CHAPTER ONE (ELIAS'S POV)

Blood.

The smell of blood and sweat was thick in the air. I was at the underground auction house which was hot due to the packed bodies. Low murmurs could be heard coming from the dimly lit chamber outside as their victims were being paraded to be auctioned off.

I was one of them.

Standing there, bruised, shackled, thirsty and shirtless.

My wrists were bound in thick iron cuffs that dug into my skin. There was a cut on my lip that bled and made it painful for me to lick it, a victory mark from the handler I had fought because he thought he could try to break me before that auction.

A slow smirk crept up my face but I quickly wiped it away, casting my eyes down as I focused on the mission. The crowd outside were cheering. Predators, all of them.

My heart pounded as it got to my turn. The auctioneer silenced the crowd with a wave of his hand then began, "Up next, we have something...special." He grinned. "Eli. He's ex-military. Disgraced, abandoned, left to rot by his own family after piling up some much debt that they couldn’t pay. He's strong, obedient—" He smirked, eyes dragging over my restrained body. "Well not so much but with the proper training he'll be good to go.”

The crowd murmured as the auctioneer caught their interest.

My stomach twisted violently but I didn't flinch. This was all part of the mission.

I had chosen this.

To be sold.

To be purchased by the very men I was sent to destroy.

“His loyalty is… questionable," the auctioneer continued, "but discipline can be taught."

One of the guards shoved me up the stage. The sudden spotlight blinded me briefly, making me cover my eyes with my hand.

Once my eyes were adjusted, I looked at the audience whose faces I couldn't see due to the light on me.

Murmurs of approval erupted as they feared their eyes on me. Someone started the bidding..

I swallowed, forcing my body not to tense up. There was only one person's attention that I needed to catch tonight.

Luca Rossi.

A king in the underworld. Ruthless. Calculated. Untouchable.

Until now. He doesn't know what's coming for him.

I didn’t have to look to know when he entered the room. The energy shifted.

The conversations came to a halt as tension filled the room.

The Rossi family was royalty in this world. No one crossed them and lived to tell the tale.

The auctioneer cleared his throat. “He’s a strong asset. Very skilled—”

“I’ll take him.”

The voice was smooth, deep, commanding.

The auctioneer stuttered. "S-Sir, there are still bids to—"

Luca shot him a single, sharp look which shut him up.

Luca Rossi doesn't play fair, he takes what he wants.

The auctioneer slammed his gravel on the podium sealing my gate 

"Sold," the auctioneer said, his voice shaky.

I was dragged off the stage before I could even fully process what had just happened.

Step one of the mission? Complete.

*****

The first half of the car ride was filled with silence. Luca sat across from me, legs spread, completely at ease. His suit was perfectly ironed, his jaw was just as sharp as the pictures I had seen and his brown hair was perfectly styled.

His second in command, Matteo, sat next to him. He had a devilish look in his eyes, like I was a new challenge that he couldn't wait to break.

I ignored both of them, choosing to focus on the next step on the plan.

Finally, Luca broke the silence. “Do you know who I am?”

I looked at his eyes for the first time. They were green in color, cold and calculating. He stared at me like he could see straight into my soul.

I answered his question. “Luca Rossi.”

His lips twitched slightly. “Good.”

Matteo leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knee with a smirk on his face. “And do you know what this means, Eli?”

Eli. A name that was mine and wasn't mine at the same time. A fake identity that I was given for this mission.

“I belong to you.” I said it without hesitation.

Matteo’s smirk widened. “That’s right.”

In a flash, his hand shot out and grilled my jaw— tight. I knew that a bruise would form after this.

“If you run,” he murmured, his tone was gentle but the threat was anything but. “I will find you and you’ll beg for death before I’m finished with you.”

I held his stare.

He wanted me to flinch.

I didn’t. 

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Luca watching our interaction with mild amusement before speaking to me.

“You’ll live in my house. Follow my rules. And if I so much as suspect a hint of disloyalty, I’ll kill you myself.”

A pause.

Then, “Are we clear?”

I nodded.

“Say it.”

I swallowed my pride. “Yes, sir.”

Matteo’s smirk changed to something more feral, like k had just sold my soul to the devil.

Luca scanned me once more before leaning back with a bored look in his face 

“Good,” he murmured. “Then welcome home.”

*****

The Rossi mansion was a fortress.

There were guards at all the entrances— patrolling inside and outside the mansion— security cameras at every corner.

They led me inside, still bound to the shackles.

Inside, the air smelled like expensive cologne, cigarettes, whiskey and… blood. The smell alone let's everyone know who's in control.

The house was eerily quiet. Like everyone was scared of making the wrong move so they didn't get shot.

Matteo came over and released me from the shackles. I instantly touched my wrist, rubbing the raw skin to aid blood flow.

Instead of stepping back, Matteo placed a finger under my chin, lifting my head up forcing me to look into his eyes which were filled with amusement.

“You're going to learn very fast, Eli.” He said, his voice soft. “You can lie to yourself all you want. But in this house? We always get the truth.”

He leaned closer, making my heart race and my eyes widened. His grip on my chin tightened and I was certain he was going to kiss me.

But, just as quickly as he had leaned in, he let out and stopped back.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding and willed my erratic heart to slow down.

Luca spoke again, voicing a command. “Take him to his room.”

A guard close to me made a move to grab me but I swiftly stepped out of his reach and began to walk away.

I could feel Luca and Matteo’s watchful eyes on me as I walked past them.

I felt the ghost of a touch slither down my spine making me stiffen, I didn't turn back to see who touched me.

I kept my spine straight and my expression neutral but my mind was racing. This was it, where many operatives had failed, I had just succeeded in infiltrating.

The end of the Rossi family was near, it was just a matter of time.