Chapter Three: Being Sold

Derek’s POV

I woke up slowly with my head pounding and my eyes heavy and the first thing I thought was that I had overslept and missed dinner with Theo and the thought made me panic so fast that I tried to sit up all at once, my heart racing, my mouth already opening to call his name because he must have been angry and worried and maybe he had gone home without me.

Then pain crashed through my body.

It was everywhere, in my chest, in my stomach, in my arms and legs, deep and sharp and burning all at once, and I cried out before I could stop myself, falling back onto the bed with my hands clutching the thin blanket, my breath coming out in short broken sounds.

“No,” I whispered, my voice shaking, “no no no.”

I lay there staring at the ceiling of my room, at the familiar crack, at the dull stain near the corner, and my chest tightened because this was my room, this was home, which meant I had made it back, which meant last night had not ended with me sleeping through everything.

My wolf stirred weakly inside me, not warm and steady like before, but small and hurting, curled in on itself like it was afraid to move, and that was when memory came rushing back, ugly and loud and impossible to stop.

The podium.

The lights.

Theo saying her name.

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head like that could make it go away.

“It was a dream,” I said out loud, desperate, “it was just a dream.”

But the pain did not leave and my wolf whimpered again and I felt the empty space where the bond used to be and the truth settled in heavy and cruel.

It was real.

Everything had been real.

I lay there breathing slowly, trying not to cry again because my chest already hurt too much, and I tried to think of something else, anything else, but before I could, the door to my room was pushed open hard enough to hit the wall.

My father stepped in.

Drary’s face was red with anger and his eyes were sharp and full of something that made my stomach twist, and I pushed myself up on my elbows, fear crawling over my skin.

“What did you do,” he yelled, his voice filling the small room, “what did you think you were doing.”

“I,” I started, my voice weak, “father I can explain.”

“Shut up,” he snapped, cutting me off immediately, “you have done enough talking already.”

He paced a step closer and pointed at me like I was something dirty.

“Do you know what you have done to this family,” he said, “do you know how people are laughing at us.”

I shook my head slowly, my throat tight.

“I did not mean to,” I said, “I swear I did not mean to bring shame.”

He laughed then but there was no humor in it.

“The whole pack knows,” he continued loudly, “everyone knows how you were rejected in front of them like a useless thing, everyone knows my son is a disgrace.”

I felt tears sting my eyes again but I tried to hold them back.

“He lied to me,” I said quickly, “Theo lied, he promised me.”

“I told you to shut up,” Drary yelled, stepping closer again, “do not say his name in this house.”

He leaned over me and I shrank back without thinking.

“I regret having you,” he said slowly, clearly, “every day I regret that you were born to me.”

Something inside me broke quietly.

“I am sorry,” I whispered, my voice barely there, “I will do better.”

“You cannot do better,” he said coldly, “you are broken from the start.”

I opened my mouth to speak again but he raised his hand and I flinched, the words dying in my throat.

“You will stay in this room,” he said, turning toward the door, “you will not leave for any reason until I decide what to do with you.”

He paused at the doorway and looked back at me one last time.

“Think about your worthless life,” he added, “maybe then you will understand what you are.”

He left and the door slammed shut and a moment later I heard the lock click from the outside, the sound echoing in the room and settling deep in my chest.

I sat there frozen for a long time, staring at the door, listening to my own breathing, feeling the pain in my body throb with every heartbeat.

Then I broke.

I curled up on the bed and cried into my hands, my shoulders shaking, my chest aching, my wolf whimpering softly like it was crying with me, and the more I cried the heavier everything felt, like the words they had thrown at me were sinking into my skin and staying there.

Maybe they were right.

Maybe nobody could love me.

Maybe I really was a mistake.

I thought about Theo’s face when he said he never loved me and my heart twisted again, the pain sharp and endless, and I cried until my eyes burned and my throat hurt and I felt empty.

Time passed but I did not know how much.

When the light changed outside the small window and morning came quietly, I found myself on the floor, my back against the bed, my head resting on my knees, feeling tired in a way that went deeper than sleep.

I dragged myself toward the door slowly, my body aching, my hands shaking as I knocked weakly at first.

“Please,” I said, my voice hoarse, “please let me out.”

There was no answer.

I knocked again, louder this time, desperation rising.

“I promise I will not embarrass the family again,” I said, tears falling freely now, “I swear I will be quiet, I will not be seen.”

I pressed my forehead to the door and sobbed.

“I will do anything,” I begged, “just please open the door.”

I kept knocking and crying and pleading until my voice was raw and my hands hurt, until finally footsteps approached on the other side.

The door opened suddenly and I fell forward, gasping.

Before I could say anything hands grabbed me, rough and strong, fingers digging into my arms, hauling me up like I weighed nothing.

I looked up in fear and saw men I did not recognize, big and silent, their faces hard, and I struggled weakly but it did nothing.

They dragged me down the hall, my feet scraping against the floor, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst.

Drary stood waiting.

He looked calm now, almost satisfied, and he watched as they held me in place.

“This is for your own good,” he said, his voice flat, “to stop you from embarrassing us again.”

I shook my head wildly, terror filling my chest.

“Father please,” I cried, “please do not do this.”

He did not react.

“I am selling you to the neighbouring pack,” he said, looking away, “at least there you will be someone else’s problem.”