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 busy stuffing her face with all the delicious

heard

and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued

the bile rising in my throat, and left my half of

to pick

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

some point

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

now, at least, I was safe.

continued to linger in my mind, even as

day. I couldn’t help but feel Terry’s

breath.

my wolf. Who was she? Where had

somehow, because I would never be able to find the

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

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

condemned, I wouldn’t let him stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to do the right thing, and lost their wolves for

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

before I thought to check the empty ballroom. I found

to be so isolated

he heard the click of my heels on the tile steps, he turned back to look at

alone?” I asked him. I had questions

vulnerability faded. In its

company if

took a seat on the same step he was

also there last night. He had bome witness to

it wasn’t my fault, as well as to

Nicholas moved away.

Nicholas would have taken advantage. He wouldn’t have. But

of my desire much

I was still

did have desire for Nicholas. I had wanted him to kiss