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.

they continued to argue, Susie turned in her seat to face me. I had Elva in my lap,

I heard

tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment over my body’s reaction to

bile rising in my throat, and left my half of

to pick at.

It took great strength to keep my voice from

left at some point last night

the first time

at least,

thoughts of last night continued to linger in my mind, even as we

feel Terry’s cold hands on

breath.

she? Where had she come from? How had she gotten

many unanswered questions. It felt worse now, somehow, because I would never be able to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had forbad Julian and me

me and for the kingdom, but

the underground organization was 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 Nicholas. I had my

those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to do the right thing,

into the care of her nanny and

through most of the palace before I thought to check the empty ballroom. I found him sitting alone on the bottom

to be

on the tile steps,

I asked him. I had questions and demands, but he seemed

blinked and his look of vulnerability faded. In its place was the same

don’t mind company if it’s you,”

a seat on the same step he was sitting

that Julian was also there last night. He had bome witness to the full extent

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

Nicholas moved away.

have taken advantage. He wouldn’t have. But

the circumstances of my

I was still

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