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.

in her seat to face me. I had Elva in my lap, but she was busy stuffing her face with all the delicious pastries.

heard some truly terrible rumors.”

away her concern. I felt hungover some, with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment over my body’s reaction to Nicholas

bile rising in my throat, and left my half of the breakfast uneaten on the plate for

pick at.

the grounds?” I asked. It took great

Terry left at some point last night and

a sense of relief and for the first time that

now, at least, I was safe.

night continued to linger in my mind,

but feel Terry’s cold hands on me or smell

breath.

about that girl in the black dress who seemed to have my wolf. Who was she?

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

for the kingdom, but it frustrated me that he

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

wouldn’t be cowed by Terry, or by Nicholas. I had my own heart and my own

condemned, I wouldn’t let him stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to do the right thing, and lost their

seeing Elva safely into the care of her nanny and

check the empty

be

he heard the click of my heels on the tile

want to be alone?” I asked him. I had

and his look of vulnerability faded. In its place was the same sort of cocky

don’t mind company if it’s you,” he said.

a

forgotten that Julian was also there last night. He had bome witness to the full extent

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

Nicholas moved away.

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

of my desire much quicker.

I was still

wanted him to kiss me on the balcony. In