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

caring for Elva, that

what he had become, brought all those feelings crashing

+15 BONUS

was so different now that I couldn’t help but wonder if I was misremembering the past. Maybe he’d never been kind. Maybe I

that young, innocent girl

some bite to my own voice. The hurt

and

along my spine. “You are the only woman who ever dared to break up with me. Piper. I’ll never allow the same

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,

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

hate

hadn’t slammed that door. He might be a cruel, insensitive bastard but he liked children. He’d been kind to Elva. He didn’t

hate him, but I

sunk to my knees beside the couch where Elva

been our child. If we had stayed together, maybe he would have revealed his secret in time. Maybe the three of

a nice

was very far from these golden fixtures and

go home and look

I

my head beside Elva’s on the cushion. I was so drained, from the trip, from

my own eyes slid

Excuse

blinked open my

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

uh.“I rubbed the sleep from my eye. “Wait, there’s been

disappearing out of

up on the couch, watching me with curious eyes. “Is it time for more pretty

We have to be quiet though, okay? No one can talk

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

my arms and

royal family was standing atop some type of stage

The

in my purse. He was pale with

well and his voice camed far, like he

calming the crowd and gaining their attention “Congratulations on

this monumental event. We are very pleased by your presence and look forward to becoming more acquainted over the

and whispered