The Luna Choosing Game

“How long did you wait, Piper? A week? Two? It couldn’t have been long.”

He sounds like he’s jealous. Or was that an illusion? He doesn’t care about me and is just mad at me.

Maybe the latter is more logical.

His dark eyes burned into me, leaving my heart in scorched tatters. Never in a thousand years would i

have thought Nicholas would be so vicious to me.

“It wasn’t like that.” I said, to try to defend myself.

He crossed his hands over his chest. He wasn’t going to listen to me,

“Why even come here?” he asked me.

“My application was selected…”

“Why even apply? Were you trying to get to me?”

“No,” I said.

“Maybe you regret your child’s father. Maybe you want me back.” He laughed once, bitterly. “Like you

have a chance.”

The words sliced into me as surely as if he’d been holding a knife. He had changed since I’d known him.

Three w

years ago, he’d been kind and patient. I’d given him my heart and he’d gently cradled it. So many

nights, we’d laid under the stars, trading kisses and stories.

Once, when he’d spent all night looking at me, I had told him, “You’re missing the

starlight.”

He’d replied, “I can see it in your eyes.”

The man before me now was nothing like the one I had known. The man here was arrogant, indifferent. and imposing in how he carried himself.

Breaking up with him had never been something I wanted to do. It hurt me still, thinking upon it, so I had tried to push it to the back of my thoughts

and caring for Elva, that I could successfully distract myself

faced with him now and seeing what he had become, brought all those feelings

+15 BONUS

was misremembering the past. Maybe he’d never

that young, innocent

whatever you want,” I said, adding some bite to my own voice. The hurt

is a mistake, and I intend to

Nicholas said, so coldly that a chill ran along my spine. “You are the only woman who ever dared to break up with me. Piper. I’ll

the sitting room, and then out into the parlor. I thought he might slam the door behind him,

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

wanted to hate him. So

bastard but he liked children. He’d been kind

hate him,

beside the couch where Elva

child. If we had stayed together, maybe he would have revealed his secret

a

reality was very far from these golden

staying here. I needed to go home and look for another

I

on the cushion. I was so

my own eyes slid

me Excuse me,

open my

me. I beg your pardon, miss, but the King Luna, and princes

sleep from my eye.

was already disappearing out of the

the couch, watching me with curious eyes. “Is it time

my softest smile. It is. We have to be quiet though, okay? No one can talk

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

my arms and

was standing atop some type of

side. The three princes flanked his other

did on the bills in my purse. He was pale with hollowed out cheeks,

and his voice camed far, like he was accustomed to public

calming the crowd and gaining their attention “Congratulations on

monumental event. We are very pleased by your presence and look

leaned in and whispered something in the