LOGINXlynor's POV
“Huh?” Her doe eyes glanced around, unsure if my words were meant for her.
I caught her chin, forcing her trembling gaze to meet mine. She shivered slightly.
The moment our eyes locked, I felt an energy shift that made even my demons stir. The air thickened between us. “I can’t hear a heartbeat, you don't have a heartbeat.” I murmured, tilting my head to the side. “What are you?”
She swallowed hard but didn't speak.
“She’s… human, with a heartbeat, Alpha,” the lady standing beside the silver-haired said, her voice trembling as if she were being forced to speak.
Human with a heartbeat when I couldn't hear a thing myself? Interesting.
No one could hold my gaze for even a minute, yet this defiant woman stared straight into my eyes, into my soul—without blinking once.
This wasn't the eyes of a woman fawning over me, it looked different, felt different, but I just couldn't pinpoint it.
I gave a lopsided grin then brushed my thumb against her lips. There were traces of dried blood there, it looked like she had been tortured more than the rest.
I stood straight, a smug smirk plastered on my face. These silver-haired people had a thing for messing with me. It had to be the hair.
Silver-haired wolves were said to possess powers beyond the ordinary abilities of werewolves. Mating with them as a normal werewolf had a way to boost your abilities and, somehow, they were highly sought after, but this one right here was said to be human.
I had met lots of silver-haired wolves and each time, their energy seemed to be repelled by my demons, but this silver-haired was different and that wasn't a conversation I was ready for.
With one last glance at her, I adjusted my hood then walked over to the left corner of the hall. I could perceive Nyx’s scent emanating from there.
The hall maintained a palpable silence ever since I stepped in, that even a pin drop could be heard, and I loved it that way.
“You came.” Nyx whispered the moment I took the seat next to her.
I didn't respond, I maintained my poker face, wishing for all this to be over with before I snapped. The thought about the silver-haired had vanished just as it came.
I could feel Eryndor’s hateful glare on my skin, but I didn't bother sparing him a glance. I leaned into my seat then shut my eyes.
“Going for a hundred and fifty?” The lady at the podium whispered into the microphone, obviously scared to speak out loud.
“Three hundred.” I heard a baritone voice I was forced to believe belonged to Eryndor speak.
I stilled, was this bastard interested in a slave? For the first time he showed interest in something?
I glanced at him, catching his death glare. I smiled slyly then shut my eyes back.
“Four hundred!” Nyx snapped, standing to her feet.
“Four fifty,” Eryndor countered, his demeanor calm and collected, unlike Nyx who looked like she was at the point of bringing this hall to the ground.
At this point, I could almost believe that he was doing this to spite Nyx because the Eryndor I knew would rather spend his money on books and research, not a random slave.
“Five hundred thousand dollars!” Nyx slammed her palms against the table, already trembling in anger.
Whatever Eryndor thought he was doing was actually working, or maybe I was wrong.
“One million dollars!” Eryndor muttered.
My eyes snapped open. Did I just hear properly?
“Wha…what?” Nyx stuttered, her eyes wide.
“One million dollars for the human slave,” Eryndor spelt out each word, finally standing to his feet.
Nyx's feet stayed rooted to the spot as she chuckled in disbelief. “You just bought a slave for a million dollars?” She stuttered.
My gaze narrowed as I watched Eryndor walk over to the slave.
This wasn't about him wanting to piss Nyx off, he really wanted that slave. The satisfied smile on his face said it all.
I frowned. Why did he want her so badly? Why was he willing to spend so much to have her when he could have anybody he wanted? Lots of questions lingered in my mind and it aroused my curiosity.
Eryndor stopped right in front of her then grinned widely… a sight I rarely saw.
“I won, I guess you're mine now,” he said, his tone too cheeky, like it was only both of them in this hall.
My jaws tightened at that word. His? For some reason I couldn't explain, it didn't sit well with me.
And the silver-haired? She just knelt there staring at him like he was her salvation… her eyes had no fear for someone being sold to a Dark Hounder.
My lips twitched, and my fists curled on their own.
“I'm taking her.” I declared.
“Okay, what's really going on here? I just want her because I like her…” Nyx hissed.
“What?” Eryndor turned, his nose crunched up.
I stood from my seat, then took slow, deliberate steps towards the podium.
“I. Want. This. Slave.” I dragged my words, making sure that each of my words got stuck inside Eryndor’s brain.
I didn’t want a slave. Least of all, a weak so-called human, and a woman at that. The only women I didn't hate were Nyx and godmother Jojo.
My not-so-perfect mother had planted a trauma and deep hatred inside of me for women that I thought all of them except for Nyx and Jojo had the darkest of hearts.
“It's… an auction where the highest bidder gets the… price. Alpha.” The host stuttered.
I quirked the corner of my mouth as I watched her in amusement.
“I'm expected to bid for a slave?”
“No, Alpha.”
“Yes, you should bid, but it's already late.” Eryndor spat, cutting the host off.
My tongue flicked over my lips and I stepped closer, but Eryndor quickly stepped in front of the slave protectively.
“Stay back brother, I got her already.” He set his jaw, refusing to back down.
Seeing him so protective of her, I knew she was worth something and even though I had no initial plans of keeping her, I wanted her even more.
I didn't stop in my tracks, I kept walking and when I got to Eryndor he was flung away by an invincible force.
I stretched out my palms, grabbing the slave by the neck yoke and pulling her closer.
“No, not you.” I heard her whisper as she tried moving away from me.
The same woman that had locked eyes with me earlier without fear was now trying to escape my grasp for some unknown reason and at this point I knew I wanted her to be mine.
Fear looked special in her eyes or was that rage? Perfect.
I walked right into this hall, with something inside of her pulling me close. I should've known she was for me. Anyway, it was never too late to put my tag on her.
A slow smile curved my lips as I watched her struggle. “Yes, me Shenka. You're coming with me.”
“I’m taking her for five hundred million.” I clicked my tongue
I didn't wait for their response before my dark smoke covered every inch of the hall and I teleported with her.
Ivara's POVI yanked the seatbelt off so fast the metal tongue clattered against the frame, then I surged up and grabbed the edge of the door before Xlynor could slam it shut.“You know you're a terrible liar, right?” I said, my voice sharper than I intended. “You really suck at it.”He turned back, brow furrowed. “I didn't lie.” A beat. “But you're observant. I do lie a lot, even when there's no need to, because I don't really care what the other person thinks. You have to earn it, and there's nothing you can do once I decide to lie.” He clicked his tongue, a smug smile tugging at his lips.“Seriously?” His shamelessness and complete lack of remorse were unbelievable. “What a shameful attitude.”He tilted his head. “Ten minutes and I'll be right back, McKenna.” He tried to shut the door again.I refused to let the door close as my hand stayed locked around the door. “You’re not just going to leave me here, in the middle of nowhere, with no explanation!”I expected him to say somethin
Xlynor's POVThe city blurred into streaks of houses, glass, and lights. Cars scattered as I slipped between lanes with barely inches to spare. Suddenly, a truck drifted into my path, but I didn't touch the brake, just flicked the wheel and slipped through a gap so narrow the truck's side mirror folded in from the wind of my passing.Behind me, one of the bikes clipped the truck's front corner. It wobbled but didn't go down, which was good. At least now they knew who they were dealing with.The SUV couldn’t keep up. They clearly hadn’t planned for this outcome.“Slow down!” Ivara's voice had changed completely, all thrill gone. “We're going to die — you're going to kill me! I don't want to die with you! Slow down!”I could tell the highway wasn't going to work in my favor. There was too much visibility and too many options for them to flank. I needed narrower ground.I cut across three lanes without braking. Horns erupted in a wave behind us. The exit ramp came up fast, and I took it
Xlynor's POVShe rejected me.Ivara just rejected me, and it baffled me that she could do that.I moved back to the front seat in disbelief and sat with that for a moment.How could she reject my offer like that?Nobody rejected me. That had never happened. Of course, I was Xlynor Darkazov — Alpha, demigod, the man people built rumors about because the truth was worse — and she'd looked at my offer for less than a second before saying no like she was turning down a menu item she didn't like.It felt like a slap across the face I couldn’t just sit with. How could she?I turned to look at her, but she was back to sipping her drink. Both drinks, alternating, and completely unbothered like nothing had happened. Like she hadn't just rejected me.“You're really —” I caught myself and hit my palm against the steering wheel instead. “Fuck!”The thing was, it wasn't about the kiss anymore. It was the hurt of the rejection that was sitting in my chest like something inedible I'd accidentally s
Xlynor's POVIvara didn't respond because she was already distracted by the contents of the box and kept turning it and staring at it in admiration. “It's mine? Like actually mine? This belongs to me? I don't think I want to sell it. It's so beautiful.”“There's only one of it in all of Athynra, and I got it,” I said. “So if you try to sell it, whoever you approach will either think it's fake or think you stole it from me.”“I said I'm not selling it.” She sounded genuinely offended. “I haven't thought it through yet.”I nodded, glancing at the mirror. She was holding it up, and tilting it. The earlier red in her face was replaced by awe and admiration and then a soft, delighted laugh escaped her. For a moment, she looked completely lost in it.“So,” I said, turning back to the road. “I've been thinking.”“About what?” she cut in excitedly.“Let me finish.” I adjusted my grip on the wheel. “I thought about it carefully. It was something I suddenly thought of after you left the yard, a
Xlynor's POVI followed Ivara’s scent through the barracks until I found her in the parking garage, tucked away in my car. The guards must have brought her here after she ran off because there was absolutely no way she found the garage on her own.For some reason, she was seated in the back, not the front. I stood at the driver's door for a second and looked at her through the glass. A smirk crept onto my lips, but I said nothing, and simply slid into the driver’s seat.“You know this makes you look like a passenger,” I said, adjusting the rearview mirror until I could see her properly. “And me, like your driver.”She didn’t respond. She was staring at the window. Red-faced, expression locked down, and very committed to not acknowledging that I existed.Okay, I got it.I noticed the stuff Zane had dropped in the passenger seat. It felt weird having to do this now. I wasn't ready yet, and I had no idea Ivara would come to the barracks. Otherwise, I would have hidden it.Anyway, she had
Xlynor's POVI watched Ivara rush out of the yard until her figure disappeared around the corner, then a sly grin spread across my face. I couldn't stop it, even though I wanted to.Interesting. I had just figured out a game I'd thought was one-sided wasn't.I was starting to get pissed that Ivara could mess with my head, my nerves, and my thoughts, yet walk around, exist, and do whatever she did to me without any apparent awareness of it—acting completely unbothered by the whole thing. Well, not today. Finally, I wasn't the only one being affected by the other person. Very fulfilling.I pressed my tongue against the inside of my cheek and turned to the yard.The problem was that teasing her was its own trap. It wasn't so easy. I'd gotten close because I wanted to bother her, or maybe not, but then, I hadn't wanted to stop at just bothering her. That was the problem. That was always the problem with her.Her crazy and addictive cinnamon scent had a way of triggering a surge of dopamin
Xlynor’s POV “You know how much I hate repeating myself, Aaron,” I muttered, my gaze fixed outside the window. “You and I both know this isn’t everything you stole.”“My Lord, please forgive me. I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I needed to sort my mother's bill and it was my only option. Pleas
IVARANo, this shouldn't be happening. Not after everything I went through just to escape.“Father!” I yelled, struggling with the guards who were trying to rip my clothes off me. Of course, they'd obey him, the almighty Gamma.Father stopped in his tracks, then spun around. Even the guards paused.
IVARA“What makes you think you should eat that when you didn’t spend a dime on it?”“You're useless!”“You should be dead! I blame Loyd for bringing this crap into our world!”“Look around, does anyone here live without a wolf? Even the Omegas are above you!” My stepmother, Maybelline’s insults an
IVARA What had just happened? One second, I was waiting for Adrian in the park, the next? I was here, half-conscious in some confinement.Confinement? A fvcking confinement! My eyes widened. What?I dragged myself up, my legs wobbling as the room spun around.“No, no.” I whispered, I couldn't poss







