The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

Nicholas held Elva safe and secure in his arms as he stood to his full height. Elva buried her face into the corner of his neck and shoulder. He gently patted her back.

He glanced down at Elva, his gaze so tender that it made my heart clench.

“There, there,” he whispered. “You are safe now.”

“Oh my God,” said one of the other girls in the room, fanning herself. “Of course he’s good with children.”

“Someone pinch me,” said another. “I think I’m dreaming.”

Nicholas’s soft expression hardened as he glared out at the rest of the room. “Whose child is this? Why is she here?”

I started forward, but the girl in the pink dress spoke before I could reach him.

“An outsider sneaked in, unless she’s a maid.”

Some of the other girls snickered at my expense.

“She can’t be a participant,” another girl fake-whispered, loud enough for half-the room to hear. “I thought we had to be virgins, and she’s got a kid.”

I wanted to disappear into a corner. Whether virgin or not, I was nothing compared to the rest of these girls.

My clothes weren’t as nice as theirs, and my figure wasn’t like what it had been at the Academy. I’d lost much of my musculature. I was skinny from too many nights of skipped dinners.

Elva’s wellbeing had always come before my own.

Her sake was the only reason I continued forward rather than hide in embarrassment. I stopped only when I reached Nicholas.

He looked at me, and I looked at him.

I’d forgotten how gorgeous his eyes were, golden brown with flakes of green. When we’d dated, I had spent hours looking at them, trying to memorize that color, but it had seemed different each time.

Before, when I’d stared long enough, I could earn a bashful smile from him. Now, his face was totally devoid of emotion. He looked at me like I was a stranger.

Did he… not recognize me?

sure, but not enough to become unrecognizable. Unless he truly had sealed me away in his past and moved on,

was simply pretending, to save face. I could be a great embarrassment to him, showing up here, years after leaving

Maybe he hated me.

the outsider.” The girl in

and even his voice was monotone. Another moment of staring at me blankly, then he turned and

I followed him. He led me

in a suit hurried toward him. “Your Royal Highness, please remember that per

look at the man,

is an

course, sir.” The man

forward and

might be sick. I had never imagined I’d meet Nicholas again, and especially not

What would he think of me, to see me as I was? To see me here, as part of the selection? And with

ease against his chest. She must have cried herself to sleep, eyes closed and drooling. She seemed at

perfect façade cracked. He frowned. His golden

stayed gentle on Elva, his arm looped

you hide my child from me?” he

my thoughts skidded to a stop. I blinked once, twice, but, no, I couldn’t make sense of what he

Eloquently, I said, “Huh?”

softly sleeping in his arms. She was three years old. That lined up with our breakup three years

recall the memory. We’d been so young then, too eager and

in clumsy haste. I couldn’t remember where he was when he’d climaxed. But, hadn’t he been wearing

but the certainty that fueled it seemed to slide into bewilderment. His

hoping to give him some

He’d even said so on television. For me to hide a child from him would have been a cruelty. He would likely have struggled forever over the guilt

her name.

a moment, before the anger

wanted to say, he seemed to struggle

and Elva. “She looks

would. Her birth mother was my identical twin sister. But I wouldn’t tell that to Nicholas. Elva was mine in every way that mattered. I would not have

question for him, and he started to

What could cause

arms, and he immediately cut

lowered Elva down onto one of

be mad at Mommy,” came