while

typing something on his laptop. “We will be able to mock the North for the rest of our lives for having a

Witch Queen! This is just precious!”

“You Lycans and your love for the same species!” Zara gave him a mocking eye roll.

“If you want me to help him end up with Mavis, just tell me!” Kyle winked at her, and the bird shifter’s

face changed at once.

“Anyone but that botch!” The girl crossed her hands on her chest. “With her on the throne, you will have

a war at your doorstep in no time!”

“Yeah, she doesn’t seem particularly charming!” Kyle agreed and looked at his childhood friend.

“Savannah, what do you think? Mavis or Salome?”

His smile dropped when he saw her pale face. He knew her too well to not understand that something

was going on.

“What is it?” “Is it that piece of sh-t Zack screwing someone again?” He asked her bluntly without

beating around the bush.

“Show me the pictures,” Savannah ignored the question. “Sav, you look a bit pale,” Zara walked

towards her with a concerned look. “Are you sure…

“Show me the pictures!” the princess demanded, and her assistant got out her phone, swiping her

fingers across the glossy screen a few times. Then she handed her the device, and Savannah saw Kai

walking in the garden with Salome attached to his hand. The two of them were

glancing at each other and grinning like two happy children, and Savvy felt nauseous from seeing them

like this.

She started scrolling. Picture after picture of what looked like a proper date. Then, a new notification

came, and she clicked on it without thinking twice, opening the most recent photo. Kai pressed

Salome’s hand to his lips while giving her a playful gaze. The gaze she knew too well. The gaze she

thought he only gifted her with.

Savannah’s heart clenched painfully. She had already done this. She had already been through this.

Betrayal was not new to her, but why did it hurt so much again?

“What the hell, Sav?” She didn’t even notice that Kyle was already standing next to her. She knew that

her eyes were getting watery. The tears she would never let fall were burning her eyes, and she blinked

them away quickly. She was crying for her fated mate for one day! The Northern King would not be

getting such honour. They were no one to each other after all.

“I am fine!” She forced a smile, but her friends didn’t buy it. Kyle was watching her intently with his

brows furrowed. Nevertheless, it was Zara who said the words loud and clear, “You like the King.” The

silence in the room was heavy.

“What?” Kyle let out à nervous laugh, but then his eyes locked with Savannah’s for a few seconds

before she turned away.

“Oh, no!” He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “No, no, no! Savvy, you can’t!”

“And I will not!” She practically yelled at him, and the trio got silent. Until Kyle interrupted again.

“How?” He looked at his childhood friend questioningly. “When?!” “It’s a long story!” Savannah sighed,

bitterness lacing her words.

“We have time,” Zara moved a chair for the princess to sit on and settled on the next one. Kyle returned

to where he left his laptop, but it was the last thing on his mind now.

Savvy contemplated just telling them everything and being done with it. “Forget it” She shrugged her

shoulders. “It’s not a big deal.”

“I’ve spent years in the Red Harem, Savvy,” Zara tilted her head slightly. “I know the look on your face

far too well. I saw it in the mirror and on every other girl’s face. But the thing is that you brought us here

for a reason, and I hope that it means you can trust us. If you can’t share this with me, I will

understand. But at least let Kyle know everything. It’s essential now.”

Zara prepared to leave, but Savvy took her hand and squeezed it slightly. “No, stay,” she smiled. “I trust

you both.”

She saw their concerned glances and, taking a deep breath, told them everything, not withholding even

the most minor details.

The room got quiet again when she was done. “Before you say anything,” the princess warned them, “I

know I am pathetic. First Zack, now

this….”

“There is nothing pathetic about you,” Zara assured her. “Zack was your mate, and Kai, well, he is

charming.”

“Asthole,” Kyle interjected, tapping his fingers on the cover of his laptop. “He is an as-hole who

arranged all this to avoid marrying you, Sav. That’s…”

“I know.” She had to agree with him. “Consider it all forgotten. We are back to plan one. I am winning

and leaving.”

“Good,” Kyle nodded eagerly and opened his laptop back. “In the meantime, the Truthteller has

something to say about this date!”

“No,” Savvy rushed to stop him. “Please, don’t.”

“Fine!” he grunted and shut his laptop. “But only because you asked! And don’t start me on that other

guy and his gifts! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

Zara watched the two of them thoughtfully and raised her brow when Savvy went to the wardrobe and

got a luxurious gown out.

“I think I’ll wear this one for the interviews,” she chewed on her lip, throwing a quick glance at her

assistant, who had a hard time holding back a little smirk that desperately tried to escape her.

“Isn’t this too much?” Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. He always supported all her crazy actions, but

when it came to her outfits, he always sided with Gideon and Reid, wishing for her to

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dress like a good little nun.

“No, no,” Zara intervened this time, not letting him ruin the fun. “It’s just perfect.”

***

Kai was happy because he knew that soon he would see the woman who had been on his mind since

the moment he let her go the night before. He managed to sort out quite a few problems today, and

now they could finally talk with the Western Princess.

He waited for her in the dark passage of the castle, already knowing that she would use the secret

backdoor he had shown her when he thought she was a maid in trouble. The sweet memory made his

chest tighten.

When the door creaked, his lips curved into a half-smile since he wasn’t mistaken. However, the

Northern King lost his breath at the sight of the woman who walked out into the light. To him, she was a

vision of utter perfection.

Savannah had a beautiful lustrous gown on. A golden corset adorned with sequins and beads in

intricate patterns hugged her curves perfectly, while the soft organza and tulle skirt cascaded to the

floor like a cloud of iridescent pale pink mist. Kai couldn’t take his eyes off the slit at the front where her

slender tanned leg that definitely belonged to a well-trained warrior was appearing and disappearing in

the layers of the flowing skirt with every step she took.

His thoughts, however, concentrated on her delicate collarbones exposed to his gaze. Her neck was

free to mark, and he was itching to do just that, watching her wearing the sleeveless dress with such

confidence as if it was golden armour. The embellishments gleamed as they caught the light from the

tiny lamps installed on the walls. She looked like a fragile fairy who arrived into this world by mistake.

Beautiful and ethereal. Gilded leaves in her extravagant updo in the latest northern fashion helped her

look the part, and Kai couldn’t stop admiring her beauty

Her looks weren’t what attracted him the most. There were many beautiful women in the world. He had

eleven others waiting for him just a few feet away, but there was just one Savannah Stormhold. Now he

knew without a doubt that she was the only woman or him.

He stayed in the darkness, enjoying her bluebell scent that had already reached his nose. The king

inhaled it deeply, waiting for her to stop in front of him. She was supposed to have already realised he

was standing there.

However, Savannah just strọde past him, her heels clicking on the cold northern stone floor.

He cleared his throat, but she didn’t stop

“Go get her!” Asgard growled inside of him, ready for the game of chase. If she was ready to hide, he

was prepared to seek.

Nonetheless, the princess sped up as if she was in a hurry. He saw how tense her shoulders were, and

it made him worried. This did not resemble the playful chaşe he was hoping for at all.

She was actively avoiding him!

“Savvy,” the king called, walking behind her, not quite believing that this was happening after what they

had experienced the previous day.

Yet Savannah chose to continue ignoring him because whatever it was between them, it had to stop.

This was the best thing she could do because, technically, she could win without even as much as

having to talk to him. The North wanted a strong Luna, not the one their king would be smitten with. So,

there was no point in wasting her time on what could never work anyway.

He had a date with another woman after what they shared the night before, and she sadly realised

today that he would be having many more dates with all the Luna Trials contenders. To him, she was

just one of them.

And she, quite frankly, couldn’t handle it.

Well, actually, she could. But that would only be possible if she came back to treating all this as a

political affair and forgot about all the romance attached to it. Out of all the people in the world, Kai was

the one she could never end up with. The least possible options were only her mate and that white

bear that kept pestering her.

It was the sad truth. She had to forget that the gardener even existed. There was only King Kai, the

cold and calculating monarch who did not keep his word and who had plenty of women to choose from.

“Savvy!” he growled behind her, as she picked up speed again. If she could just make it to the hall with

all the guests and the girls, she would be safe. He wouldn’t do or say anything there. Then, after her

interview was done, she could sneak out while he was busy with someone else. She was sure he

would be with someone else.

Then she would allow herself one single night of tears. Just like she did with Zack.

When they had won the battle, and everyone was celebrating their victory, Riannon’s return, and saving

the red girls, Savannah escaped the impromptu party and locked herself in her bedroom where she

cried in the shower for hours, trying to wash off her mate’s scent along with the short memories of them

being together. She managed to do the first one, but the second one turned out to be a real struggle.

So, she learned to live with that instead. The tears dried up, and neither Savannah nor Athena let

themselves think of him again.

Until the pains arrived, that was. Her mate had a way of reminding her about himself, which only

prompted her to hate him more.

However, none of this was important now. What was important-was Savvy knew very well how to deal

with betrayal since this wasn’t her first one.

“Savannah!” The Northern King sounded impatient as he finally managed to catch hold of her arm right

before she was about to enter the passage leading to the main hall.

“Oh,” she chirped while her face was expressionless, which startled him a bit, “Your Majesty. I really did

not see you there. Pardon me for my rudeness. Shall we?”

She intended to keep walking, and he had to yank her away from the door. She looked him in the eyes

for the first time since they parted ways the previous day, and he instantly knew that something was off.

It did not make him change his mind or back away. Savannah didn’t know it yet, but he had already

made a crucial decision.

“Let go of me!” she warned him, her eyes glowing the royal gold of the West. “Not before you talk to

me!” he demanded, letting Asgard show off his blue northern

bloodline glow. She wasn’t the only one who could do that. Two could play this game!

“Aren’t you tired of talking?” The princess rolled her eyes to demonstrate how unbothered she was by

his advances. “You talked to the witch the whole morning!”

Well, this was awkward. She didn’t plan to comment on that. Yet it ended up being one of the first

things she mentioned to him.

Great job, Savvy.

She absolutely hated how the corner of his mouth curved slightly after hearing her words.

“Savannah,” his voice sounded deep and rumbled as he leaned towards her and almost brushed his

nose over her cheek. “By any chance, are you jealous?”

Her eyes widened instinctively. That audacity of his was unbearable. “Of what?” she scoffed. “You and

Maleficent?”

The grin on his face became wider as he pressed her against a wall with his unbearably massive hot

chest that seared her skin even through her firm corset.

“So jealous,” he repeated, provoking her. “Savvy, do you by any chance like me?”