Chapter 5: Auction Block

Hearing the deafening roars and primitive cheers of the crowd outside sent a freezing shiver of terror straight down my spine as I awaited the fate waiting behind the heavy velvet curtains. My fingers unconsciously clawed at the skimpy, ice-blue lace of my outfit, frantically trying to tug it down, fooling myself into believing that a few more millimeters of fabric would magically offer protection from the hundreds of hungry eyes waiting for us.

We didn't have to wait long.

A sharp, booming voice crackled over the amphitheater's loudspeakers, the auctioneer beckoning the guards to bring out the first lot. Before we could even catch our breath, rough hands shoved us forward.

The heavy curtains parted, and we were thrust out onto the blinding, elevated stage.

Standing in front of a massive, tiered amphitheater packed with shifters was a waking nightmare. Hundreds of pair of eyes locked onto us, staring up at the platform not with pity, but with the cold, calculating appraisal of livestock—creatures to be bought, used, and thrown away at a moment's notice. A hot surge of fiery anger flared up in my chest, but it was instantly snuffed out by the crushing reality of our helplessness. There was nothing we could do.

Beside me, the sound of breaking composure echoed softly. I glanced over to see Maria quietly sobbing, her shoulders shaking while Christopher kept a heavy, comforting hand planted firmly against her back, his jaw locked in a silent snarl. I looked over at Eleanore next, my heart aching with worry, only to find her face set in a mask of fierce, unbreakable defiance. She stared down at the sea of leering, lustful bastards with naked revulsion and burning hate, refusing to cower.

The guards dragged us to the very front edge of the stage, forcing us into a humiliating line under the blinding spotlights as the bidding commenced.

Minutes ticked by in agonizing slow motion. The numbers shouted from the crowd climbed higher and higher, a sick testament to our worth as property.

"Five hundred thousand!" a booming voice suddenly shouted from the lower tiers.

My breath hitched. Slowly, forcing my gaze up from the wooden floorboards, I made direct eye contact with the man whose paddle was proudly raised. A violent shiver of utter disgust crawled up my spine. He stared right back at me, a thick coat of sweat coating his protruding belly, his hairline receding into a sweaty dome, and his mouth parting to reveal a row of crooked, yellowed teeth that twisted into a revolting, predatory smirk.

The stark, terrifying reality of what our lives were about to become crashed down on me. Tears finally spilled over my lashes, hot and unbidden, as I stared at the horrifying prospect of being handed over to an excuse of a man like that.

Then, the world exploded.

A deafening blast echoed just outside the amphitheater walls, shaking the entire foundation of the building and blowing out the upper windows in a shower of shattering glass. Panic erupted instantly through the crowd of shifters as chaos took over.

Before the guards on stage could even react, more than a dozen rogue-looking wolves flooded through the lower entrances, roaring and charging the stage.

Thinking fast, my adrenaline spiked. I whipped my hands up, violently yanking and twisting against the leather restraints binding my wrists together. We need to get out now, or we’re going to be collateral damage in whatever war just started. With a final, desperate wrench, the leather strap slipped loose. I tore the bindings off my wrists and immediately lunged over to Eleanore, ripping her hands free just as Christopher surged into motion behind us, tearing through his own restraints before turning to untie a trembling Maria.

"Move! Go!" Christopher shouted over the roaring chaos.

We scrambled off the back of the stage, breaking into a dead sprint and running in the exact opposite direction of the fighting. Lungs burning, our bare feet slapping against the concrete, we were just seconds away from the side exit when three massive, rogue wolves cut us off.

They snarled and growled, slaver dripping from their jaws as they lunged straight at us.

Christopher didn't hesitate. With a feral roar, he shifted mid-stride, his body snapping and morphing into a massive wolf as he intercepted the attackers, going to battle head-on.

"Keep running!" Christopher snarled telepathically through the pack link.

I grabbed a sobbing Maria by one hand and a terrified Eleanore by the other, darting around the scuffle and sprinting down a narrow, shadowy auxiliary corridor. But as we bolted through the dimness, a massive shadow suddenly detached itself from the dark alcove ahead.

Out of pure, blind maternal instinct, I shoved Maria violently out of arms' reach just as a hulking wolf lunged from the dark.

I sacrificed myself, throwing my own body into its path.

Crunch.

A white-hot agony ripped through my shoulder as rows of razor-sharp canines sank deep into my flesh. A bloodcurdling scream tore from my throat, tears streaming down my face as the beast clamped down harder, tearing through muscle and drawing a sickening stream of hot blood. I clawed frantically at its fur, trying to pry its jaws open, but it only dug deeper, preparing to rip my arm clean off.

Suddenly, a terrifying, earth-shattering alpha growl echoed down the hall—a sound so powerful it rattled the dust from the ceiling.

Before I could even blink, a streak of ash-gray fur slammed into the beast attacking me. With monstrous, terrifying strength, the attacking wolf was ripped off my body and hurled sideways, crashing headfirst into the stone wall with a sickening, echoing thud.

A dull, wet crack of bone followed. Then, absolute silence.

Gasping for air, clutching my bleeding, mangled shoulder, I slowly raised my eyes to look at the powerful, terrifying creature that had just saved my life.

The massive wolf shifted back in a blur of shifting muscle and bone, standing tall in the dim corridor.

I froze. Every breath caught in my throat, completely paralyzed, utterly unable to break eye contact.

He was breathtakingly gorgeous. Light olive skin stretched over a razor-sharp, lethal jawline, framing messy, dark curly hair and striking, luminous ash-colored eyes that seemed to burn right through my soul. I was entirely starstruck, frozen in a bizarre trance amid the violence.

The terrifying rush of adrenaline slowly faded, but the peace didn't last a single second. The moment my panicked breathing began to steady, his ash-gray eyes widened slightly, locking onto mine with an intensity that stole whatever air I had left in my lungs.

A heavy, electric pull snapped between us, vibrating so violently the air itself felt charged. His chest heaved, his jaw slackened, and as his gaze dropped briefly to my bleeding arm and back up to my terrified eyes, a low, hypnotic rumble vibrated deep within his chest.

He took one slow, deliberate step toward me, his voice dropping into a raspy, spellbinding whisper that shattered the quiet.

"...Mate."

And just like that, I blacked out.