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.

me. I had Elva in my

okay, Piper? I heard

hungover some, with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay

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

to pick

asked. It took great strength to keep my voice from shaking.

at some point last night and returned to his

filled me with a sense of relief and for the first time that day, I took in and

at least, I was safe.

linger in my mind, even as we broke from

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

breath.

seemed to have my wolf. Who was she? Where had she come from? How had she gotten it? And why was she teasing

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

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

from ever being manipulated into giving away their wolves and their

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

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

care of her nanny and Mark, I set off on my own to

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

wasn’t like him to be so isolated

on the tile steps, he turned back to look

him. I had questions and

In its place was the same sort of cocky expression

mind company if

charms and took a seat on the same step he was sitting

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

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

Nicholas moved away.

Nicholas would have taken advantage. He wouldn’t have. But

circumstances of my desire

I was still

kiss me on the balcony. In time, I