Let the auction begin!" the auctioneer announced, pulling a huge red curtain off the large cage.
Golden lights streamed from the ceiling like the sun descending from the heavens.
"Hair of gold, skin of milk, eyes of skies, lips of roses, frame of trees. A beauty for the lord's greed. Behold our finest collection." The man, dressed in the finest red velvet, smiled with his fangs.
"An omega worth your price." He beamed at the satisfaction of the hungry lycans' gazes, all of them influential and powerful.
I used to be one of them.
He leered at me for a moment, his glare growing more piercing by the second.
To avoid being punished, I gathered my courage and arose with a grace not of a normal woman. A pride not of a lowly maiden.
But a woman of the highest class, dressed in the most expensive attire made of gold. It was heavy, like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, and a burden like a crown made of thorns.
I was furious!
I, the once Alpha Queen of the Moon Bound Pack, was now nothing more than an item in a glass, up for sale. A weak, worthless, demoted omega with a broken wolf.
Shame burned my cheeks, my golden waves draping around my face like curtains as I turned slowly for their inspection.
"We will begin the bid with 10,000," he said at the top of his voice.
Ten thousand?
I was worth nothing more than a mere thousand?
My nails dug into my flesh as anger burned in my veins.
My life was perfect.
I was perfect.
Everything on this earth was mine and mine alone, until she took it from me.
A bidder raised his paddle with a grin as cruel as his price. "20,000! Do I hear 30,000?"
He was lucky to still be breathing after staring at me with utter disrespect. Once upon a time, any man, lycan, or beast who cast sights on me would be beheaded. But now, in this state, I was nothing.
My wolf was hurt and weak. I hadn't heard her voice since my wedding day.
The day I died. The day I was betrayed.
Another raised his paddle. "30,000! Do I hear 40,000?" the auctioneer said, his voice growing even more excited.
I swore that I would never marry, but I had no choice. I did it to save my kingdom.
I was what you would consider a spinster. At age twenty-six, I had never found my mate, earning the title "mateless."
Except this was far from the truth.
"40,000! Do I hear 50,000?" His voice rang in my ear like the bell he used to train me for the past two months. He used torture methods that were worse than a beating.
I didn't want a mate.
I've never wanted one, because of my ambition. And I was right. The moment I tried to bind myself in marriage to strengthen my political power, my whole world crumbled.
And it was all her fault!
What happened to women supporting women?
Girls having each other's backs?
Trust?
Friendship?
Was power worth everything we had built together in this world?
Was I nothing more than an obstacle to my only family?
My heart suddenly stopped.
I could feel him, present, in this room.
His presence was overwhelming, like an intoxicating perfume. It disrupted my thoughts and set me ablaze.
My heart raced as I searched for him through my lashes.
I thought when you reject your mate, the bond is shattered.
So why?
Why can I feel his hateful gaze burning my skin?
Why can I feel his thoughts, and his cold, emotionless aura?
He didn't feel like this before.
But I was drawn to him like a magnet pulling me to him.
He was watching me from the crowd.
Could he feel me?
Staring at me from below?
As I'm caged like an animal, ready to be sold...
Won't he help me?
Save me?
No. I'm no damsel in distress. I'm Alpha Queen Eren, and no man should...
"50,000! Do I hear 60,000?" The auctioneer's voice drew me back to earth.
I was starting to feel weak and a little lightheaded, mostly because they'd starved me nearly to death so I'd reach the required weight to be introduced to the Lycan Lords.
Ridiculous...
I sneered, my chest tight, as for the first time in two months I heard my wolf. "MATE!" she announced.
I shook my head, lowering myself back to the floor of the cage. "I have no mate..." I thought.
"I rejected him," I concluded. I didn't need a mate to charge in and rescue me.
One way or another, I would escape this hell, and I would have my revenge. Blood finally stained the authentic dress, and I hid my palm in the sheer fabric of the gown, for fear I would spark his anger.
"80,000! What a tough call! Do I hear 90,000?" The auctioneer was stunned; seemingly this was the most expensive he'd ever sold.
It was embarrassing enough that someone of my caliber was stuck on display like a circus freak for their entertainment. To actually find my mate at this event would bring me utter shame and reproach.
"90,000! Phew, it's getting really hot! Do I hear 100,000 wolf gold pieces?" he announced, and my breath hitched.
Above me, high in the seats, his scent hit me like a punch, and I lifted my eyes.
I met eyes of glass, hair of ebony, skin of bronze, features sculpted by the gods.
He was different from the last time I saw him. The once jolly, happy soul, full of life, was shrouded in darkness.
Chills filled my spine.
His eyes held no emotion, and yet his aura carried such dark hatred.
I could tell that if I fell into the hands of that beast, the auctioneer's torture would feel like mercy.
So for the first time, I began to hope.
To pray.
That this man would not seek my hand again.
I shut my eyes, hoping he wouldn't dare.
"Oh my goodness!" the auctioneer exclaimed in shock. "We have 1,000,000!"
My heart stopped as I opened them to see his paddle raised.
"Sold!" The auctioneer's knocker hit with finality.
Everything happened in slow motion.
I could hear my breath, and I was sure he could hear it too.
The pounding of my heart against my ribcage was louder than the beat of any drum.
The hairs on my skin stood erect with fear, while their whispers tore me apart.
I knew from the look in his eyes—
That I was doomed.