Novels by basseyagatha22

Asher’s POV“Get your damn asses moving,” one of the guards shouted.They shoved our chained line down a spiral staircase made from black stone. The air got hotter and thicker with every step until it scraped the back of my throat raw. Sweat mixed with the dirt already dried on my skin. I kept my footing and stared at the back of the person in front of me, jaw locked, trying not to think about how far underground we were going.We came out into a wide circular hall lit by green fire burning in iron stands. The light made everyone’s skin look wrong. In the middle of the room stood a big black anvil. Racks of iron rods glowed beside it, tips already heating in the flames. The heat from them reached all the way to where we stood.“What the fucking hell…” I whispered beneath my breath.This wasn’t registration… This was ownership.The two princes and Warlord Hoax sat high on a stone balcony above us. They leaned back in carved chairs with wine in their hands, watching like this was some

Asher’s POVI had no idea how long we rode in that darkness.They shoved me and the other high-tier captives into the back of a blacked-out wagon. A thick canvas covered the whole thing and blocked out every bit of light. Time stopped meaning anything. There was only this damn rattle of the wheels, the pull of iron on my wrists, and the hard beat of my own heart. Every mile took me further from the East. Every jolt reminded me I didn’t belong to myself anymore.Then the carriage stopped hard enough to throw me against the person beside me.A voice cut through the cold wind outside.“Warlord Hoax has arrived! Open the inner gates for the palace shipment!”A loud metallic screech followed as big iron gates swung open. The wagon rolled forward again. The sound under the wheels changed from rough gravel to smooth stone. We were inside a courtyard. After a short stretch the cart came to a final stop.The canvas at the back was yanked open. Torchlight flooded in, bright enough to make my

Asher’s POVThe stone platform was cold under my bare feet.They had dragged us up onto the hard marble, even Damian, and forced us onto our knees in front of a sprawling, tiered amphitheater. Rich Alphas sat on velvet benches, casually drinking expensive whiskey from crystal glasses. Their eyes moved over us like we were cattle waiting to be slaughtered. Refined. Arrogant. Very specific about the kind of meat they wanted to buy.The leader of the Zarithians stepped to the center of the stage and spread his dirty arms wide.“Welcome, distinguished guests, to the seventieth Grand Auction of Athdal Haven!”A low murmur ran through the crowd, but I barely heard it. My heart was slamming against my ribs. Almost immediately I felt the weight of dozens of Alpha gazes lock onto me. Their eyes dragged over my skin. I pressed my knees tighter against the marble, trying to make myself smaller, but the short iron chain on my collar kept my head forced up for them to look at.The scavenger walked

Asher’s POVThere was loud screaming and celebration like we had rolled straight into hell.We had been moving for what felt like forever. Days or weeks, I couldn’t tell anymore in the dark. The iron wheels of the cage cart kept grinding against mountain stone, throwing my bruised body against the wooden floorboards over and over again.Rough hands suddenly grabbed my shoulders and yanked me forward. Keys rattled outside, then the rusted hinges screeched open.“Get the fuck out, you filthy animals!” a guard barked, kicking the side of the cart hard.They forced us out onto cold ground. Heavy iron collars slammed around our necks and bit straight into my throat. A master chain was run through the loops, linking all of us together in one long, stumbling line. We looked like cattle being walked to slaughter.Only then did someone rip the leather blindfold off my face.Torchlight exploded in my eyes. Damn it. I groaned and blinked until the blur started to clear. Athdal Haven opened up in

Asher’s POVThe smell of rot hit me first and dragged me back to consciousness.Damn.I pressed my hand against the back of my head. Pain pulsed hard, and my heart was beating fast against my ribs. Everything was blurry at first. I tried to wipe my eyes, but my hands wouldn’t move.I yanked harder, and metal clanked. Cold, rough iron dug into my wrists, locking them tight together. I rattled the chains, panic flooding through me, but the metal didn’t give. What the bloody hell!!I blinked until the world slowly came into focus. I was inside a tight wooden cage with thick slats. The floor was filthy with mud, vomit, and the sharp stink of urine. I wasn’t alone. Other people sat hunched in the dark. Men and women, chained at the wrists and ankles, staring at nothing with hollow eyes. Their faces were bruised and empty. No one spoke.A man across from me had a collar of black iron around his throat. A woman beside him kept her eyes fixed on the floor, her wrists rubbed raw beneath the c

Asher’s POV“No… no… don’t do this,” I begged. My voice came out broken and wet.“Shut your fucking mouth!” Kael roared.Steel hissed as he dragged the broadsword from the scabbard at his hip. The cold flat of the blade slammed hard against the side of my neck and forced my head sideways into the icy mud. The iron bit into my skin at the same time the terror clawed up my throat.I couldn’t breathe. Blood and spit bubbled on my cracked lips and stained the snow under my cheek. Through a blur of tears I looked up at them… my own blood, the five sons of Alpha Akoon, standing over me like scavengers waiting to tear a body apart.“Please… Kael… I’m your brother…”“You’re not my fucking brother!” He leaned his weight onto the blade until the edge cut a thin, stinging line across my neck. “You’re a stain. A wolfless, pathetic mistake. You’ve been leeching off our father’s soft heart since the day you were born!”Torin stepped forward and put the sole of his boot on my left hand. He ground my