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, that I could successfully distract

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

+15 BONUS

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

that young, innocent girl

said, adding some bite to my own

mistake, and I intend to correct

who ever dared to break up with me.

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

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

hate him. So

slammed that door. He might be a cruel, insensitive bastard but he liked children. He’d been kind to Elva.

to hate him,

knees beside the couch

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

was a nice

My reality was very far from these golden fixtures and

needed to go home and look for another job, as soon

I

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

my own eyes

Excuse me,

blinked open my

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

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

he was already disappearing out of the room.

with curious eyes. “Is

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

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

I pulled Elva into my

the parlor, the royal family was standing atop some

side. The three princes flanked his

did on the bills in my purse. He was pale

well and his voice camed far, like

the crowd and gaining their attention

We are very pleased by your presence and look forward

leaned in and whispered something