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?

changed, sure, but not enough to become unrecognizable. Unless he truly had sealed me away in

a great embarrassment to him,

Maybe he hated me.

The girl in pink motioned to

Nicholas said, and even his voice was monotone. Another moment

followed him. He led me to

official-looking man in a suit hurried toward him. “Your Royal Highness, please remember that per the selection rules, you aren’t to

man, who nervously

an exception,”

The man bowed twice

inside after them. A servant stepped forward and closed the door behind

stomach churned. I thought I might be sick. I had never imagined I’d meet Nicholas

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

She must have cried herself to sleep,

and at once, his perfect façade cracked. He frowned. His golden eyes

gentle on Elva, his arm looped more

dare you hide my

my thoughts skidded to a stop. I blinked once, twice, but,

Eloquently, I said, “Huh?”

in his arms. She was three years old. That

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

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

certainty that fueled it seemed to slide into

hoping to give

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 for the years he’d

her name. But she’s

before the anger returned

seemed to struggle

glanced between me and Elva.

to Nicholas. Elva was mine

silence seemed to answer some unspoken question

What could

arms, and he immediately cut off the deep

onto one of the plush couches in the

Mommy,” came Elva’s quiet