Blood on the Moon
Chapter 16: Struck

Asher

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” I mutter under my breath as I ascend the stairs toward my and Genevieve’s room. I’ve never needed to sit in the dark for an hour and think more in my life.

What you need to do is repent, Cato growls.

For what?

Cheating on our mate!

I don’t want a lecture from you about fidelity and our mate. That is the least of my concerns considering-

Considering what? Cato howls. She is the woman the Moon Goddess gifted to us!

Gifted? Do you hear yourself? If she's a gift, I want to know the Moon Goddess' return policy.

The truth is, I’m not in love with Genevieve. Not anymore. And I’m not sure if I ever was. I loved the idea of a person who didn’t exist. A person she pretended to be to lower my guard and open my heart.

I thought the way she treated me was normal and that I deserved it. I always thought I was the problem. But, after meeting Rose...

It's hard to believe that still when I see how well she treats me. She genuinely and fiercely believes in me even when I don't believe in myself.

How can Genevieve claim she loves me when she's constantly putting me down? Abusing me? That's not love; that's control.

The Moon Goddess is not wrong. We have to rededicate ourselves to our mate. You still love Genevieve. You just need to limit your distractions.

I clench my fists, about to give Cato a piece of my mind, as I swing open the bedroom door.

“Mate.”

I stop dead in my tracks, my heart coming to a cold stop as I look into the dimly lit room; Genevieve is perched at the end of the bed with her legs crossed, hands pressed flat on either side of her on the mattress.

“You’ve been gone for some time,” she says, a bite in her voice. She stands, stepping toward me, only a foot or two away. She takes a deep breath and growls. “Why do you smell like a vampire?”

Great decision you made earlier, getting Rose’s scent all over your fucking leg.

“I-I can explain,” I stammer.

“You better,” she hisses in my ear, her wolf’s orange eyes flaming.

I feel lightheaded, my heart racing as sweat forms along my spine and the base of my skull.

You deserve this punishment. You shouldn’t have been unfaithful.

“Start talking!” She screams in my ear, her face red.

“O-Okay!” I reply, stepping back to put some distance between us. “I was out for my morning run, which you know about, and I was at the edge of the territory and ran into Rose.”

What a convincing lie.

“You ran into Rose?” She roars. “Seems awfully convenient!”

“I-It was entirely coincidental, she happened to be there with a few of her Elders, and she started talking to me, so I spoke with her to be polite,” I explain quickly, hoping to the Goddess she’ll believe me.

She’d kill me if she knew what really happened.

“What did you talk about?” Genevive asks with an innocent smile. “I’m sure you had a lot to say.”

My voice shakes as I answer, “She only expressed her sadness over the tension between our factions. She and her Elders were upset to hear that you endorsed Thatcher Grey. She’s worried about things escalating.”

You’re playing right into Rose’s hand, betraying your mate to be a puppet for a vampire.

“She threatened us?”

“No! No!” I spit out rapidly, shaking my head. “Absolutely not. She was only saying that she wants things to be better between us. She said she viewed you giving a public endorsement as a sleight against her. And I…” I trail off, biting my lip and glancing away, too scared to meet her eye when I utter the next few words. “I agree with her.”

“You agree with her?” She scoffs. “As if you have a right to have an opinion on the matter, you fucking useless piece of shit.”

She gets in my face, screaming so loud her saliva flies onto my chest, “Why don’t you tell me exactly what you think I should do then, Asher? Since you’re such an expert now? How dare you even speak with her without my approval or presence!”

“I-I’m sorry!” I apologize, hoping to calm her down. “I didn’t realize it’d be such a big deal since it was a spur-of-the-moment situation. But she made some good points if you’d just listen!”

She smacks me across the face, my cheek stinging from the contact as I hiss.

You deserved that.

“Listen to you?” She asks venomously, slapping me again, this time making sure her nails scrape down the side of my face.

“Gen, just calm down!” I say, trying to keep my voice calm, but I'm losing patience, the skin on my cheek throbbing with my racing heart.

“Calm down?” She squeals, her eyes glowing with such ferocity I can feel Cato shrinking away, leaving me to fend for myself, his influence dissipated. My chest tightens with each incessant slap.

“You!” Slap. “Don’t!” Slap. “Get!” Slap. “To!” Slap. “Tell!” Slap. “Me!”

“Enough!” I roar, grabbing her wrist as she raises her hand for another strike, gripping it tightly as I shove her away, my jaw locked and teeth clenched.

I growl at her, and her orange eyes falter for a moment.

Her jaw drops slightly, taken aback as she snarls, glaring daggers into my head as I let go of her wrist.

“You don’t get to hit me just because you don’t want to listen to my opinion.”

“Who do you think you are?” She asks, narrowing her eyes. “You think you’re in control?”

“It’s not about con-”

She sends her fist directly to my throat, and I gasp, clutching my neck as I gasp for air, choking on my saliva. She grabs my shoulders, pulling me toward her and kneeing me in the crotch. Pain shoots up from my balls, knocking the wind out of me as she shoves me, and I lose my balance, falling to the ground, still trying to catch my breath.

She looms over me, walking to the nightstand, reaching for the extension cord, and ripping it out of the wall.

I scramble onto my back, raising my hand, my voice raspy. “No! Stop!”

She swings the block at my face, striking my skull just above my temple, near the corner of my eye.

"Fuck!" I scream, rolling onto my stomach, my head dizzy, my ears ringing as my stomach turns. Tears form in the corners of my eyes, the sting and high-pitched ringing in my skull, making it impossible to gain my bearings. I groan, barely registering her weight on my back as she sits on me, wrapping the cord around my neck in a loop before pulling on both ends.

My eyes bulge out of my skull as I choke, clawing at the cord for any give, desperately trying to wiggle my finger underneath for some leverage.

“I could kill you right now if I want to,” she taunts angrily, her voice filled with a controlled, focused rage that is so dangerous. “You are not in control.”

I wheeze, my head throbbing with a raging headache as the edges of my vision darken, my muscles relaxing slightly.

She lets go, and I fall on my face, my arms too weak to catch myself as I gasp for breath. I rub my neck as my consciousness floods back, feeling pain all over my body as tears flow down my cheeks.

“Don’t grab my wrist like that ever again,” Genvieve warns as she unwraps the cord around my neck, and I hiss as I feel it crash against my spine. “Do you understand?”

I nod frantically as my body shakes with fear, my eyes glued to the floor, too scared to move or look at her.

“Good.”