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."

the ring in my pocket near doubled, and I regretted holding it back even this

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

parents wouldn't have

a

drastic. Nicholas had 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 in to

"True."

who I was..."

about you often. You were my

life! Though how much it hurt to hear she

my pocket. "Mark told me to give you this." I held my

at it

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

up closer to her, to inspect it. She touched it with

softening all of her features. Then, in the next,

parents 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 away with this. He can't

I told her. "Nicholas will find a way to get it to work. If this

at the

to see

we both headed for the doorway. With Susie leading, we didn't need the butler

couldn't help my smile. When she saw it, she

father was saying. He cut himself off

*Susie..." her mom said.

eyes were on Mark, and his on her. Then his gaze dropped to her hand, where

said, the word overflowing with

closer to Susie's

bow. "Please allow me to marry

both went wide-eyed.

in love with your daughter," Mark said.

her condition!" Susie's

mother was quicker. She touched her

would raise it as my child, with Susie

this man," Nicholas said. "He is my Beta and a loyal man besides. He