The Price of an Omega

CHAPTER 2 – “The Price of an Omega”

“Strip him.”

Eryx jerked awake. His vision blurred, shapes twisting wrong. A bitter taste filled his mouth,burnt metal, like blood and ash.

Rough hands grabbed his shirt, yanking hard. He twisted to fight, but his body wouldn't obey. His legs wobbled, barely holding him. Muscles failed. Worse, his thoughts scattered like broken glass.

“What'd you give him?” A woman's voice snapped, full of edge.

“Double suppressant.” The guard chuckled. “No shifting. Won't even know his own wolf by dawn.”

*No.* Eryx's mind screamed it. He opened his mouth, but his tongue sat heavy. Words choked in his throat. His wolf hid deep inside, slipping farther away,like claws pulling them apart.

“Good. Clean him up. Auction starts soon.”

*Auction.*

The word cut through the fog. Fear flooded his chest. He thrashed, but chains held tight. No strength left.

“Quit it.” A slap cracked across his face. “You're goods now. Behave.”

They dragged him down a dripping hall. Stones gleamed wet, stinking of rot and old sweat. Omegas. Dozens, broken and scared.

Ice-cold water hit his skin. He gasped, sputtering. They scrubbed him rough,like meat for sale. Dirt vanished. Marks faded. Every trace of his old life gone.

“Scent's muted already.” One said. “Drugs hit fast.”

“Check the mark. Show the rejection scar.”

Fingers clawed his chest,right over the broken bond. Pain flared raw. He tried to yell. Only a gasp escaped.

“Perfect. Broken bonds fetch more. Means he's free and clear.”

They draped thin white cloth over him. Nothing else. No shoes. Silver cords bit his wrists, burning like acid. Each breath stabbed. Every step tortured.

“Move.”

He stumbled into a vast room. Noise crashed over him,shouts, laughs, bids flying wild. The shadow market. Whispers called it a myth, hidden under the town where lost wolves vanished. Omegas sold like trash.

Now it was real.

Darkness swallowed the edges. Spotlights stabbed the center stage. Shadows hid the buyers,rich wolves, heartless, eyes hungry.

Other omegas slumped against walls. Eyes dead. Some cried silent tears. Most just stared blank.

“Next lot!” The auctioneer bellowed. “Fresh. Some bonds intact. Wolves still strong.”

Lies.

They shoved Eryx onstage with four others. Light blinded him. He felt their stares,like hands picking him apart.

“This one's prime.” The auctioneer gripped his arm, hoisting it high. “Rejected at the Moon Binding. Fated bond snapped clean.”

Laughter rippled.

“Damaged trash?” A voice jeered.

“Weak. Shaking already.”

“No wolf scent. Useless.”

The taunts sliced deeper than claws. Eryx's legs trembled. He wanted to run, to fight. Drugs locked him still. Helpless.

“Start at fifty silver.”

Silence.

“Forty then. Young. Healthy. Good for”

“Twenty.” A bored voice from the back.

“Twenty. Twenty-five?”

Nothing.

Twenty silver. Less than a horse. Eryx's stomach twisted. Tears burned. He squeezed his eyes shut. Wouldn't give them that.

“Twenty once.”

Others sold fast,fifty, eighty, two hundred. Dragged off kicking or numb.

“Twenty twice.”

Eryx stood alone. The reject.

“Last call, lot seventeen. Or he hits the mines.”

Mines. Endless dark. Work till you drop. No one came back.

Maybe better. No faces full of pity. No memories of belonging.

“Twenty silver.”

A low voice cut the dark. Steady. Familiar?

Eryx's eyes snapped open. He peered into shadows, heart pounding.

“Sold to forty-seven. Claim him.”

Slow steps climbed the stage.

*Not him. Anyone but him.*

The figure stepped into light.

Kael.

Eryx's breath stopped. The future Alpha,Executioner. Clans fled his name. Eyes like blades now.

“No.” The word burst free. “Not you. Please.”

Kael ignored him. Turned to the auctioneer. “Papers.”

“Here. All legal. He's yours.”

*Yours.* Bile rose in Eryx's throat.

Kael took the folder. His gaze slid over Eryx—blank, no spark of recognition.

“Can he walk?” Kael asked flat.

“Drugs fade soon. Carry him till then.”

“Fine.”

Kael closed in. Eryx backed up. Legs buckled. Strong arms caught him.

“Don't touch me.” Eryx's voice cracked. “Let me die.”

“Shh.” Kael lifted him easy, like nothing. “We're leaving.”

“Why?” Tears spilled hot. “You broke me. Why buy me now?”

“Quiet.”

They pushed through the crowd. Faces twisted,disgust, curiosity. Bids spiked as Alphas jumped in late.

Kael shoved past.

Air lightened as they climbed. Away from the stench, toward night sky.

Moon glowed cold overhead. Eryx looked away. She chose them once. Stayed silent as he shattered. Her light mocked him now.

A sleek black car waited. Kael eased him into the back seat,gentle, almost careful. It twisted the knife deeper.

Kael slid in beside him. Door slammed. Engine hummed. They rolled into dark.

Eryx pressed against the far door. Fingers shook. Body jittered from the drugs.

“You bid low.” His voice broke. “Knew I'd be last. Unwanted.”

“Yeah.”

“Why buy me? Why not the mines?”

“Not your business.”

“It is.” Anger sparked through fear. “You shamed me. Ruined me. Now you own me?”

Kael's jaw tightened. He turned, eyes locking on. Something flickered,not hate. Not pity.

Sorrow?

Kael's hand crept close. Brushed Eryx's wet cheek,soft, wiping tears. A quiet beat hung between them.

“Look away,” Kael whispered, voice low and strange. Gentle. “You're safe now.”

Safe.

It didn't fit. Eryx searched his eyes for the lie, the cruelty he knew.

But it stayed.

And that scared him most.