I don’t want to," she said, firr now, pushing against him once more.
Eryx tilted his head as his eyes searching her face desperately. "Please," he said softly. "We need to talk. Don’t you think I deserve an explanation?"
Athena closed her eyes. "Eryx... please."
He shook his head slowly, refusing to let go, refusing to back down, completely unaware or uncaring of the dozens of eyes burning into them.
Athena opened her eyes at last, eting Eryx’s gaze. "I can’t," she said quietly. "Not here. Not like this."
Eryx didn’t back down, If anything, he leaned closer, his voice dropping, urgent. "No," he said quietly. "You don’t get to shut out like this."
Athena stiffened. "Eryx..."
"You disappeared," he cut in, pain flashing across his face. "One day you were there, telling things I can’t forget, and the next, nothing. No goodbye. No explanation. Do you know what that did to ?"
Her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
"I deserve more than silence," he continued, his jaw tight. "Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking. If you still want gone after that, I’ll walk away. I swear."
She shook her head again, panic flickering in her eyes. "You’re making this harder."
"I didn’t make it hard," he said, voice rough. "Loving you did."
Eryx lowered his head slightly so only she could hear him. "Look at and tell it ant nothing," he whispered. "Tell you didn’t feel anything. If you can do that... I’ll stop."
Athena’s breath hitched. She looked away, refusing to look at him.
"You see?" he murmured, desperation bleeding through his words. "You can’t. So don’t ask to pretend this is over when it’s clearly not."
His hands finally fell away from her hips, but he stayed close, eyes burning into her face. "Please, Athena," he said, softer now. "Just talk to . Don’t leave like this."
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Every part of her was screaming to run.
Another part was already breaking.
She nodded, barely, and Eryx imdiately took her hand and led her out of the room.
The mont they stepped into the hallway, they collided with Azrael.
Athena stiffened like she’d been struck by lightning. She quickly pulled her hand from Eryx’s grip as Azrael’s murderous eyes locked onto him.
The air between the two n charged, for a heartbeat, it felt like they might actually crash into each other.
Athena moved instinctively, stepping between them, and placed her palms against Azrael’s chest. "Azrael, it’s not what you think."
Azrael’s jaw tightened as he stared at Eryx. "Then explain," he said coldly.
Eryx let out a humorless laugh. "Relax. I just needed to talk to her."
"That’s funny," Azrael replied, voice low. "Because it looked like you’re about to do more than that."
Athena’s heart pounded violently. "It wasn’t," she said quickly. "I agreed to talk. That’s all."
Azrael finally looked down at her, his expression softening just a fraction. "You didn’t tell ."
"I didn’t have ti," she whispered. "He just showed up."
Eryx crossed his arms, eyes burning. "I didn’t drag her out here. She ca willingly."
Azrael’s eyes snapped back to him. "Watch how you speak about her."
"And you watch how you control her," Eryx shot back.
"Enough," Athena snapped, her voice sharper than either of them expected.
Both n went silent.
She turned to Eryx, her eyes pleading but firm. "You said you wanted to talk. Not start a war."
Eryx’s shoulders dropped slightly, the anger giving way to raw hurt. "I’m not trying to fight him," he said quietly. "I’m trying not to lose you."
Azrael stiffened and his hand balled into fist.
Athena swallowed hard. "You don’t get to say things like that anymore. Please."
Eryx flinched, like she’d slapped him.
Azrael stepped closer to her side, possessive, his arm sliding around her waist and pulling her firmly against him. "Say what you need to say," he told Eryx coldly. "Here. Now. I’m not leaving."
Eryx scoffed, his jaw tightening. "What I want to say to her is none of your business," he snapped. "It’s between and her."
By now, students were beginning to slow down, curiosity drawing them closer. Whispers filled the hallway. Athena felt heat rush to her face, embarrassnt crawling up her spine.
Azrael took a deliberate step toward Eryx, their chests nearly touching. "She’s my mate," he said darkly. "And I have every right to know what you want to say to her in private."
Athena tugged gently at Azrael’s clothes, her voice low. "Azrael... everyone is watching. Please."
For a mont, it looked like he might argue.
Instead, Azrael suddenly stepped back, bent down, and lifted Athena into his arms in a bridal carry.
Athena gasped. So did everyone else.
Before she could protest, Azrael turned and walked away, his expression unreadable.
The hallway erupted in murmurs.
Eryx stood frozen, fists clenched at his sides, his jaw locked so tight it ached. Watching them disappear down the corridor felt like sothing was being torn out of his chest.
With a sharp turn, he stord off in the opposite direction, anger and heartbreak boiling just beneath his skin.
Azrael shut the door behind them with more force than necessary. The sound echoed in the empty classroom.
Without a word, he set Athena down on the edge of the desk. He stepped forward, caging her in as his hands landed on the table on either side of her hips as he stood between her legs.
"Explain," he said.
Athena’s heart hamred violently against her ribs. "Azrael...please..."
"I said explain," he cut in, jaw clenched. "Because from where I stood, it looked like you were about to walk away with him."
"I wasn’t," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I swear to you, I wasn’t. He wouldn’t stop insisting, he wanted to talk. I didn’t know how to shut him down without causing a scene."
"And holding his hand was the solution?" His voice cracked just slightly at the edges. He hated that it did.
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