I Had To Leave You

Chapter 15: Harmless

Ruby P.O.V
"What?"

No, that couldn't be right. My dad left me, why would he want me back now? He wanted something else.

"Don't look so upset, Ruby." My father said, peering over Liam's shoulder, "You should be glad that you get to meet me, you're absolutely beautiful."

I shook my head. "Why would I be glad to see the man the abandoned me before he even saw me?"

He sighed. "Because I know you've been going through a rough patch in your life, I've been keeping tabs on you ever since you were born." He explained, "and I don't like what this boy has done to you. He has ripped down all of your protective walls and marked you, he's not good for you."

I heard Liam growl protectively and he inched closer to me, locking our hands together.

"That's none of your business, mutt," Liam growled.

I winced. I had always hated to word mutt, it implied that you were nothing important, nothing useful.

I saw my father grin. "See Alpha, your mate doesn't like that word. Not even when it's used on me, who abandoned her." Then his grin stretched wider, "say, didn't you leave her too? Oh, that's right, everyone left you, didn't they, poppet? No one wanted you so you had to make it on your own, barely scraping by. Tell me, dear daughter, how did it feel to be left alone?" He continued, and no matter how much I tried to deny it, he was right, "To feel so numb that when you first saw your mate, you pushed him away?"

I forced my hands to stop trembling and it was all too tempting to turn and run into the woods. I felt Liam squeeze my hand and looked up to see his worried eyes.
"Don't listen, it's not true," he said lowly.

But it was true. I was alone, no matter how much my mate tried to convince me otherwise. He had no idea what I have gone through just to keep my house and get a good meal. One year I almost had to live off 2-minute noodles because I was too young to get a job and I was running out of money.
I saw more rogues entering the house, some in wolf form others in human.
Liam moved closer to me and started to push me near the back door. I could feel him trying to mind-link with me and I let him in.

When we get close enough to the door, run.

Ok

I disconnected and together we moved slowly towards the door.

"I only wanted to see my daughter up close, to see her beautiful face. Ah, you have my sapphire eyes, but your mother's hair, I see, "

I nodded. We were about a meter from the door and the rogues were getting closer.

"Now now, there's no need to be afraid, look at me, " my father said, spreading his arms wide, "I'm a harmless old man, I just wanted to see my dear daughter, is that so much to ask?"

He stepped forwards and Liam pushed me back growling and my father glared at him.

"NOW!" Liam said and we both turned and lunged out the door.

I shifted into my white wolf and Liam into his dusty coloured wolf. I heard the rogues coming after us and I tried to pick up my speed but I was going as fast as I could. I didn't need to look back to see that they were only a few metres away from me.

Liam was way ahead of me but I didn't think he noticed that I wasn't behind him.
A wolf lunged behind me and landed on top of me. I crashed to the forest floor and whimpered as its teeth bit into my back leg.
I turned and dug my claws into his stomach and kicked him away, then sprinted away. I was just a meter behind Liam when the Pack House came into view.

I watched as wolves poured from the doors and charged towards us. Another wolf pounced in my and this time three more helped him keep me down.
I whimpered as they bit into me and dragged me back into the forest. I knew that the pack wolves wouldn't get to me fast enough so I turned and bit a wolf on the muzzle, making him whimper and let go of my leg. I kicked at the other and he cowered back, then the other snapped his jaws around the back of my neck and squeezed.
I whimpered loudly and felt blood dripping through my pure white fur, staining it.

Darkness fuzzed around the edges of my vision but just as I was closing my eyes, I saw Liam pouncing on the wolf behind me.
Then I sank into the darkness.

Something underneath me shifted and my leg blazed in pain.  I tried to open my eyes, to talk, but I couldn't move anything. It was like I was drowning in an ocean of darkness. I brought my arms above my head and struggled towards the surface.

The thing under me moved again and I was cocooned in warmth and the smell of my mate.
I kept struggling against the darkness pull, struggling towards Liam.

I wanted to be safe. Something cold touched the back of my neck and I could hear muffled voices. I couldn't tell what they were saying but I recognised one, Liam. 
I struggled harder, desperate to hold him in my arms. As I neared the surface, pain blazed along my body. In my left calf and the back of my neck, radiating throughout my entire body.

"She'll be fine, Liam. I'll look after her." My mother's unwelcome voice drifted up to me, "she is my daughter."

"Well, last time I left you with her, she got kidnapped because you drove her into the forest, " he snapped at her. "And the first time I left you with her you abandoned her so you could 'get your bearings', so no. I'm not leaving."

I smiled in my head and slowly let myself be pulled under, into unconsciousness once again.

A faint light was all it took for my eyes to flutter open.
Liam's sleeping form was under me, my head resting on his chest. I could feel every breath he took.
We were in my room, the black walls all too familiar. My mother wasn't in here, thank Christ, but there was a tray of untouched food.

I slipped from Liam's grip and tiptoed into my bathroom. I splashed cold water onto my face, then on my arms trying to wash the sweat off, then I gave up and got into the shower.

Warm water pelted the back of my neck and I felt all my muscles relax. I didn't bother trying to keep my hair dry, it was probably due for a wash anyway.

I thought I heard the door open, but I didn't hear anyone's feet on the tiles so I guess I just imagined it.
As I was washing my face, I felt eyes on me. I looked over and saw Liam, his eyes raking down my naked body, his lips stretched in a dirty smirk.

I squealed and covered my body with my hands.

"You pervert!" I yelled, climbing out and wrapping a soft, crimson towel around me.

"Hey! Don't be mad at me! Have you seen your body? I would be a fool not to stare at it, besides..." He said, his gaze meeting mine, "you are my mate, and we'll have to complete the mating process soon or else you'll go into heat."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Well, you and that dirty mind will have to wait."

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me.
"Why don't you hop back in and I'll join you." I hesitated and he added, "I won't do anything, just a harmless shower. What could happen?"

"Ok, fine," I said.

I put the towel back on the rack and started the shower again. Well, this would be interesting.

"Welp, that was fun," I muttered as I pulled my shirt over my head.

"I'm sorry babe, I didn't mean to." He said, coming over and rubbing my cheek.
He had accidentally elbowed me in the face when he tried to move the showerhead.

"Here." He said, bending down and kissing my cheek, "does that make it feel better?"

It did actually, the contact with my mate help a lot, but I wouldn't tell him that. I stuck my tongue out again, then pecked him on the lips.
He grinned.

OKAY, MY BEAUTIFUL BEANS!
THANKS FOR READING AND HAPPY LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL HOLIDAYS!
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