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.

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

I heard some truly

head and tired eyes, but

left my half of the breakfast uneaten on the plate for

to pick at.

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

nodded. “Word is, Terry left at some point last night and returned to his own mansion.”

me with a sense of relief and for the first time

now, at least, I

to linger in my mind, even as we

Terry’s

breath.

were thoughts about that girl in the black dress who seemed to have my wolf. Who was she? Where had she come from?

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

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

protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away their wolves and their abilities. It was the only true way to keep Elva safe.

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

or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to

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

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

to be

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

I asked him. I had questions and demands, but

In its place was the same sort of

mind company if it’s

his flirtatious charms and took a seat on the same step he

that Julian was also there last night. He had bome witness

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

Nicholas moved away.

He wouldn’t have. But

of my desire much quicker.

I was still

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