Chapter 140
~LANA
A loud crash reverberates from outside, yanking me from my thoughts. I instantly recognize the unmistakable sound of heavy boots pounding against the ground, accompanied by the fierce splintering of glass windows and doors as his pack members relentlessly breaks down everything in their way of getting to us. They were desperate to get here and I was glad that they were growing nearer with each passing second.
I was grateful that they’d gotten here in time before the kidnappers got a chance to separate me from Apollo. There was no telling what would have happened had they not found us in time.
I am still shaken up by the entire thing. Since Apollo didn’t seem to know those men, I had no clue why they’d targeted us in such a calculated attack,
I brace myself, my heart pounding loudly in my chest, as the pack crashes through the main door, the force of the impact echoing like thunder throughout the room.
A drawn out silence falls over the room, thick with tension, as they slowly scan their surroundings, their sharp eyes darting to every shadow in search of any potential threat.
The sharpness of their deep breaths betrays when they find us nestled in the corner.
The tension only thickens as chaos erupts all around me.
The air is filled with a mixture of voices, each one piercing through the room as they all begin to shout “Alpha!”
Above the commotion, I can distinctly pick out Jake’s voice–a familiar blend of urgency and authority–rising above the rest.
I remain focused on my unconscious mate still laying on my lap, my eyes fixed on him as I instinctively feel Jake’s presence drawing nearer as I hear the faint sound of his footsteps approaching.
“What happened to him?” he asks urgently, glancing down at his Alpha, concern clear in his voice.
I struggle to find my voice, overwhelmed by the weight of guilt for the hurt I’ve caused my mate.
“Lana?” Jake’s voice breaks through the suffocating silence, filled with concern and disarray.
My eyes brim with tears, each drop a testament to my regret, as I slowly lift my face to meet his gaze. The world around me blurs, but his expression remains clear, a mix of surprise and hesitation carved across his features as he waits for my response.
“I don’t know how to tell you-” I whisper as my voice breaks.
He pauses, worry clouding his expression, as he lowers himself down beside me on the bloody floor. His brow furrows in concern as he whispers, “What’s going on? What exactly happened? You can tell me. I’m not going to know how to help if you don’t tell me exactly what took place here.”
“I didn’t want to do it,” I cry as the tears spill over. “They forced me to. I told them I didn’t want to but they threatened to kill Apollo if I didn’t and I-,”
I find myself at a loss for words once more, completely overwhelmed by a wave of emotions that crash over me like a relentless
tide.
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Chapter 140
“What are you trying to say?” he asks me, still trying his hardest to keep his composure. “What did they force you to do? Tell me
My bottom lip trembles as I whisper. “They made me reject him. First they tortured him in front of me and then made me do it. He didn’t want me to, he wanted me to wait, to hold on a little longer and I didn’t listen. I didn’t listen Jake and now all of this is my fault. My rejection did this to him.”
Jake’s gaze hardens, a storm brewing within his deep–set eyes as they shift to the other pack members. “Did you catch all of that?”
They nod, their expressions mirroring his, “We did.”
His voice, low and tense, betrays the bubbling anger that lies just beneath the surface. “Where are they, Lana?” he demands, each word laced with urgency and frustration. “Did you happen to hear anything at all that can help us tell who these men are? A name? Anything?”
“No.” I cry, feeling helpless. “They were careful not to say any names.”
He nods, “and you didn’t see which direction they went?
“I don’t know,” I reply, my voice cracking with emotion. “They took off as soon as they heard you. They seem scared. Whoever they are, they definitely don’t want you to find them.”
He gives an understanding nod, saying, “Stay here.” His voice is stern as he motions for some of the others to follow him. “I will search every inch of this forest until I find them. They will not get away with this after what they did to our Alpha and Luna. I will see to it that they suffer!”
I lift my gaze to watch him disappear with the others, leaving behind two of Apollo’s pack members to look after us.
I’m about to return my attention to my mate but that’s when something catches my eye–a figure lingering at the entrance of the broken down door, her presence as striking as it is unwelcome. She stands there, her expression unreadable at first. A shiver runs down my spine; she is the last person I ever wanted to confront in this moment.
My mate’s mother–the one woman who loathes me more than anyone else on the planet. She already had it out for me long before I made a mistake like this, and now I knew her hatred would only deepen after what happened today.
I couldn’t tell how long she had been standing there or how much of our conversation she might have overheard.
“APOLLO!” I hear her wailing scream when she gets over her initial shock of seeing him bleeding on top of me.
When she receives no reply from him, her gaze snaps back to me, fury bubbling just beneath the surface of her eyes.
“What happened to him?” she demands. “What did you do to my son?”
Her movements toward me are slow and intentional, as if she’s been biding her time for this moment for quite a while.
“The kidnappers forced me to-” once again,/I can’t bring myself to say the words. It’s too painful to admit.
“To what?” she shouts. “What did you do?“/
Perhaps she didn’t catch my conversation with Jake like I initially thought; otherwise, why would she be asking me about it? Still, I had to admit that she wasn’t entirely off the mark this time. It was, in fact, my fault.
I can’t even look her in the eyes as I whisper in a trembling voice, “r–reject him.”
She looks at me as though she wants to kill me. I can see the instant her anger shifts, evolving into a deeper, more intense emotion.
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“How could you do that to him knowing how much you meant to him?” she screams at me, “How could you be that cruel to my con after all the sacrifices he made to keep you happy?”
“I would never intentionally hurt him.” I gasp, trying to convince her that it wasn’t my intention to reject him. “They threatened to
“Someone get me help!” she cries, ignoring my words and pretending that I didn’t exist anymore. “Get me help for my son! Jada! Come in here, your future husband needs you!”
Jada? What was she doing here? I am at a loss for words as I see her walking through the door toward us. Her face turns pale in shock when she catches sight of Apollo’s condition.
No.
This couldn’t be happening.
