All Novel Romance
71
Rain pov.
A knock on the door of the computer room brings me out of my daze of trying to make sense of the pile of information Morgan has stored in Bring, some that can't be downloaded from his mainframe. The weapons consultant Isa put me in touch with, Xavier, raises his eyebrow at me when my father walks into the room, looking ever so royal in his white suit with gold accents. I sigh, rubbing my eyes harshly before nodding at Xavier, watching as he leaves the room.
"I thought we could have a talk." I haven't seen him since I left them behind at the meeting days ago. I've had too much on my plate and between becoming the unofficial coordinator until Morgan is back and silently falling apart without her, my parents were the last thing on my mind. I spent years without them, so it doesn't even feel like they're here, even when they are and being annoying about it as well.
"You have to make it quick. We have a lot of work to do, and no one knows how much time we really have." With the recon being done it seems like the Bio-Glaze is still struggling to get their systems back on track and that's a helpful delay, but we can't count on it forever
"Rain, please pup." I glare at him for the use of the nickname. As much as I hate the Vampire using it, I hate him using it even more.
"Don't call me that." The growl is a warning from Remi who can't even be bothered about all this parental groveling right now. As hard as I'm taking the separation from our mate, he's taking it even worse. I've never encountered him this weak and unresponsive, not even when my parents left. My father holds up his hands in surrender, walking towards a couch in the corner.
"I know I have a lot of explaining to do. A lot to apologize for." I stare at the man I used to admire with a blank look. I had thought I wanted an apology. An explanation. Something that might justify all these lies and betrayal. That might justify leaving your children behind so you could be safe from harm. I don't think anything can justify such heartlessness.
"I don't want your apology." I sigh, suddenly feeling drained of my energy, body tight and uncomfortable.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
"You might not want it, but I need to give it." Remi sparks up beneath my skin, his rage bubbling up and igniting my own.
"I don't give a damn about what you need, Ezra. You sure as hell didn't give a damn about what I needed when you up and left me to be a father to a pup I didn't know how to take care of. I could barely take care of myself and then you were gone. Dead! They said you were dead! Every moment of my life has been a lie and every time I try and fit the puzzle back together if falls apart because of another one. So, you don't get to tell me about what you need. My mate is heavens only knows where, I am hanging on by a very fragile thread, my wolf is nearing his breaking point and you come in here talking about what you need to give? What you need is to give me space. What you need is to not pretend that you can be a father to me now. My father is dead. You made sure of that the day you took my mate from me the first time. You made sure of that when you left me behind so you could be safe. So, please just go." He stares at me, tears forming in his eyes, but I can't bring myself to feel anything for him. He must realize as much because he takes only a few more seconds before he leaves the room. Xavier coming in seconds later.
"If I may say something?" I sag in my chair, drained from the day. "Maybe you need to take a break from being in here? I've been told you were hauled up in here for a week before I arrived and by the looks of it, you need some sunlight." His words surprise me. I had thought he would want to talk about my father...
"Yeah, call me if you need me." I finally say after looking around the room for what? I have no idea.
"I won't need you." He gives me a soft smile and a pat on the back as he makes his way towards his desk. I finally leave the room, wandering down the hallways as I wonder what I'm supposed to do with myself now. Four weeks. She's been gone for an entire month and yet everything we've accomplished so far is thanks to her. Our last moments together haunt me in the worst possible way. I never told her I loved her. I mean, I'm sure she could feel it through the bond, was aware of how much I needed her by my side, but I never told her. Now she's all alone, might be carrying my pup and I don't have any way I can help her. I can't even really be strong for her, not in...
"Rain! They're here." Luca appears in front of me, practically bouncing off the walls as he takes my hand and blinks me into the common room where two humans I've never seen before are standing, but I know exactly who they are. "So, you're the beast man?" The woman grins, her green eyes darting all over me before she makes eye contact with me. "Huh, Morgan sure does know how to pick them. I hear you need our help." "How long will Morgan be gone?" The man asks, his brown eyes looking around the place, distrust clear in them.
"We have no way of knowing." Luca mutters, stabbing a dagger in my heart at his words.
"I need you to hack the Space sector." I tell them, knowing we don't have time for all of this back and forth. They can make up their minds about trusting us while they work. "We need to gain control of the new fleet of AS21 robots. Morgan left notes but I need people who know what they're doing to actually do the job. She seems to have trusted you." The woman suddenly looks sad.
"We'll help you. Anything for Morgan, right? She's helped me out of more binds than I can count, this is the least we can do for her."
"We're not promising anything. We will try and see if we can hack the robots." The guy mutters. "You can't hack what Morgan coded without having Morgan guide you. We've been working together for a long time, and I've never found a loophole in her coding." He's given up before he's even tried. It's annoying.
"Well, your faith in your own capabilities suck but my mate trusted you..." I look them once over again. "for some reason. Follow me." I lead them back to the control room I was just trying to get away from, making peace with the fact that it's going to be my home until I get my mate back. Something I hope happens sooner rather than later.