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."

would be hot topics among royalty, but not bothered with by commoners. A missing foreign princess did not affect the day to day life of anyone I knew about back in my regular life. And if it made the werewolf royalty look bad, I could understand

King and Queen back then denied any wrongdoing." Susie continued. "They 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 werewolf kingdom,

them, why wait twenty years

own nation. But whatever the reason for it, the bears want their princess back. They said that if

like an invasion, even if their intentions

among the nobles that the bear rebels likely killed the princess. Even if they hadn't, surely her bear would have manifested by now, given how long it's

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

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

and my thoughts were 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 would take its toll

an entire generation.

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

said,

returning to

look you have... the empathy... not just for royals, or even the soldiers, but for every person that will be affected by the war. That is why you would

for so many to be one of my finer qualities. At least to me,

of stemmer stuff? Able to make the hard choices no matter who it hurt? So long as it was best for the

afraid of how my heart

stayed quiet beside me, and together we looked back to where Elva was now laying down with the wolves. She was

could keep them safe, away from the hardships of

Susie smiled at him, but I jumped.

asked when I

Mark said. "He has finished his meeting with his parents and wishes to

I

take you there,"

I hated to disturb her. She

an eye on her," Susie said. "Between the wolves