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.

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

you okay, Piper? I heard some truly terrible rumors.”

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

in my throat, and left my half of the

to pick

asked. It took great strength to keep my voice from

nodded. “Word is, Terry left at some point last night

the first time that day, I took in

now, at least,

last night continued to linger in my mind, even as we broke from

feel Terry’s

breath.

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

unanswered questions. It felt worse now, somehow, because I would never be able to find the answers.

me and for the kingdom, but it

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

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

let him stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous

after seeing Elva safely into the care of her nanny and Mark, I

empty ballroom. I found him sitting

wasn’t like him to be so isolated or

my heels on the tile steps, he turned back to look at me.

want to be alone?” I asked him. I had questions and demands, but he seemed almost… lost sitting

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

mind company if it’s

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

night. He had bome witness to the full

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

Nicholas moved away.

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

the circumstances of my desire much

I was still

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