Chapter 137
Chapter 137
APOLLO-
I watch, my heart squeezing tightly as they slowly remove the chains from around Lana’s hands. She looks so helpless and vulnerable that I feel as though I’ve failed her I am her mate, I’m supposed to protect her from monsters like these men. Instead, I’m forced to watch with my hands bound as they force her to do their ridiculous requests.
Why did our bond matter to them? Why were they doing this? Those questions have been on repeat on my mind ever since I was forcefully brought here.
Lana’s feet tremble slightly with each uncertain step she takes toward me, the unease evident in her slow, deliberate movements. She doesn’t want to do this. And I sure as fuck don’t want her to do it either.
I could see the conflict dancing in her eyes–caught between her will to protect me and the situation at hand. She wanted to shield me from them, driven by her fierce desire to keep me safe, similar to my longing to protect her.
Stop her. Find a way to stop her from doing this. My wolf was practically begging me to end this as well.
I didn’t need her to sacrifice what we had just to protect me. I could hold on until my pack got here. I could take the torture even though it may look bad to her. I tried my hardest not to scare her. I stopped myself from making any sounds that I thought would frighten her despite how much pain I was in. However, I couldn’t hide the blood which no doubt told her everything she needed to know
I didn’t care what they did to me. I would let them torture me over and over again if it meant that Lana wouldn’t have to reject me.
“Lana,” I groan. “Please. Don’t.”
My eyes are pleading with her with hopes of stopping this madness.
I felt a deep sense of urgency as I tried to persuade her to reconsider her decision once more, but deep down, I realized it was a lost cause. Her eyes were steady and fixed, reflecting a determination that was impossible to sway.
deep
The way she held herself, with that tragic look in her eyes; it was clear that her mind was firmly made up. I could sense the weight of her fear, like an immovable stone, and all I could do was watch, helpless, as she prepared to follow through with her decision to do as they said.
No.
There must be something I could say or do. Anything.
Two of the kidnappers grab me by my arms and force me to stand. My feet were fucking shaking from being beaten but I fought against the pain. I would stand for my mate. I would show her that I was strong despite what they did to me. I would show her that I could handle this. That I would suffer a million days just for her if I had to.
I hated every second of this. I didn’t know any of these men, and I couldn’t understand why they were targeting us. How could Lana’s rejection of me possibly serve their interests? What could they gain from it at all?
And who the fuck were they? What pack did they belong to? Why I hadn’t I seen or heard of them before?
Imust have overlooked something. There had to be someone else behind this,
coward too afraid to face the consequences themselves.
I lift my head, my gaze fixed on my mate’s approach, each careful step she takes reminds me of the struggle within her. Despite the unbearable ache coursing through me, I can’t tear my eyes away from her beautiful tear–streaked face.
I can sense the turmoil in her heart through our mate bond, as she avoids making eye contact, her eyes cast downward, as if the despair between us is too great to bear.
With each inch she closes, the air thickens with unspoken words, and I long to cross the room to close the distance between us.
When she finally reaches me, I yearn to wrap her in my arms and dry her tears. However, my hands are still bound by chains and I can’t do anything else
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Chapter 137
but lean towards her.
I’m so sorry, she sobs as she finally lifts her eyes to meet my gaze, her voice trembling as warm tears continue to cascade down her drenched chor
Her eyes, wide with worry and desperation, scan the room as if searching for an escape, to stop this from happening. “I don’t want to do this, I swear
I don’t–maybe this isn’t such a good idea, I can’t reject you, I can’t Apollo,” she pleads, her heart racing, each word laced with the weight of her anguish
It’s her cry for help. I pull against the chains as I try to break free. If I keep trying, then maybe I can escape the hold on me and fight back.
“Hurry up.” The fucking assholes responsible for this mess shout. She jumps at their tone and I immediately want to rip them to shreds in response.
The second I got out of these chains, I would slaughter them all for this. I was waiting for the opportunity.
I did a scan of the room, determined to capture a mental picture of every man in the room, observing the features of each one to ensure that no face would fade from my memory. In the end, I would make it my duty to make them all suffer for today.
“You don’t have to do this.” I assure her as I turn back to face her. “We can find another way.”
She gazes at me with eyes a glimmer of hope, as if she’s silently pleading for reassurance.
I growl when one of the kidnappers shoves her forward, “if you don’t reject him in one minute, the deal is off and we will kill your stepbrother.”
