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Morgan pov.
I don't remember much about my dad but what I do remember is warm and fuzzy and everything a father should be to a little girl. I remember the way he used to light up whenever I would give him one of my pictures or hide chocolates for me in random places to find. I remember the warmth I felt when he hugged me and promised me that I had a special place in his heart. He tucked me in at night and would always stay with me for as long as I needed to fall asleep after that. He'd read me stories, dance with me around the kitchen. He was one of the reasons my world was perfect and it's what I hold on to as the pain in my chest threatens to overwhelm everything I've known since I was born. I tell myself it wasn't a lie.
Strong arms wrap me up in a warm embrace and I can't help the sobs that bubble up inside of me. Rain is the only thing keeping me from crumbling into the dark abyss threatening to swallow me whole at this moment and I don't want him to ever let me go. He strokes my back in slow comforting strokes and places soft kisses on my head until I've cried enough to ease the pain a little.
"Morgan?" Luca's hesitant voice breaks the silence of the night, and I force myself to leave my hiding place and step away from Rain's chest, not out of his arms though. "I just wanted to let you know we've decided to leave for tonight. Isa and Ben got into a fight... anyway. We'll come back tomorrow morning." He says and walks away before I can argue. Not that I want to argue. My mind is too numb for that.
"Do you want to go back inside?" Rain asks and I shake my head. Back inside that house is the last place I want to be. I wish I could go back to my apartment and curl up in my bed. Sleep and wake up to this all having been a bad dream, but I know that's not going to happen.
"Can we just stay out here for a while?" He nods and sits down on the grass, so I follow his lead, leaning against his side for support.
"Remi thinks you're our mate." River suddenly says, shattering the silence I've just managed to build up in my head to keep my throughs from spiraling in the wrong direction. "That's not helping, Rain." I mutter, too exhausted to move away from him.
"I know. I'm not trying to help. I'm trying to get you to understand something." He says and I force myself to sit up, turning my body so I can fully look at him. "I didn't understand it at first. Why I didn't leave when you said I could, or why I went feral on River when she threw those coins at you. I couldn't understand why you were so damn beautiful to me and why I didn't mind spending my heat with you. Remi wanted to claim you, to mark you and take you as ours and I told him he was insane. That humans and wolves don't go together."
"I'm not human, Rain. I think that was made abundantly clear." I roll my eyes, and he sighs.
"That's what I'm trying to tell you. I saw what they did to the clone of you they thought they could turn into something else. You saw what they did to Ragna. They injected him with things and made him into something he isn't, all because they're terrified hybrids might mean the end of their control. Yet here you are, having lived all your life as a human and you're the one thing they fear the most. The one thing they're so scared of they have to build secret facilities so they can figure out how control and yet they couldn't control you." I give him a blank stare.
"They would have done the same to me if they knew." I tell him, and Rain sighs in frustration. "Don't get frustrated with me. You're not the one who had their whole existence blown up in a matter of seconds."
"No, I'm not. I'm also not the one who has control over the entire security system of all the sectors and is sitting here on my ass feeling sorry for myself when there are so many people out there who could use my help.” He bites back and I blink at him a couple of times before what he says finally makes sense to me.
"You're saying I should stop feeling sorry for myself." I nod and he shakes his head. "No, you are and you're right. Since before I found you, my world has been imploding little by little, so it was only right that everything was blown to ashes by now. It's been thing after thing, and I don't think it's going to end until it is the end and me sitting here and feeling sorry for myself isn't going to help anything." He smiles a little.
"You can feel sorry for yourself and still help in a war. I've seen you multitask, you're great at it." I push his shoulder, and he laughs causing me to laugh as well. "Want to go inside now?" He lifts himself from the ground when I nod and then helps me up as well, holding my hand tight in his as we walk back into the house to find it empty. There's a note on the kitchen table from River stating that she left for the library and not to expect her back and one from Benjamin that holds a simple I'm sorry.
"They all ran away." I mutter and Rain shrugs his shoulders.
"It's about time they did." He pulls me closer to him and tugs my shirt over my head before I can stop him. "Rain!" He spins me around, running his fingers over my back and I sigh in annoyance. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure you're okay." There's a slight quiver in his voice that makes my heart break a little, so I allow him to explore my back and then willingly turn around as he continues to my front, fingers slipping between my ribs as he makes sure every bone is strong and in their place. There's a slight frown between his eyes as he focuses on his task, making him look even more handsome than he usually looks, especially with the stubble he's grown from lack of shaving these past four days now. When he's finally done our eyes meet and I raise my eyebrow at him. "What?"
"My turn." I simply say, tugging at the hem of his shirt. With a grin he lifts it over his head, and I do the same thing he did to me, but I start on his chest. Feeling his eyes on me as I feel between every rib and move my way up, making sure his collarbones are strong before sliding my fingers over his shoulders. He turns around without having to be promoted and I start at the top, moving down his spine while counting all thirty-three vertebrae are accounted for. When he turns back around, I can't deny the heat in his eyes, so I don't stop him when he lifts me in his arms and carries me to the bedroom. The world can fall apart tomorrow but for tonight I want to be wrapped up in everything that is Rain because I honestly doubt, we'll have much time for this if a war breaks out.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.