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.

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

heard some

a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment over my

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

to pick at.

grounds?” I asked. It took great strength

point last night and

relief and for the first

For now, at least, I

to linger in my mind, even as we broke from eating

the day. I couldn’t help but feel Terry’s cold hands

breath.

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

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

only worried for me and for the kingdom, but it frustrated me that he could

the underground organization was exposed, it would protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away their

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

or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to do the right thing, and

safely into the care of her nanny and Mark, I set off on my own to find

palace before I thought to check the empty

be so

heels on the tile steps, he turned back to

I asked him. I had

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

mind company if

and took a seat on the

also there last night. He had bome witness to the full

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

Nicholas moved away.

taken advantage. He wouldn’t

my desire

I was still

Nicholas. I had wanted him to kiss me on