Page 328 of A University of Betrayal

As if Emely had heard us, she turned away from her conversation partner, a pretty blonde woman with curly hair, and looked at us. Her make-up also made her look stunning tonight.

But Julian pulled me further away from the pack’s field of vision.

“She hasn’t apologized to me yet,” he just grumbled, and I shook my head with a grin, albeit rolling my eyes.

“Maybe you shouldn’t blame her so much,” I laughed, and Julian kept pulling me until I accidentally bumped into someone.

“Watch out, you...”

It was Vivienna who turned to me and stopped herself midsentence.

She was dressed in a pink gown with tulle that made her look like a princess. Her pinned-up hairstyle made her stand out. She must have been crowned prom queen at Blairville High.

She eyed me.

“Nice dress,” she finally said, and I wondered if she was serious.

Then she spotted Julian. “You two arereallybold... Watch out.”

And just as quickly as she had appeared, she disappeared into the crowd again.

The orchestra came to an end and started a new song.

Wildest Dreams

Duomo

Speaking of the orchestra, I wondered how expensive it all must be. You really had the feeling you were in one of those halls in Versailles.

“We should be protected from the eyes of the pack here,” sighed Julian, who hadn’t taken Vivienna’s remark to heart and looked around again.

I looked for Alarik again, but it was as if the ground had swallowed him up. The strange feeling in my stomach wouldn’t leave me, but I forced myself to look in a different direction.

Ten feet away, I spotted my mother, who was deep in conversation with two women I didn’t know.

Suspicion rose in me.

Before I could make a comment about her, I caught sight of Amara again, who joined the three of them. Suddenly, the women nodded and turned away from my mother, and then Amara pointed her finger at me.

My heart stopped.

Julian’s head turned in her direction. He must have heard something.

“What? What are they talking about?”

Julian’s gaze was focused, as if he was still eavesdropping. “She just asked your mother where you got the dress from.”

It was too late to get out of here. My mother turned to me and her jaw dropped.

Panic spread through me.

“Should we leave?” Julian asked with concern in his voice, but I clutched his arm even tighter, hoping it wouldn’t fall off.

“Too late,” I whispered, grateful that Julian didn’t leave my side as my mother marched straight toward us.

“Where on earth did you get that dress from, young lady?” my mother pressed out angrily.

I was screwed.