The auction flame

My breath hitched. That voice… it lit a fire in my chest.

My mate was here—and he was angry.

They all froze, their cocky smirks wiped clean. The sweat of arrogance turned into the sweat of fear. With every step he took forward, they took three steps back. Their mocking laughter died in their throats.

Then the flame inside me ignited. I couldn’t resist it, and by the way he looked at me, I knew he felt it too. His hand stretched toward me, his eyes still locked on the men. A toothpick rolled from the corner of his mouth. His scent overwhelmed me—strong, masculine, expensive.

I stood with his help, his palm damp with sweat but still soft. The choking cologne clung to my throat. I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

“Don’t you dare,” he growled.

I obeyed without thinking.

“Sorry, Rage… we didn’t know she was yours,” one of them stammered, his voice trailing off in nervous laughter.

Rage didn’t flinch. His stone-cold face remained unreadable.

“I’m giving you all until the count of three,” he warned. His voice shook with restrained fury. One arm held me, the other reached behind his back. My curious eyes followed the motion—arrows.

My breath caught in my chest. He was a hunter.

How could my mate be the very thing that killed my kind?

His once-secure grip now felt threatening. The men didn’t wait for his count. They fled, stumbling over themselves, leaving the bar eerily silent.

His eyes flicked to a drink on the table, but all I could think of was running. As he moved toward the drink, I slipped away, making for the door. The second I hit the outside air, I ran to my bike.

It was my eighteenth birthday. My first shift could come at any time.

Being around a hunter wasn’t what I needed right now.

I had just reached the bike when two arrows whizzed past me—hitting two camouflaged men I hadn’t seen coming. I shivered in shock.

He swung a leg over the bike behind me.

“How fast can you ride?” he asked, crouching on the seat, not quite sitting.

“I—I don’t know,” I answered, my voice trembling.

“Then we’ll find out,” he muttered, clutching his arrows.

“On my count…” He lifted his bow again. “Go!”

I let go, trusting my instincts, riding faster than I ever had. Even the dark didn’t scare me now. The men shifted into wolves behind us, but Rage showed no fear. He took them out one by one, never missing his mark.

Three wolves. Two arrows.

Fierce, precise—and still somehow graceful.

I had no idea where I was going, but he didn’t seem worried.

“Reach for the road!” he shouted over the wind.

“What?” I yelled back.

“The road!” he repeated, louder this time.

I slowed, looking around, confused. I had never been this far out before. My pace faltered. His annoyance grew.

“Faster!” he barked.

But my hands slipped. I panicked, unable to find the road. My vision blurred. Suddenly, he grabbed the handles and took over. I was barely aware of the world around me, missing a wolf’s attack by inches.

He skidded the bike to a stop just as the moonlight bathed me.

My body felt like it was on fire.

The mate bond… it made everything worse.

The presence of my mate intensified the burn. My wolf was clawing its way out. I could feel the shift coming—my body stretching, cracking, hair sprouting on my arms. The wolves behind us didn’t matter anymore.

“Get them,” he ordered.

I didn’t want to, but my body obeyed him. I charged at the attackers, instinct taking over. I tore through them—brutal, savage. My first kill.

The last wolf overpowered me, but an arrow pierced its throat.

He had saved me again.

He must have known it was my first shift. I backed away from him, afraid—afraid he might decide I was his next target.

“Let’s go,” he said calmly.

I tried to stand, but my body gave out. Blood dripped from my claws. My heart pounded—not from victory, but fear.

I could end him right now.

But no matter how hard I tried to summon the will—I couldn’t.

He reached for his bow again. I stood to fight, but my vision went dark. I collapsed.

His hand reached for his phone.

His gaze never left mine. Cold. Calculated.

Like a hunter eyeing his prey.

“Have an auction tonight,” he spoke into the phone. “I think I’ve found the priciest wolf around.”

My heart sank.

Didn’t he feel it? The spark? The pull?

Was the flame not burning in him like it was in me?

No answer came. Only the void.

---

I woke to harsh, blinding lights. Pain shot through my arms. My feet didn’t touch the ground—I was hanging.

That expensive cologne filled the air again.

I wasn’t in a regular place.

I tried to shut my eyes, but my senses sharpened. He was here. I could smell him.

I blinked and saw them—rich, powerful men surrounding me. None showed pity. Some were in suits, others in casual wear. One still wore the clothes from the bar.

Then our eyes met.

He flinched.

He felt the pull—I knew it.

But why was he fighting it?

“Going once… twice…” the auctioneer announced.

“Please,” I whispered, hoping he could hear me.

He didn’t respond. But the flicker of something in his eyes told me he wasn’t as numb as he acted. His hand moved. Slowly. It rose, challenging a man in a sharp suit.

“Sold!” the auctioneer cried.

I had no idea who had bought me—until he stood, not waiting for help, and came forward to lift me with ease. His eyes never left the suited man’s face.

“Where… where are we going?” I asked weakly.

He didn’t look at me. “Looks like I’m stuck with you for a little longer,” he muttered.

Then, without warning, he tossed me into the car trunk.

“Until I find out who you are,” he finished, slamming the lid shut.