The Luna Choosing Game



Slowly, my grief subsided for now, enough for me to look up at Nicholas and feel the relief of being reunited with my fiancé.

My... mate

"I love you," Nicholas said. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to reach you."

"How are you even here? It's impossible for you to have found me this quickly?"

Nicholas smiled a little. "Veronica was able to follow the teleportation magic. She'd been studying for months, just for this chance. Some of our wolves are fighting above, but I couldn't stand the thought of waiting. Hawk must have used the teleportation magic again, because Veronica sensed it and sent me straight to you."

I fell into Nicholas's embrace once more, thrilled to feel him so close and safe. His heart

pounded in rhythm with mine, the beat of our mating bond, brilliant and strong, holding us together. I wanted to revel in this closeness for as long as I could.

But that would come later.

For now, we had to get out of here.

Even as I thought it, the building quaked around us, shifting more dust into the air.

Nicholas gripped my by the arm and began herding me toward the door. "The sooner I have you away from all this, the happier I'll be. I wish I had teleportation powers of my own."

Me too. "We have to find Joyce first."

"Joyce?" Nicholas glanced at me. "He's here?"

"He tried to protect me, but Hawk sent him away. He can't be far. Hawk said he didn't want to hurt him."

"We'll search. Quickly."

At the door, I finally put up a fight, stopping Nicholas. I glanced into the dusty, shadowy room, looking beyond the corpse of my worst enemy to that of my sister.

She hadn't been kind. She'd hurt me time and time again, even tried to kill me. But my heart still mourned for her. For the woman she could have been had she taken a different path in life.

She could have been a mother. A friend. A princess.

Now, she wouldn't even receive a proper burial, Not yet, anyway. When we were safe, I would return to this place, and I would bring her home.

For now..

"Piper, I'm sorry but I will carry you out of here if I have to. It's time to go."

I nodded and let Nicholas lead me from the room.

We found Joyce not long after, screaming and pounding on a locked door to one of the

rooms on our way to the exit.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

"Step back, Joyce!" Nicholas called through the door.

"Nicholas? How the devil are you here?" came Joyce's muffled reply.

"Back, Joyce! Now!"

Shuffling behind the door told us he had moved, then Nicholas, pulling on his Alpha strength, slammed through the door, smashing it into pieces.

On the other side, Joyce looked properly impressed. Then he looked guilty.

"Nicholas, I know that things between us aren't-"

"Later," Nicholas said, waving him forward. Then Nicholas stepped back toward me and wrapped his arm around my waist.

When the three of us were reunited in the hallway, we pressed on toward the exit together.

We burst through the front door. Outside, a war was indeed waging, wolves and bears shifted and lashing at each other's throats. It was a grizzly sight, with blood splatter here and there, though limited casualties, it seemed at first sight. Whenever someone was knocked down, they healed and reentered the fight.

Like this, who knew how much longer this could last?

Something had to be done. I looked at Nicholas for answers, but found him looking for his own in me.

And I knew, even if he didn't say it, what was needed here.

The bears would only stop the fight if their lost princess told them to.