The Luna Choosing Game

Nicholas

A late night knock rattled my door, rousing me from my sleep. I groaned, threw my arm over my eyes, and turned over, ready to ignore it.

But then it came again, louder.

Sighing, I lowered my arm and checked my clock. Midnight.

Who could be trying to reach me now?

My heart immediately jumped into my throat. Piper.

Who else would visit me this late? Unannounced?

Perhaps she had changed her mind about pushing the distance between us. Maybe she wanted me to hold her again. Go d, I couldn’t wait to feel her in my arms once more.

In a rush, I threw back my blankets and hopped from my bed. At the door, I wasted no time in drawing it open.

When I saw Piper there, a sense of relief surged through me so fully, I nearly toppled over. My knees went weak. My heart thundered out of control.

“Piper,” I said.

At once, she pounced toward me, jumping straight into my willing arms. She wrapped her own arms around my neck, and h ooked her legs around my waist. Her mouth found mine, latching on for a passionate kiss.

She was being more aggressive than usual, demanding where usually she allowed me the lead. But who was I to deny her? Or to deny myself, when she was all that I ever wanted?

I could be malleable, if this was how she wanted me every now and then. Whatever kept her mouth on mine and her body pressed against me.

Go d, I had missed her so much, I had felt her seeped down into my very bones. Her name was carved along my ribs, I was certain. Her voice, her mouth, her body, everything about her was seared into my heart.

I couldn’t exist without my want of her, my love.

Which was why I felt so confused when my soul, which usually burned brightly in her presence, felt more unsure than happy.

In the back of my mind, my wolf began to growl – not with its usual possessive intent, but with something darker… something warning…

Piper’s hands slipped into the space between us. She was undressing herself.

“Whoa,” I said, breaking the kiss. “Slow down, Piper. It’s okay. I’m here, we’ve got all night.” Piper shook her head. “Want you,” she said, voice rough. Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.

No, this felt like too big a difference from the last time I had seen her. Was that why my wolf was unhappy? We needed to make sure this was what she truly wanted, and she wasn’t just acting because she thought I wanted this.

“No. We need to talk first.” I tried to lower her down, but her legs wouldn’t release from around me. “Piper?”

I looked up at her, desperate to know her expression. What I saw there sent a violent shiver through me.

You stu pid as shole, I thought at myself, hating myself in that moment.

Piper – no, Jane – wrapped a collar around my neck.

Knowing this wasn’t Piper, I dropped her and stumbled backwards. Jane landed on her feet like I had barely inconvenienced her. A sharp smirk quirked one corner of her mouth.

I tugged at the collar but it wouldn’t budge. “What is this?”

“Be a good little dog, and sit,” Jane said. Shame went through me. How could I ever think this vile woman with her sharp, vindictive voice could ever be my beautiful and kind Piper?

Jane’s command sent a zip of pain shooting through my body. I grit my teeth, not wanting to show weakness.

“Is this how you mean to play?” she asked. “You think you can fight one of the strongest anti -werewolf measures in the underground?”

A magical collar? Designed to debilitate a werewolf?

“You will not control me,” I growled. My wolf itched under the surface of my skin. The collar had chained him back, but we both fought against those binds. The collar was powerful magic, but we would not go down without a fight.

“You seemed quite eager to do my bidding up until a moment ago,” she said, and winked.

Disgust churned in my stomach. I’d need a shower to remove her scent. I’d use all the mouthwash in the kingdom to get the taste of my mouth.

I could do neither of those things now, so I had to settle for staining my floors with her blood.

Roaring against the hold of the collar, I tensed all my muscles and shot forward. She was quick and darted out of the way.

“You wouldn’t hurt me, would you?” she teased. “Not when I look so much like your beloved Piper.”

“You are nothing like her!” I growled.

She lifted her chin. “We wear the same face, you oaf. That had been more than enough for you when you kissed me.” She tapped her finger against the side of her mouth as her smile grew. “Do you think Piper will be upset with that? She’s so fond of you. It would break her little heart.”

Rage grew within me, an ever-burning flame. I would never let her get away with purposefully hurting Piper.

I lunged for her again. My hands, half claws now, sliced into the meat of her arm. She yelped as she dodged away before I could take hold.

“You f ucking dog.” Cursing, she rushed to an innocuous part of the wall. There was nothing there, just a picture of a sailboat and some crown molding.

She reached up, touched part of the sailboat, and an entire door opened right there in that spot on the wall. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it. There hadn’t been any creases in the wall, no giveaways at all.

This secret passage had been perfectly hidden, even here, in my private rooms. How long had it been there, sitting unnoticed?

From the new doorway, a score of men dressed in black came pouring out. Members of the underground organization, most likely.

“Capture him,” Jane gave the orders. “Rough him up if you have to, to make him complacent, but don’t kill him. Hawk wants the bas t ard alive.” 2

Bas ta rd? I was a prince.

The men started forward, coming closer. They lacked caution. I taught them with sharp tooth and claw that they should never underestimate a wounded animal.

“How is he shifting?” one of the members asked. “Isn’t the collar working?”

“He’s an Alpha,” Jane said, shoving one of the men forward. “Don’t be such a godd amn coward.”

The da mned collar did limit some of my senses. I could fight off three or four at once, fifth added a challenge. One landed a solid blow to my jaw that unsteadied me. A sixth shoved me down to my knees.

They all piled on top of me, containing my arms and legs. A snapped against their hold, biting at anything I could reach.

I was caught painfully in a half-way state of shifting. My jaw was extended, my teeth sharp. But I couldn’t press all the way. It felt as if an invisible wall was holding back.

Jane stepped closer. She seemed positively gleeful as she gazed down at me.

“Why are you doing this?” I demanded, my voice raw, torn between man and wolf. Jane huffed a harsh

laugh. “Why else? My sister loves you. And I want to see her suffer.”