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.

I had Elva in my lap, but she was busy stuffing her face with all the

Piper? I heard some truly

with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment over my body’s reaction to Nicholas

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

pick

asked. It took great strength to keep my voice from

left at some point last night and

the first time that day, I took

least,

to linger in my mind,

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

breath.

black dress who seemed to have my wolf. Who was she? Where had she

questions. It felt worse now, somehow, because I would never be able to find the

only worried for me and for the kingdom, but it

protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away

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

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

the care of her nanny and Mark, I set

I thought to check the empty ballroom. I found him sitting

be so

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

I had questions and demands, but he seemed almost… lost

In its place was the same sort of cocky expression I’d

mind company if it’s you,” he

my eyes at his flirtatious charms and took a seat on the same step he was

that Julian was also there last night. He had

to tell me it wasn’t my fault, as well as to make sure

Nicholas moved away.

would have taken advantage. He wouldn’t have.

my

I was still

him to kiss me on the balcony. In time, I might have wanted to