LOGINOLIVIA I walked out of that goddess forsaken dining hall with my head high, but the moment the doors closed behind me, my breath became shaky.Every step felt heavy, like the floor was trying to pull me down, but I refused to let it.The hallway was long and quiet. My heels clicked too loudly, echoing like accusations. I didn’t know where I was going—I just knew I needed to get away from those people. I ended up outside.The night air was cool on my burning cheeks. The pack grounds were beautiful under the moonlight—big lawns, tall trees, flowers glowing white in the dark. I walked without thinking, past gardens, past fountains, past benches where couples probably sat and laughed together. I envied them. I envied everyone who could breathe without feeling like their lungs were full of broken glass.My face still stung where Jasmine slapped me. My lip tasted like blood. But I didn’t care about the pain.The pain on the outside was nothing compared to the pain inside.I kept walking u
OLIVIA I sat on Lucas’s lap like a decoration he didn’t want to let go of.His arm was locked around my waist, fingers digging in just enough to remind me who was in control. The dining hall was full of—his friends—all of them watching me with different looks. Some curious. Some disgusted. Some amused. I forced a smile on my face that felt brittle enough to shatter. I nodded when it seemed appropriate, sipped from a glass of water I didn’t want, and felt the weight of every single gaze in the room.The conversations around the long table were a low hum, but my ears, sharpened by fear and blood, picked out the threads meant to be hidden.“...quite lovely, I suppose, in a quiet way…” a brunette murmured to another lady. “Human-looking. Weak.”“Wonder how much he paid.”“She doesn’t look like… his usual type.”“Perhaps he’s aiming for something more… docile this time.”A male voice, deeper and rougher, chuckled. “Let’s hope this one lasts longer than the last girl. What was her name? T
OLIVIAI sat in the pack library, a book open on my lap, but the words blurred together.I wasn’t reading. I couldn’t. Every line reminded me of something else—of freedom, of love, of a life that felt like it belonged to someone else now.The room was beautiful. Tall shelves filled with old books, soft chairs by big windows, the moonlight pouring in slivers. It should have been peaceful. But nothing felt peaceful anymore.I was a prisoner.Sold.The word still didn’t feel real. Like a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from.I clutched the book, my fingers white. I had to stop this. I couldn’t let the fear win. Killian was out there. He was looking. I had to believe that. I had to be ready. Ready for what, I didn’t know. An escape? A rescue? All I knew was I couldn’t let Lucas break me. I had to play the game, even if every smile felt like a crack in my soul.I pictured Killain’s face the last time I saw him—strong, worried, promising he’d keep me safe. I wanted to believe he was tearing th
OLIVIA I sat in office, the bottle in my hand half-empty already.The office was dark, the only light coming from a single lamp on the desk. Shadows danced on the walls, but I didn’t see them. I didn’t see anything except her face—Olivia’s face—the last time I saw her at the auction. Smiling nervously, holding my hand like I was her lifeline.Three days.Three fucking days since she vanished.I had turned the world upside down looking for her. Maps and reports were spread out before me. I had torn through warehouses, threatened packs, broken bones. I had offered obscene amounts of money. I had painted the underworld with fear of my name.And I had found nothing.Lyra’s funeral had been yesterday. Alpha Roderick was a shell, his grief a cold thing that mirrored my own. We didn’t speak. We just stood in the rain, two broken pillars, united only by loss and a promise of vengeance that felt empty without a target.I threw back another mouthful of whiskey. It burned, but it didn’t warm th
OLIVIA I woke up, and for one beautiful, terrible moment, I didn’t know where I was.Sunlight. That was the first thing. Real, gentle morning sunlight, streaming through a large window, falling across my face. I blinked, my eyes adjusting.I was in a bed. A real, soft queen-size bed with a cloud-like duvet and too many pillows. The room was… beautiful. Absurdly so. The walls were soft, creamy pink. There was a delicate vanity table with a carved mirror, a plush rug, bookshelves filled with colorful spines. It looked like a room for a princess in a fairy tale. A room for someone cherished.Then it all came rushing back.The blood. Lyra’s empty eyes. The cloth over my face. The concrete floor. The handsome man with green eyes and a smirk. Twenty million.I was sold. A choked sound escaped me. I sat bolt upright, the blankets falling away. I was no longer in the scratchy gown. I wore a simple, clean nightgown of soft cotton. Someone had dressed me while I was unconscious. The thought
KILLIAN The music was too loud. The laughter was too sharp. The air in the VIP balcony was thick with the scent of ambition, expensive perfume, and for me, a growing sense of wrongness.I kept one part of my mind on the conversation with Roderick—border disputes, trade agreements, the tedious dance of Alphas. The other, larger part was tuned to a single person: Olivia.I felt her move away with Lyra. A good thing. Lyra was kind, benevolent. She could offer a moment of normalcy in this den of snakes. My eyes tracked them to the balcony’s edge. I saw them talking, saw Olivia’s shoulders lose a little of their tension. Good.But as the minutes dragged on, my wolf began to pace under my skin. A low, restless feeling. *She’s gone, Killiain* What? My gaze swept back to the balcony. She was there, then she wasn’t. Just an empty space by the railing.I cut Roderick off mid-sentence. “Excuse me.”He followed my gaze, saw the empty spot where his own mate had been. A slight frown touched hi







