Rose’s POV
The shock news that I would be away from my new pack for probably the cycle of a moon had left me reeling and I hadn’t yet recovered.
“How will I communicate with you, Alpha?”
He tossed me a pay-as-you-go cell phone.
“Don’t lose it, Rosie,” he warned. “Or you’ll have to improvise. And I’ll want recompense.”
“How?”
I withheld his title deliberately to see what he would do. He didn’t even appear to notice.
“Payment in kind,” he said.
My cheeks reddened. “Alpha, I meant how will I contact you without the means?”
“You’ll figure it out.” He told me the code to unlock the cell phone and suggested I memorise it. “Find a suitable hiding place,” he added, sounding bored.
I stuffed it down the top of one stocking, unaware Alpha Lewis was watching. Some spy I was going to be.
“Seen enough?”
“Don’t be a brat,” he said. “One more thing, if you mess up, I’m sending Willow to a brothel.”
My heart began beating much faster. “What?” I managed.
He started to don his contact lenses, the ones which turned his eyes a shade of yellow when in reality they were light green.
“Get me the results I want in the next four weeks or less – or else.”
“Am I to be the Lycan’s personal maid?”
“Guess again.” He leaned across and gripped my chin in his hand. “Do you want out, Rosie?”
I shook my head with difficulty. That was when his mouth swooped down on mine and fireworks exploded in my brain.
‘Yes!’ That was my wolf, Olga, as frustrated as I was. ‘Make him give you more.’
He drew back and patted my cheek, ruining the moment.
How manipulative of him. I must remember that.
We arrived at our destination soon after and I realised I had been duped. This wasn’t the Lycan’s lair, it was a renowned auction house. I knew that from the sign, ‘Breeders’ and the numerous sports cars parked outside.
“You lied to me, Alpha,” I said, breaking the no eye contact rule on purpose.
What did it matter now?
“If I hadn’t, you would never have consented to this, Rosie. Am I right?”
“Take me back,” I whispered, longingly.
Yet it was home I thought of with its tall trees, meandering streams and shy wildlife.
Alpha Lewis was shaking his head. “Not an option,” he told me. “See sense, Rosalie.” My eyes widened at his use of my full first name. “Lycan Adam would never have agreed to take on a new employee without references. Though his cook has recently quit – you don’t want to know the grisly details – and he likes his meat stews.”
That set an alarm bell ringing. Had the hapless member of staff been decapitated on a whim?
“I think I would have enjoyed working in a kitchen,” I lied.
For a she-wolf I was notoriously squeamish, though only my own family knew about that. Gutting rabbits made me throw up and I couldn’t begin to touch a white-tailed deer.
“You’d have been wasted,” the Alpha said, staring at my cleavage. “Show me the phone.”
I knew he was not to be denied.
Reluctantly, I lifted the hem of my dress. His hand made brief contact with my inner thigh.
“Hey,” I protested, without thinking.
Even Dean had never gotten this far.
“Try not to let them frisk you,” he said.
“Shall I find another place to stash it?” I murmured.
His growl held more than a hint of lust.
“You’re giving me all kinds of unwholesome ideas.” His eyes showed me nothing because of the amber veneer. “Another time, maybe,” he said, dismissively.
Connor cleared his throat. “Boss, she can’t hang onto it in a place like this.”
Glancing up, I saw he was watching us in the rear-view mirror.
“No, I’m beginning to see that now. They’ll only strip … Hand it over, girl. Now!” he hissed. “Or do you want me to be the one to retrieve it?”
In my haste I ripped a hole in the stocking.
“Shit,” I gasped.
Alpha Lewis wagged a finger at me but chose not to deliver a reprimand.
My mind was still trying to process what he hadn’t said. Rumours had reached us in Haretown of what went on when the rich preyed upon the females of the poor.
Just how much flesh was I going to be revealing?
I closed my mind to it, concentrating on what the Alpha was saying as he re-took possession of the phone.
Now I really was on my own.
“The plan stays the same. Find out when and how he plans to attack the werewolf clans. Connor will return for you at a time and date yet to be agreed. I’ll get word to you, via Simone if necessary. Stay positive, girl. It’s all any of us can do. And remember, Willow may not even have a future if you aren’t successful.”
“What do you mean?” I gasped.
“A world ruled by Lycan Adam is no place for someone like her.”
It was Connor who marched me across to the single storey building in the suburbs of an unknown city. I had heard it said there were several of these auction houses – a chain, in fact – scattered across Dahoma Territory.
“I called ahead,” he told the frosty faced woman who opened up. “This is my cousin from the sticks. She has no prospects anywhere else and is willing to put herself on the market.”
He was saying too much. Clearly, she hadn’t been the one to answer the phone call, if that part was even true.
She eyed my dress with suspicion and I had to say something.
“Spent my last dollar, ma’am. Didn’t want to let my folks down.”
Did I really want to be auctioned off? What if something went wrong? Then I thought about my sister and knew I really had no choice but to continue with this charade.
Mom always advised me to hope for the best. So far that particular strategy had let me down big style.
The woman moved aside and beckoned to me. To my surprise, my ‘cousin’ gave me a hug.
“Alpha Lewis is counting on you, girl,” he whispered.
She was eyeing my sack now. “You won’t be needing that.”
“But it’s just a few bits and pieces from my past.”
The woman sighed. “Okay. Hurry along, now. It’s curtain up in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll hold onto them for you, Rose,” my companion said.
I opened my mouth to protest and then I realised: they may be stolen from me in here. Better the werebeast you know, right?
“Thank you, Connor,” I murmured.
I really hoped it meant I would see him again but I wasn’t counting piglets as they say round my way.
The changing room held no significance for me other than that another she-wolf took a fancy to my dress. I invoked Olga and a few moves Dad had once taught me in secret and she soon backed off.
“Some slave you’ll make,” the woman who’d taken me in sniffed.
I stood my ground.
“I owe it to my family, don’t you think?”
“Boris!” she yelled. “Get your lazy ass in here. We need to lick these no-account females into shape.”
Just for a split second I thought she had said “whip”.
If my mind wasn’t in the gutter it was bordering on the masochistic. Not saying I wanted to be punished or anything, but when Alpha Lewis threatened to spank me, it had a strangely erotic effect.
Though maybe that was something to do with him.
But I couldn’t dwell on the Alpha now, even if I did have a huge crush. That face was one I wouldn’t forget in a hurry. No doubt his body was covered in tats. As if I would ever get to see it.
‘You’re waking up at last. Fantastic.’
I rolled my eyes.
Olga would be the death of me.
Rose’s POVA bell rang somewhere and that was when I found out who was here by choice and who wasn’t. Thinking about it, I didn’t really fall into either camp.“Good luck keeping that gown intact, Red,” someone hissed. I saw it was my attacker, the would-be thief. “I’m telling you now, you won’t be allowed to keep it.”“So why did you want it so badly?” I asked.She didn’t bother to answer, just gave a snort of contempt and waltzed off.We were put into groups of six at random. Ours was going on stage second and I realised I was the only redhead among them. It was hard not to overhear the slaps and shrill cries of our predecessors, coupled with the raucous tone of the vendor, yet the crowd seemed strangely silent. Until …“Not up to your usual standard, Perkins,” someone called.“Maybe they should strip and dance for us.”“Next!”Just that one word managed to make my spine tingle with fear and something else akin to anticipation.We were hustled onto the stage and I forced myself to s
Rose’s POV The Lycan’s cruel words hit me like a punch to the gut. Alpha Lewis had seemed so plausible. Like his sidekick, Connor, the driver-cum-guard. No-one at any point had used the term ‘sex slave’ and this sounded like a whole lot more than just making my body available to Lycan Adam 24/7. I had to admit he was attractive in a rugged kind of way, with a broad chest and the most incredible blue eyes. That night he took me to a fancy hotel. It was humiliating to stand there in reception wearing only lingerie while he asked for a double room with an emperor size bed. I found myself plucking at the hole in my stockings as he negotiated a favourable rate. At least they didn’t charge by the hour. My worries weren’t over when we got into the elevator. It had mirrored glass and he didn’t hesitate to pounce, lifting up my bra cups and showing me my reflection. “Now you look like the slut you are,” he told me. But he wasn’t done yet and soon his fingers were making my panties sag a
Rose’s POV I obeyed on shaky legs only to find, “There’s no underwear, master.” “Get used to it. I’d only tear it off.” “In the dining room, master?” “Anywhere and everywhere. You’ll learn, Rose, that what I want I get. I have done ever since I took over as Lycan King.” Had I known he was royalty? That would explain a lot. Nobody else would get away with treating hotel employees like servants. I was trying to remember, but everything was fuzzy in my head. Especially when he started to roll down my stockings using a combination of teeth and fingers which traced my bare skin lustfully, setting me on fire. I’d never felt like this in my whole life. Was it the mate bond? Were the sparks and tingles a result of that or did every couple feel like this? We weren’t mated in the proper sense and I knew he would never claim me with honour. Yet I could dream, couldn’t I? That might just make all this bearable. The long velvet gown was the more modest of the two. Even so it had a slit at e
Willow’s POV Joan told me my sister was working for the Alpha and that I might not see her for weeks. While I missed Rose I realised this might be my opportunity to have some fun. All harmless, though I knew she would never understand with her being so prim and virginal. I thought Dean was the hottest of them all, but it was her breasts he stared at rather than mine. I had my eye on a guard named Connor, the one who’d approached us in the corridor. But it seemed he was taken with a blonde and I began to flirt with Jason, another driver. “No-one will know,” I argued. “And I’ve been dying to see his new movie for weeks. If you sneak me out, I’ll make it worth your while.” “What are you talking about, Lolo?” I was happy he had remembered the way I preferred to be called. “Tony Stevens. He’s cute.” “And human,” he huffed. “I don’t care. He’s a real action man.” “Snuck out to the flicks often, did ya?” I fluttered my lashes. “That would be telling.” “Anyhow, it’s a no-can-do. I
Rose’s POVI woke the next morning to find I had barely an inch of space in that huge bed. A muscled arm was lying across my naked body, but the monster was still asleep. I didn’t dare to move, though I needed to pee, and the soreness between my thighs brought everything flooding back.A bird tweeted somewhere outside. I cringed, assuming he would stir. He didn’t. The deep breathing remained the same.He’d taken me brutally, there was no denying that. But there was pleasure, too, and far less humiliation than when he’d forced me to parade in front of his friends. Like a walk of shame before the event.I replayed the scene in my head. Could I go through that again – and more? How long before Alpha Lewis pulled me out?A sudden stabbing pain made me hiss.Lycan Adam groaned and opened his eyes. I shut mine, expecting further cruelty. But he just rolled over, freeing me from his grasp.“Shower,” he said.I took it as a signal I was to leave the bed. Once it was steaming, I put my head ar
Adam’s POVI couldn’t believe it. What a time to be out of control when I should have been closeted with my ranking warriors planning the takeover of the werewolf world. Total domination. It was my destiny.Instead I had a new plaything: Rose.As soon as I saw her on that stage I had to have her. She reminded me of Clare, the same colouring, that ability to transcend her surroundings.I don’t suppose she saw it like that.It was wrong of me to call her a slut when she so clearly wasn’t, unlike my late wife. Clare sought only prestige from our marriage; her favours were free to all.Remaining friends with her sister was my way of atoning. Jane introduced me to the BDSM scene after Erica confided in her that my inner beast was losing control. I soon acquired a taste for it, appeasing Marlon.And now, it seemed, I had a second chance mate.Well, Moon Goddess be damned, I didn’t believe in all that.Yet there was something about Rose which led me to think she would last longer than the ot
Rose’s POVI felt the pain radiate everywhere from the region of my chest for the third time this week. Sometimes, Lycan Adam made me watch as he serviced another. More often than not it came as a surprise, waking me from sleep and just about destroying my wolf.The clock was ticking and, as usual, I had little to report.On a positive note, the Lycan King had no plans to make a move on Alpha Lewis’ territory until he had secured sovereignty over all the clans in his county. I doubted the Alpha would be interested to know he was intending to strip a rival pack of their monopoly on the growing of beets, yet I had to pad my meagre information out somehow.My lack of real progress was worrying. I didn’t want Willow suffering a fate worse than death. That bargain between the Alpha and me, could I count on him holding up his end even if I delivered? I was trying not to think like that. Yet it would hardly be good to provoke Lycan Adam into raiding the only county in the district which cou
Rose’s POVI knew Alpha Lewis wouldn’t come in person, but I didn’t expect to see Willow with Connor. For one thing, she was under age. The signs everywhere stated you had to be over twenty-one. Maybe they had faked her ID.“Is this wise?” I hissed, as he stood beside me at the bar.Lycan Adam had gone ahead to “personally prepare the scene”.My sister was looking all around in awe.“He ditched his ex for me,” she confided.Connor frowned. “I’ll explain later, and no, but I’m not the one in charge.”The bartender overheard.“Tonight you are,” she laughed. “Unless the little missy is a dominatrice, which I very much doubt.”I followed them to a corner sofa.“I don’t have long,” I said.“Rose, what are you wearing?”The strappy leather outfit left nothing to the imagination. I reddened.“Don’t even go there, Lolo.”“It’s good to see you, sis,” she said, sucking up vodka noisily through a straw.“And you shouldn’t be here. At all,” I said, wiping the happy grin from her face.“You said i