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

work, and caring for Elva, that I could successfully

had become, brought all those feelings crashing back into Tome so hard,

+15 BONUS

wonder if I was misremembering the past.

I wasn’t that

said, adding some bite to my own voice. The hurt made

is a mistake, and I intend

“You are the only woman who

me, then, walking out into the sitting room, and then out into the parlor. I thought he might slam the door behind him, as enraged as he was, but instead, he gently

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

hate

might be a cruel, insensitive bastard but he liked children. He’d been kind to Elva. He didn’t take any of his

hate him,

sunk to my knees beside

we had stayed together, maybe he would have revealed his secret in time. Maybe the three of us could have

a

My reality was very far from these golden fixtures and

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

I

on the cushion. I was so drained, from the trip, from seeing Nicholas

my own eyes slid

me Excuse me,

open

miss, but the King Luna, and princes have arrived, I suggest you hurry to the

my

he was already disappearing out

watching me with curious eyes. “Is it time for more pretty

to be quiet though, okay? No one can talk when

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

Elva into my

atop some type of stage The King stood at

side. The three princes flanked his

older than he did on the bills in my purse. He was pale with hollowed

and his voice camed far,

he said, calming the crowd and

We are very pleased by your presence and look forward to becoming more acquainted

whispered something in the King’s