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I can feel the overwhelming sorrow pushing at me once more. Waves and waves of melancholy threaten to pull me back into the pit of despondency.

I don’t like it there. I don’t like how I feel. I want it to stop, but I don’t know how.

Blinking, I know I won’t be able to fight it for much longer—if at all.

“What could he be planning?” I ask, my voice once more devoid of emotion as I sink deeper and deeper into that pit.

Lucifer tilts his head as he stares at me. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing.” I stare at him blankly.

Lucifer’s eyes move to Wraith, who lets out a sigh. “We believe she’s going through rejected mate syndrome.”

“Excuse me?” Lucifer sits up straight, his eyes flashing with…holy shit. Is that hellfire? “Who rejected my daughter?”

I wave off his unnecessary anger. “It doesn’t matter.”

“The fuck it doesn’t. I want to know what happened, and who I need to kill.” He really does look pissed, which is weird since he didn’t know I existed an hour ago.

“It’s irrelevant to the current situation,” I tell him, ready to talk about anything else but Nex.

I don’t want to think about him, let alone talk about him. Not only does it hurt, but each thought of him sends me deeper and deeper into despair.

“I don’t think it’s irrelevant,” he starts, and I cut him off with a shake of my head.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Anger bubbles along the despair, there and then gone again. “I want answers.”

Lucifer looks like he wants to argue but stops when Wraith clears his throat.

“I have no idea what Michael could be planning,” he finally answers, clearly not happy about the change of topic, but he can suck a dick. “I need to figure out how he was able to leave Olympus. How your mother was able to. Maybe once I figure that out, I can get an idea of what he’s planning. All I know is that whatever it is, it’s not going to be good.”

I roll my eyes. “Great. More questions. Just what we need.”

“Little mate, you can’t expect him to have all the answers,” Cassian says quietly, drawing my attention to him. He’s been very quiet since Lucifer appeared.

Actually, it’s not just him—it’s all of my mates.

Frowning, I glance at each of them. Wraith and Cassian are giving me worried looks, while Brenden’s face looks as blank as I feel. Donovan is clinging to my leg, but his eyes are on Lucifer.

“It sounds like we need to talk to Mom,” Wren finally says, giving my hand another squeeze.

Lucifer nods. “It might be best. That’ll give all of us some answers. After we speak with her, I might be able to offer more answers. I just don’t know. But don’t think that this conversationabout this rejected mate is over. Mainly because there are only three ways to deal with it, Audrey. Either the mate accepts you, the death of the mate, or time—and we’re not talking weeks or months but years and years.”

My eyes fall closed as pain shoots through me. The only option that sounds good to me is the first, but even if Nex decides he wants to be with me, how can I allow that with how he hurt both me and Brenden?

No. I’m definitely not doing this right now.

I push to my feet, knocking Donovan over in my haste as I drag Wren and Brenden with me. “Mom’s address is 123 Brightstone Ave right here in Leyton. We’ll meet you there.”

Without waiting for a response, I step into the shadows with the two of them clinging to me.

I’ve spent nearly thirty years without a father. I certainly don’t need one now. Especially if he’s going to keep picking at the open wound that is my relationship—or lack thereof—with Nex. Brenden and I are going through enough. We don’t need the rejection thrown in our faces again and again.

Instead of stepping out at my mom’s house, I keep us in the shadows as I take a deep breath.

“Are you okay, Ree?” Wren’s voice is quiet, and even without looking, I know her worried gaze is on me.

I shrug. “It’s a lot. All of it’s a lot. I just…I can’t.”