“What are you doing, Julian?” he pressed out.

His gaze darkened, and I knew what he was trying to do. But since I wasn’t part of his pack and wasn’t planning to be anytime soon, it wasn’t working. Did he really think he could get me out of the waythateasily?

“Scum!” he growled, turning away from me and the DeLoughreys.

Miles was no longer standing behind me, but leaning against the desk.

“And my sister still thinks you’re one of us!” Nash looked at me grimly, and I wanted to punch him in the face. He could have saved that stupid look on his face for himself. “If she knew you were surrounding yourself with these freaks.”

“I didn’t choose this,” I said snidely and walked past him into the hallway, his friends giving me disapproving looks. But they couldn’t do anything against me. Not without Nash saying something.

At leastIstill had a mind of my own. One would look in vain for that among them.

“You’ll be sorry you ever betrayed us like that, Bardot,” Nash called after me, but I was already on my way down the stairs and didn’t give a damn about his empty words.

I had already received many threats, so this was no longer anything significant.

Nash should run to his father, like every time. It just showed once again how pathetic the Copelands really were. Because without money, they would only be a miserable pile of ashes, far away from this city.

Chapter 21

Mady

“And there’s supposed to be something going on here?” Larissa sounded skeptical as she glanced back and forth between the glowing orange sign that read Midnights and the wooden one with a raven on it, swinging peacefully back and forth.

“There’s always something going on here,” I laughed, pulling the girl through the door, into the inviting campus bar, where several students were already sitting at the wooden tables, playing some sort of drinking games, eating something, and talking excitedly.

“Are we even allowed to be here?” it came from Bayla, who looked around nervously. “I just turned eighteen.”

I whirled around. “Relax. British Columbia is different from California. Nobody gets kicked out here.” I led the two girls through the raised walkway that surrounded the bar. “Besides, you’re a student now, and that means a new phase of your life is starting, andthatmeans you’re going to have to go out and party hard.”

“I like her,” Larissa laughed as Bayla continued to look around at Midnights.

Just then,Love Is a BitchbyTwo Feetstopped playing, and the stereo started playingEat Your YoungbyHozier.

“Mady, honey!”

Frustration spread through me and – suppressing a sigh – I turned to Jenny Bexley.

The tall reporter girl was smiling, and the iPad and accompanying pen in her hand indicated nothing good.

“Would you like to make a statement about the DeLoughreys’ arrival?”

“I don’t even know them,” I replied, confused.

“But your boyfriend...”

“Ex-boyfriend,” I corrected her, and she pressed her fake lips together in frustration before rolling her eyes.

“Oh, come on, you guys were such a cute couple. And I’m sure he told you what was going on between his family and the DeLoughreys” Determined, she opened the note app on her iPad and passed her glittering handbag to her younger sister, who was hiding next to her. “Penny,” Her sister took the purse. “Hold.”

I sighed, absolutely not ready to make a statement to Jenny.

Aboutwhat, anyway?

“Why don’t you just ask him yourself?”

Jenny looked up in surprise but then began to chuckle oddly.