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 lap, but she

okay, Piper? I heard

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

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

pick

the grounds?” I asked. It took great strength

is, Terry left at some point

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

now, at least, I was safe.

of last night continued to linger in my mind, even as

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

breath.

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

never be able to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had forbad Julian and me from continuing our investigation.

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

it would protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away their wolves and their

Nicholas. I had my

stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted

the care of her nanny and Mark, I set off on my own to find Julian.

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

be

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

I had questions

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

don’t mind company if it’s you,” he

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

there last night. He had bome witness

it wasn’t

Nicholas moved away.

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

my desire much

I was still

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