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."

near doubled, and I regretted holding

the sitting room with your parents," I said. Susie's eyes

anything would have kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have let him inside, he

laughed a

door might open the way.

"True."

parents knew who I was..." I

little. "I talk about you often. You were my first

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

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

looked at it

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

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

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

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 if

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

at the ring for another minute or

see him,"

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

the ring onto her finger. I couldn't help my smile.

really is a personal matter, Prince Nicholas, as I've consistently said "Susie's father was saying. He cut himself off when Susie and

*Susie..." her mom said.

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

word overflowing with obvious

moving closer to Susie's parents,

dropping into a deep bow. "Please allow me to marry your

parents both

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

don't know of her condition!" Susie's father

quicker. She touched her

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

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