“Of course, you always wake up when I'm with you,” Emely said, annoyed.

I jumped up with a jerk.

She had been the last person I had seen before I collapsed...

“What day is it?” I asked, hoping I hadn't missed too much.

“I don't want to worry you, but it's Wednesday.”

Emely played with her very beautiful natural nails before closing the law book. I wish mine were naturally like that, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

Then I realized what she had just said.

Wednesday. Monday, I had broken down...

“And whatever's going on with you, I want you out of my head.”

“Ems, we had an agreement.”

Julian stepped into the room and I immediately looked down at myself. Luckily, I was wearing clothes.

How could I have been without consciousness for so long? What had happened anyway? What did Emely mean by getting out of her head? And anyway, what was Julian Bardot doing in our girls' accommodation?

“I think I'm getting dizzy right now,” I groaned, but straightened up anyway. I couldn't possibly spend my entire first semester here in bed, even if everything in my body was screaming for the soft mattress beneath me. This was not how I had imagined my university life.

“It's scary, Julian. You've seen what it does to us.”

I looked back up at Emely, who was visibly unhappy, slamming the rest of the law books on her desk shut.

My brain was so foggy that I needed some time to process her words.

Emely turned off her Bluetooth headphones and looked at me, annoyed. “And you snore.”

Julian laughed and crossed his arms in front of his chest so that his biceps were clearly visible. I tried not to look. Instead, I straightened up further.

“Could someone explain to me what's actually going on here?”

“You fell over after your nose started bleeding,” Julian sighed, as if he had been there.

Automatically, I grabbed my nose as if there was still blood there, but someone must have wiped it away.

“By the way, I still think we should have gone to get your father.”

Emely looked at Julian as if he'd made a bad joke.

“For a Quatura?”

“I'm not a...” I wanted to protest, but Emely interrupted me.

“How about you finally get it. You're a bloody witch!”  She looked upset, and her eyes began to glow slightly yellow. “And if you won't believe me, at least believe him.” She pointed at Julian, who once again looked at me with pity, as if Emely was right. “You've bewitched us with your strange powers. And you're in my head 24/7, and it's really annoying!”

I didn't understand anything anymore. How could I have bewitched her?

“Excuse me, Julian, but I'm about to...” Emely said, before rushing headlong out through the door.

“Where's she going?”

Julian was still looking at me with concern, reminding me of my mother, which made a negative feeling rise up in me, because right now I couldn't help but be angry with her.

“She's going for a run, turning.”

My eyes widened.

“Into a wolf?”

God Bay, into what else?

Julian grinned. “Have you fallen on your head?”

“Very funny,” I snorted and tried to stand up, but I could barely keep my balance, so I had to lean against the wall to prevent myself from landing at Julian's feet.

“Are you okay?” Julian asked again in that slightly worried undertone I remembered from the weekend.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” I heaved myself over to my little closet to at least get out a new knitted sweater, because I was cold, and I must stink, especially for a wolf who smelled everything for miles.

“You should lie back down, you're far too pale.”

He came to me as I detached myself from the wall to walk hands-free, and carefully put his arm around my shoulders.

I remembered the last time he had been this close to me: The night he had carried me up to my room.

My cheeks glowed a little. I hoped I wasn't blushing.

“I want to get out of here, Julian. This room doesn't feel right at the moment.”

I looked at him pleadingly.

In all honesty, it bothered me that I was so small and fragile. I got the feeling that I was inferior to him, which of course was complete nonsense. To the point where you considered that he could turn into an oversized wolf. I could have been his lunch. Although, as much as I had lost weight without meaning to in the last two weeks, I was probably just a snack.

Julian's jawline relaxed.

“Get changed.” I opened my mouth slightly to say something, but Julian raised his hand. “And no, you don't stink.”

I looked at him, startled.

Had he read my mind?

“And when you're done, you'll come out.”