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

like work, and caring for Elva, that I could successfully

with him now and seeing what he had become, brought all

+15 BONUS

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

I wasn’t that

bite to my own voice. The

and I intend to correct

that a chill ran along my spine. “You are the only woman who ever dared to break up with me. Piper. I’ll

and left 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

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

wanted to hate him.

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

wanted to hate him,

knees beside

a different world, maybe Elva would have been our child. If we had stayed together, maybe he would have revealed his secret in time. Maybe the three of us could have been a happy little

a

My reality was very far from these golden

I needed to go home and look for another

I

I was so drained, from the

my own eyes

me Excuse

open my

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

my eye.

was already disappearing out of the room. He left

watching me with curious

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

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

into my arms

parlor, the royal family was standing atop some

his Luna on one side. The

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

voice camed far, like he was accustomed

crowd and gaining their

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

Luna leaned in and whispered something in