All That Is You

Chapter 17

My fingers twitched in the silence and I could hear the quiet shuffling of the guard stationed outside my cell door. The familiar thumping of my father's footsteps began coming closer and my body stiffened.

The cell door opened and he watched me from where he stood. This was the routine he followed. He would open the door and stare at the girl who had once been his daughter. His eyes would taunt me as they bore holes into my pale skin, pinpointing where new bruises were sure to form.

I didn't move and my breaths were locked in my lungs. Any sudden movements would be sure to set him off but I knew I was only prolonging the inevitable and he would get to leave the suffocating darkness of this room while I was left behind as always.

Despite the inky black that surrounded us, his shoes seemed as pristine as always and they shined as though mocking me for having taken away so many people's light. His suit was crisp and no wrinkles could be found. He was the image of perfection. The most handsome man in the world was what my mother had called him.

But his eyes. There was nothing left to be seen in his eyes. Where emptiness had resided, there were now hollowed pits where his eyes used to be as though they had been scooped out and I felt my body seize in terror as he reached out to me, a smile creeping up on his face.

His hand brushed against my throat, a reminder that I would never escape the chains he bound to me. "You are mine."

I flinched as I awoke, my head pounding as I peeled my eyes open. I was met with Levi's worried gaze and his hand squeezing mine. He was sitting on a chair next to my bedside and I looked around to see that we were back in his room.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position before croaking, "I'm okay." The words escaped my lips before I could stop it. I had said those words so many times hoping that if I were to say them enough, I would one day believe them and it would somehow make how terrible my life had turned out be okay. I only hoped Levi couldn't see through my facade.

Levi used his hand to smooth down my hair, a frown marring his face and his eyebrows furrowed. I reached up to smooth out the wrinkles that formed on his forehead and whispered, "I'm sorry."

A bewildered expression took over his face as he blurted, "What on earth could you be sorry for? You haven't done anything wrong. I'm the one that's sorry for not realizing it was Lucas who did this to you."

I shook my head and muttered, "I'm sorry for being so weak and causing all this trouble. It's not your fault he decided to hurt me and lock me in a cell. You were the one who went to look for me and you saved me, please don't blame yourself."

Levi moved so he was sitting on the bed and he cupped my face in his hands. I leaned my face into his touch. "You're not weak, little moon. I can only imagine what you've been through, and I can't apologize enough for you having to go through that not once but twice."

Concern filled his eyes again as he questioned, "Why didn't you tell me your dad was the Alpha of the Prometheus Pack? I knew your father was the one to hurt you, but I never thought he was the Alpha. I can't even sense the Alpha blood in you."

I was reminded of the dream I had and the promise that he would never let me go. My life was his in turn for having taken away my mother's. "My father is not someone I want to remember. And I was no longer a part of that pack after I was stripped of my title and made a rogue so there was no reason for me to inform you of my relationship to him when he no longer considers me his daughter."

Levi's face turned somber and he stared at me with sad eyes. "Why were you placed in a cell, Rain?"

I looked away from him and stared blankly at the wall. I knew what the consequences would be if I ever told him what I had done so I simply shook my head. I wasn't ready to be faced with losing him and I wanted to hang onto his touch for just a little while longer so I would have something to remember once he left.

Seeing that I wasn't going to answer his question any time soon, he asked, "How long ago were you made a rogue?"

I turned my eyes back towards him. "What year is it?"

"It's 2020."

I nodded and kept my gaze on his face. "I was seven when I was made a rogue and thrown into a cell." I paused and let my mind wander before continuing, "I suppose that means I'm nineteen now."

His face turned ashen and he turned his eyes towards his trembling hands. His voice shook as he said, "Twelve years. You spent twelve years in that fucking hell hole." He shook his head as though he didn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm so sorry, Rain. I'm so sorry I didn't come for you sooner."

I slowly reached out and grabbed his hands. I gently ran my fingers over his knuckles as Levi's heavy breathing hitched before slowing. "You cannot blame yourself for someone else's choice. He chose to hurt me, not you. Don't apologize for not saving me sooner when you're here with me now, when I'm here in your arms and not his."

"What did I ever do to deserve you, little moon?" His eyes were swimming with torment and he squeezed my small hands between his large ones. He placed his forehead against mine, his nose a hairsbreadth away from brushing against my own. "I'm not a good person. I won't lie to you and say that I am. I know you deserve better than me. You deserve more than what I have to offer."

He sighed and my heart began pounding. I wondered if it was finally coming, if this was the moment I would get rejected for not being good enough. Tears welled in my eyes, splashing onto my lap. Levi pulled away from me and brushed his thumb under my eyes. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Was it something I said?"

"Are you r-rejecting me?" I quietly whispered. His eyes widened and he pulled me to his chest. "No, Rain. Goddess, no. There's no way in hell I'm letting you get away from me now that I've finally found you."

He squeezed my body to his and rocked me in his arms as my sobs receded until I was hiccuping. Levi brushed away the hair clinging to my wet cheeks and murmured, "I don't know what I would do if I were to ever lose you."

A gurgling noise broke through the silence and we both stiffened. Levi's husky laugh rang out and a blush crawled its way onto my cheeks. "Let's go get you something to eat. It's way past lunchtime by now."