The Eclipse (MXM)

CHAPTER 12:MONSTERS PART TWO 🌖 TW: DISCUSSION OF PAST SEXUAL ABUSE

~Jodi~

It had been almost two weeks since we set up at the new location. Lyn had pretty much checked out when it came to running the base because of the suppressants. He was in a constant state of delirium, but his reaction to the drug compared to Colby's seemed much more severe. Senex begrudgingly assisted Colby through his miscarriage after me begging him to do so when the poor man turned so pale he looked translucent.

He would also come and check on Lyn as often as he could, but the journey down the mountain was becoming too much for the old man to manage on a constant basis. I wondered if he was also dealing with the effects of his imprint on top of the drug. I would stare at him out of the window for hours just to see how he was doing. Even some of the dormants came down the mountain occasionally, bringing him blankets and food. We told them the truth about why we chose to live separately from them, and they all took it surprisingly well. Izzy and I still hadn't gotten any sign that we had a scent yet, but we knew it wouldn't be long because we could smell the pheromones of Roselyn and Colby more accurately. I would've talked with Lyn and Izzy about it, but Lyn wanted nothing to do with me.

He simply refused to come back inside after our argument or even talk to me for that matter. The stubborn bastard knew how to hold a grudge way longer than I did, that's for sure. Izzy would sit with him most of the time in silence, but at least he wasn't getting completely shunned like I was. If I went out to sit next to him, he would turn away from me, and on the days he had the strength to move, he'd do just that—move away from me as if I had cooties that only he could see. He even stopped giving me his infamous scowl with those soul-piercing eyes.

We'd argued plenty of times before because both of us have a temper, but it had never lasted this long. I looked over at Colby, trying to figure out how such a sweet-looking person made Lyn so willing to forget his morals. He seemed pretty reserved, and he never complained about the pain of the miscarriage. In fact, he didn't seem to care about the loss of his pup at all or about being injected with suppressants daily. It was as if he was accepting punishment for some unknown crime—or at least it was unknown to me.

Izzy refused to ask Lyn about it because he was afraid Lyn would stop allowing him to sit next to him. He was still convinced he was Lyn's mate even though he was clearly getting worse, and I wasn't going to apologize to Lyn first so I could ask him myself. He did threaten to shoot me after all, and that was taking things too far. Looking back out the window at Lyn, he looked tired. His hair was still in its now disheveled braids, with curly coils that went every which way. He hadn't showered or even changed clothes. Anything he could do to mask his sweet scent, he did it without regard for his appearance or his health. I was angry that he had the type of trauma that would make him go to these lengths, but I understood it all too well. That's why we were all so close to begin with.

Izzy and I never really talked about the abuse we suffered at the hands of our father. It wasn't easy talking about things that caused you pain. In Lyn's case, he probably felt more self-conscious about it now than he had before. Talking about trauma made you vulnerable, exposed, and weak in the eyes of most— all the things he hated to be considered. He often doubted that he had the strength to stand it, or maybe he doubted us. Was he afraid that we'd look at him differently because of his past? He was always insecure about being rejected by others. That's why he never really connected with any of the other dormants beyond learning their names, even though he did in secret. He never wanted to get attached to them, worried about when they'd move on or decide to leave when things got too hectic for them to handle.

Was now the right time to be petty and hold on to my pride, or should I actually be by my friend's side? Did I make a mistake? Lyn was never the type of person to be unwarrantedly cruel. I didn't know, but I knew I wanted my friend back. I sat down at the table across from Colby with my arms folded and stared at him. He seemed to be in his own little world because he didn't notice me at all until I finally spoke.