The Luna Choosing Game

“Marry him, then.” She nodded, like it was decided. Like it was somehow that easy.

I hated disappointing her. I wished I could let her believe what she wanted.

“I’m sorry, Elva. But Prince Nicholas and I won’t ever be a couple. No matter what.”

She looked up at me with large, vulnerable eyes. “Not ever?”

I shook my head.

“But why?”

Because I broke his heart? Because he thought I had betrayed him? Because he’d returned the gift I’d

made him? Because he was a prince, and I was just a wolf–less waitress?

There were so many reasons. All of which felt like too much information for my small daughter.

“We’re just not meant to be,” I said.

Elva had a grasp of fairy tales and happily ever after. Even if she couldn’t understand everything, she

might be able to handle this much.

She must have, because her questions stopped. But then she started to cry.

“But I like him, Mommy,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “If you married him, then he would be my Dad.”

I hated more than anything to disappoint her, but what could I do? I couldn’t lie to her about this, not to

then have to reveal the truth like it was all some cruel joke.

Soon, I would be eliminated from the competition. I’d had a good showing tonight, but that didn’t mean !

get to stay. Everyone knew I’d be the

Elva and I would be forced to leave. From then on, we’d only ever see the

they went back to being reclusive. In that case, we wouldn’t

our future held any hope of maintaining this lifestyle,

even as a

I said, and pulled Elva

my

back to soothe her. “We’ll be

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Elva fell asleep in my arms, I carried her

have left us for the night, but the quiet maid stayed nearby, as if

for me to finish

from the bed, and Elva sleeping within it, I motioned the maid closer to the

I said: “I don’t need

tugged at my offending gloves. I hadn’t forgotten the apparent betrayal of my maids, who

the wrong gloves,” the

blinked at

up in my hand. “Those are not the gloves I made for you. I don’t know where those came from, or why they exist. I swear

Queen must have traveled fast in the servants‘ corridors. It

to be careful, Miss Piper,” the quiet maid said. “I don’t know why the other maid gave you the wrong gloves. Maybe it was an

“I

don’t think

“No”

the other maid had purposefully meant to sabotage me. But why? For

be the first one to go home. Why make

eavesdropper might be listening at the door. “Someone might be out

shiver ran up

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