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

things to focus on like work, and caring for Elva,

and seeing what he had become, brought all those feelings crashing back into Tome so hard, they

+15 BONUS

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

I wasn’t that young, innocent

bite to my own

is a mistake, and

who ever dared to break up with me. Piper. I’ll never allow the same

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

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

hate him.

cruel, insensitive bastard but he liked children. He’d been kind to Elva. He didn’t take any of his misconceptions about me out

hate him, but I

beside the couch

he would have revealed his secret in

was a

very far from these golden fixtures

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

I

cushion. I was so drained, from the trip, from

own eyes slid

me Excuse

open my

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

uh.“I rubbed the sleep from my eye.

I looked up again, he was already disappearing out of the room. He

the couch, watching me with curious eyes.

my softest smile. It is. We have to be quiet though, okay?

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

I pulled Elva into my arms and

standing atop some type of stage

on one side. The

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

and his voice camed far,

calming the crowd and gaining their attention “Congratulations

presence and look forward to becoming more acquainted

leaned in and whispered something in the King’s