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

for Elva, that I could successfully distract

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

+15 BONUS

help but wonder if I was misremembering the past. Maybe he’d never been kind.

that young, innocent

adding some bite to my own voice. The hurt made it easier.

a mistake, and

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 never allow the same mistake to

walking 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.

to hate him.

liked children. He’d been kind to Elva. He didn’t take any of his misconceptions about me

to hate him, but I

my knees beside the couch where

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

a nice

very far from these golden fixtures and expensive

to go home and look for another

I

I was so drained, from the trip, from seeing

own eyes slid

me Excuse

open my

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

the sleep from my eye. “Wait,

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

me with curious eyes. “Is it time for

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

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

I pulled Elva into my arms and camed

royal family was standing atop some

The

looked older than he did on the bills in

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

calming the crowd and gaining their attention “Congratulations

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

leaned in and whispered something