The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 0593

The next morning was the final of our time on the island, so I made sure to set a personal alarm to wake me up just before dawn. When it finally went off, I grumbled a minute, before remembering my plan and forcing myself out of bed.

I turned toward Elva and shook her gently, rousing her.

"Mommy?" she asked, peeking open one eye.

"Would you like to watch the sunrise, honey?"

That woke her up right away. "Yeah!"

I shushed her gently. "Let's not wake Nicholas," I said.

"I'm already awake," he said from his air mattress on the ground.

I had tried to tell him late last night, after we had very diligently cleaned up after ourselves and finally came upstairs to sleep, that he didn't have to guard us now, with Ronan in jail and Bridget under supervision.

But Nicholas would not be talked out of it.

And now, thusly, he had been woken up before dawn.

I rolled over on the bed to peer down at him with an apologetic glance. "Sorry," I said.

He rubbed his eye with his forefinger. He huffed a small exhale as he shook his head. "I wouldn't want to have missed this," he said. "I'm glad I was here."

We all rolled out of bed. Since it was so early, we didn't bother changing out of our pajamas as we descended the staircase and made our way out onto the deck. We had to come around the house to face east.

Already the sky was lighting up in warm oranges, the sun near the horizon.

To my surprise, Veronica was already there, reading the book she had borrowed from the merfolk. She had a tiny book light clipped onto the top of the book. I marveled for a minute at how it could do so without bending the pages.

said when I asked her. I had no idea if

stretch out across the entire

of the sun cresting above the waves, as

to stand between them. I

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

leaned close to my ear. "Not as beautiful

Smooth talker.

him a soft smile. He returned it

By now, some of the others had

had made for her. We'd thought of dismantling it, but... we

to her. "Let's make our

I told Elva, to encourage her. She

she said, "Okay." She took Julian's hand and they went closer to the water to recover the wet sand needed for such

he decided

her. Veronica didn't seem troubled that

the beach towel she had stretched out for herself. As I was closer now, I could see that she had

Veronica said. I wanted to celebrate. That should have been good news,

"Do we need to

said. "And perhaps

with me about this, Veronica," I said. Usually I wouldn't have minded. I liked the unique way Veronica's mind seemed to work. But this time, I needed

undermine the importance of this, or keep it from you." He inhaled deeply. "The curse itself is tied and bound with life force, so it will take a considerable

talking about? Like years off our

yes," she said. "Or health, near the end. Or quality of life. And the

line. Elva was my daughter. If anyone had to sacrifice anything to save her and give her a better life, it was

could only

power to remove the curse, but not the means,"

said at once, before Nicholas had a

Alpha. It's the least I can do for my pack. It's