Page 245 of A University of Betrayal

Fortunately, Larissa had changed the subject. I had no idea how else to respond to her without hurting her again.

I hadn’t had the courage to approach her about having children, either. All I knew was that she had always told me that she wanted to have a big family one day, so she could give her children what she had never had as a child.

My heart contracted painfully.

“I wondered what Alice had meant byprojectall this time. She had mentioned an idea. And I think she kept writing. This can’t be all that’s left of the diary,” I said quickly, trying to pick up.

“And even if it is, we’ve searched everything we can.”

Julian seemed basically hopeless about finding more information.

“I’m glad Julian wasn’t sent home by a shotgun.” Julie looked questioningly at Larissa, and my best friend rolled her eyes. “Her mother loses her shit sometimes.”

“Ms. Adams did what she had to do,” Julian replied with a grin, and I shook my head in displeasure.

“Julian, Larissa is right. My mum is an enigma with a lot of edges, and she’s definitely way too worried.”

“She was trying to protect you.”

“That’s exactly what I mean. From what? Does she really think that poorly of me?” Larissa began, upset, “But while we’re on the subject. It seems like your mum and Alice used to be very good friends. Do you think she might have any contact details or documents about her in her files?”

My mother’s document that she was secretly working on popped into my head. I had told Alarik and Julian about it. But should I really let more people in on it? I trusted Julie, but I also knew that she was close to the people who should never know about it. And then there were Alarik’s words... And anyway... Was the document even important?

“You should check out your mum. She seems to have played an important role in Alice’s life.”

I just nodded at Larissa’s comment and reached for the diary pages when I heard voices from upstairs.

Enough Is Enough

Christopher Tyng

“Ugh, theshe-wolfis here. I thought you lived with the other dogs.”

“Watch your mouth!” someone hissed back angrily.

Julian’s attention wandered to the stairs, where Emely came rushing down. Her gaze was indistinct as she stopped for a moment, looked at each of us, and her expression only brightened slightly when she spotted Julian.

“Hey,” he said kindly.

“Can we talk for a minute?” Emely said, looking at me, Larissa and Julie as if we were the contents of the garbage can that Larissa and I always had to take out because the rich people in the house wouldn’t even think of doing that. Julie was the only exception, because she had suggested we set up a housekeeping plan, but Amber had ripped it off the wall and torn it to shreds.

Julian jumped up immediately. “Sure.”

They both left the house.

I knew that Julian had asked her out and that they were going on a date soon. But I also knew about the Russian Alpha son who was always watching her as if she were his prey. Julian had told me everything. And since then, I was even more afraid of being exposed and perhaps having to join that pack.

It wasn’t long before the next person came down the stairs. She had styled her thick blonde hair with a curling iron, and her make-up was – as always – neither too much nor too little.

“You three, here in the eat-in kitchen,all alone,”she said with suspicion in her voice and walked past Larissa with the greatest possible distance to open the fridge.

“Where else are we supposed to be?” my best friend asked, annoyed.

“That’s not my point,” Vivienna hissed and took one of the orange smoothies from the fridge, which was regularly refilled by a strange female butler. “It’s about the constellation.” She closed the fridge slowly and looked at Julie. “A Quatura who can’t afford to hang out with such people.” Julie’s expression stiffened, but Vivienna didn’t let herself be put off and looked at Larissa. “A cunning bloodsucker fucking her way through the DeLoughrey dynasty. Let’s not even get started on the Bardot stray...” And then she looked at me. My heart slipped into my gut. “Andyou.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with that,” Larissa said, shrugging her shoulders, before Vivienna could say anything else.

Vivienna turned around angrily.

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