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.

I had no idea

out across the entire horizon. Then the top of the sun brought all of the sunshine back

the waves, as the light

them. I placed my hand on Elva's shoulder. Nicholas clutched my other hand

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

ear. "Not as

Smooth talker.

him a soft smile. He returned it

our eyes. By now, some

sat in the shadow of the sandcastle Bridget had made for her. We'd thought of dismantling it, but... we didn't

on," Julian said to her. "Let's make our

could be fun," I told Elva, to encourage her. She hadn't shown as much

took Julian's hand and they went closer to the water to recover the wet sand needed for such an

torn about whether to follow Elva or me, but he decided me rather quickly when Veronica added, "I

Veronica didn't seem troubled

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

Oracle should be able to remove Elva's curse," Veronica said. I wanted to celebrate. That should have been good news, but her dire expression kept me from expressing my joy. "But she won't be

I asked. "Do we

said. "And

I wouldn't have minded. I liked

of this, or keep it from you." He inhaled deeply. "The curse itself is tied and bound

force?" I asked. "What are talking

the end. Or quality of life. And the more life force that is

Nicholas asked. Already I could sense he was about to volunteer. Well, he could get in line. Elva was my daughter. If anyone had to sacrifice anything to save her and give her a

only be me,

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

at once, before Nicholas had

Nicholas said. "I'll do it. I'm an Alpha. It's the least I can do for my pack. It's my