Eden’s POV
My cell door swung open. “Put this on,” Kate hissed at me. “It’s time for auction, you filthy bitch.”
I’ve been locked up in this cell for a few days now. Kate threw me in here. She said since I don’t have a wolf, and I’m not even an omega, the Lycan King wouldn’t want me. So they didn’t take me to the square.
They’ve given me barely any food and water, but at least my bruises have healed, more or less.
I fingered the beautiful silk gown. I put on the dress and she came back. She brushed my hair and put make-up on me.
“Now smile nicely,” she instructed me. I shot her a satirical smile. “NICER!” she yelled. “They want to see pretty girls. And pretty girls SMILE.” I flashed her a fake smile. My ribs were still sore from the beating. I didn’t want that to happen again. At least if someone bought me, I could get out of this cell.
I was then led to a large stage. The audience was full of men, mostly Alphas I assumed. I was instructed to stand in line and wait my turn. I watched as the omegas and other assorted rogues were auctioned off.
Then it was my turn. I walked onto the stage and instantly locked eyes with a man sitting at a table in the center. He leered at me and licked his lips. I cringed in disgust.
Alpha Ansaldo, I assumed. There was something in his eyes, something cruel and twisted. I shuddered.
“Next up, we have a gorgeous little rogue, willing to do, well, anything you want. Bidding starts at $1 million dollars.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted my chin. I gazed out, with a stubborn look on my face.
“Smile!” Kate whispered from the side of the stage. I ignored her. If they were going to sell me, then fine. But I wasn’t going to play their game.
Apparently, though, my stubbornness was attractive to these sick men. All at once, the crowd exploded into low murmurs. I had caught the eyes of a number of Alphas.
“One million,” the man in the suit said, raising his glass.
“Alpha Ansaldo has bid one million,” the auctioneer said. So I was right, it was him.
“Two million,” someone in the back offered.
“Three!”
“Four!”
I didn’t change my expression but I let my eyes glance around the room.
“Ten million.” Everyone stopped and turned to the man who had made the offer. He was handsome, in a black leather jacket and a fedora. He smiled at me, and his smile seemed genuine. He didn’t look like the other men; they were all sleazeballs. This man seemed sophisticated. He sat beside another man, equally as handsome, maybe even more so. He also wore a black leather jacket.
After his announcement of ten million dollars, most of the other bidders bowed out. But not Alpha Ansaldo.
“Eleven,” he said, sipping his drink. His eyes locked onto my chest.
“Twenty,” the sophisticated man said, smirking.
This angered Ansaldo. His face flushed. He slammed his hand down on the table. All eyes turned to him.
“Thirty,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Five hundred.” The crowd went silent. Five hundred million dollars? I looked in shock at the man.
Alpha Ansaldo stood up then, unable to control his rage. He unleashed his Alpha aura without restraint. Everyone balked. Unleashing an Alpha aura like, unrestrained, meant only one thing to werewolves. Ansaldo had just declared war.
Everyone was in shock, including myself. But the man who had been bidding was unphased. He simply leaned into the man beside him and whispered something. The man beside him nodded and stood up.
It was then that I realized - the other man had only been bidding on this man’s behalf. He was clearly the beta. THIS man was the real Alpha.
He stood. “Five hundred million,” he repeated calmly.
Ansaldo ignored this. “NO! If I can’t buy her, then I’ll just take her,” he seethed. The man at the table said nothing. So Ansaldo, full of fury, marched up to the stage. I could see the evil in his eyes as he spoke.
“You will look so beautiful in my collection.” He traced my cheek with his finger. “Pretty little thing.” He walked around me, looking at me like I was some sort of piece of artwork. “I can’t wait to taste you,” he hissed in my ear. “And for you to choke on my massive cock.” I recoiled in disgust, biting back tears of humiliation.
He reached out and put his hand between my legs. But then, with lightning speed, the beta rushed towards Ansaldo. I had never seen anyone move that fast! It seemed impossible. He took Ansaldo’s head into his hands and was just about to smash it into the sharp corner of the auction stage, when a voice stopped him.
“Hold on.” The voice was cold and steady and it rang out through the room, reverberating off the walls. The voice went straight to my heart, causing it to beat unsteadily. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an irresistible power. The beta stopped instantly, Ansaldo’s head was less than a centimeter away from the corner of the table.
Everyone was silent. My heart pounded in my chest.
Ansaldo’s lips quivered. His face turned white and he gasped for air as his eyes widened in shock.
“Lycans!” His whole body shook. “You are…you are Lycans.” The terror on his face was clear.
What? You see, with the Lycan King missing for over a hundred years, Lycans haven't been seen in ages. And now they show up at the auction house...what did they want?
Eden’s POV“Lycans?” The auction house broke out into exclamations. “Is it true? Are they Lycans?” Everyone whispered, wide-eyed at the thought. Anxiety and confusion rippled through the room.But then, the man at the table calmly took off his coat. Everyone watched as he hung it on the back of his chair, revealing a crisp white shirt and navy suit vest. He strode to the stage, letting loose a powerful Lycan aura. His air of nobility was palpable. His aura emanated from him and spread out through the room, passing over everyone, one at a time, and as it did, each person felt like they had been hit by an invisible force. Then his aura settled over them, like a heavy blanket. They were powerless under the suffocating pressure of the Lycan’s aura.I watched him, transfixed, as his aura hit me. It was like a lightning bolt straight to my heart. My heart raced and I began to breathe quickly. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, even though I knew that making eye contact and staring at him lik
Zane’s POV“Tear this place down,” I turned to my Beta, instructed. “And then burn it. Leave nothing of this auction house save for ashes.”The girl in my arms shrank back in response to my command, she clutched at my shirt.‘Easy now, Cookie,’ I thought to myself. ‘You’re safe now. You’re mine.’I took in her scent. Bread cookies. It was her. I had finally found her. ‘All will be well now, Slade. We found her.’Instantly, Slade, my wolf, calmed down. My mind flashed back to the first time we met.I was 21 years old, in wolf form, when I was ambushed by rogues. They caught me completely off-guard. They seriously injured me, slashing my legs and my stomach. I was so badly hurt that I couldn’t return to human form. I managed to escape, but just barely. I was forced to hide out in the forest, doing my best to camouflage my black wolf form with the dead of night.She found me one day while I was sleeping in a small brush clearing. Full of curiosity, she climbed over the bushes. She was yo
Eden’s POVI was the talk of the town, or so I heard. Rumors of the Lycan King bringing back a ‘rogue girl’ spread rapidly through all the packs. I had been here a few days, but everywhere I went, the omegas whispered. The news even spread out into rogue territory. Everyone was guessing who I was. What was my true identity? Why had he chosen me? I was asked to meet some of the omega maids in the bathroom. Apparently, they wanted to help me wash. I didn’t really want their help, though. They were a little on the rough side. But I was told I had no choice. But before I went into the bathroom, I overheard the omega maids talking. They were whispering about all the gossip spreading through the packs.“I heard the King fell in love with her at first sight, so he brought her back here. That’s what an omega from Red Stone pack told me she heard,” one maid whispered.“Nonsense. Why would he fall in love with a rogue? And an ugly, wolfless one at that?” another maid scoffed. “That’s
Zane’s POV She approached the lavish table, clearly nervous. I was already there, waiting. I motioned for her to sit, across from him. Her hands were shaky. I fixed my eyes on hers and watched as she took her seat. She was quite graceful and looked lovely in a long silk dress. I nodded my approval. “It’s okay. You can relax. I won’t bite,” I said, trying to put her at ease with a joke. “I…I didn’t think you would,” she answered in a serious tone. Clearly, she had missed the joke. So I changed the subject. “Do you enjoy salmon?” I asked. I looked down at my plate. Salmon in a white wine sauce. One of my personal favorites. Decadent and delicious. She nodded. “Then bon appetit,” I said. I took a big bite, motioning for her to do the same. She smiled appreciatively. Good, she likes salmon, I thought to myself. Then I decided to address the question on my mind. “Don’t you have a wolf?” I asked. The question must have caught her by
Caleb’s POV“You stupid girl! Be more careful! My suit has to be perfect,” I barked at my omega maid. This was an important meeting! One of the most important meetings of my life! And my damned omega was ironing my suit like she didn’t have a care in the world. “That’s cashmere, you idiot! I swear, if you burn another one of my suits!”“Yes, yes,” she nodded. “No wrinkles. No burns. I promise.” I took a deep breath to regain my composure. I watched her closely while she ironed. The last thing I needed was a wrinkled poorly ironed suit. Not today! Not for this meeting! She finished and handed me the suit. “Now get out,” I snapped at her. A few moments later, I admired myself in the mirror. Yes, I was most handsome indeed. I looked like my powerful self, well-dressed and perfectly groomed. This was exactly the look I was going for. So I grabbed the wedding invitation and headed out the door to meet with the Lycan King.We were related, the Lycan King and I. My great-great-grandmoth
Eden’s POV“I’ve told you a hundred times, the fork on the far left is for salad. What are you, dense or something?” I sighed in frustration. This was my fourth etiquette lesson that day! This was all becoming a little too much. Who knew there were so many rules about forks?“I’m trying my best,” I said to my teacher. She rolled her eyes and sighed. I could tell she didn’t like me. She made me feel really uncomfortable, like I didn’t belong here. All the teachers made me feel like that, like this whole place, this whole world was somehow above me.I was doing this at Zane’s request. He had requested that I take etiquette lessons, although I had no idea why. It’s not like I was some slobby omega. I was born of relatively high degree. Nothing like the King, of course – I wasn’t royalty, but I knew basic manners.“Again,” she said, rearranging the cutlery on the mock dining room table. “They are serving salad as the starting course. Please select the correct fork.”This time I did and sh
Eden’s POV‘This is it, Eden,’ I told myself, trying to muster up the courage. The Lycan King and I were having lunch, again, and we had just finished the salad course.“You’re improving,” he said with a sly smile.“How so?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.“You chose the correct fork this time. I guess those etiquette lessons are paying off.”Right. The lessons.It was the perfect opportunity. “About that,” I said, but was interrupted by the waiter.“For today’s main dish,” he said, placing a plate in front of Zane. “We have seared salmon with a red wine demi-glaze, with roasted baby asparagus, and twice baked potatoes seasoned with herbs hand-picked from the garden.”“Wonderful,” Zane smiled as he inhaled his plate of food. I had to agree, he did smell fantastic. I waited for the waiter to leave before continuing the conversation, but Zane beat me to it.“You’re not enjoying your lessons?” he asked, sawing into his salmon. His face was earnest and he looked sincere. “Not even t
Eden’s POVI paced my room, my heartbeat quick. He couldn’t keep me here! Locked up like some sort of prized possession!I looked out the window. It was dusk, the sun low on the horizon. In the distance, I could see the gate.The gate.If I could make it to the gate, then I could climb it.I could run away.I bit my lip. I had no idea what was out there in that forest. I didn’t even really know where we were. What was the closest pack? Red Rock? Riverside? Maybe if I could get to them I could ask for help. Would they take mercy on me?My thoughts spun in my head.It was a dangerous decision, to run away, out there into those woods alone. But what choice did I have? I couldn’t just stay here, like some sort of twisted pet.So I made the decision, right then and there.If Zane wouldn’t let me go of my own free will, then I would run away.I scanned the room. What could I bring with me?Nothing. I couldn’t bring anything. If anyone saw me out in the garden, it would look too suspicious i