Chapter one

I have heard that a person can tell the moment when their life is about to take a sharp turn. Maybe this is what they mean.

“What are you doing?” The slave master suddenly appears at the doorway, his eyes red and his arms too thick that he might actually be in pain.

His eyes wash through my naked body, hidden by nothing. We were all asked to line up to have our baths. I was the last in the queue and now, the only one left in the dark and musty bathroom.

“I am…”

He strides into the room without thinking, and a punch lands in my guts. The force pushes me to the ground as a loud scream falls from my lips.

I feel the impact on my arms from the granite floor, but there is no time to nurse an injury because the slave master is still standing in front of me, a sneer on his face.

“You think you are lucky because you are off to be auctioned today, aren’t you?”

I stay on the floor, not saying a word. Talking back always gets them angry. And when they are angry…

“Say something, stupid!”

I shake my head.

He laughs, the horrid voice ringing in the bathroom. "It's such a waste, you know?" His eyes land on my body, and he flicks a tongue across his bottom lip. "Imagine all the fun I could have had with you before today."

He takes another menacing step closer, and I push back into the dirty bath water. He appears amused.

“You can’t run away, Raya,” he snickers. “In fact, I can make it impossible for you to get purchased. You should have been a good little girl when I asked nicely. Now, I am going to have to do it, whether you like it or not.”

“It’s time to go!” Another slave master suddenly calls from the hallway, slamming a rod on the wall. It is the first time I am relieved to hear his voice.  

***

The chains bite into my wrists, and a whimper escapes my lips. My wolf whines inside me, but the silver burns her each time she rears her head.

She hates this.

I do too.

I try for the umpteenth time to break free, but a resounding slap lands on my face. My head whips the other way, and the stinging makes me wince.

I should have seen this coming.

The others behind me push so hard, the scent of sweat and fear hanging in the air. In this room, we are nothing but wares to be sold to the highest bidder. My destiny has been written from the moment I was born.

I am destined for packs to use as tools, or worse, breeders.

The mere thought makes me wince again.

“It’s going to be over soon,” the girl behind me whispers. She has been in captivity much longer and has been taken to more auctions than she can remember. But she has never been bought. They call her bad luck.

“Just close your eyes and take deep breaths,” she continues, eyeing the warriors. “You are pretty. You will be bought fast.”

"I don't want to be bought," I respond, even though I don't exactly know if that is what I want. Stay back, and I will be maltreated even worse. Get sold, and I will be turned into a breeder.

"You should." Her voice, even though in a whisper, manages to echo around the walls, but no one looks her way with a whip in hand, not even the warriors.

This is when I notice the shift in the air, the sudden heat that is burning through space, dispelling sweat, but leaving the fear behind. My back bends involuntarily, a heavy weight pressing me down.

It feels like static, the electricity weaving through every part of my being. This is the reason why the other girl was ignored.

Everyone has bowed their heads without being told, and a weird silence washes through the room.

He walks in.

Alpha Rex. The most powerful Alpha in the region and the kind of man who never bothers with council auctions.

So why the hell is he here?

The girl behind me sucks in a sharp breath. “Don’t look at him.”

But I do. My eyes lift from the ground, and I find him staring right back at me. His gaze is sharp enough to cut through metal. I should quit staring.

Yet, I can’t.

Alpha Rex angles his head, his eyes still on me. My wolf starts whining suddenly, and my eyes fall wide open in panic-induced surprise.

Mate.

He doesn’t flinch. Not even one bit. I keep watching as he pulls his gaze away and moves to his seat at the edge of the dais as if nothing happened.

Or did I just imagine that?

The auctioneer’s loud voice suddenly pierces through the air. “Raya, seventeen, unclaimed, unmarked…. As for the unmated part…”

The slave master from this morning crossed the space to the auctioneer. He leans in and whispers something to him. And at once, I know I am doomed.

“Er...” the auctioneer clears his throat noisily as the slave master pulls away. “Raya is no longer up for purchase. The sellers have decided that…”

“Ten thousand.”

The room suddenly falls silent, and I whip my head around so fast that it might hurt later on.

“Alpha Rex?” the elder seated at the center blinks.

“Ten thousand for the girl,” he repeats, his voice as cold and hard as steel. “Any outbidder?”

Everyone starts talking at the same time. Mouths fall wide open, and even the high council isn't left out.

“Alpha Rex, she isn’t up for…”

“I decide whether she is up for sale or not,” he cuts in, leaning back in his chair. “And I have just offered a bid. Well?”

“Going….Going once. Go…ing twice….”

"Sold!" Alpha Rex interrupts again, rising to his feet. His eyes find mine once again, and I feel every word as he mutters. "And if she's been touched, I'll make the wolf who dared wish they'd died before I found them."