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.

to face me. I had Elva in my lap, but

okay, Piper? I heard some truly terrible

hungover some, with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment over my

in my throat, and left my half of the breakfast uneaten on

pick at.

the grounds?” I asked. It took great strength to keep my voice from

left at some point last

me with a sense of relief and for the

now, at least,

to linger in my mind, even

I couldn’t help but feel Terry’s cold hands on me or smell his terrible

breath.

the black dress who seemed to have my wolf. Who was she? Where had she come from? How had she gotten it? And why

never be able to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had forbad Julian

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

exposed, it would protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away their wolves and their abilities.

by Terry, or by Nicholas. I had

let him stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to do the right

seeing Elva safely into the care of her nanny and Mark, I set off on

of the palace before I thought to check the empty ballroom. I

to be so isolated or so

heels on the tile steps, he turned back to look at me. “Piper.

him. I had questions and demands, but he seemed almost… lost sitting there.

his look of vulnerability faded. In its place was the same sort of cocky

company if it’s you,” he said.

charms and took a seat on the

He had

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

Nicholas moved away.

have taken advantage. He wouldn’t

of my desire

I was still

did have desire for Nicholas. I had wanted him to kiss me on the balcony. In time, I might have wanted to have him do more.