The Luna Choosing Game

It had been three days since Boss made his proposition: either I sleep with him or I get fired.

I needed one more day’s pay to cover Elva’s most recent bill. Once I had that, I could resign and hopefully find something else.

Boss trailed his eyes down the length of my body. Staring openly at my breasts, he licked his lips. “Don’t think I won’t, Piper. I’ll be waiting for you.”

In the restaurant, all of the female patrons talked excitedly about the selection. To cater to them, Boss turned all of the televisions on the walls to the royal consort ceremony broadcast.

“Which one do you think is the most handsome?” asked one patron to her friends.

They’d ordered a plate of loaded nachos to share. I carefully placed it in the center of their table.

Another girl spoke quickly. “Are you kidding? The others are cute, sure, but Nicholas is obviously the hottest.”

The other girls quickly agreed.

Startled, I hovered at their table. They were right, of course. Nicholas was the most objectively attractive, but to hear people talk about him so casually still surprised me.

For three days, I’d tried to reconcile in my mind that the Nicholas I had known was also the eldest prince of the kingdom. But I still couldn’t quite manage it.

Nicholas had always been proper. But a prince?

“Piper, is it?” one of the girls at the table asked me. I jumped, realizing I was still standing there. Yet before I could apologize, she asked me, “Which one do you think is the most handsome?”

“Nicholas,” came my automatic answer. “Excuse me.”

Embarrassed at having been caught daydreaming, I forced myself to focus on work. And I succeeded – until I heard Nicholas’ voice come from the speakers.

“The kind of woman I’d prefer?” Nicholas said. “Someone loyal. Strong. Even tempered. And she has to like to children.”

“Check, check, and check,” came a voice from the table of girls. “He’s describing me! It’s meant to be.”

“Dream on. He’s clearly describing me.”

“You don’t even like kids!”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see which of us make it through the preliminary selection. Then you’ll see!”

screen showed the interviewer. “Children, hm? Does that mean we can expect you to

small smile, but his eyes were guarded. “It’s my duty as a

squealed in delight. “He’d make such a good

a moment, it seemed as if he was staring straight through it. I froze in place, like he could

My heart ached.

glanced off to the side again, looking at the interviewer, and immediately, I felt foolish.

of me

hoping to

up on him. Sure,

I had Anna. I didn’t need romance to

I went back to retrieve it. When I returned to the dining room, Nicholas was

royal family is investigating with the utmost seriousness. This illegal trade

the plate of

restaurant silenced at once,

continued, “The weakening of any one wolf, weakens the whole

one of the other waitresses hissed at me, waking me from my

ceramic shards and ruined food. “I’m sorry.” I quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself so loudly

end of my shift, I was worn down and exhausted. After my accident, I pushed myself as hard as I could, focusing solely on work and forgetting

did not once lift my eyes to the television again, not even when the table

I wouldn’t be on the list.

worked until closing, scrubbing dishes in the sink. After washing away a particularly stubborn

to clean the stove, or prep for tomorrow. Almost always, he was the last to leave at night. But he was nowhere to be

had said they would clean the dining room. The lights in the

I was alone.

my exposed neck. The stench of alcohol

immediately swung around, ready to knock Boss over the head with it.

I was a moment too late. Boss had been expecting

the plate onto the floor, where it

circling around my waist, he pressed his hips hard to mine, wedging me against

I was trapped.

ripped open the buttons of my shirt, revealing

swelling within me, I struggled against him. He only held tighter,

didn’t have the strength to break