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!”

mean we can

panned back to Nicholas. He gave a small smile, but his eyes were guarded. “It’s my duty as a

squealed in delight. “He’d make

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

My heart ached.

interviewer,

thought of me at all since

heart, hoping to soothe away the touch

couldn’t still be hung up on him. Sure, I hadn’t dated anyone else since, but that didn’t mean anything. I’d been too busy to

wasn’t lonely. I had Elva, and I had Anna. I didn’t need

the kitchen, signaling a meal was ready. I went back to retrieve it. When I returned to the dining room, Nicholas

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

dropped the plate of

once, all eyes

continued, “The weakening of any one wolf, weakens the whole pack. We cannot let that go

other waitresses hissed at me, waking me from

sorry.” I quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself so loudly in my thoughts, I couldn’t hear any more

I was worn down and exhausted. After my accident, I pushed myself as

eyes to the television again, not even when the table of girls bemoaned their disappointment with

be on the list. Why even

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

the cook had to clean the stove, or prep for tomorrow. Almost always, he was the

would clean the dining

I was alone.

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

ready to knock Boss over the head with it. Anything to get

a moment too late. Boss had been expecting

plate onto the

his hips hard to mine, wedging me

I was trapped.

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

go.” Panic swelling within me, I struggled against him. He

my wolf, I didn’t have the strength to break