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."

of the ring in my pocket near doubled, and I regretted

Mark. And Nicholas both. They are down in the sitting room with your parents," I said. Susie's eyes went wide as

wouldn't have let him inside, he would have scaled

laughed a little

did anything 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

"True."

knew who I was..."

blushed a little. "I talk about you often. You were my

How grateful I was to be in her life! Though how much it hurt to hear she had such a hard time getting friends. She was so sweet and kind, she deserved

tug the ring from my pocket. "Mark told me to give you this." I

looked at it

I told her. "He wants

to her, to inspect it. She touched it with

her features. Then, in the next, she began to cry again. "What's the

if that didn't matter to me, Mark would

to work. If this is what you want, Susie, you can't

tears. She continued looking at the ring for another minute or two,

want to see

leading, we didn't

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

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

*Susie..." her mom said.

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

said, the word overflowing

stepped forward, moving closer to Susie's parents, closer than

into a deep bow. "Please allow

both went wide-eyed.

daughter,"

don't know of her condition!"

mother was quicker. She touched

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

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