Chapter 3

SERENA.

The entire room had gone silent because the number called was so high that no one dared to compete. Serena stood frozen on the stage, staring toward the upper level where the man who had just bought her stood.

She recognized his face, though they had never met before. Everyone in the werewolf world knew Damian, the neighboring Alpha. His name carried weight across territories. He was known for being dangerous and calculating, fiercely protective of his territory and rarely merciful.

But he was not known for visiting places like this.

The whispers spreading through the room made that clear. No one had expected him to be there, and no one understood why he had come to an underground auction. More importantly, no one was brave enough to ask.

Serena looked down at herself, at the rough fabric they had forced her to wear and the stage where strangers had just decided her value. A few hours ago, she had stood in a banquet hall wearing a beautiful white gown, surrounded by people from her own pack. People who had watched her serve them, trusted her with responsibilities and still failed to see beyond her appearance.

Yet Damon had looked at her and only seen embarrassment.

Now she stood in front of strangers who wanted her for an entirely different reason: her body.

The realization settled heavily in her chest. At the banquet, she had been rejected because her body did not match the image they wanted. Here, she was wanted because her body represented something they desired.

In both places, nobody had actually seen her. They didn't see Serena, the woman who had spent years helping her pack and carrying responsibilities most people never noticed. They only saw what they believed she could provide.

Her hands tightened as she wondered if this was really all she was to everyone, something to judge, something to use, something that belonged to everyone except herself.

The man who had been holding her arm stepped forward again.

“Come.”

Serena looked at him, then toward the exit before glancing back at the balcony. She knew she had no other choice, but something inside her refused to move. The same pride that had carried her through years of whispers and humiliation was still there, along with the strength that had allowed her to stand before Damon after he shattered their bond.

She planted her feet.

The man frowned. “Don't make this difficult.”

Before he could touch her again, something in the room shifted. The men who had been standing around Serena immediately moved aside as Damian began walking toward her.

Serena watched him carefully. Unlike Damon, Damian didn't look at her as though she were something disappointing. But she refused to mistake that for kindness. She had trusted someone before, and look where that had gotten her.

When he reached the stage, his eyes moved over her. Serena watched him carefully, trying to understand what she was seeing in his expression. There was no hunger in his gaze and no trace of the cold judgment she had grown used to. That made her uneasy because she couldn't understand what he wanted from her.

“Why did you buy me?”

The question came out before she could stop herself.

The room became even quieter. Damian said nothing, and Serena held his gaze, waiting for an answer that didn't come. A bitter smile touched her lips.

“Do you want me to give you children too?”

Something shifted in his expression at her question. It wasn't anger or disgust. It was something else, something she couldn't understand.

“I acted on impulse,” he said.

His voice remained calm and controlled.

“Don't read into it.”

Serena stared at him. Impulse? That was all? A powerful Alpha had walked into an illegal auction and paid an impossible amount for her on a whim? She almost laughed, but she didn't believe him. There was something he wasn't saying, and she could feel it.

Damian seemed like the kind of man who had learned how to keep his thoughts hidden, and Serena had no idea what was going on behind those calm eyes. He didn't explain himself or try to convince her. Instead, he simply removed his jacket.

Serena watched as he placed it around her shoulders, and the unexpected warmth caught her off guard. The jacket was heavy against her skin, covering the thin garment they had forced her to wear and shielding her from the eyes that had followed her since she was brought onto the stage.

For the first time since she entered that room, Serena didn't feel exposed. She looked at Damian, trying to understand why such a simple gesture affected her so much. He hadn't said anything or made a show of protecting her. He had simply seen that she was exposed and covered her, and somehow, that made Damian even harder to understand.

“Let's go,” he said quietly, leaving no room for argument.

Serena looked around the room one last time. The women she had left behind were still watching her. Some looked surprised, while others looked almost hopeful, as if Damian taking her away had somehow given them a reason to believe they might be saved too.

Serena's chest tightened. She wished she could promise them she would come back. She wished she could do something for them, but tonight, she could barely save herself.

She slowly stepped down from the stage and followed Damian, knowing she had nowhere else to go.

As they walked through the auction hall, Serena became aware of something she hadn't expected. No one was looking at her anymore. The same men who had been staring at her body only moments ago were now watching Damian. Their attention followed him instead, filled with questions they were too afraid to ask.

Why had he come here? Why had he bought her? What did he want with her?

Serena lowered her eyes. For once, she wasn't the thing everyone in the room was judging, and strangely, she didn't know whether that made her feel safer or more uneasy.

She didn't know why Damian had saved her or what he wanted from her. But for the first time in a very long time, someone had covered her instead of exposing her, and Serena didn't know what to do with that.