Chapter 53
FIFTY-THREE
LAUREL
“Jule?” I called, rapping on his bedroom door. “Jule?”
The door opened, and I breathed a sigh of relief as a tired-looking Jule poked his head out. I paused as I breathed in his new alpha scent.
“Yes?” he said, his voice cold. He hadn’t opened the door all the way.
I hesitated, taken aback at the reception. I twisted my hands together, studying him. Wasn’t he going to invite me inside?
“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” I said, offering a smile as I held up my makeup bag. “I just got the Sulliver palette, and I thought we could—”
“No thanks,” he said dismissively.
An icy fist had gripped my heart and was starting to squeeze. “Oh.” I shifted on my feet. “We could just chill and watch some TV, then?”
Jule pulled out his phone, checking the time and looking at me down his nose. “Look, I’m meeting with father in ten, so if you don’t have anything important to say, get lost.”
I took a step back, the ice fist squeezing my heart tighter. I shook my head. “No, I—”
He snapped the door shut in my face without letting me finish, leaving me alone in the corridor. What was that about? He’d always sworn nothing would change if he ever got his aura.
He’d promised.
Or, actually, he’d promised he would never get an aura. And he’d been wrong about that.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and left, making my way down into the bowels of the Casino, where our hangout was. I hadn’t seen Jade for a little while, though maybe she was there today.
As I ducked under the wooden entrance, I saw a note pinned to the wall. I reached over and tore it down, my heart rate picking up. A note? Jade hated writing; she was self-conscious about it.
I read it, and then re-read it, my heart rate not slowing.
Laural,
I need some space. Going out of town 4 a bit.
Don’t kno when I’ll be back.
J.
Btw- Tell Jule to go fuck himself.
I scrunched the note up in my hand, trying not to cry. First Jule was acting cold, now this?