Page 8 of Take All of Me

Maya

Monday morning hits me before I know it, my unorganized self rushing around my dorm, slipping on my last tennis shoe while trying to shove Friday night out of my head. It felt like my heart cracked open when it ended—Dakota pressing a soft kiss to my forehead, his phone buzzing and him slipping out the door. Half the bed went cold without him, but that’s what I’d insisted on.

One night. No more.

And then all weekend I was warring with myself, fighting the urge to march over to Frostbite Hall and demand just a little more of him. I had no clue how touch-starved I’d been until he and Brogan lit me up, leaving my mind a chaotic mess, my body warm and restless, my pussy throbbing around nothing. Even my fingers in the shower this morning couldn’t touch what I really want—him, them—but that’s not an option. Not if what’sshifting in him comes true. Not if Dakota’s an Omega. God, even thinking it feels surreal, like a puzzle piece I can’t fit.

I grab my bag and bolt out, slipping into my first class just as the professor starts droning on. It’s just as boring as I remember and yet, a piece of normalcy that I so desperately need. Focusing hard, I let my mind run with every bit of anatomy and medicinal information the professor spews, my pen flying across my notebook like it used to. This time around, I’m not going to waste time searching for love and packs and a forever.

Degree first, Maya.

But by mid-morning, all of my resolve is cracking, unraveling, leaving me raw and wanting. My stomach growls as I head for the cafeteria, but my phone buzzes in my pocket and I snatch it out, growling at the screen. Nox.

>>> We need to talk.

My thumb hovers over the dismiss button, ready to ignore him, when another text follows.

>>> Parking lot. Five minutes.

Panic flares in my chest as I shove the phone into my back pocket trying to breathe through it. I’m not doing this—not today.

I turn the corner, running through scenarios on what to say to Nox to make him go away when I slam into Brogan halfway down the hall, his hands catching my arms to steady me.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, sorry, I just wasn’t watching where I was going.”

He quirks a brow, a low chuckle vibrating through his chest. “That’s an understatement, Maya. I’ve been standing here the whole time.”

I groan, rubbing my forehead. “Were you watching me?” I accuse, half-teasing, half-mortified.

He shrugs like it’s nothing. “Well, we had a class together and something seemed off so I waited behind. Just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

My nose scrunches up because I know this is that mate biology bullshit Dakota dropped on me Friday—stuff I’m missing out on thanks to the surgery dulling my senses. My hand drifts to my neck, rubbing the scar beneath my hoodie as I force a small smile.

Brogan tilts his head, sniffing the air, his expression twisting just a little. “You smell distressed, love. What’s going on?”

“Nothing, just a little frazzled.” I deflect, voice tight. My phone buzzes again and I whip it out ready to rage, but it’s not Nox this time—it’s Dakota.

>>> Lunch together?

My heart drops into my stomach, a tangled mess of want and dread. I don’t know how to separate my feelings, how to just be friends with him after Friday—his hands, his mouth, his confession. Has he told Brogan about what’s changing in him? They’re on the same team and they were both with me on Friday. Have they talked about the whole mate thing?

Instead of letting myself spiral, I fumble a quick reply to Dakota and shove my phone back into my pocket.

>>> Got an appointment.

I manage a hurried goodbye to Brogan before scrambling down the hallway, the weight of his attention still on me as I bolt toward the parking lot. The rumble of a fancy red sports car pulls into a space, my steps quickening so as to catch Nox before he pushes his way onto campus. The last thing I want is an altercation where I’m trying to further my future.

The worst part isn’t even the flashiness of his arrival but the fact that I used to love that damn thing. He bought it for me when he first claimed me as his Beta, one of the shiny toys he dangled to make me believe he loved me. Back then I’d run myfingers over the hood, grinning like an idiot, thinking it meant forever. Now it just mocks me, a relic of promises he never meant to keep.

Nox steps out of the driver’s side, looking posh as ever—fitted suit hugging his frame, hair slicked back like he’s auditioning for some Wall Street asshole role. But there’s something off in his expression, a flicker of unease in those sharp blue eyes that I haven’t seen before. I stop on the sidewalk several feet away, refusing to let myself get sucked into whatever bullshit he’s peddling. Time’s been kind to him—too kind. He’s broader now, sharper, almost better than I remember, and a bitter part of me wonders if that’s the Omega’s doing. If she polished him up while I was left to rust.

I lean back, folding my arms across my chest. “Showing up at my goddamn school is a bit of a low blow.”

Nox smirks, that infuriating tilt of his lips growing as his gaze runs up and down my body. “You wouldn’t answer calls or texts. I thought this might get you outside and it did. We need to talk.” He steps forward, polished shoes clicking on the asphalt. He always tries to intimidate me, moving toward me, cornering me but none of that is going to work today.

“Wearetalking,” I retort, planting my feet. “What do you want? We split ways years ago. We’re no longer mated. What could you possibly want from me so bad that you’re showing up where you aren’t wanted?” My words sharpen with every breath, anger bubbling up hot and fast.

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