Sold at an auction

 

Chapter Two

THAELYNNE’S POV

I wake to the stench of pungent body odor.

My head throbs where someone hit me. For one beautiful moment, I don't remember what happened. Then reality crashes back, and I wish I could sink into unconsciousness again.

We’re in some kind of holding pen, all of us survivors from Silvermane crammed into a space too small for our numbers.

Larion sits in the corner with his face buried in his hands. Zaera has finally cried herself into an exhausted sleep, her brother curled against her side. Others I recognize from the village huddle together in small groups, whispering or weeping or staring at nothing.

The pen opens onto a larger area where I can hear voices, the sounds of a crowd. My stomach clenches. I crawl to the bars and peer out.

We’re in some kind of marketplace, but not one I’ve ever seen before. This place is huge, with vendors selling everything from weapons to jewelry to livestock. And slaves, apparently. I can see other pens like ours scattered throughout the space, all filled with frightened people.

A man in expensive clothing walks past our pen and pauses, studying us with the same expression the scarred warrior used. Livestock. That’ss all we are now.

"When do they come for us?" I ask no one in particular.

An older girl I vaguely recognize from the northern farms looks at me with hollow eyes. "Soon. They auction us at midday."

Auction. The word makes the juices in my stomach sour.

After a long time waiting, guards approach our pen. They seem to be slave traders. One of them unlocks the door.

"Line up," he barks. "Anyone who causes trouble gets left behind."

I don't know what being left behind means in this context, but from the way everyone scrambles to obey, it must be worse than whatever comes next.

They march us out into the marketplace. The crowd that has gathered is massive, hundreds of werewolves from what must be dozens of different packs. They assess us as we pass, and I feel their eyes like insects crawling across my skin. I keep my gaze forward and try to remember how to breathe.

The auction block is a raised wooden platform in the center of the market. They take us up one at a time, presenting us to the crowd.

Larion goes before me. He sells for an amount that seems to satisfy the auctioneer. Then it’s my turn.

The guard shoves me forward onto the platform, and suddenly I’m standing in front of hundreds of strangers.

"Eighteen years old," the auctioneer announces. "Healthy. Recently awakened. From the Silvermane pack bloodline."

The bidding starts immediately. I hear numbers thrown out, but I can’t focus on them. The bidder has my head down so I don't look at the crowd. Then two voices rise above the others.

"Five thousand," a man calls from the left side of the platform.

"Six thousand," another man counters from the right.

The auctioneer grins. "We have six thousand from Alpha Velkaen. Do I hear seven?"

Alpha. My attention sharpens. I scan the crowd and find the first bidder, a man in his thirties with cruel eyes. He looks irritated at being challenged.

"Seven thousand," Velkaen says flatly.

"Eight thousand." The second voice comes from a man I can't see in the midst of the crowd.

"Nine thousand."

"Ten thousand."

The crowd murmurs, impressed. I must be worth more than I thought, though I have no idea why.

"Twelve thousand," Velkaen snarls, and now he sounds genuinely angry.

There’s a long pause. I hold my breath. Then the second man pushes through the crowd to the front, and I get my first clear look at him.

He is younger than Velkaen, maybe in his late twenties. He is tall and broad-shouldered, devastatingly handsome, so much that despite the situation I’m in, my belly folds. The crowd parts for him. Even from here, I can feel the power radiating off him.

"Fifteen thousand," he says calmly.

The crowd gasps. Velkaen's face goes purple with rage, but he doesn't counter the bid.

"Fifteen thousand going once," the auctioneer says gleefully. "Twice. Sold to Alpha Ragnar of the Were Kingdom."

The crowd gasps.

The name stuns me. Alpha Ragnar. The man whose warriors destroyed my village. I’m standing face to face with my family's murderer.

And he just bought me.

They separate me and the other slaves as soon as we arrive at Blackridge Castle, the capital of the Were Kingdom. The younger slaves, myself included, are taken to the servant quarters in the east wing.

An older woman with a permanent scowl appears in the doorway. "I am Kaelith, head of household staff. You’ll answer to me for your daily duties. The Alpha expects perfection from his servants. Any failure will be punished. Any disobedience will be punished. Any disrespect will be punished. Do you all understand?"

We mumble our agreement. Kaelith looks unimpressed.

"You," she points at me, "and you," pointing at Zaera, "will work in the kitchens for now. The rest of you will be assigned to cleaning duties. Someone will come for you in the morning to begin training."

That night, I lie on the thin mattress in the cramped room I share with five other girls and stare at the ceiling. Sleep feels impossible. Every time I close my eyes, I see my father's wolf form lying still in the village square. I hear Lunae's final snarl as she threw herself at our attackers.

The girl in the bed next to mine is crying quietly into her pillow. I want to reach over and offer some kind of comfort, but I’m drained myself. Dead inside.

Instead, I focus my anger on one person. Alpha Ragnar. Getting close to Alpha Ragnar won't be easy. I know Alphas are usually surrounded by warriors and advisors. But he’s also arrogant. I saw it in the way he bid on me, like nothing could challenge him, like he’d get whatever he wanted no matter the cost.

Which was also a puzzle to me cause the rest was bid for far less.

Arrogance is a weakness. I just have to figure out how to exploit it.

The days blur together. They wake us before dawn and work us until long after dark. I see Alpha Ragnar occasionally, usually at a distance. He takes his meals in the formal dining room, served by a rotation of household staff. I’ve not been chosen for that duty yet, which frustrates me. How can I get close to him if I am stuck in the kitchens?

Two weeks pass before I get my opportunity.