MARKED BY THE VAMPIRE PRINCE

Aritzea POV

"Ugh!"

I woke to a dull throb of pain in my head and the cold bite of metal against my wrists and ankles. My mind was as foggy as a forest before dawn, but as my vision cleared, I finally noticed my surroundings. I was bound, shackled in some dark, musty room that reeked of dampness and rot.

Where was this?

I was utterly confused. The last I remembered was of me leaving early from a party with Selene and her friends with me leaving early. Then how the hell had I come here?

My first instinct was to shift into my wolf form, rip these chains apart and find my way back home. But when I tried, I felt nothing. I just realised, my wolf was completely silent, a dull ache where she should have been.

At once, I panicked.

How was this possible?! What had they done to me?

I tried again, more desperately this time, trying my best to summon my wolf from wherever she was. But no matter what I did, it was like reaching into a void. My wolf was gone!

The door creaked open and a sliver of light cast on the ground. Two figures entered the room, their faces shadowed by the light behind them.

"She's awake." One of them grunted. He stepped forward, revealing a rough, scarred face.

I narrowed my eyes, snarling at them despite my panic. "Where am I? What do you want?!"

The man just chuckled, a cruel and twisted sound. "You'll find out soon enough, girl. Get her up."

The other man, taller and leaner, came forward and grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet. My feet had been numb and almost buckled under me, but I forced myself to stand, biting back on the pain.

They dragged me down a narrow, dimly lit corridor. And as we got closer, the sound of voices grew louder, a crowd buzzing and alive with excitement. The narrow corridors made me feel like the walls were closing in on me and I was being led to my execution.

Finally, they shoved me through a set of doors and bright lights assaulted my eyes. I squinted to adjust and when I saw where they'd taken me, it did feel like my execution.

It was an auction hall. I had attended a few with my brother so it wasn't unfamiliar. However, this particular one seemed like a twisted, horrifying version of one. The grand room, the elegant chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and the velvet drapes lining the walls all seemed right. But there was something completely wrong with it that took me a minute to find out.

The people.

The crowd was a mix of well dressed men and women wearing glamorous masks. But the mask did nothing to hide the hungry gleam of their eyes that made my skin crawl.

I was being sold.

I could feel bile rise to my throat, anger flaring inside of me and before I knew what I was doing, I lunged at the nearest person— the scarred man standing at the edge of the platform.

My chains clanged noisily as I moved. I had honestly wished to rip his brains out of his head but my strength was gone and I could only manage a scratch on his face. The man roared in fury, his fist coming down hard on my cheek. Pain exploded across my face and I staggered, tasting blood in my mouth.

Damn this fucker!

I braced myself for another blow but it never came.

"Not too much damage," the taller man said, grabbing the other man's arm before he could strike me again. "She's got to look pretty for the buyers."

His words made me feel sick and I glared fiercely at the both of them.

"Fucking bitch!" The man I had scratched muttered as he pulled me forward roughly, forcing me onto the center of the platform.

"We shall begin the bidding for this beauty…"

The auctioneer started the bidding, his voice sickeningly greedy. I didn't care about the numbers he rattled off but displaying me for sale like a piece of meat. Unbearable!

Oh, they better hope I never meet them when my wolf comes back. They're all going to meet their maker.b6

I lowered my head, listening to them bid eagerly. Their gazes fell on my skin and without even looking I could sense the twisted emotions in their eyes as they looked at me.

Suddenly, I felt another gaze. Stronger, more intense than any of the others. I could feel the pure interest the owner of the gaze held towards me. Unable to hold myself, I looked up, my eyes moving past the crowd to stare at a distance. I couldn't see anyone, but I could feel the person's amusement clearly from their gaze.

At this moment, "Bam!", the auctioneer's hammer fell with a thud and I looked away.

I was sold.

They pulled me off the platform and led me down another series of corridors. The men I had scratched seemed more eager now, his scared face flashing me a sickening grin.

"You're in for a treat, girl," he sneered, leering down at me. "Your new master loves to try out his goods before he takes them home. But don't worry," he added, his voice dripping with mockery, "we'll make sure you're nice and ready for him."

I looked back at him defiantly, the only thought in my head other than disgust was me ripping his head off.

However, reality was quite disappointing. I was so weak that I couldn't even struggle and was dragged into a lavish room. Clearly, it had been prepared for the so-called master's 'pleasure'. And if the scareed man's leer wasn't enough, the massive bed draped in rich, dark fabrics was all the evidence I needed to know why they had brought me here.

I felt a push behind me and I fell onto the bed. Before I could even attempt to resist, I felt a sharp sting in my arm. I looked down just in time to see the man withdrawing a syringe, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"This should do the trick," he said, laughing. "Just relax and enjoy the ride cause you'll be begging for it soon enough. He'll be here soon."

From his words, I knew what he had infected me with— an aphrodisiac.

As they left, I couldn't help the sneer that formed on my lips. These damn idiots. It would never work on me. Although my wolf was still not responding, my werewolf blood made it impossible for me to have. A reaction to whatever they had injected me with.

I hid a knife I had slipped from those bastards behind me as I waited for the so-called master to come. Minutes dragged by slowly and finally, he came.

I looked at the man who walked in, my gaze wary and alert as I watched his every step.

"Oh, you're still awake. How impressive!" He chuckled coarsely.

He stepped closer, so close that I could feel the nauseating smell of alcohol on him, his hands reaching out to touch me. I gripped the knife, waiting for him to get close enough so I could finish him off with one strike.

Closer....

Closer....

Closer...

And as I made to stab the knife in his direction, a loud crash from outside made me freeze. He also froze, his head snapping towards the door.

I looked up, and then I saw.....