The Luna Choosing Game

The fact was, for whatever the reason, he hadn’t revealed my secret yet. If I played his game, maybe he’d

continue to keep it.

I pressed my hand to his elbow and nudged him closer to the door, further from Elva. I didn’t want her to know the truth yet. We’d have our own conversation in time, when she was old enough to understand.

voice low, just in case, I confessed, “Elva isn’t mine.”

Julian’s perfect veneer finally cracked. His eyes widened for a few solid seconds before he recovered

himself. “Really?”

“She’s the daughter of my twin sister,” I said. The memories burned through my brain, painful and hot.”

sold my wolf to pay off Elva’s ransom.”

“She was being held for ransom?”

“My sister owed too much to so many people. They’d taken Elva as payment. They only gave me so

many days… I did what I had to do.”

smile dimmed marginally, but that made his expression no more readable. I could practically see the cogs turning in his brain as he sorted through this new information, but I hadn’t a clue

planning to do with

he said, when he had reached a conclusion. “Have you ever considered that your departure

being taken

“What do you

your sister with the implicit purpose of obtaining

silence once more. My wolf had

wolf and my power?

to himself, then nodded. “Alright. I won’t share this information with anyone for

I exhaled in relief.

I can’t guarantee for how long

hold this over my head then, for who knew how

who knew what purpose.

Julian, and that

for yourself,” Julian said. “You might find there is some truth in

you can find out more truth, perhaps it

the words over in my mind, trying to decide if they were a

Elva.

the child’s future

like yours were, she might

casually, as if

Weak as I was, I wouldn’t be able to protect Elva if those same people from the underground came for her, as they