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.

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

you okay, Piper? I heard some truly terrible rumors.”

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

in my throat, and left

pick

took great strength to keep

at some point last night and

of relief and for the first time that day, I

least,

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

couldn’t help but feel Terry’s cold hands on

breath.

that girl in the black dress who seemed to have my wolf. Who was she? Where

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

his heart he was only worried for me and for the kingdom, but it frustrated me that he could not see the importance of

into giving away their wolves and their abilities. It

Nicholas. I had my own heart

innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to do the right thing, and lost their

her nanny and Mark, I set off on my own

before I thought to check the empty

to be

tile steps, he turned back to look at me.

want to be alone?” I asked him. I had questions and demands, but he seemed almost… lost sitting

of vulnerability faded. In its place was

mind company if it’s you,”

a seat on the

night. He had bome witness

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

Nicholas moved away.

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

circumstances of my desire much quicker.

I was still

kiss me on the balcony. In time, I