The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0301
I was speechless. I didn’t want to believe Veronica could have been involved in such a dark thing as the underground organization but the evidence was clear on her ribs. She lowered her sweater, hiding the tattoo again, but it was seared into my mind now. It was exactly the same in size and placement as Terry’s.
“You’re the one who told Julian about the tattoos,” I said.
Veronica nodded. “True, committed members of the underground, were gifted the tattoo. They were prized, a rite of passage. I knew that if Terry was in the organization, as Julian had thought, then he would take pride in his tattoo, no matter how dangerous it would be for someone like him to have one.”
Julian came around to the front of the couch and sat in a stand-alone chair from which he could see us and the door. I appreciated his watchfulness. No one would be able to sneak in or even cr ack the door enough to listen without his keen observational skills picking up on it.
“You didn’t know he was in the organization?” I asked.
“Rarely do the members directly interact with each other. Especially those of our level. We have intermediaries that connect us to the will of Hawk or the other leaders.”
I still struggled to understand how someone like Veronica, so young and beautiful and noble, could fall in with such a terrible organization that only wanted to do harm.
“I’d showed some magical prowess from a very young age. Since I was a toddler, really,” she said. “My parents were more proud of my abilities, than cautious that someone might want to use them against me.”
She closed her eyes and went very tense for a moment. “My pack is well-renowned, and my parents are very social. Our house had a constant flow of people in and out. It didn’t take long for the underground to plant a few individuals into my parents’ circle.”
“They would do that? Attempt to get close to you, despite you being a child?” I asked. My thoughts were with Elva, and how the underground might attempt to sneak into her life.
“They prefer recruiting children,” Veronica said in her usual flat tone. “Children are malleable. They can’t yet create their own opinions, their own thoughts. They can be molded into the perfect little followers.”
“Groomed,” Julian said.
Veronica agreed. “Groomed.”
“How terrible,” I said. A bit of fear clutched around my heart.

“Yes,” Veronica said. “The organization made me feel like I was special in a way my outgoing
+15 BONUS
She sighed. “To my parents, I was a centerpiece, a talking point. ‘Oh, look how our daughter can make sparks with her hands.’ The underground treated me like a person. Like I belonged, not to be looked at but to be a part of something bigger.”
She shook her head. “For years, they helped me cultivate my magic while also convincing me that I needed to keep it a secret from everyone. I didn’t understand at first, because the said my magic would be used to help people. Shouldn’t everyone want that help?”
Julian snorted in distaste. “They lied to you.”
“They said most people didn’t want my help. That while our mission was noble, it was something that needed to be done secretly. We had to help people, whether they agreed or not, and the best way to do that is with them none the wiser.”
She shrunk in on herself, curling her shoulders downward. “I knew they were training me to steal wolves from people, but I had no idea it was used to hurt those people. The organization told me the wolves were rabid and harmful. To remove the wolf was to save the shifter.”
My stomach twisted at the memory of being restrained. The pain so hot and intense. The misery of having a part of myself ripped away without my consent.
“That changed the minute I saw the actual wolf transfer in action,” Veronica said. “In that moment… When I saw…” Her voice became very quiet. “I knew it was wrong.
I knew what she had seen. I had lived through it myself. The pain was bad, but the heartbreak was worse. The loss of the wolf was something to grieve, but there was never any closure. The wolf still existed but always just out of reach.
Veronica’s voice grew stronger again. “I told my parents the truth after that. It was only through their powerful connections, and many threats from my father and pack leaders, that I was allowed to leave the group. But it is a disgraceful pack secret. One I was honor bound never
to reveal.”
“Until now,” I said.
“When I realized the truth about Terry, I couldn’t keep quiet. And that he was after you, Piper … And you’ve always been so kind to me. To everyone. I had to help Julian protect you where I could, so I came forward and told him the truth.” Veronica frowned. “I’m sorry I didn’t reveal
the truth sooner.
Gently, I shook my head. “You told us now. That’s what counts. I am no less grateful, I assure you.”
“You remain too kind,” Veronica said, but I disagreed.
Veronica was the one who had lost her childhood to this retched organization. She deserved
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Maybe, someday soon she might have it.
“Julian told me that you are curious if your wolf can be returned,” Veronica said.
I immediately straightened. “Yes, please. Tell me everything you know.”
“I believe it is possible,” Veronica said. “If we can find the person who has your wolf…”
“I know who has my wolf,” I said.
Veronica nodded. “The wolf is not diminished in the transfer, though the host may be. The only risk in returning the wolf might be your own safety.”