Page 40 of Juliet & Her Romeos

Warmth unfurls in my chest.

Mary’s loyalty and support mean the world.

There are many more good Betas like her and Swan in this dance school than there are ones like Ariana and Remington.

I take in a slow breath, feeling the stretch in my muscles, as I also slide into the splits. “How was dorm? Is the new kid settling in?”

“Liam’s homesick but he’s only six. Being sent away by your pack just before Christmas sucks. He doesn’t yet know that he’s unlikely to ever see them again. He keeps asking for his mom. I’m doing the best that I can to make things easier for him.”

“Swan and I will as well.” I reach to tidy Mary’s bun, and she squirms. “Hey, stay still. You know what Miss Katerina is like about our buns, but you always look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.”

Mary waggles her eyebrows. “I wish that my hair looked like this because I’d been in that hedge with that hot mentor of yours.”

My cheeks redden.

Has Mary guessed about Swan and me?

I wish that I could tell my friend that Swan and I have kissed for the first time.

That we’ve promised to be each other’s bonded.

I’m bursting to talk to someone who’s so important in my life about my exciting news. I have to keep those words locked behind my teeth, however, because my relationship is forbidden.

The secret is too dangerous.

Instead, I deflect. “As long as you’re not doing anything naughty in a bush with Rem. He may be objectively as handsome as a Disney prince, but his cock would be too posh to get hard for commoners like us. I bet that it’d hang there limply, while he demanded haughtily,it’s not my job to get it hard because I’m an elite; trash like you should do all the work.”

Mary bursts into laughter. “That sounded just like Rem. Shit, did you have to say that? Now I’ll have to scour my brain with bleach to get rid of that image. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to orgasm when I’m flicking the bean ever again.”

Ariana’s head snaps up at our laughter.

She’s like a pretty, dark haired porcelain doll.

She’s taller than me and thinner. She’s all harsh angles from her narrow face to her angular body.

But she’s astounding when she dances.

She looks intimidating, however, when she marches across the studio to stand with her hands on her hips in front of Mary and me.

I sober.

“Can we help you?” I ask, politely.

I don’t feel polite.

This asshole stole from me this morning. But I can’t prove it. I never can.

“What are you witches cackling about?” Ariana’s voice is aristocratic and educated.

“Why? Do you want to join us and make a coven?” Mary offers.

I battle not to laugh again.

Ariana sniffs. “Why would I join anything with aCinders?” She spitsCinderslike it’s a cuss word. I flinch. Even after all these years, this is still a pain point for me. Andsheknows it. “You’re a traitor to our pack, Mary, for being friends with her.”

“There are a lot of traitors in the pack then.” Mary pushes herself to her feet. “Juliet is friends with…well, everyone but you and your clique. Plus, she’s Omega cuddle pile mates with one of the company’s owners, Laurent. What friends in high places do you actually have?”

Caught unawares, Ariana shifts from foot to foot. She opens and shuts her mouth a couple of times.

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