The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 0622

The butler showed me to Susie's room, and then quickly excused himself outside of her door. When he was gone, I knocked.

"Go away!" Susie called in a watery voice. She was crying.

I knocked more insistently as I pushed open the door.

*I said -* she started, cutting herself off she say me. "Piper?"

"Hi, Susie," I said.

"Oh, Piper!" She was sitting at her desk, the tears running down her cheeks. As I entered the room, closing the door behind me, she jumped from the chair and ran to me.

We shared a hug. Relief flooded through me.

I stepped back after a moment, to look her over. She didn't seem too worse for wear. Other than the crying, she didn't show any signs of abuse or neglect.

"What are you doing here?" Susie sniffed. "I'm sure word has gotten around by now."

*Rumors don't matter. Come back to palace."

*If you've heard the rumors, you know why I can't."

"Everyone will forget, the moment you appear. They'll all just think it's gossip and it won't matter," I say. "Since Jessica is the only other contender for Joyce, you wouldn't even have to face elimination."

*Piper," she sounded so sad. "I can't come. It's just not rumors. My parents... They know the truth about me."

*How could they?" I asked. She wasn't showing yet. Sure they might suspect, but to have real proof?

"I told them," Susie said.

I startled, speechless.

"I didn't want to lie anymore about any of it," Susie said. "I don't want to have to pretend to have feelings for Joyce, when the only one I really want is Mark."

in my pocket near doubled, and I regretted holding it

are down in the sitting room with your parents," I said. Susie's

parents wouldn't have let him

a little

a plan, as he always does, that his arrival at your door might open the way. My presence was required for this. It is, after all, more likely they'd let me

"True."

knew who I was..." I

blushed a little. "I talk about you

Though how much it hurt to hear she had such a hard time getting friends. She was

pocket. "Mark told me to give you

looked at it and

it's overdue," I told her. "He wants to ask

up closer to her, to inspect it. She touched it with only her fingertips, treating it as a precious,

covered her face, softening all of her features. Then, in the next, she began to

go for it," she said. "And even if they did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole life away with this. He can't be Nicholas's Beta

work. If this is

the ring for another minute or two,

to see

the doorway. With Susie leading, we didn't need the butler to guide us back

ring onto her finger. I couldn't help my smile. When she saw it, she smiled too, though hers

Nicholas, as I've consistently said "Susie's father was saying. He cut himself off when Susie and I

*Susie..." her mom said.

on her. Then his gaze dropped to her hand, where she'd already

he said, the word

closer to Susie's parents, closer than

into a deep bow. "Please

both went

am in love with your daughter," Mark said. "I cannot live without

don't know of her

touched her husband's arm. "He

baby is mine. And I would raise it as my child,

is my Beta and a loyal man besides. He will