The Sale

They sold me like I was already dead.

I stood there barefoot on the freezing stone floor, chains heavy on my wrists, the thin white robe doing nothing against the cold or the shame burning in my chest. My heart hammered so loud I could barely hear anything else. This could not be real. After everything they promised.

The Head Priest sat behind his desk with that gentle smile he always used when he lied. He slid the papers across to Silas like it was nothing.

“Lord Silas, Ashe is yours now,” the Priest said calmly. “Twenty-two, healthy, untouched. He will serve your pack well.”

I clenched my jaw until it hurt. Do not cry. Do not beg. Not in front of him.

Silas stood tall and silent, like a statue carved from darkness. His face gave away nothing. Only that left hand caught my eye, smooth and shining like polished marble. He took the papers with his right hand and looked them over without a word.

“Will he survive the first night?” Silas asked, voice low and rough.

The Priest nodded. “He has spirit. Strong enough for the bond.”

I finally spoke, my voice coming out smaller than I wanted. “Father… after everything you said. You swore you’d help me.”

The Priest barely glanced my way. “This is help, Ashe. A greater purpose. Be grateful.”

Grateful. The word made my stomach turn. I wanted to scream at him, to throw the chains in his face, but my throat closed up. All those years in the Sanctuary, all the prayers, the punishments, the hope. It meant nothing.

Silas folded the papers. “We are done here.”

“Wait,” I whispered, pulling back as he stepped closer. My bare feet scraped the stone. “Please. Just… tell me what happens now.”

Silas grabbed my chained wrists. His grip was firm, warm on one side, ice cold where the marble fingers touched. “You come with me. No more talk.”

The Priest stood and placed a hand on my shoulder. I flinched hard.

“Obey them, child,” he said softly. “Serve with an open heart. This is your path.”

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. I had so much I wanted to say, but the words stuck. Instead I just nodded once, hating myself for it.

Silas pulled me toward the side door. The moment we stepped outside, freezing rain slammed into me. It soaked the robe instantly, making it cling to my skin. I gasped and nearly slipped on the wet steps.

“Keep moving,” Silas ordered.

“I can’t feel my feet,” I muttered, but I kept going. What choice did I have?

He pushed me into the black carriage. I sat across from him, dripping, shivering, arms wrapped around myself as much as the chains allowed. The marble hand rested on his knee like something dead. I stole glances at it, then looked away fast when he noticed.

“Eyes forward, boy,” he growled.

I stared at the floor instead. My mind would not stop racing. What if they kill me tonight? What if the rumors are true and they tear Omegas apart? I should have run when I had the chance. I should have…

The carriage jerked forward. Rain pounded the roof like fists. Every bump in the road sent fear spiking through me. I stayed quiet for a long time, but the silence got heavier.

“Why me?” I finally asked, voice barely above the rain.

“The Priest offered you,” Silas said. “Said you were suitable.”

Suitable. Like furniture. I swallowed hard and did not reply. Asking more felt dangerous. This man owned me now. Pushing him might make things worse.

Silas shifted in his seat. “You are not screaming. Most do.”

I looked up for a second, then back down. “Would it help?”

“No.”

Another long silence. I fought the tears burning in my eyes. I am alone. Really alone. No one is coming for me.

Lightning flashed outside. For one bright moment I saw the massive shape of Thornwood Estate through the trees. Dark towers, twisted vines, windows glowing like dying eyes. It looked wrong. Hungry.

My chest tightened. “That is your home?”

“Yes.”

I did not ask anything else. My hands shook in my lap. Part of me wanted to beg him to turn around, to take me back, but I knew he would not. So I sat there, small and wet and terrified, trying to breathe through the panic.

The carriage finally stopped. Silas opened the door and stepped out, then reached for me. I hesitated before taking his hand. The cold marble against my skin made me flinch.

We climbed the wide stone steps. My legs felt weak. The huge doors creaked open when Silas pushed them.

Inside, the grand hall smelled of dust, old wood, and something alive. Something watching. Shadows stretched everywhere.

Three pairs of eyes locked onto me from the far side of the hall.

One cold and commanding.

One burning with wild hunger.

One clouded and eerie, like it saw straight into my soul.

I froze, breath caught in my throat.

“Welcome to Thornwood,” Silas said quietly beside me.

The heavy iron doors slammed shut behind us with a deep, final boom that echoed through my bones. It sounded like the end of everything.

My heart pounded so hard it hurt. No way out. No escape. Just these three cursed men and whatever waited in the darkness of this house.

I was theirs now. And I was terrified.