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There’s another grunt, and when I round the corner, I find Donovan standing over Nex as he crumples to the ground.

“What the hell?” Both their heads jerk toward me as I hurry over. “What’s going on right now?”

Donovan smirks. “Nothing for you to worry about, pretty girl.”

I snort. “Yeah, that’s not how this works. Please tell me this isn’t what Cassian was talking about when he said you all would handle Nex.”

“Okay, I won’t.” Donovan winks.

I grimace, shaking my head as I remind myself it’s not nice to lose my shit on my mates. “While I appreciate your concern—all of my mates’ concern—beating him up isn’t going to change his mind.”

“I don’t need your help, Audrey,” Nex grunts, spitting blood onto the ground. “I’m a big boy.”

“This isn’t about you, you fucking shithead.” I sneer at him before turning my attention back to Donovan. “This isn’t what I want.”

Donovan wrinkles his nose, glancing between me and Nex before sighing. “Fine. I won’t beat up the piece of shit anymore.”

“Good, and you can pass it along to the others.” I shake my head, squatting down beside Nex. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

He rears back when I touch his arm, jumping to his feet and slumping against the wall with a groan. I frown as he clutches his side, and I wonder how long Donovan was at this before I walked up.

“What the hell is your problem, Nex?”

“My problem?” He scoffs. “My problem is that you can’t take no for an answer. You and me? It’s never going to happen. There’s no happily ever after waiting for us, and it’s kind of pathetic how you keep following me around.”

I push to my feet, stepping between him and Donovan, when my hellhound mate snarls. “No, Donovan. You’ve already beaten the shit out of him. I can handle this on my own.”

I don’t ask him to leave because I know he won’t, but I wait for him to nod his agreement before turning back to Nex.

“First of all, I’m not following you, you arrogant ass. I was walking around campus—as I do every night—because I can’t sleep. I came upon the two of you and made Donovan stop beating the shit out of you. A thank you wouldn’t be out of place.” I scoff at the look on his face. “Yeah, I know I’m not going to get one. I won’t hold my breath. As for the rest of the bullshit you just spewed?”

I shake my head. “I’m not the pathetic one. I’m not the one clinging onto some curse that probably isn’t real because I want to continue to live in the guilt I feel over my sister being killed and all the people I murdered in retaliation. I’m not the one who’s willing to throw away the best thing that happened to them because I’m fucking afraid. No, that would be you.”

He looks stricken as he stares at me before pulling himself up straight, hiding behind the icy mask he always dons in my presence. “Are four mates not enough for you? Do you really need to add a fifth? Are they that bad in bed or are you just so desperate for cock that you’re willing to bed someone who doesn’t want you?”

“Three mates,” I correct him. “If you don’t want me, then I’ll never have more than three.”

“I told you not to put that on me,” he snarls, getting in my face. “That’s not my fault.”

I shrug. “I never said it was. I’m just correcting your statement. I don’t know what would happen if I tried to mate with Cassian when you’re still rejecting me, but I can’t imagine it would be anything good. But you’re right. That’s not on you.”

Already over the conversation, I spin on my heel, but Nex’s hand closes around my arm and jerks me back to face him.

“You don’t get to just walk away from me.” His eyes flash, his mouth turned up in a snarl. He’s practically rabid as I scoff.

“Actually, I can do whatever the hell I want. And I don’t want to stand here listening to you tell me how desperate and pathetic you think I am.” I try to pull out of his grasp, but his fingers just tighten. It hurts, but I refuse to acknowledge it. I’m not giving him the pleasure of knowing just how much he’s hurting me—both physically and emotionally. “You need to let me go.”

He shakes his head slowly. “No, I don’t think I do. I don’t think you want me to. You’re still holding out hope that I’ll suddenly change my mind. Is that why you had Cassian text me the other day? Did you think that watching him fuck you would change my mind? Did you think I got hard because it was you? It could’ve been anyone there getting fucked, and I would’ve gotten hard.”

“So then, why did you fuck your hand?” I ask, daring him to tell me another lie. “Or did that have nothing to do with me, either?”

“Not a damn thing,” he growls, and it’s such a fucking lie that I laugh in his face. “I jerked off because there was a live porn show, and you were practically begging for my cock. Such a little cock slut, aren’t you? You’ll never have enough. What hole are you trying to fill with your desperation? Did Daddy touch you when you were little? Do you need to reclaim the body that was violated?”

My hand slams into his cheek, his head jerking away from me. When he turns back to me, anger flashes in his eyes, but I don’t fucking care. I know what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to push me away, and he’s succeeding.

What the hell am I talking about? He had already succeeded the day I left his classroom. I don’t want to be here doing this with him again. I’m so fucking over it.

“I don’t have a dad, Nex. Which you would know if you bothered to get to know me. As for cock? My mates are packing quite the punch. I don’t need another cock. I don’t need another man or mate, but fate has decreed you to be mine.” I scoff, eyeing him up and down, my face telling him just how much I find him lacking.