Chapter 3- Roslyn's POV

The banging of the iron door made me turn my attention from my thoughts. There was the sound of a pair of heavy boots coming along the hall where she was. 

I had been in here for three days with nothing to eat consistently.Whenever they saw fit, they gave me food.

And that was only twice in three days.

I moved in the chains, the metal cutting into my wrists while my pulse quickened.

“Get her out,” a voice commanded coldly.

I was shocked to see that they were talking about me. Were they going to finally let me out? I wasn't sure if setting me free was the right word.

Two guards entered the room, expressionless while they unlocked my chains.

I fell forward, my body frail and wobbly, but the guards held me unceremoniously and pulled me upright.

"W-What... where are you taking me?" I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible.

Neither man responded. They simply pulled me from the confines of the cell, my feet dragging along the floor.

 I couldn't quite walk properly, and I was too worn out to fight back.

Not long ago in the grand study of the estate, Dane was pacing the floor with his jaw angled as he was in his thoughts. 

It was irritating how Roslyn occupied the recess of his mind like an unwanted growth he could not excise. He hated that I killed his child and that death wasn't an option for me.

Putting me in the dungeon was a kind of measure, but it was insufficient. Because i was still too comfortable.

Alice was seated on the chaise by the window.

“You’re just making things complicated for yourself,” her voice rose. At this statement, Dane stopped walking and glared at her in focus. 

“And what do you suggest I do in this case, Alice? She poses a threat. If I murder her, questions will be raised. If I imprison her, however, she will be a constant source of”

“Your weakness?” asked Alice as her brows lifted.

He pressed his lips together in a thin line but did not refute his statement. No matter what I was still his mate. Alice stood up and walked towards him with a smile on her face. 

“My Love, this isn’t rocket science. It shouldn't be that hard. Remember, we have an auction coming up in a few days, right?”

Dane’s brows furrowed. “What about it?”

Alice’s smirk deepened. “Sell her. She’s royalty, isn’t she? That alone will fetch a high price. And no one will care that you sold her. She’s weak, disgraced, and unwanted. Perfect auction material.”

Dane’s expression darkened, but he could not refute the reason for her statement. 

For him, selling me will solve the problem. At least he wouldn't have to see the face of the woman who killed his child. 

And he knew that once I was sold to someone else, i would be treated worse than a slave.

“Fine,” he said after a long pause. “Make the arrangements. I want her gone.”

Alice clapped her hands and looked happy as though she had just achieved something. “You won’t regret this, darling.”

I was taken to a vastly different room from any other i had set eyes on for quite a while. 

The bright rays of light accustomed me to the darkness for some hours making me squint.

The first thought that came to my mind was that the guards were about to take advantage of me because they weren’t answering any of my questions.

But the guards handed me over to some maid who cast her a look of scorn, even as they remained quiet.

The guards left afterward. The maid began taking off my clothes one after the other.

“What are you doing?” I asked them.

There was no response to my question. “Why… the hell am I here?” I managed to ask with her voice shaking.

The woman ignored me and tugged me towards an oversized tub of hot water. 

They were done removing the rags that clung to my body, even the ones that were tarred. 

I attempted to struggle, but in vain since I could not beat the willpower of all the maids whose hands held me captive.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice breaking. “Why suddenly?!”

Still, they said nothing. They disregarded me and began to wipe my skin with rough and tough hands, cleaning the dirt and blood that were on me.

The warm water worsened the pain of my injuries as the tears rolled down my cheeks, but I did not let out a single sound.

Once they finished, they gently removed the moisture from my body and started transforming my tresses, gently taking the knots apart until the hair cascaded over my shoulders. 

They treated my wounds and then put a long white dress made of soft materials over my washed body.

I gazed at the mirror in front of me and could not believe the change I had undergone. 

I hadn't been dressed up like this in a long time. And I knew that it wasn't normal. She could hardly recognize the reflection that stood before her. 

“Is something going on? she uttered again, her voice a soft quiver.

In the end, one of the maids answered, but her manner was freezing as if she were reading a sentence from a script. 

“You should keep quiet and let us finish what we were sent to do. Stop with the constant question; you won't like the outcome.”

Before I could interrogate and demand more information, they cased silk ribbons around my wrists and tied them firmly at my back.

After that, I was blindfolded, and once again, the world ceased to exist for me.

The walk was a jumble of sounds and feelings that were not connected in any way.

I distinguished the heavy palms of the guardians helping me, the voices somewhere around me, becoming increasingly distinct with every inch they advanced.

As soon as the blindfolds were finally taken away, I squinted at the light coming from an enormous room that I had never seen before.

I assumed that the place was one of those places that they weren't allowed to go into. Because I had never seen it before.

The place was like nothing I had ever encountered before. The floor was made of marble that sparkled due to the chandeliers fitted in the ceiling.

My heart dropped as she came to understand my current location. 

Right in front of me, there was a podium, and below it were several pairs of eyes simply looking out at me from the audience. Men in expensive dresses were talking to each other, their faces filled with willingness and greed.

They were all men. They seemed to be alphas of different packs. Desperately, I raised my head and clawed for air like I had been in water for a while.

I was catching her breath. I was scared as I tried to piece things together. They were all engrossed in a conversation so I decided to eavesdrop to see what the whole gathering was about. And why I was needed there.

“She looks great. She would look good in my collection.” One said.

“Wouldn't you let me just have her? Guy already gave a lot.” Another said.

“What do you mean? That's not the whole point of an auction.”

“No,” I murmured, shaking slightly. “That’s impossible.”

It all dawned on me. I was the item that was being auctioned to these men. I choked.

I wanted to cry out for mercy, only to remain motionless with fear. 

In a corner of the room, the only murmur in the room under the whole buzz was that of one person. 

He was seen seated in a corner of the room, but although the face was somewhat hidden, one could tell this was a man who had a lot of authority.

Luciano Stark was not a person who went to auctions, but in this instance, he made an exception to the rule. 

Some force had pulled him to this place, one which he couldn't quite explain. And now, as the image of the shaking lady on the top met his eyes, he got the reason.

I appeared delicate, like a shiny new doll or a little bird that had wings ruptured but there was also something more I could see in his eyes.

Luciano leaned closer to me, silver eyes narrowing as he examined me.

 He smiled.

 There was something that excited him.   

"Hi. Who is she?" he asked softly, his voice deep enough to interrupt the buzz of others in the room.

One of them shrugged. “Some wannabe princess. I heard her husband wanted to get rid of her and sell her off.”

Another man said from behind the podium.

Luciano’s jaw went tight. He seemed surprised.

He probably thought it was like a normal auction. No one could see it, but he gave me a kind of look. 

My whole body was shaky as he looked at me from head to toe. He knew I was afraid. 

That didn't make any difference.

They were all the same.

I knew all of them were there to get me.

Why didn't they just kill? They assumed I killed their child, but instead, they chose to sell me.