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.

face me. I had Elva in my lap, but she was busy stuffing her face

Piper? I heard some truly terrible rumors.”

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

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

to pick at.

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

point last night

the first time that day, I

at least, I was safe.

my mind, even as

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

breath.

seemed to have my wolf. Who was she? Where had she come

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

was only worried for me and for the kingdom, but it frustrated me that he could not see the importance of discovering the truth.

into giving away their wolves and their abilities. It was the only true way to keep Elva

I wouldn’t be cowed by Terry, or by Nicholas. I had

those innumerous other

the care of her nanny and Mark,

before I thought to check the empty ballroom. I found him sitting alone on the bottom stair, deep in

like him to be

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

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

vulnerability faded. In its place was the same sort

mind company if it’s you,”

at his flirtatious charms and took a seat on the same

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

he had the decency both to tell me it wasn’t

Nicholas moved away.

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

circumstances of my desire

I was still

so angry about it. I did have desire for Nicholas. I had wanted him to kiss me on the balcony. In time, I