The auction hall emptied faster than she expected.
Moments ago, the air had been thick with voices, greed, and cruelty. Now only silence remained—heavy, suffocating silence that pressed down on her chest until breathing felt painful.
She stood alone on the stone platform, bare feet numb from the cold floor, her fingers clutching the thin fabric of her dress as if it were the last thing keeping her sane.
Sold.
The word echoed inside her head again and again.
She was no longer a person.
She was a transaction.
"Come."
The command was quiet, yet it ruled the entire hall.
Her body stiffened instantly.
She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. The air itself seemed to change when he spoke—thicker, heavier, dangerous.
Slowly, she faced him.
The Alpha King stood a few steps away, his tall figure wrapped in dark authority. Torchlight flickered over his sharp features, but his expression remained unreadable. Those silver eyes rested on her without warmth, without mercy.
"I won't," she whispered, though her knees trembled.
One eyebrow lifted slightly.
"You misunderstand," he said coldly. "That was not a request."
Her throat tightened. "I don't belong to you."
A faint smirk touched his lips, but it held no humor.
"You were paid for," he replied. "That makes you mine."
Her heart shattered a little more.
She took a step back instinctively, but the stone edge of the platform stopped her. There was nowhere left to run.
The Alpha King moved closer, his presence overwhelming. She could feel the heat of him, the raw power that rolled off his body like an invisible storm.
"You will come willingly," he said, "or you will be carried. Either way, you leave with me."
She swallowed hard.
"Why?" she asked, desperation slipping into her voice. "There were others. Stronger. Wolves. Why choose a human like me?"
For a brief moment—just a heartbeat—something unreadable flickered across his eyes.
Then it vanished.
"That is not something you need to know," he said.
Two guards approached, but once again, he stopped them with a raised hand.
"I will handle her."
His hand closed around her wrist.
The touch sent a strange jolt through her body—sharp, hot, unfamiliar. Her breath hitched as something deep within her stirred, as if her blood itself reacted to him.
The Alpha paused.
He looked down at their joined hands, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Interesting.
She felt it too.
Something was wrong.
He released her wrist abruptly, as if annoyed by his own reaction.
"Move," he ordered.
She had no strength left to fight.
⸻
The night air outside was cold, but it did nothing to cool the heat racing through her veins.
She was placed inside a black car—luxurious, silent, nothing like the world she came from. The door closed with a final, metallic sound that echoed her fate.
As the vehicle moved, she stared out the window, watching the city disappear behind them. Each passing light felt like another piece of her old life slipping away.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked quietly.
"To my territory," the Alpha King replied from the front seat.
Her fingers curled into her palms.
"And then what?"
He turned his head slightly, his gaze meeting hers through the mirror.
"Then," he said, "you will learn your place."
Fear coiled in her stomach.
"You bought me to breed me, didn't you?" she asked, her voice breaking. "That's what humans are used for."
The car was silent for several seconds.
"Your purpose," he finally said, "will be decided when the time comes."
That wasn't a denial.
Her chest ached.
"Why do I feel like this?" she whispered suddenly, pressing a hand to her heart. "Ever since you touched me… something feels wrong."
His jaw tightened.
"You feel it because you are weak," he said sharply. "Ignore it."
But he was lying.
She didn't know how she knew—only that she did.
⸻
Massive iron gates rose before them, carved with ancient symbols she couldn't understand. As they opened, an overwhelming pressure washed over her, forcing her to gasp.
This place…
It wasn't just land.
It was power.
Wolves lined the path as the Alpha stepped out of the car. They bowed instantly, heads lowered in absolute submission.
When she stepped out behind him, their eyes lifted.
Shock.
Curiosity.
Disapproval.
A human.
Beside their king.
"She's staying," the Alpha announced coldly.
A ripple of tension passed through the wolves, but none dared speak.
He turned to her.
"From this moment forward," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "your life is tied to mine."
She looked up at him, her heart pounding.
"I didn't agree to this," she said.
He leaned closer, his breath brushing her ear.
"You don't need to," he murmured. "Fate already has."
Her blood burned.
She didn't understand it yet—but whatever he had bought that night…
It was far more than a human girl.
And the Alpha King knew it.