Chapter 4


    One of the soldiers dragged Boss out into the dining room. He was whimpering, begging them to let


    him go.


    “I didn’t know. How would I have known?”


    In the center of the dining room, the soldier dropped his hold on Boss and he crumpled onto the floor.


    My attention flicked up to the television screens, which showed a rey of the selection process,


    disying names, one after the next.


    The 25(th) and final name was my own.


    I didn’t understand. I never sent in an application.


    “I had no idea she might be a future Luna,” Boss said, clutching his head. “If I’d known, I never would


    have –”


    “For this slight against the royal family, this establishment will be shut down until further notice,” the


    head soldier said, cutting Boss off. Then the guard looked at me. “Some of us will escort you home,


    miss, so that you can gather your personal belongings.”


    “How long will I be staying?” I asked. I felt like I was in some sort of dream. Any moment I’d wake up


    and be in that kitchen.


    I never wanted to step foot inside of there again.


    The soldier gave me a quizzical look. “Everything should have been made clear on your application.”


    The application. Right. The one I hadn’t sent in.


    I didn’t want to ask any more questions and risk drawing unwanted attention to myself, so I nodded. “Of


    course.”


    A handful of soldiers near the entrance beckoned me to them. I followed them and they drove me to my


    apartment. When we arrived, I asked them to wait outside.


    Theyplied, though one stationed himself right outside the door. “To help with luggage,” he


    exined.


    I wasn’t used to that kind of care, so I looked at him strangely for a moment. He maintained a military


    stance, not seeming to mind my stare.


    This was all too weird.


    I opened my apartment door and walked inside. Anna excitedly met me just inside the door. Elva, not


    quite as excited, was still on the couch, ying with her dolls.


    “Hi, Mommy.”


    “Hi, Elva,” I called to her before looking at Anna, who seemed ready to bounce straight out of her skin.


    “You were chosen! Can you believe it?”


    “No.” I ushered her away from the front door. Yet even away from it, I still kept my voice soft so the


    soldier outside wouldn’t hear. “I didn’t even put in an application. How did they get my name?”


    Anna quickly nced away.


    “Anna.”


    “So I sent in an application on your behalf…”


    “Anna!” I whisper-yelled.


    “You don’t belong in this town, Piper, and certainly not in that job with that creepy boss.”


    “I can’t believe this. What am I supposed to do?”


    Her eyes found mine again. She held hands out, palms up. “You are supposed to participate in the


    Luna Choosing Game.”


    “I never wanted to do this,” I said. “If I go there, I’m going to be humiliated. I don’t fit the criteria, Anna. I


    have a daughter.”


    Anna shrugged. “What’s the harm in trying, Piper? If you go and they disqualify you, youe back


    here and nothing will have changed. But if they ept you…”


    “That will never happen.”


    Anna sighed dramatically. “At least try. If only so you can get a free vacation to the Capital. Elva’s never


    seen it.” Anna kneeled down, iming Elva’s attention. “Wouldn’t you like to see the pce, Elva?


    Where the King and Luna live?”


    “The Luna had a pretty dress,” Elva said.


    “She has a lot of pretty dresses,” Anna said. “And so do a lot of the other girls there.”


    Elva gasped. “Really?” When Anna nodded, Elva turned her doe eyes up to me. “Can I see the pretty


    dresses, Mommy?”


    This was a low tactic from Anna. How could I resist Elva’s doe eyes?


    “Okay,” I said. “We can see the pretty dresses.”


    As Elva cheered, I gave Anna a t look.


    She just smiled. “You’ll thank meter.”


    Despite the royal family’s magic having made the selection, choosing me had to have been some kind


    of mistake. I couldn’t say that, of course. To dispute the judgement of the royal family was akin to


    treason.


    What I could do was take Elva into the pce to see the dresses, and then politely withdraw from the


    competition.


    We arrived to the pce at dawn, pulling into a long circr entryway. Carrying Elva, I followed the


    soldiers to a room to prepare for the morning’s social.


    I thanked the guard again. He seemed less surprised this time. At the door, he whispered, “Good luck,


    ma’am.”


    Twenty minutester, I had changed and help Elva into the nicest outfits we had brought. We matched


    in simple sundresses. I brushed Elva’s hair up into curly pigtails. I kept my own down, which was


    unusual for me. Lately, I always had it up in a bun for work.


    Dressed, we followed a waiting maid down into the main parlor, where many beautiful women had


    begun to gather. Their dresses were much more borate than mine, the other girls looking like they


    had stepped out of thetest expensive fashion magazines.


    Elva’s eyes went wide as saucers. She pointed to one dress, and then the next, like she didn’t know


    what to look at first.


    In the corner of the room, a maid had set up a table of mimosas and parfaits. I ushered Elva over there


    and handed her a parfait and a spoon. Her eyes, however, were still on the dresses.


    Elva blessedly didn’t seem to notice the sneers and sideways nces the two of us were earning


    simply by being present. One woman looked at my dressed with a disgusted sort of snarl curling her lip.


    Embarrassment struck me and I lowered my chin.


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    “Elva, honey, let’s…”


    Elva wasn’t beside me. I nced up, rmed, and saw her only a few feet away, reaching for a


    woman’s sparkly pink dress.


    “Elva,” I said, hurrying to stop her.


    But I was toote. Some of her parfait dripped over the side of the cup and onto that sparkling dress.


    “Oops,” Elva said.


    I ced my hand on Elva’s shoulders, easing her back. “I’m so sorry,” I said to the woman.


    The woman’s eyes were fire. Her re shifted from me to Elva to back again. “Get that runt out of my


    sight.”


    “It was an ident,” I said.


    “I’m sorry,” Elva said, voice small.


    “There shouldn’t even be a child here. What are you, a nanny? Who do you think you are to attempt to


    mingle with potential queens?” Her words were cruel and cutting, so uglypared to her pretty face.


    Elva’s shoulders shook. She sniffled loudly.


    This was no reason to make a child cry. My own anger spiked. “Now, hold on –”


    “Didn’t you hear what I said?” the girl snarled. “Get out!”


    Suddenly, she shoved me – hard. I hadn’t been expecting it, and without a wolf, I couldn’t stand against


    her strength. I fell backwards, down to the ground.


    I released Elva only so I wouldn’t bring her down with me.


    With me out of the way, the girl turned her aggression toward Elva. She shoved her toward the exit,


    pushing roughly.


    Elva was crying in earnest. She’d totally dropped her parfait, and it sshed out, wasted, across the


    floor.


    I scrambled to my feet.


    An authoritative voice called out. “What’s going on here?”


    Elva must have sensed something protective about the man. She ran straight toward him. He leaned


    down to catch her.


    My heart jumped into my throat.


    Elva ran straight into Nichs’s arms.