Chapter Three - Betrayed

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.