The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 0600

"Oh." Susie's eyes widened. "I suppose you wouldn't have known." She hung her head a little. "Tensions with the Bear People have more or less exploded. Mark says more and more soldiers are being sent to the northern border. War seems imminent."

I didn't want to believe that. "Surely there's something to be done to keep the peace?"

*The Bear People have made demands but those demands are impossible to fulfill."

"What are they?" I asked.

Before us, out on the lawn, Elva sat on the grass with the two wolves, Night and Silver, in sitting in front of her. They were all looking so intently at each other, it was like they were having a conversation. I wondered what they were saying.

Focusing on that was less heartbreaking than thinking of the reality of war.

*They want their princess back," Susie said. She made it sound like I should know what she's talking about.

My brow drew together. "We have their princess?"

Susie tilted her head. "You don't know the story of the lost bear princess?"

I shook my head.

Susie hummed thoughtfully. She tapped her chin with a finger. "Oh. It was something like twenty years ago, I suppose. One of their princesses was stolen away as an infant and believed to be brought across the border into werewolf territory."

I couldn't believe my ears. A stolen princess? "Why haven't I heard of this?"

"I'm not sure," Susie said. "Though I imagine the royals wanted to keep a lid on the whole thing. I don't remember ever seeing anything about it on television. It was only ever discussed in gossip groups. I remember my mom talking about it sometimes."

not bothered with by commoners. A missing foreign princess did not affect the day to day life

said that the princess had been kidnapped by rebels among the bears own people. They couldn't deny that the princess had been brought into the

Bear People never believed them, why wait twenty

in their own nation. But whatever the reason for it, the

Bear People entering the werewolf kingdom without permission sounded like an invasion, even if their intentions

common belief among the nobles that the bear rebels likely killed the princess. Even if they hadn't,

be old enough to understand that she's different. She would have likely spoken up by now, or had

if she was still alive, she would come forward now if not before, to stop the needless violence and death that a

the Academy. They wanted us to

an entire generation.

their children. Children, their parents. Families would be broken apart. Babies would learn to fear the world far

said, looking at

asked, returning

the soldiers, but for every person that will be affected by the war.

a sad kind of smile. I never really considered feeling so much for so many to be one of my finer qualities. At least to me, it was a constant source of

the Queen need to be of stemmer stuff? Able to make the hard choices no matter who it hurt? So long as

afraid of how my heart my break when it all inevitably came crashing down around

laying down with the

peaceful. I wished that I could keep them safe, away from the hardships of

Mark said, suddenly appearing beside us. Susie smiled at him, but I

asked when I recovered

for you in his personal office," Mark said. "He has finished his meeting with his

I

you there," Mark

her. She

on her," Susie said. "Between the wolves and me, I