Crimson Moon

1| Take Your Eyes Of Me So I Can Leave

~Trigger Warning; Domestic Abuse~

~Alpha Caius~

Two Years Earlier

"Tell me what's going on or I'm walking out that door."

The threat was silent when spoken through his violent signing, but so loud after he burst into my dorm room with zero warning and all the rage. Nearly taking the god damn door off its hinges as he slammed it closed, triggering a downward spiral as I panic.

It had been just three days since I ended things with CJ after my father's various death threats. Three days and here I was miserable, insufferable, and unable to function without him. I told him I was better off without him like a dumbass.

I lied and it only took him three days to see right through me.

I stood from my desk without taking my eyes off him as his dark furrowed brows held my gaze and never diverted away.

"What do you want me to say CJ?" I ask and he scoffs as he comes closer. My heart's brutal pounding soars to new heights in my throat with each quick step he takes to close the distance between us and grips my whole chin to pull me close to his face.

"The truth," He signs with his free hand and I gulp in his deadly grip, crushing my mandible with each passing second that I remain silent.

"The truth is I don't love you anymore," I sign back with a determination to make it my truth. But that along with my soul is crushed by the harsh slap as his hand comes across my cheek with so much force it knocks me straight to the floor.

"Cut the shit Caius, I know you love me, so what's really happening? Why did you leave me?" CJ asks after he kicks me in the gut so hard it has me on my back so I can look up as he stands over me.

"I left because you deserve better," I try again only to get picked up by the collar of my button-down shirt and slammed against the closest wall.

"Caius I can't do this anymore! How the fuck am I supposed to love you when you're hiding the most important piece of you from me?" He asks and I close my eyes, broken down and battered as I try to maintain whatever was left of my composure.

"Just love me in the dark," I beg with one hand before opening my eyes once more to meet his severe disappointment and I shatter.

"I wish I never met you, what a waste of my time, my energy, my love!" He signs with tears in his eyes and I push him back from me, unable to have him this close but he punches me right back in return and I can feel my lower lip bust against his knuckles as he does.

As soon as his hit recoils, I grip the back of his head, pulling him straight to my lips in an aggressive kiss that does little to soothe the anger between us. But he kisses me back for just long enough for me to rip his head back by his light brown wavy hair and shove him into the wall. He smirks as he grips my wrist holding his head and tightens it until I hear a sharp crack and wince with pain.

"I should have known you were a waste of space considering the fact you are just like your father," He signs and I couldn't control what happened next. My free hand rose to his throat as I lifted him up against the wall.

"I am nothing like my father! You know nothing about what it's like to live with that despicable piece of shit! You'll never know what it's like to be beaten, broken, and beaten again. To be barely liked only under such unrealistic expectations that I was never going know what it was like to be loved until you came into my life," I cry out, knowing he can read my lips as he eyes me while scraping at my hand, kicking my chest, choking for air.

"Which is why you were right, I can't live without you, so I had to let you go. Don't you get it CJ, I did it to protect you! I did it because I love you!" I choke on my own tears as he reaches out, just caressing my cheek before the light left his eyes and I quickly realize what I've done.

"CJ? CJ wake up, CJ!" I cry out as my Beta roommate came back from his study session and dropped it all to be by CJ's side.

"What happened?" He asked, checking for CJ's pulse before starting compressions as I fall back on my broken wrist and scream.

"I don't know! I don't know Arion, he was just there then..." I drift off as he continues compressions and does mouth to mouth to bring back my boyfriend while I watched in shock.

"WHAT DID YOU DO CAI! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR HOUSE? YOU'VE DOOMED LOTUS FROM THE START,"

***

~Present Day~

"I'm sorry,"

I utter my brief apology under my breath knowing it would never be enough and he would never hear it.

I watched CJ's eyes roll to the back of his head and my frustration turned to exhaustion as I gently thumbed the bruise I had created on his jaw. One that matched the one he once gave me.

I roll off CJ, collapsing on the sand beside him and I looked up at the dark navy blue sky painted in beautiful starry constellations. My face throbbed from the number CJ did to me, but that's nothing compared to the anguish building in my chest.

It's been aching since the day he ran away from me and I had ignored it for the most part.

Now after seeing the fight he put up, it's overflowing and I can barely breathe.

"What did I do to deserve this?" I plead to the gods to provide some kind of answers with no obvious back and forth conversation in return. It hurts so fucking much and I wish I could be numb to it all, but I still have some stupid hope that one day he'll turn around.

Although that hope is dim now.

"Alpha? Are you alright? Where are you?" My private investigators who found CJ for me after I received his location from Alpha Liliana communicated through the small link in my ear.

"Yes, I'm down by the beach, I'll bring him to the road. Meet me there," I command and use the last of my strength to turn over onto my bruised knees. My omega mate might have a massive personality, but thankfully it's all jam-packed into a tiny body, as I lift up his deadweight. Struggling to walk up the stairs leading from the beach to the cliff where we jumped.

CJ remains fast asleep, cradled in my arms as I protect him from the branches and get whipped in the face by them instead. The soft crunching of the leaves and sticks below my boots was more noticeable now in the silence than when I was panting in the cold to catch up to him.

Shit, he must be so cold.

It's already the cold rainy season and after coming out of the water soaking wet, I know I'm going to have keep the car extra warm so he doesn't get sick. I'd give him some of my own body heat but it doesn't help that we both jumped in so I have none to share.

Coming out of the thick forest to the main road, I'm surprised to not only find the guards I had waiting for me but all four of CJ's older siblings as well.

There was at the very least, some kind of sympathy flowing among us in a shared understanding that although dramatic and forceful it was for the best. As my mate, CJ couldn't hide from me forever just as I can't come to rule without him as my Lunos.

"Thank you," I barely mutter to Liliana as I pass her with my voice weakened after our fight.

"Remember what I said earlier, treat my brother well this time...or else,"

The alpha of the House of Crimson says with a threatening force behind it as Kiem cracks his knuckles, the tall and extremely intimidating Beta Myah glares down upon me, and his sister Vailen smiles while toying with a knife between her fingertips.

I give a solemn nod of understanding before ducking into the backseat of my awaiting car, holding my mate as we drove back to the Lotus Palace.

Refusing to let him go again.