The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

It had been three days since Boss made his proposition: either I sleep with him or I get fired.

I needed one more day’s pay to cover Elva’s most recent bill. Once I had that, I could resign and hopefully find something else.

Boss trailed his eyes down the length of my body. Staring openly at my breasts, he licked his lips. “Don’t think I won’t, Piper. I’ll be waiting for you.”

In the restaurant, all of the female patrons talked excitedly about the selection. To cater to them, Boss turned all of the televisions on the walls to the royal consort ceremony broadcast.

“Which one do you think is the most handsome?” asked one patron to her friends.

They’d ordered a plate of loaded nachos to share. I carefully placed it in the center of their table.

Another girl spoke quickly. “Are you kidding? The others are cute, sure, but Nicholas is obviously the hottest.”

The other girls quickly agreed.

Startled, I hovered at their table. They were right, of course. Nicholas was the most objectively attractive, but to hear people talk about him so casually still surprised me.

For three days, I’d tried to reconcile in my mind that the Nicholas I had known was also the eldest prince of the kingdom. But I still couldn’t quite manage it.

Nicholas had always been proper. But a prince?

“Piper, is it?” one of the girls at the table asked me. I jumped, realizing I was still standing there. Yet before I could apologize, she asked me, “Which one do you think is the most handsome?”

“Nicholas,” came my automatic answer. “Excuse me.”

Embarrassed at having been caught daydreaming, I forced myself to focus on work. And I succeeded – until I heard Nicholas’ voice come from the speakers.

“The kind of woman I’d prefer?” Nicholas said. “Someone loyal. Strong. Even tempered. And she has to like to children.”

“Check, check, and check,” came a voice from the table of girls. “He’s describing me! It’s meant to be.”

“Dream on. He’s clearly describing me.”

“You don’t even like kids!”

make it through the preliminary selection. Then

mean we can expect

my duty as a prince to continue the lineage.

girls squealed in delight. “He’d make such

for a moment, it seemed as if he was staring straight through it. I froze in place, like he

My heart ached.

the interviewer, and immediately, I felt foolish. Of course,

hadn’t thought of me at

my heart, hoping to soothe away the touch of pain

I couldn’t still be hung up on him. Sure, I hadn’t dated anyone else since, but that didn’t mean anything. I’d been too busy

lonely. I had Elva, and I had

When I returned to the dining

the royal family is investigating with the utmost seriousness. This illegal trade of wolves and their gifts is dangerous for every person in the

the plate of food in

once,

any one wolf, weakens

of the other waitresses hissed

stood among ceramic shards and ruined food. “I’m sorry.” I quickly set to cleaning it. As I did, I cursed myself so loudly in my thoughts, I couldn’t hear any more of

worn down and exhausted. After my accident, I pushed myself as hard as I could, focusing solely on work and

not once lift my eyes to the television again, not even when the table of

on the

stubborn clump of food from a plate, I

he was the last to leave at night.

who had said they would clean the dining room. The lights in the dining room

I was alone.

the back of my exposed neck. The stench of alcohol permeated the

to knock Boss over the head with it. Anything

I was a moment too late. Boss

knocked the plate onto the floor, where it

hips hard to mine, wedging me against the lip

I was trapped.

my shirt, revealing my lacey white bra. He pressed his palm against

Panic swelling within me, I struggled against him. He only held

wolf, I didn’t have the strength to break

pressed his nose to my cheek. I felt him smile against my jaw. “You have a child, after all. I know