Chapter 1


    1. Northern Hospitality


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Skin to skin, hot tongue tracing her every curve, creating burst after burst of tingles. Savannah arched


    her back, giving her mate better ess, and grasped his hair as he teased her sensitive spot over and


    over. “You are mine, Savvy, only mine!” Zack growled as he entered her in one powerful thrust, locking


    their eyes and growling from the pleasure.The car jumped on an uneven northern road, and Savannah


    woke up, realising this was just a dream. She sighed in relief, looking around and seeing her best friend


    Kyle and new assistant Zara by her side.Savannah yawned as she looked outside of her car window.


    The views of the North did not impress her much. She sighed again, remembering that this would be


    her home from now on. It was unlikely that her future husband, the Northern Lycan King, would let her


    live in the West with her brother and his family. After all, he had been asking for her hand in marriage


    for so many years. Kai was a known cold-hearted brute, and she was surprised he was interested in


    her at all. Not to mention that she was still a minor the first time he dared to suggest the marriage. Fast


    forward to her being twenty now, and he still did not leave this idea.She, however, did not care about


    his motivation. She did not care about her future husband at all. This was a sacrifice that she was


    willing to make for her people. Because after her mate’s betrayal, she couldn’t feel anything anymore


    anyway.Just a few months ago, she was the happiest girl alive when, during a terrible war, she met the


    perfect man among her brother’s allies. Zack Morgan was an Alpha who earned his reputation as a


    great warrior and ruler. And everything in her life made sense the moment theyid their eyes on each


    other, and he called her his.He took her back to his pack and announced her his Luna before his


    packmates, proving the seriousness of his intentions. And then they had a night of passionate


    lovemaking. It was pure bliss, heaven on Earth, all her dreams came true… Up until the moment she


    woke up and identally heard about his ns to kill her brother and make her nothing more than a


    breeding machine for him. “Savannah will be busy the next few years mourning her brother and friends


    as well as giving birth to my pups… ” His cruel words would be imprinted in her memory forever. A scar


    that would never heal.Her heart broke into a million little pieces, and she ran away from him. Zack tried


    to get her back, but she made it very hard for him. And when they were finally able to face each other


    again, she rejected him. Only that he did not ept her rejection… whichplicated everything for


    her.The car stopped, and she blinked a few times, trying to get out of her daze. She promised herself


    not to go into that darkness anymore. None of that mattered. She would never see him again.She was


    here, she was alive, and she was about to fulfil her princess duties and marry the man she did not love,


    need or even know. All for an alliance that her brother, the Western Lycan King needed, for she knew


    that if the two kingdoms were not working together now, they might both got destroyed by their enemies


    very soon. Her brother knew that, but King Kai did not. And they were lucky he agreed to all that in the


    first ce.The driver opened the window and handed the papers to one of the northern


    guards.“Princess Savannah Stormhold,” he announced. “The bride of King Kai Fiongh.”The guard


    took his time to check the papers that were handed to him, and another one joined him, looking over


    his shoulder.“Is everything okay?” he asked.“Yeah, just one of the king’s brides arriving for the Trials,”


    the first one replied and handed the papers back.“What did he just say?” Kyle brushed his hand over


    his red hair. He had this little habit since their childhood.“There must be some kind of mistake,” Zara


    said reassuringly, checking her iPad. She always kept herself busy.“Of course,” Savannah chuckled.


    “Rx, Kyle. What else could it be?”They drove into the territory, and she was finally able to see what


    the high stone walls were hiding.It was a castle. A real castle! Huge, dark, ancient, and gloomy. Just


    like in history books.Savannah couldn’t believe her own eyes. She was a princess, yes, but she used to


    live in modern-style mansions. This was… so not what she expected. Even though her brother told her


    not to expect much from the North.And she didn’t. But she didn’t expect to get into the Middle Ages


    either.“Not important,” she breathed out. None of this was important. She just had to find Kai. Get


    married to him fast and be done with it. Then maybe they could work on some kind of agreement as to


    how their life together would be. Surely, they could agree on monthly visits. Hopefully, yearly, after she


    produced him an heir. Then maybe she could find her mate, kill him and just concentrate on her child.


    This was a good enough n.She and her entourage got out of their cars. And Savvy noticed a woman


    in a dress too luxurious and open for the ugly and cold weather they had today, walking leisurely in


    their direction with a much younger girl by her side. Thetter had some kind of folder in her hands.But


    it was the first one that bothered Savannah because she knew exactly who that was.“My name is


    Elene,” the woman smiled, ying with her heavy golden locks. “I am the Northern Princess and the


    sister of King Kai.”“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Savvy managed to curl her lips in a smile. “I am…” “I


    know who you are,” Elene sneered, and Savannah swallowed. Of course, she did. Elene probably


    knew everything about her family. After all, all this started with her. Years ago, Kai proposed her hand in


    marriage to her brother. Gideon declined the generous offer. The first time Kai asked for Savvy as his


    wife was probably just out of spite. It was no secret that Elene was in love with her brother. And now


    that he found his mate and was happily married, all her dreams about bing the Luna of the


    Western Kingdom were gone.She probably hated her. Not that the situation was Savvy’s fault. But she


    could see that in the woman’s eyes now.“Follow me,” Elene waved to her and started walking. Sighing,


    Savannah did as she was told.“Your castle is magnificent,” she decided to start small talk just as


    etiquette required of her.“Thank you,” the northerner smirked and turned to have a look at her. “The


    other contenders said the same. You will be able to enjoy northern architecture more if you advance


    in…”“Excuse me?” Savannah was never slow, and she stopped right there and then. She knew a


    scheme when she saw one. “Other contenders? Maybe the princess will be so kind as to exin to me


    what that means?”“Other contenders for the title of The Luna of the North, of course,” Elene gave her


    the most innocent smile. “What else could it mean?”“But I am king Kai’s future wife,” Savvy lifted her


    chin up to meet the woman’s delighted gaze.“Oh, no, dear. You got something wrong. You are a


    contender for the position of his wife. Con-ten-der.”  Elene spelt the word for her, enjoying the moment


    to the core.“There must be some kind of a mistake,” Savannah insisted.“There is no mistake, dear,” the


    princess of the North said, “You are a contender in The Luna Trials. Take it or leave it.”“The Luna


    Trials?” Savannah clenched her fists, “You must be kidding! King Kai is of a very high opinion of himself


    if he thinks that his future wife should humiliate herself by fighting with other women over the honour of


    bing his Luna!”“This is the North,” Elene suddenly became sharp, and all her smiles were gone.


    “The Northerners will never take a Luna who is not worthy! If you want this ce, you need to prove


    that you are the best among all possible options. You need to be of excellent health and lineage, you


    need to know how to behave, you have to be smart, but most importantly, you need to prove your


    strength!”They were serious. Savannah realised that it was not a joke. They were absolutely serious.


    This was happening. The Luna Trials or whatever they called it… It was real.“And by the way,” the


    princess looked at her with some kind of superiority, “That was minus five points. You will be the only


    contender to start with a negative point bnce.”“There are points?!” now Savvy was pissed. How


    dared they? She was a princess, for the Moon Goddess’s sake! The whole situation was an insult like


    none other.“Of course,” Elene giggled as they entered a huge inner garden, “how else would we find


    out who is the best?”Savannah wanted to say something. She actually wanted to say a lot of things but


    shut her mouth before she lost more points. She needed to think first before doing anything else. And


    preferably alone.“Now, wait here,” the princess told her, “Your maid wille for you when your room


    is ready. But we didn’t expect you until Sunday, so they just started to prepare it. It will be a


    while.”“That’s quite all right,” Savannah smiled charmingly, switching her fake politeness mode too. She


    knew how this game was yed. “The northerners are famous for their hospitality, are they not?”That


    was a jab, and Elene’s smile faded. No one praised the northerners for, well, anything. And even if they


    did, hospitality would be at the end of the list.The princess left without saying anything else, and Savvy


    knew that it would be hours before she was able to rx in that room they ‘forgot’ to prepare.She


    motioned for Kyle and everyone else to note close to her. They were her friends, and she did not


    want them to see the ugly side of her. She needed that ugly toe out of her somewhere else, so she


    went deep into the garden to avoid any witnesses to her fury. She found the ugliest rose bush she had


    ever seen, with strange metallic-looking flowers and growing out her ws, she shredded every single


    one of them to pieces.It was not fair! It wasn’t supposed to be like that! All she wanted was to sacrifice


    herself for the sake of her people, ensuring their safety. Because the alliance could give them that. That


    thought was bringing her at least a little bit of peace.But she wasn’t prepared to fight for the man she


    did not even want! What was that? Hell?And most importantly, was the alliance even still an option?


    Considering that her so-called arranged marriage turned out to be a scam.She had to find this out. And


    she had to do it as soon as possible.But even thinking of the Northern King made her blood boil. He


    must have been atrocious if he did that. What can one expect from the man who called himself the


    Northern Star? Ugh.“That lying, cheating, self-absorbed, maniptive, conniving, treacherous piece of


    a b*stard!” she yelled as she destroyed thest flower. She was panting, and no, it did not help her to


    feel better in any way. Not at all.It only became worse when she heard a chuckle behind her


    back.“What did that bush ever do to you?” a husky voice inquired, and she turned to see the witness of


    her despair..