Chapter 3

Royal’s POV

"The Iron-Vail Pack takes the prize," the announcer shouted, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. "Alpha Philip and his four brothers are the winners."

The words hit me like a shot of adrenaline. I leaned back in my chair, a slow smirk spreading across my face. It felt like the entire world had just been handed to me on a silver platter. I could feel the heat of a hundred glares burning into my back. Every other Alpha in this room was vibrating with pure, unadulterated jealousy.

They wanted her. They needed her. But nobody moved.

The rules of the auction were absolute, but it wasn’t the rules keeping them in their seats. It was us. You didn't cross the Iron-Vail Pack unless you had a death wish. We were the apex, the monsters that other monsters feared.

The losers began to filter out of the hall. They moved in bitter silence, jaws tight and eyes downcast, swallowing the sting of their defeat. I didn't give them a second thought. I wanted to pop a cork and toast the ceiling. Finally, the dream was within reach. A mate. A child. A real home for me and my brothers. This pureblood she-wolf was the key to everything I’d ever wanted.

I looked at the four men sitting around the circular table with me. My excitement didn't rub off on them. They sat there like they were waiting for a boring meeting to end. To them, this wasn't a victory; it was a chore. Six years ago, a woman had ripped their trust to shreds, leaving them with nothing but a deep, cold hatred for the opposite sex.

They didn't want a mate. They didn't want a woman in our house. They were happy enough blowing off steam with girls from the clubs who knew better than to ask for their names. But the pack needed an heir, and a pureblood was the only way to get one. That was the only reason they had agreed to show up.

A man with a round belly and a nervous sweat approached our table. He kept his eyes darting between us, bowing low before he dared to speak to Philip.

"My congratulations, Alpha Philip," the man stammered.

Philip didn't even blink. He didn't have to. As the strongest of us and the true heir to our legacy, his silence was more intimidating than most men's screams. He sat there in his tailored black shirt, the top buttons undone to show the hard muscle of his chest. His sleeves were pushed up, revealing thick veins and heavy muscle. He looked like a predator carved out of granite.

"The female has been moved to the rear hallway," the man said, forcing a shaky smile. "You can collect your property there once the paperwork is settled."

Philip looked at me, his expression flat. "Finish this. Let's get out of here."

I pulled my checkbook out of my leather bag. Finances were my territory, and I was used to the heavy lifting. I started writing out the zeros—five billion is a lot of money, even for us.

Ripley let out a sharp, mocking laugh from the chair next to me. "Twenty billion for a used omega? We’re spending a fortune on literal garbage just to get a pup."

"Trash or not, she has a job to do," Robbie said, his voice dropping to a cruel chill. "Maybe I’ll see how much pressure a pureblood can actually take. I’ve been looking for a new subject to test my equipment on."

Ripley grinned. "Now that sounds like a better use of the money."

They weren't joking. Ripley and Robbie weren't blood brothers, but they might as well have been. They were the most brutal warriors in our pack, famous for breaking anything—or anyone—that got in their way.

I glared at them both. "Knock it off. We need her healthy if we want an heir. Try to act like humans for five minutes."

"I'm done waiting," Rory muttered, shoving his chair back.

He was the youngest, a hybrid mix of wolf and vampire, and he looked like he was vibrating out of his skin. The faint red rings around his pupils were glowing. That only happened when the hunger took over. Rory didn't care about heirs or mates; he cared about the kill. Lately, nothing stayed his hunger for long. He was a ticking time bomb, and I was terrified of what would happen when he finally got his hands on our new prize.

"It's paid," I said, sliding the check across the table to the round-bellied man.

Before he could pick it up, another guard scrambled over, his face as white as a sheet. He leaned in to whisper into the man’s ear, his hands shaking.

I almost laughed. We’re werewolves. We can hear a heartbeat from across a stadium. A whisper might as well have been a shout.

The man’s face went from pale to gray. Sweat started pouring down his face as he looked at Philip.

"Alpha Philip... if you could just wait here for a few more minutes?" he asked, his voice cracking. "We'll bring her right to you. There's just a small delay."

He was terrified. He knew if this deal went south, he wouldn't live to see the sunrise. Nobody messes with Iron-Vail and keeps their head.

Philip stood up slowly, his eyes locking onto the guard who had brought the news. The air in the room suddenly felt heavy, like the pressure before a massive storm.

"Show me exactly where she escaped from."