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!”

showed the interviewer. “Children, hm? Does that mean we

eyes were guarded. “It’s my duty as a prince to continue the

“He’d make such a

glanced at the camera, and for a moment, it seemed as if he was staring straight through it. I froze in place, like he could

My heart ached.

at the interviewer, and immediately, I felt foolish. Of course, he couldn’t see

of me at

over my heart, hoping to soothe away the

wrong with me? We hadn’t seen each other in three years. I couldn’t still be hung up on him. Sure, I hadn’t dated anyone else since, but that

I had Elva, and I had Anna.

a meal was ready. I went back to retrieve it. When I returned to the dining

that the royal family is investigating with the utmost seriousness. This illegal trade of wolves and their gifts is dangerous for every

the plate of

silenced at once, all

“The weakening of any one wolf, weakens the

waitresses hissed at

food. “I’m sorry.” I quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself so loudly in my

and exhausted. After my accident, I pushed myself as hard as I could, focusing solely on work

once lift my eyes to the television again, not even when the table of girls bemoaned

wouldn’t be on the list. Why even

the sink. After washing away a particularly stubborn clump of food from a plate, I noticed how quiet

prep for tomorrow. Almost always, he was the last to

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

I was alone.

air brushed the back of my exposed neck. The stench of alcohol

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

late. Boss

the floor, where it smashed

hard to mine, wedging me against the

I was trapped.

open the buttons of my shirt, revealing my lacey white bra. He pressed his palm against

He only

have the strength to