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."

A missing foreign princess did not affect the day to day life of anyone I knew about

said that the princess had been kidnapped by rebels among the

never believed them, why wait twenty years

own nation. But whatever the reason for it, the bears want their

entering the werewolf kingdom without permission sounded like an invasion, even if their intentions were only to rescue their

killed the princess. Even if they

she's different. She would have likely spoken up by now, or had someone speak

now if not before, to stop the needless violence and death that

filled with grief. They'd taught us something about war at the Academy. They wanted us to be ready to fight, physically and mentally. War was brutal. It

an entire generation.

children. Children, their parents. Families would be broken apart. Babies would

Susie said, looking

returning to

even the soldiers, but for every person that will

so many to be one

to be of stemmer stuff? Able to make the hard choices no matter who it hurt?

how my heart my

the wolves. She

looked so peaceful. I wished that I could

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

Mark?" I asked when

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

I said,

you

to disturb her. She was resting

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