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."

weight of the ring in my pocket near doubled, and

the sitting room with your parents," I said. Susie's eyes went wide as saucers.

don't think anything would have kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have let him inside, he would have scaled the walls and climbed through

laughed a little

door might open the way. My presence was required for this. It is, after all, more likely they'd let me in to see

"True."

knew who I was..."

talk about you

into another hug. How grateful I was to be in her life! Though how much it hurt to

me to give you this."

at it

says it's overdue," I told her. "He

ring from my palm and held it up closer to her, to inspect

features. Then, in the next, she began to

will never 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

a way to get it to work. If this is what you want, Susie, you can't

tears. She continued looking at the ring

to see him,"

we both headed for the doorway. With Susie leading, we

the way, Susie slid the ring onto her finger. I couldn't help my

consistently said "Susie's father was saying. He cut himself off when Susie and I returned to the

*Susie..." her mom said.

Susie's eyes were on Mark, and his on her. Then his gaze

he said, the word overflowing

to Susie's parents, closer than even

a deep bow.

parents both went

in love with your daughter," Mark said. "I cannot live

don't know of her condition!"

was quicker. She touched her

confirmed. "The baby is mine. And I would raise it as my child, with Susie as my

is my Beta and a loyal man besides.