The Luna Choosing Game

By the next morning, the drug had worked its way through my system and I felt like my old self again. I

went down to breakfast, where I was reunited with Elva, who had stayed with Susie the night before by

order of Nicholas.

I was grateful for his foresight. Mortified as I was by my actions and sounds, I was at least spared the

embarrassment of explaining any of this to Mark or the nanny myself. Or worse still, to Elva..

A thought so stomach–churning, I dared not even think of it.

So when I did finally greet her, it was with a tight hug and big smile, the same as always.

Susie and I didn’t always sit together, but we chose to that morning. There were still many empty chairs with the previous elimination, and I was feeling vulnerable from what had happened the night before. I needed my friends.

Around us the girls were chattering about the curiousness of the evening’s events. Terry was to be one of the main judges of the night, but he never came to ballroom.

Also as curious, both Nicholas and Julian disappeared sometime in the night, only to reappear this morning, one with a black eye and the other with an injured hand.

“You don’t suppose the princes got into a fight with each other?” one of the girls asked.

“No,” Lilliana said flatly. “He is too mature to take part in such childish antics.”

“Julian does love to tease,” said someone else.

“Not enough to tempt a prince away from his decorum,” Olivia added. “Prince Nicholas been around Prince Julian for years. He’s surely built up a tolerance.”

“Well, then what happened with Sir Terry?“”

“Maybe he started the fight,” someone said, and another laughed. A third shushed them.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

Susie turned in her seat to face me. I had Elva in my lap, but she

heard some

hungover some, with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise

the bile rising in my throat, and left my half of the breakfast

pick

took great strength to keep my voice from shaking.

“Word is, Terry left at some point last night and returned

sense of relief and for the first time

For now, at least, I was safe.

night continued to linger in my

day. I couldn’t help but feel Terry’s cold

breath.

wolf. Who was she? Where had she come from? How had she gotten it? And

worse now, somehow, because I would never be able to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had forbad Julian and me from continuing our

worried for me and for the kingdom, but it

ever being manipulated into giving away their wolves and their abilities. It was the only

by Nicholas. I had my own heart and

wouldn’t let him stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to do the right thing, and

care of her nanny and Mark, I set off on my own

empty ballroom. I found him sitting alone on the bottom stair, deep in thought.

wasn’t like him to be so isolated or

of my heels on the tile steps, he turned back to

alone?” I asked him. I had questions and demands, but he seemed almost…

blinked and his look of vulnerability faded. In its

don’t mind company if it’s you,”

took a seat

night. He

me it

Nicholas moved away.

taken advantage. He wouldn’t have. But Julian’s being present

the circumstances of my

I was still

for Nicholas. I had wanted him to kiss me on the balcony. In time, I