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.

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

heard some

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

in my throat, and left my

to pick

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

some point last night

and for the first time that day, I took in and exhaled a deep

at least, I

of last night continued to linger in my mind, even

feel Terry’s

breath.

she? Where had she come from? How had

I would never be able to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had forbad Julian and me from

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

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 my own heart and my own beliefs.

stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous

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

searched through most of the palace before I thought to check the empty ballroom. I found him

be

on the tile steps, he turned

alone?” I asked him. I had questions and demands,

of vulnerability faded. In its

don’t mind company if it’s

a seat on the same step he was

hadn’t forgotten that Julian was also there last night. He had bome witness to the full extent of my

had the decency both to tell me it

Nicholas moved away.

that Nicholas would have taken advantage. He wouldn’t have. But Julian’s being

circumstances of my desire

I was still

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