I should have known better. He stood from the bed. “There are many girls here who would make good Lunas. Olivia is perhaps the strongest of the group.” I don’t know what I had been expecting, but my stomach still twisted uncomfortably as he spoke of the other girls. “She’s beautiful and cunnin

“9?” someone gasped. I agreed, that seemed like so many people to be eliminated all at once! “9,” Nathan confirmed. “When you are eliminated, you are to pack your bags and immediately vacate the premises. There will be cars waiting to escort you home. There will be no arguments or reconsideratio

Nicholas did glare harder then, for a moment. When nothing happened, he turned away and made his way to his own seat. Lilliana was still seated beside him, though she didn’t say a word as he sat down. If they didn’t like each other, why hadn’t Nicholas asked someone else to sit there? “Shall we,

That night, my cold had healed enough that I could finally be reunited with Elva. I ran to her, and she ran to me. When she came close, I scooped her up into my arms and held her. Her arms came around my neck and she held me right back. “I missed you, Elva. So much.” “I missed you, Mommy.” Mar

“Mommy, look at Susie!” Further down the line, Susie had become something of a spectacle, engaging with her wolf far better than she ever had with humans. And the wolf seemed to adore her, bouncing playfully. Even other girls’ wolves had come closer to her, curious. I watched her for a while as

I worried about Elva all day, about her abilities and the dangers that those might bring. I was so distracted with my thoughts that I didn’t notice Elva was beginning to not feel well until she took my hand and I felt how clammy her palms were. “Are you not feeling well, Elva?” I pressed the back

I had prepared for this, but the lie I had planned still felt so ridiculous, I struggled to say it. Surely they would see straight through me. Then what would I do? “I… can tell that there is a sudden storm coming in,” I forced out. “Tomorrow. It will ruin the hunt. I humbly ask, for the sake of t

Nicholas As I watched, Piper seemed to crumble in on herself. The guilt and the worry pushed down on her shoulders and made her small. It didn’t suit her. She was strong, a fighter, yet fear for Elva tore straight through her. I had known the child a few short weeks, and already I was in agony,

“We were renting an apartment with a friend of mine, Anna. I worked hard for that life. Sometimes I even, well… I’ve let more experiences happen than I should have, for the sake of a paycheck.” My hands ached. Looking down I realized I held the wooden armrests of the chair in a white-knuckled grip

When I awoke, I was surprised to find myself in my own bed, while the physician tended to Elva beside me. I looked around the room, but Nicholas was gone. I wondered how long he stayed. Likely not for very long. He did dislike me, after all. Still, he had been kind to stay at all, even with all