Chapter Four - Auctioned

Rose’s POV

A bell rang somewhere and that was when I found out who was here by choice and who wasn’t. Thinking about it, I didn’t really fall into either camp.

“Good luck keeping that gown intact, Red,” someone hissed. I saw it was my attacker, the would-be thief. “I’m telling you now, you won’t be allowed to keep it.”

“So why did you want it so badly?” I asked.

She didn’t bother to answer, just gave a snort of contempt and waltzed off.

We were put into groups of six at random. Ours was going on stage second and I realised I was the only redhead among them. It was hard not to overhear the slaps and shrill cries of our predecessors, coupled with the raucous tone of the vendor, yet the crowd seemed strangely silent. Until …

“Not up to your usual standard, Perkins,” someone called.

“Maybe they should strip and dance for us.”

“Next!”

Just that one word managed to make my spine tingle with fear and something else akin to anticipation.

We were hustled onto the stage and I forced myself to stare at the crowd of buyers. I don’t know what I had been expecting but it wasn’t this.

The men were all under forty and well-groomed. There were even some women present, decked out in jewels, looking for something specific. I panicked, because I hadn’t even considered that.

Then I saw him, Alpha Lewis, and I wondered what was going on.

“That blonde looks tasty. I’d like to inspect her if I may,” one of the young men said. “In private,” he added.

“There’s a fee for that.”

“I’ll double it.”

The girl was led away into the wings and I breathed a sigh of relief. That had seemed almost dignified.

Sadly, the brunette to my right was not so fortunate.

“Tell the one in the blue dress to show us her tits.”

It was obvious she had been crying and I wondered if how you presented – willing or not – had a bearing on the outcome. The first one had seemed content with her lot. This one definitely wasn’t. She refused to comply and I heard a ripping sound followed by several appreciative whistles and not a few growls.

“Sixteen thousand dollars,” was the opening bid.

It didn’t get much higher and soon she was sold to one of the older men. I saw the woman he was with slap her several times as they made their way to the exit.

Then it was my turn. I did a twirl to order and even managed a small smile before I intercepted a signal between the auction guy and a powerfully built male at the back of the room.

I could have stopped him from unzipping my dress but I didn’t. Thinking of Willow, I told myself she would do the same for me. Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure.

As the dress pooled at my feet the bidding began, including one of the women, and I heard to my disbelief that Alpha Lewis was involved.

I worked it out after the first offer from Lycan Adam came. He was the one who had called, “Next,” earlier and was also responsible for me standing there in my underwear.

Maybe the idea was to relieve the Lycan King of some of the money reputed to be in his war chest. And perhaps the Alpha was taking a cut from the auctioneer’s profit by pushing up the price.

Had he done this before? I wondered.

A shiver came out of nowhere and I tuned out the sounds only to receive a cuff to my ear.

“Lycan Adam wants you on all fours,” the vendor said, brandishing his flogger menacingly.

I sank to my knees and did my best to comply. The floor was filthy and dotted with nails holding the planks together.

“Crawl.”

I moved slowly across the stage, hoping this farce would be over soon.

“One hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

Most people fell away after that. In fact everyone except Alpha Lewis. Was he delighting in my humiliation or just making it look good? It could backfire, though I supposed he knew that as well as anyone.

When the bid reached an even two hundred thousand, the Alpha conceded defeat, and I watched in trepidation as Lycan Adam shouldered his way to the front of the audience.

He made short work of jumping up onto the stage and attaching a collar and leash to my neck.

My new owner hauled me upright by yanking the chain and I got a whiff of his scent, patchouli and woodsmoke.

'Mate.'

Olga was ecstatic while I wasn’t so sure. This was a complication I didn’t need. And he hadn’t acknowledged the bond; why would he?

Yet how could I betray him now?

“What’s your name, Omega?” he growled as we made our way to the exit.

The satin dress was lost to me just as a certain someone had predicted.

“Rose, sir,” I replied.

“Obey me, and you’ll last longer than the others. Cross me and you’ll long for death.”

“I – ”

“Don’t think I haven’t felt it too, the feeble pull of the mate bond.” He sniffed my hair. “Lavender and cinnamon. Pathetic. I may reject you in time. Until then, whenever I choose to slake my lust on another female – and that will happen a lot – you will feel the agony of betrayal, just as …”

His voice tailed off. Had he been made to suffer in the past?

“I will try my best not to disappoint you, sir,” I murmured.

“Do you know what it means to be a slave? You will be my only submissive. That makes you unique, special, and do you know why?” I shook my head. “Because you will be the only one sharing my pain. Except, this time, I will be the one meting it out.”