CHAPTER 3: SOLD OFF

SORAYA’S POV

Slowly, my eyelids fluttered open. The world around me was blurry as I tried to collect myself. A small groan left my lips as I slowly sat up.

My back ached like a bitch.

What the hell happened?

The last thing I remembered was running through the woods, then... darkness. But the memory of why I was running snapped me back to consciousness.

Pregnant. Ragnar’s shrine. His confession.

As my vision slowly cleared, I noticed the lights flickering above me, casting shadows. Dangerous voices surrounded me.

A sudden chill crawled up my spine; something didn’t feel right.

My fists came up to rub my eyes. I blinked, doing my best to make out my environment. The next time I opened my eyes, I saw curtains, stage lights, and women dressed in next to nothing.

They paraded across a podium, performing by touching themselves and spreading their legs for the crowd of men holding numbered paddles.

Some of these girls looked drugged—the grogginess in their eyes and their lazy smiles, which some might mistake for seductive, made that obvious.

Each time a woman went upstage, men in creepy looking masks would yell out prices. The one offering the highest price would take the woman. And that’s when it dawned on me.

This is an auction. I am about to be sold!

“No, no, no—this isn’t happening,” I muttered. “I need to get out.”

I shot up to my feet on shaky legs, adrenaline firing through my veins.

Placing my hand above my stomach, I checked for anything strange. I didn’t know how I was handled after being knocked out, and frankly, I didn’t want to know.

Once I was certain that my baby and I were okay, I made my conclusion: I need to get out of... whatever this is.

My heart hammered against my chest as I made my way to the edge of the stage, gripping the curtains that stood between me and the audience.

The room was packed, mostly filled with men in suits. They looked like powerful men. Alphas. The aura emanating from them was enough to send shivers down my spine.

Okay, so no escape from here...

I backed away from the stage and further into the back rooms. Relief washed over me when I saw the word EXIT glowing above a door.

Quickly, I made my way toward it. Just when I thought I was free, two muscular men stepped into view.

Their expressions were dead serious, both wearing black outfits that showed off their bulky frames.

My steps slowed, and my lips pulled back into my mouth.

“Excuse me, but I would like to leave,” I said calmly.

Neither of them spoke; they didn’t even move.

Ignoring them, I tried to walk through, but they only stepped closer together, clearly making it known they didn’t intend to let me leave.

Slowly, rage crept up my veins, and my fists clenched.

“I said I want to leave. I do not belong here. Let me through!”

The only response I received was silence.

My wolf growled in annoyance, and my canines sharpened.

“Do you have any idea who I am? I am Alpha Ragnar’s wife. Your Luna!”

I was desperate, but that card always worked fear into people. Even though they remained silent, the humor in their eyes was obvious. Clearly, they believed I was lying.

They carried on ignoring me, and an infuriated growl reverberated from my chest as my canines elongated. Yet neither of them backed down.

“Let me pass, or I promise to have both your heads mounted on spikes come morning.”

My threat was not taken lightly. The next thing I knew, their weapons were aimed at me, and one of them spoke for the first time.

“Go back on stage, or it is your head that will be severed, woman.”

The nerve.

My claws sharpened as my rage heightened along with my thirst for blood. I had never felt this much rage before—at least not in a long time.

It was new and fueled by the desire to protect the life growing within me.

Just before things could get bloody, a new voice came from behind me.

“What is going on here?”

A man in a black vest turned at the sound of my voice. His eyes widened when he saw me.

“Wait a second,” he said, walking toward me. “Aren’t you…? Oh my Goddess, Luna. What are you doing here?”

Ah, finally. Someone knows their queen.

My smile was tight as I said, “I will excuse this vile treatment as a mistake. Kindly tell your men to stand down and let me through so I can be on my way.”

He shook his head like all of this was too much for him to process. There was so much confusion, so much fear swirling within his eyes.

He placed a hand on his head as the other fished something out from his pocket.

“Forgive me for this, Luna. I will have the men responsible for this killed immediately,” he said, and I nodded.

“Thank you. Now, if you will let me—”

“I must inform Alpha Ragnar at once. He has placed a bounty on your head. As a loyal subject, I cannot let that money go to waste, can I?”

My blood ran cold at his words.

Quickly, I said, “You do not need to trouble him. I will pay you double what he is offering. Just let me go. I am more than capable of finding my way on my own.”

Instead of listening to me, the man fumbled for his phone. He dialed a number and placed it to his ear. My heart stopped.

Bloody hell.

“Forgive me, Alpha Ragnar. My men have made a grave mistake. We have your wife, and she is unharmed,” he said urgently. A second later, he held the phone out to me. “He wants to talk to you.”

I didn’t take the phone. I let his arm hang in the air. His phone resembled a bomb that would detonate at my touch. My heart raced.

But then his voice seeped out of the speakers, his words a chilling threat.

“Take the phone, Soraya.”

Goosebumps erupted across my skin as I took the phone with a shaky hand. It was as if he were watching me, because the second I held the phone to my ear, he spoke.

“You’ve had quite the adventure, haven’t you, Soraya?” he asked, his voice smooth and collected. I knew the men around me could hear him, but they couldn’t hear the silent vow to punish me woven underneath his careful words. “It’s time for you to come home.”

“Go to hell,” I said through gritted teeth.

“After what you pulled yesterday, I’m not sure I’m the one going there. Stay safe, my darling wife. I’m coming for you.”

Then the line went dead.

For a moment, it felt like the world had stopped turning. I didn’t even realize I had dropped the phone until my hand wrapped protectively around my stomach.

Between the heartbreak and the pain of betrayal, I know I can’t wallow too low for a man that was crazy for a dead woman.

He plans to kill me. He is going to take me away from my baby. No, this can’t be it. There must be another way.

The exit isn’t an option—so what else is?

The roaring of men from the audience bounced off the walls, and that’s when it dawned on me. Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself for what I was about to do.

I would rather be sold to a stranger than return to the man who plans to sacrifice me for his dead lover.

Without warning, I bolted onto the stage just as the last girl was sold off. I heard the footsteps of the guards behind me.

“Hey! Get back here!”

A hand wraps around my wrist, pulling me backwards. The force of the pull has me stumbling and crashing to the ground. Instinctively, my hand wraps around my stomach protectively.

Pain shoots up my arm and I try to get up, but a heavy weight is placed on my abdomen as two hands pin mine to the ground.

“Get off me, you bastards!” I screamed right before a hand was clamped over my mouth.

From my peripheral vision, the auctioneer sighs then shake his head. “Take her to the storage room and just lock her up until Alpha Ragnar comes.”

The guard on me nods before yanking me to my feet But I would not give up without a fight. I kicked, I screamed, I fought. Even though I knew it was all pointless considering they were much larger than me. but I had to try something!

“Let her go. Now.”

Even though the masculine voice was quiet, it sent a menacing chill through my spine. The guards and auctioneer froze before slowly turning to a man standing at the other end of the room. Even from this distance I could tell that his dark suit was expensive. He wore a mask that shielded majority of his face and stood amid five hefty men.

There was something about him that screamed power, dominance and mystery.

I do not know how, but he was most definitely an alpha.

The second his eyes locked with mine, his widened for a second. Recognition washes over his features as he takes in every inch of my body. Even without seeing most of his face, I knew I have never crossed paths with this man. But at the same time, I do feel I know him.

His eyes hardened before focusing them on the auctioneer. “Is this one of your girls?”

“No, actually she is-“

“I do not care. How much do you want for her?”

Instantly, the auctioneer’s eyes lit up with dollar signs. My head reared back at the question. They spoke of me like I was not standing in their midst. Or like I was some commodity to be traded.

“Well, I do not know… how much are you willing to pay?”

“Ten million,” the man said in a second. My heart stopped.

What the hell was happening here?

“Make it twenty.”

“Deal.”

What the fuck?

My head snapped towards the auctioneer and just when I am about to remind him that I am not his to sell, I remember the man that was coming for me. I would much rather be sold to a stranger than return to that heartless monster.

One of the men standing next to the masked, mysterious man steps forward and hands the auctioneer a cheque. The auctioneer grins from ear to ear then gestures for his guards to hand me over.

Once he does, I am brought to the masked man. His gaze alone was so intimidating. The depth of those dark eyes was eternal. It felt as though he was staring right into my soul.

Finally, he broke eye contact and cleared his throat.

“It is time to leave.”

I can’t believe it. I am going to be free of Ragnar. I did i-

My jubilation was cut short as the doors come bursting open and men come swarming in. men that I recognize.

Shit.

Ragnar steps in last, his hands clamped behind his back as he walked in casually. An evil grin creeps up his lips once his eyes fall on me. but when they shift to the man standing next to me.

I have never seen such rage in his eyes before.

“What the fuck are you doing with my wife, you bastard?” Ragnar growled. There is a second of shock in the masked man’s features, but then my brows meet my hairline when it was replaced with a sly grin.

“Hello, old friend.”

It was at that moment that it clicked.

These men know each other.

So much for getting rid of Ragnar once and for all.