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.

had Elva in my lap, but she was busy stuffing her

okay, Piper? I heard some truly terrible

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

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

to pick at.

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

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

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

least,

of last night continued to linger in my mind, even

for the day. I couldn’t help but feel Terry’s cold hands on me or smell

breath.

wolf. Who was she? Where had she

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

me and for the kingdom, but

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

Terry, or by Nicholas. I had my own heart and my own

of those innumerous other souls out there who

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

palace before I thought to check the empty ballroom. I

wasn’t like him to be

of my heels on the tile steps, he

him. I had questions and

faded. In its place

mind company if

and took a seat on the same

hadn’t forgotten that Julian was also there last night. He had bome

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

Nicholas moved away.

have taken advantage. He wouldn’t have.

of my desire

I was still

have desire for Nicholas. I had wanted him to kiss me on the