Chapter 261 - The Luna Trials Novel by Marissa Gilbert - Novel Palace (2024)

Filed to Story: The Perfect Luna by Marissa Gilbert >>

“Don’t worry about it. No one expects you to have decent manners!” Kai gave him a crooked smile, and it looked like two old friends were happy to see each other in front of the many cameras in the room.

They exchanged sharp glances, but then Rinannon sighed and asked her husband to help her down the stairs. She could walk perfectly fine, of course, but since Gideon was overprotective of her in this “delicate state”, it worked like a charm.

“Nayara Knight,” Savannah called the next name and the werecat with silver hair walked up to the King and Queen in an elegant green velvet dress. “You saved my life several times already and proved that you could be trusted. I will forever consider you my personal friend, Naya. And I am so grateful for everything you’ve done.”

Savvy handed the woman in front of her a box with the same locket and the same message. If Naya ever needed help, she would get the new werebird leader accepted her box, and the land promised for their help.

Salome was the next one to be rewarded, and after accepting her token, she handed Savannah a box of her own.

“Keep it with you during labour, and your child will be safe,” she whispered. “My Coven will take your baby under its protection.”

Others were rewarded with smaller tokens of appreciation, but all meaningful nonetheless.

When everyone thought that the main ceremony was over, the bell rang again, and Lachlan announced loudly, “Alpha Brigit

Borg!”

Brigit was nervous. They did not let her into the Northern capital for almost a month. A month while the fate of her people was being decided. For all she knew, they could already be doomed despite her attempts to save what was left of them. It was entirely possible that she’d been invited today simply to be executed publicly and in front of the cameras. After what had happened to Aspen, she was sure that everyone hated her.

She deserved it, though. She was no saint.

She had to wait at the entrance, wearing a beautiful silk sea blue dress with long sleeves and a cape covering her shoulders. Today she was representing her kind, and they already had a bad enough reputation alter the war.

Brigit had a couple of challenging weeks behind her. When they were ordered to return to their lands, even after submitting to the Lycan King and Queen, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Although maybe it was what the bears deserved. They couldn’t be trusted after so many schemes and plots. When she returned to the Bear castle with other Alphas, she had to deal with the aftermath of Bjorn’s rule and death.

Her pack was rightfully accused of being traitors because they K*lled their own during the battle. Brigit ensured her pack’s survival by challenging the biggest and baddest Alpha bear in the room with the dirtiest words in his mouth. And when she K*lled him in front of everyone, she acquired his pack as well. She was ready to rinse and repeat, but luckily just one show was enough, and no new challenges were thrown at her later. Without any kind of election or vote, she somehow became their leader.

But that meant she was the one dealing with the aftermath of the war.

They started reorganising and rebuilding. Her kind wasn’t sure that they had a future and what it would be, so she kept them busy to distract them from their gloomy situation.

That was the only thing that had helped her after Aspen.

She worked, and worked, and worked… sometimes as a simple laborer, cleaning up the tower that she’d exploded just a few weeks ago to make Aspen’s escape possible. Each day she strived to overwork herself and fall down onto her bed half dead because nothing else helped her. This was what her days looked like now.

So, when she was summoned with her entourage, she didn’t know what to expect. She didn’t even have an “entourage” to begin with and had to pick a few bears whom she disliked the least since becoming an Alpha. She hoped to be done quickly today…

But also, she hoped that some kind of a miracle happened and Aspen was alive.

Yes, it was stupid, unrealistic and absolutely impossible, considering she left his dead body during the battle. But then the wolves changed. What if…. She was afraid to finish that thought. It was too foolish. He was already dead by then, and Fenrir did not resurrect anyone that time. She’d asked.

Her name was announced, and the doors opened before her, letting her in. The castle had changed since Bjorn set it on fire, but she liked its new look more. It was still an old rough Northern castle, but it seemed fresher and brighter now. As if someone breathed life into Brigit’s eyes darted to the thrones in search of bright red hair. The Gamma was supposed to stand by his King today. But she only saw Lachlan and Kyle. She then started scanning the crowds against her better judgement. It probably looked disrespectful, but she couldn’t help it, greedily studying everyone around.

The King and his Queen gave her the time to do it before they spoke.

“Brigit Borg, it’s a different story with you, isn’t it?” Kai did not look too pleased at seeing her, and that was understandable. “We trusted you once, and you betrayed that trust. You let our enemies into our home and allowed them to destroy it. You caused the deat of my Gamma. These are unforgivable crimes.”

She stopped listening after the words, “the death of my Gamma”. Her heart clenched so painfully even though she thought she had already accepted this fact. If they were to K*ll her now, she would just say thank you.

“However, we are aware that your circ*mstances were different,” Savannah started speaking, her lips curled into a soft and friendly smile. “We know that your sister was held hostage, and I personally got to see the way women were treated in the bear territories.

We are also taking into account that you helped us during the last battle, and this help was pivotal for the results we got. We’ve been thinking for a long time about what to do with you and your kind, who fought fiercely for what they believed in. The bear territory will always be a part of the Northern Lycan Kingdom. However, we are willing to give you autonomy to some level. You will have your own laws, with the exception of a few we require you to implement. Such as equal rights for men and women, a ban on f0rced marriages and so on. You can review and-”

“We accept,” Brigit interjected without realising how rude that probably was to interrupt the Queen. Yet there was nothing to think about. This was already better than what they had hoped for. And after Bjorn’s demise, not too many bears wanted to continue his cause. Most were ready to resume their lives as they were before. But this… this would allow them to make improvements.

“Very well,” Kai nodded, “then we pronounce you Queen Brigit Borg of Nova Oberon, the Bear Kingdom.”

She gasped, looking at them in disbelief. She couldn’t possibly have heard them correctly, however, Savannah was already holding a delicate tiara in her hands.

“Come and knee!,” she tried not to grin but was failing.

The short flight of stairs seemed to be her life’s longest and hardest obstacle as she walked towards the future she never expected.

Carefully, she knelt before the Queen of the North and felt cold metal placed on her head, heavy and uncomfortable. The weight of newfound responsibility. Just like a crown should be.

When Brigit rose, everyone else, except for the kings and queens present, bowed their heads in respect.

“Brigit, you will have to work closely with our new Gamma, Kyle,” Savannah gestured at the redhead lycan next to her, and the Bear Queen’s bottom lip quivered at the mention of the title.

So, he was dead, Dead, dead, dead.

“It would be my honour,” she tried to f0rce a smile, but it did not look convincing.

“Of course, you will also have to work closely with our Amba*s*sador in your kingdom. You already know him,” Kai added with a stiff upper lip. As if he did not want to say it.

The door on the left behind the throne opened, and suddenly the whole world stopped spinning. Brigit’s heart faltered, and she stopped breathing when she saw the man she had never expected to see again.

Aspen walked with a cane, however, his movements were confident even in this situation. His red hair was longer now while the beard was trimmed the same as always. He did not meet her gaze, but she did not care. She wanted to throw herself at him regardless, and only Savannah’s hand on her shoulder brought Brigit back to reality.

“Amba*s*sador Aspen Morr,” Savannah “introduced” him. “We hope the two of you will be able to achieve a successful alliance between our two countries. We are all still Northerners, after all.”

“Of course,” Brigit smiled through tears.

“It would be my honour,” Aspen nodded, and his eyes passed over the Bear Queen just for a moment. This was, however, enough to make her feel as though her whole body was lit on fire.

He left as abruptly as he arrived, but she would never complain. She would never complain about anything ever again because she had just witnessed a miracle.

And hope bloomed in her heart against her will…

Kyle barely managed to stand through the whole ceremony. Those official events were always too dull for him. Not to mention that the North went over the top with all that. He had a lot to get used to.

However, only one thing kept him from yawning Evelyn.

She purposefully did not look at him. Most of the time. But sometimes, she couldn’t control herself and was sparing him a short withering glance. As if she was trying to tell him to stop gawping, albeit she always received a different result.

That woman did not leave his mind, but despite all his efforts, she still rejected him time after time.

Little did she know that it would not work on him. They were probably the oddest couple here, and there were a number of contenders at the moment, but Kyle knew almost instantly since the day he met her that they were right for each other.

It was hard to explain because, on the outside, they were nothing alike. Yet, somehow, they still worked. They’d bonded from day one, and he had never had this with anyone else. Kyle wasn’t sure he would ever have this with anyone else, even if he got to meet his mate. Because Evelyn was perfect to him.

She was the one, and he’d known that for quite some time. Now he had something to offer to her. He was finally more than just Savannah’s best friend. He was now the Gamma of the North after Aspen resigned. Kyle would have a good position in the kingdom, a salary to d*ie for, a place to call home, and all that he was missing was the woman he loved.

He managed to catch her glance for a moment again and saw Evelyn roll her eyes. However, there was a pink tint that graced her cheeks that gave her away. Evelyn wasn’t a woman to blush easily, and yet he managed to get this reaction from her every single time.

Kyle slid his hand into the pocket of his trousers and grasped the tiny box he held in there. A ring with pink diamonds in the shape of a leaf was waiting for its moment. A leaf because Evelyn told him once that she loved autumn, and the colour of the stones was chosen to remind her of Petra who would be leaving her soon.

*Sometimes Kyle envied Petra. The pink haired girl had Evelyn’s unconditional love, while Kyle had to fight for bits and pieces of her attention.

Kai was rewarding Alpha Asher from the West, and Kyle remembered how they ended up fighting side by side to defend their women during the last battle. He had never cared for Ash before, but they would probably spend a lot of time together in the future, considering how close their future wives were. And although no announcements have been made yet, Kyle’s intuition told him that Ash and Petra would be making those really soon.

Ash only had his eyes on the little she wolf. Before this development, he’d only looked at one woman like that his love for many years, Riannon. Except back then, he had to hide it and steal those little glances here and there. Right now, he was getting bolder and did not bother pretending that he was not interested anymore. He looked at Petra in a way so that everyone present in the room with them knew that she was his mate and future Luna.

“I will miss you,” Savannah gave her brother a tight hug, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“You can always come home if you want,” Gideon chuckled and received a warning growl from Kai, who stood nearby.