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."

like this 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

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, but

Bear People never believed them, why wait twenty years to start

admitted. "There might be more going on behind the scenes in their own nation. But whatever the reason for it, the bears want their princess back. They said that if she isn't returned, they would come into our country and retrieve

permission sounded like an invasion,

rebels likely killed the princess. Even if they

old enough to understand that 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 a war would

filled with grief. They'd taught us something about war at the Academy.

an entire generation.

parents. Families would be broken apart. Babies would learn to

said, looking at

I asked, returning

even the soldiers, but for every person that will be affected by the war. That is why you would be

sad kind of smile. I never really considered feeling so much for so many to be one of my finer qualities. At

of stemmer stuff? Able to make the hard choices no

to hope too much, afraid of how my heart my break when

looked back to where Elva was now laying down with the wolves. She was resting her head on Night's back, while Silver was resting her head on Elva's

so peaceful. I wished that I could keep

beside us. Susie smiled at him, but

I asked when

office," Mark said. "He has

course," I

take you there," Mark

to disturb her. She was resting so

eye on her," Susie said. "Between the