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?

unrecognizable. Unless he truly had sealed me away in his

great embarrassment to him, showing up here, years after leaving him,

Maybe he hated me.

is the outsider.” The girl in pink motioned to

even his voice was monotone. Another moment of staring at me blankly,

followed him. He led me to an adjoining room,

Highness, please remember that per the selection rules, you

man, who

is an exception,”

sir. Of course, sir.” The

forward and closed the door behind us, leaving Nicholas, Elva, and I alone in a

I had never imagined I’d meet Nicholas again, and especially not like

had no idea what even to say. What would he think of me, to see me as I was? To

ease against his chest. She must have cried herself to sleep,

once, his perfect

gentle on Elva, his arm looped more protectively

my child

once, twice,

Eloquently, I said, “Huh?”

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

recall the memory. We’d been so

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

the certainty that fueled it seemed to

said, hoping to give

For me to hide a child from him would have been a cruelty. He would likely have

That’s her name.

widened a moment, before the anger returned tenfold.

to struggle to get it out. He

and

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

seemed to answer some unspoken question for him, and he started to

startled. What could cause that

his arms, and he immediately cut

one of the plush couches in

mad at Mommy,” came Elva’s