The Luna Choosing Game

I found Elva, Susie, and Mark at the edge of the gardens, where the fields of short grass began.

Elva was playing with Silver and Night. She crawled over Night, while Silver nosed at her stomach or

licked her face. Elva’s laughs were loud and happy, and easily pushed away any lingering sadness I held

inside of me.

At least, it did – until I noticed that Elva seemed to be talking with the wolves.

She’d done so before. It wasn’t some big revelation that she could. But she was getting better at it. Watching her, it was like she was having deeper conversations with the wolves than she was even able to out loud with me or other humans.

I moved toward where Susie and Mark were sitting together in the grass. They were leaning toward each other but not otherwise touching. I cleared my throat to signal my approach, and they both looked up at me in surprise.

Mark relaxed when he saw it was me. Susie dipped her head, a blush on her cheeks.

I didn’t call her on it. Instead I simply lowered myself into the grass beside her.

“Has Elva been playing with the wolves for a while?” I asked. It was a softball question, to lead Susie away from her embarrassment. I already knew Susie and Mark were crushing on each other, and it didn’t matter to me.

“A little while,” Susie said. “Elva is truly gifted. When I was her age, I could barely get wolves to trust me. These two…” Susie waved toward Silver and Night. They’ve already accepted her as one of their own. It’s amazing.”

“It’s remarkable,” Mark added. “She is truly a talent. Someday she will be a very powerful werewolf.”

said, even though his words gave me no comfort or joy. Elva was wonderful, and I was proud of her growing skill. But it also worried

was already bounds ahead of where I had been. How long would it be until the underground organization came

next?

matter what I had to do, I would do it. Elva would never experience the same heartache that I

Susie, Mark, and I sat in companionable silence watching my little girl and her wolf friends. We chatted about this and that, nothing heavy. But inside, I was plotting my next

banquet dinner, I left Elva with the nanny and sneaked away down to

even the servants

tell anyone else. The last thing! needed was for information to get back to Terry before I was ready for him to know it. He knew far too

woman in the black dress? Why had she seemed so familiar? How did she

there, maybe I could work outward and unravel the entire

point was important,

drugged me. At the time, I had thought I could trick him into telling me a secret or two. How foolish I had been

No more

of them

the cushions in case something had fallen from Terry’s pockets, but when I reached the section where I had been sitting, my stomach twisted uncomfortably. Maybe I

my imagination. She had been real. I was sure. But the had

before we were supposed to meet for a banquet dinner, I left Elva with the nanny and sneaked

even the servants.