Page 198 of A University of Betrayal

“There are reasons for this hostility,” Julie remarked with seriousness.

“I’m sure it’s just based on prejudices,” Larissa countered.

I looked at Julian, who was giving me a thoughtful look, and wished I could read his mind. He never wanted to have anything to do withanyof this, but now I had somehow dragged him into it.

Oddly enough, he straightened up and smiled playfully. Then he showed me his middle finger too, which completely threw me off.

“What are you saying? Friends?”

It sounded sincere.

I looked at his finger until it finally clicked, and an amused smile spread across my face.

“Friends under probation,” I said, rolling my eyes and giving him my middle finger so he could hook into it.

Julian was such a child. Me too.

Larissa laughed, confused. “Do I have to understand?”

Julian and I looked at each other, grinning broadly, as if this insider was something very special, and Larissa just shook her head.

“You’re the strangest guy I’ve ever met,” she said before turning to me. Her eyes began to glow.

Eventually, I would get used to it.

“Bayla, you know what to do.”

Chapter 37

Emely

In the Calm Primeval Forest with Blackbird,

Chaffinch and Willow Warbler

Yttermarken

I loved this garden. Everything here reminded me of the happy and carefree hours of my childhood. It was the place where I was torn away from reality.My home.

The thought of having to move away soon when I tied the knot with Mica made my heart tighten. It had weighed heavier since the semester had started. I had known things would be more stressful, just not ascomplicated. Also, the last time I had been out for a run was days ago.

Back then, I had been outside almost every day, felt the forest floor under my feet, soaked up the typical deciduous forest scent, and had become one with nature.

Two man-sized wolves jumped out of the thicket, and one of them pounced on the other. He had very dark fur, cocoa brown.

“Joshua,” I sighed loudly, and the young wolf broke away from the light brown wolf to look in my direction so that the other could pounce back on him playfully.

Finn, my little brother, had turned for the first time on the last full moon, and he had been out with the other guys every day since. Joshua, Hunter’s younger brother, was stronger than Finn, but my brother quickly got better. Even Alarik thought he was making impressive progress.

My gaze flitted to the spacious stone terrace because I sensed someone else watching this spectacle.Mia. When she noticed that I had caught her, she quickly turned and disappeared into the house.

I sighed.

Back then, I had known her as an open, cheerful girl. In fact, she was more fun-loving than Julian and had come to terms with her mother’s death surprisingly quickly. We had gotten along well together. But when contact with Julian had ceased, so had contact with Mia.

She had been here for a week and tried her best to adapt, I could see that, but she also distanced herself a lot and became quieter.

The moon was waxing. She was about to undergo her first transformation. I was glad that she would experience it here and not in the Quatura’s territory, cooped up in a damned basement, overwhelmed by all the strength and changes in her body.

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