The lost mate
Chapter 39: The truth

Chapter 39: The truth

Annie’s heart raced as she clutched Ryan tighter to her chest, her mind scrambling for a way out. But there was no escape. The men had formed a tight circle around her, their faces hard and unforgiving. She could feel their eyes on her, could sense their impatience.

The man who had spoken took a step closer, his expression darkening as he noticed Ryan for the first time. He frowned, glancing over his shoulder at the others. "She’s supposed to be alone," he said, his voice laced with confusion. "Why does she have a child with her?"

Another man stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he studied Annie and Ryan. "I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. A prey is a prey."

"Should we kill him ?"

The man who had spoken before shook his head. "Not yet," he said, his tone cold and final. "Let’s take them both back with us and decide later."

Annie’s mind raced as she listened to them talk, her fear growing with every passing second. Whoever these men were, they hadn’t expected Ryan to be with her. That much was clear. But that small detail didn’t seem to change their purpose.

"Please," Annie said, her voice trembling as she took a small step back, clutching Ryan tightly to her chest. "We don’t want any trouble. Just let us go."

The man who had spoken first shook his head slowly, a cruel smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Sorry, lady. You’re worth too much to us."

Before Annie could react, one of the men lunged forward, grabbing her arm with a rough hand. She cried out in pain, struggling to break free, but he was too strong. With a forceful yank, he pulled her towards the SUV, ignoring her frantic pleas.

Ryan was crying now, his small fists clinging to Annie’s jacket as she was dragged towards the waiting vehicle. Panic surged through her as she fought against the man’s grip, her mind screaming at her to protect her son.

"Please, don’t hurt him!" She begged, her voice breaking as she stumbled forward, forced to keep pace with the man dragging her. "He’s just a child!"

But her pleas fell on deaf ears. The men were cold and unfeeling. The tallest man opened the door to the SUV, and the one holding her shoved her inside.

Annie landed hard on the back seat, her breath knocked out of her by the force of the fall. She instinctively curled her body around Ryan, trying to shield him from the impact. But there was no time to recover. The men climbed in after her, the door slamming shut with a finality that made her heart sink.

The SUV’s engine roared to life, and the vehicle lurched forward, speeding away from the wrecked car and deeper into the wilderness. Annie’s mind raced as she tried to process what was happening; her thoughts were jumbled and frantic. She had to think; she had to find a way out of this. But with Ryan in her arms and the men surrounding her, she felt utterly helpless.

One of the men turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. "You’ll want to keep the kid quiet," he said, his tone flat. "We’re not supposed to hurt him, but accidents happen."

Annie swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest as she nodded quickly. She held Ryan close, whispering soothing words into his ear even as her own fear threatened to overwhelm her.

She had to stay calm. Annie sat stiffly in the back seat, clutching Ryan close to her chest. The boy had fallen silent, his small body trembling with fear as he buried his face in her jacket. Annie’s heart pounded in her chest, each beat a desperate prayer for a miracle.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the night, jolting Annie from her thoughts. The SUV swerved violently, tyres screeching against the asphalt as the driver fought to keep control. The men in the front seat cursed, their hands gripping the dashboard as the vehicle fishtailed dangerously on the slick road.

"What the hell was that?" One of the men growled, his eyes scanning the darkness outside.

Before anyone could answer, another bang reverberated through the night, this time accompanied by the unmistakable sound of metal being torn apart. The SUV shuddered under the impact, and Annie’s breath caught in her throat as the vehicle veered off the road, crashing through the underbrush before coming to a sudden, bone-jarring stop.

The force of the collision threw the men forwards, and Annie seized the chance to pull Ryan closer while covering him with her body. Her ears rang with the sound of the impact, her heart racing as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

The door of the SUV was ripped open with a force that sent it flying off its hinges, and before the men could react, a dark figure appeared in the doorway. The man closest to the door barely had time to raise his weapon before he was yanked out of the vehicle with inhuman speed, his body disappearing into the darkness with a muffled cry.

Annie’s breath caught in her throat as she recognised the figure. Damien. His golden eyes glowed with fierce intensity. The second man in the front seat scrambled to unholster his gun, but Damien was faster. With a snarl, he lunged forward, his hand clamping down on the man’s wrist with bone-crushing force. The gun fell from the man’s grip, clattering to the floor as he let out a pained scream. Damien didn’t hesitate; he pulled the man from the vehicle with brutal efficiency, tossing him aside like a ragdoll.

The last man, the leader of the group, tried to flee, pushing past Annie and Ryan in a desperate attempt to escape. But Damien was there, blocking his path. He grabbed the man by the throat, his eyes blazing with anger as he lifted him off the ground. The man struggled, his face turning red as he clawed at Damien’s hand, but it was futile.

"Who sent you?" Damien growled, his voice low and dangerous.

The man gasped for air, his eyes wide with fear. "I— I don’t know!" he choked out. "We were just following orders!"

Damien’s grip tightened, and the man’s eyes bulged as he struggled to breathe. "Who gave the orders?" Damien demanded, his voice a deadly whisper.

But before the man could answer, Damien let out a low growl and threw him aside, the man landing in a crumpled heap against the side of the SUV. He was unconscious before he hit the ground. Chris took care of the third guy. Chris swiftly incapacitated the third man

The silence that followed was deafening. Damien stood in the open doorway, his chest heaving with barely controlled fury, his eyes still glowing with the remnants of his rage. His gaze swept over the interior of the SUV, and when it landed on Annie and Ryan, it softened.

Annie’s breath caught in her throat as their eyes met, a thousand unspoken words passing between them in that brief moment.

Damien’s gaze dropped to Ryan, who was clutching tightly to Annie, his wide blue eyes filled with fear and confusion. For a moment, Damien simply stared at the boy, his expression unreadable.

"Annie," he began, his voice hoarse. "So this is what you had been hiding ?"