The Luna Choosing Game

Nicholas held Elva safe and secure in his arms as he stood to his full height. Elva buried her face into the corner of his neck and shoulder. He gently patted her back.

He glanced down at Elva, his gaze so tender that it made my heart clench.

“There, there,” he whispered. “You are safe now.”

“Oh my God,” said one of the other girls in the room, fanning herself. “Of course he’s good with children.”

“Someone pinch me,” said another. “I think I’m dreaming.”

Nicholas’s soft expression hardened as he glared out at the rest of the room. “Whose child is this? Why is she here?”

I started forward, but the girl in the pink dress spoke before I could reach him.

“An outsider sneaked in, unless she’s a maid.”

Some of the other girls snickered at my expense.

“She can’t be a participant,” another girl fake-whispered, loud enough for half-the room to hear. “I thought we had to be virgins, and she’s got a kid.”

I wanted to disappear into a corner. Whether virgin or not, I was nothing compared to the rest of these girls.

My clothes weren’t as nice as theirs, and my figure wasn’t like what it had been at the Academy. I’d lost much of my musculature. I was skinny from too many nights of skipped dinners.

Elva’s wellbeing had always come before my own.

Her sake was the only reason I continued forward rather than hide in embarrassment. I stopped only when I reached Nicholas.

He looked at me, and I looked at him.

I’d forgotten how gorgeous his eyes were, golden brown with flakes of green. When we’d dated, I had spent hours looking at them, trying to memorize that color, but it had seemed different each time.

Before, when I’d stared long enough, I could earn a bashful smile from him. Now, his face was totally devoid of emotion. He looked at me like I was a stranger.

Did he… not recognize me?

I had changed, sure, but not enough to become unrecognizable. Unless he truly had sealed me away in his past and moved on, never once looking back.

pretending, to save face. I could be a great embarrassment to him, showing up here, years

Maybe he hated me.

The girl in pink motioned to

and even his voice was monotone. Another moment of staring at me blankly,

so I followed him. He led me to an

please remember that per the selection

man,

is an exception,” Nicholas

The man bowed twice as he

Elva into the room. I went inside after them. A servant stepped forward and closed the door behind us, leaving Nicholas, Elva, and I alone

churned. I thought I might be sick. I had

even to say. What would he think of me, to see me as

his chest. She must have cried herself to sleep, eyes closed and drooling. She seemed

his perfect façade cracked. He frowned. His golden eyes

gentle on Elva, his arm looped more protectively

my child from me?” he

my thoughts skidded to a stop. I blinked once, twice, but, no, I couldn’t make sense of

Eloquently, I said, “Huh?”

glanced at Elva, softly sleeping in his arms. She was three

been so

where he was when he’d climaxed.

its anger, but the certainty that fueled it seemed to slide into bewilderment. His gaze shifted, like he was trying to

mistaken,” I said, hoping to

children. He’d even said so on television. For me to hide a child from him would

her name. But she’s

widened a moment, before the anger returned

seemed to struggle to

and Elva. “She

tell that to Nicholas. Elva was mine in

to answer some unspoken question

startled. What could

and he immediately cut off the deep

gently, he lowered Elva down onto one of the plush couches in

at Mommy,”