Loving His Broken Luna

Chapter 54

As his eyes slipped closed, Kris’ mind filtered in its own darkness, like a blanket, intended for healing. Gone was the uncertainty of this place; gone was the evil the demon could emit there.

It was all just… gone.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief, Kris could feel his muscles relax. Sure, they still flinched against the stone. They still twitched from overuse, but one thing was for sure, he’d get out of there alive for her… to protect her.

“What a sweet dream,” Renee spoke, feeling as if she was only a breath away.

Kris outstretched his palm, brushing it over his chest, looking for her. She’d want this with him, wouldn’t she?

“Hmm,” she hummed in agreement. “The thought at least,” she mentioned next, stirring him from the sleep his body begged for.

“Renee? What?” he asked, unsure.

His eyes remained closed, unable to open while he asked.

He could feel her warmth peel itself from him. “It’s hard for me to get close to people, Kris,” she murmured. “I like the idea of affection,” she sighed, “but it’s not for me.”

Her honesty struck him in the chest. If his body wasn’t wrecked from his journey this far, it would have ruined him where he stood. His mate didn’t want to be touched? Or was he misunderstanding this?

His alpha did his best not to whimper at the thought. He needed her. Kris needed her. How couldn’t she want his touch?

“What do you want?” he asked, worried.

Silence stretched between them, almost to the point of which he wondered if their connection had been severed once more. Her sigh stirred the space though, keeping him hanging on her every breath.

“Is it okay to not know what I want?” Renee replied, uncomfortably.

Did he do that to her?

“Of course,” Kris answered stiffly, despite feeling like the heavens were crumbling around him.

“It’s just… all I’ve known is pain?” her reply was laced in question. “I’m not sure I’m relaying this right. I just don’t know and it scares me to think that what I’m living right now is all I’m meant for. To be someone else’s toy.”

“Is that how he treats you?” Kris asked bitterly.

“What? He? Who my dad? or?” Renee sounded like she stumbled over her words.

“Come on Renee,” Kris groaned, “I can’t keep fighting to get out of here if you’re into that douchebag.”

Renee sighed.

“Jason is a fvcking prick and you know it. He’s ruining you; making you feel things you shouldn’t have to for what? You think that’s care?” his alpha reeled.

“Kris, I…” she stopped. “I can’t do this right now.”

“Why? He’s taking over again?” Kris barked out a little too loudly.

“I need to think about what I’m doing,” Renee returned evenly.

The sound of a machine whirring beside her, the setting down of materials, too heavy to be hers echoed through the space around him.

“Please don’t go,” he worried as guilt set in. “Where are you that you can’t stay?”

“School,” she replied, her tone gruff. “Talk later?”

Her shortness with him was jarring. How couldn’t she see what she was doing to him? All he wanted was Renee all to himself. How hard was that to understand?

“Okay…” Kris moped. “I’ll let you go…” he said, rolling to his side.

“Okay…” she repeated just as softly.

=====

Renee

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This attention has been bizarre to her. She went from nothing but abuse to people caring about her in what felt like the blink of an eye. For what? Lying too much? None of this made sense.

All that could was the physical need to finish her projects. Or in this case, start. Whatever they did in the forest opened the auto shop doorway to her. Not that Colla bothered claiming that it was her doing or not, but it was open, and because it was, Renee barely left.

Most of her decision was fully due to believing she’d be locked out again. Locked in sounded better. It sucked to sleep in there, that was for sure, but one day a senior brought in his old sedan just so that she’d have a place to sleep if she wanted.

It was kind of him. Adam, another actual human, was just like that. Always sticking his neck out where it didn’t belong. He did it to everyone though. Part of her was curious about it but her position remained: do the job, get the grade, get out.

February had just started too. It was the shortest, but longest month psychologically. Still IV high was in full push mode. Seniors were moving on to the season of slacking off, finding out about colleges and their options down the line, and Renee pushed onward. Parent free. Shacking up in the school… smelling like an oil slick since her environment and fears doubled…

The thought of new clothes came to mind frequently. Her go to happened to be the lost and found, the thought indirectly reached Kris then.

“You’re living at that school?” he asked, clearly appalled.

“It’s safe enough. Has everything I need…” she trailed, as she put the finishing touches on her engine.

The roar of turning it on shook through her.

“What was that?” Kris questioned, startled. His tone thrown off.

“What does it sound like?” Renee replied, metallic clanking sounded off around her.

“I don’t know? A motor?”

“Try a motorcycle,” Renee grinned, hearing his hum of approval. “It’s not done yet.”

“You ride?” he asked, surprised.

“I will,” she challenged. “I don’t have a license though. Not yet anyway.”

Renee thought about how freeing it would be to leave Iridescent Valley once and for all; how glorious it would be never to think about this territory ever again…

“Soon then?” Kris’ did his best to keep the conversation going.

It was something she noticed only he really did with her. It was annoying at first. What in the world did he really want to know from her anyway? Some of their conversations felt like pity, and Renee was not about pity.

Kris was different though. He stopped fighting her about Jason. He dropped needing to know about her past, unlike her demon. In fact, he allowed her to come and go as she pleased, which made talking to him easier; almost made her want to look for him outside of her planned rescue mission.

“Soon,” she repeated. “Soon.”