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!”

hm? Does that mean we can expect you to have a big

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

delight. “He’d make

moment, it seemed as if he was staring straight through

My heart ached.

the side again, looking at the interviewer, and immediately, I felt foolish. Of

hadn’t thought of me

over my heart, hoping to soothe away

in three years. I couldn’t still be hung up on him. Sure, I hadn’t dated

I had Elva, and I had Anna.

ready. I went back to retrieve it. When I returned to the

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

dropped the plate of food

silenced at once, all eyes on

any one wolf, weakens

the other waitresses hissed at me, waking me from my

to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself so loudly in my thoughts, I couldn’t hear

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

television again, not even when the table

hadn’t applied. I wouldn’t be on the list. Why

dishes in the sink. After washing away a particularly stubborn clump of food

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

waitresses, who had said they would clean the dining

I was alone.

brushed the back of my exposed neck. The stench

around, ready to knock Boss over the head with

late. Boss had been expecting

plate onto the

his hips hard to mine, wedging me against the

I was trapped.

revealing my lacey white bra. He pressed

him. He only held tighter,

wolf, I didn’t have the