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

okay, Piper? I heard

shook my head, pushing away her concern. I felt hungover some, with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued

and left my half of the breakfast uneaten on the plate

pick at.

left the grounds?” I asked. It took great strength to keep

left at some point

a sense of relief and for the first time that day, I took in

at least, I

night continued to linger in my mind, even

feel Terry’s cold hands on me or smell

breath.

black dress who seemed to have my wolf. Who was she? Where had

unanswered questions. It felt worse now, somehow, because I would never be able to find the answers. Not since Nicholas

and for the kingdom, but it frustrated me that he could not see the importance of

exposed, it would protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away their wolves and their abilities. It was the only true way to keep Elva safe.

by Terry, or by Nicholas. I had my

I wouldn’t let him stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous other

and Mark, I set off on my own to find

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

wasn’t like him to be so isolated or so

tile steps,

be alone?” I asked him. I had questions

his look of vulnerability faded. In its place was the

company if it’s you,” he said.

eyes at his flirtatious charms and took a seat on the same step he was

there last night. He had bome witness to the full extent of my

had the decency both to tell me it wasn’t my fault,

Nicholas moved away.

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

of my desire

I was still

Nicholas. I had wanted him to kiss me on the