บททั้งหมดของ CAGED, CLAIMED, AND FATED: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

CHAPTER ONE:Elena's PovThe phone rings at 2 AM.I know it's bad before Marcus even answers it. Good news doesn't call at this hour.I'm in my room, trying to finish an essay that's due tomorrow, when I hear his voice through the thin walls."I told you I'd have it by the end of the month...please, just give me more time..."My stomach drops.I've heard this conversation before. Different creditors, same desperation. But there's something in his voice tonight that's worse than usual.Terror."No...no, you can't...I have the money, I swear, I just need..."I get up quietly, press my ear to the door."Please. I'm begging you. There has to be another way."He was silent for a while, probably listening to whoever's on the other end.Then, "Collateral? What kind of collateral?"My blood runs cold."She's...she's just a girl. My niece. She's nobody, just an omega..."NoNo"How much would that cover?"I'm already backing away from the door, looking at my window. Second floor. I could jump.

CHAPTER THREE: He pushes me.I land on the bed with a bounce, the mattress softer than anything I've ever felt. Which would be nice if I wasn't currently terrified."Please..." I scramble backward, my defiance crumbling into panic. "Please don't do this..."He stalks toward me, predatory and deliberate. Grabs my ankle and drags me back toward him.I kick at him with my free leg. "No! Stop..."His hands move to his belt. The leather slides through the loops with a sound that makes my heart stop."No..."He catches both my wrists in one hand, easily, like I'm a child, and yanks them above my head. The belt wraps around them, tight enough to hold but not hurt, then he loops it through something on the headboard I can't see.I pull against it. The leather doesn't budge.I'm pinned. Arms stretched above my head, unable to move."Let me go!"He leans back, looking down at me with that infuriating smirk. "Dónde está esa fiereza ahora?" Where's that fierceness now?"Please." I hate the plea

CHAPTER FIVEThe dinner continues with polite conversation that feels like walking through a minefield. Every word is measured. Every smile calculated.I'm pushing food around my plate, trying to look normal, when one of the women speaks up.She's older, maybe fifties, wearing diamonds that probably cost more than my entire college education. Her smile is practiced perfection."So, Elena," she says, drawing everyone's attention. "You don't strike me as someone from Colombia. How did you and Mr. De León meet?"My fork freezes halfway to my mouth.Every eye at the table turns to me.I reach for my water glass, taking a long gulp to buy myself time. The cool liquid does nothing to ease the tightness in my throat.How am I supposed to answer that?Oh, you know, my uncle sold me to pay his gambling debts. I was kidnapped, drugged, and woke up in a cage in Medellín. Mr. De León here bought me at a human trafficking auction. Very romantic.I can feel Dante's eyes on me. When I glance his dir

CHAPTER SEVEN"I'll make you desperate," he continues, his voice dark velvet wrapped around steel. "Make you plead. Make you offer me anything, everything, just for the relief of my touch. And maybe then, if you beg prettily enough, I'll consider it."Tears leak from the corners of my eyes. Not from pain. From the overwhelming intensity of sensation and emotion warring inside me.Pleasure. Humiliation. Anger. Desire. Hate.All of it tangled together until I can't separate one from the other.Then his words turn even colder."To me, you're nothing but collateral," he says flatly, and the cruelty in his voice is like a bucket of ice water. "Don't forget what you are. Don't forget why you're here."The vibrations suddenly stop.The absence is almost as shocking as the presence was. My body sags against him, trembling and unsatisfied, hovering on an edge I can't quite reach.He releases me and steps back. The loss of his heat, his presence, leaves me feeling empty in a way I don't want to

CHAPTER NINE A man in a pristine white suit steps onto the stage. The auctioneer. He has a microphone and a practiced smile that makes my skin crawl."Ladies and gentlemen," he says, his voice booming through speakers. "Welcome to this evening's exclusive auction. We have exceptional products for you tonight."Products.I flinch at the word. We're not people to them. We're merchandise.The crowd settles down, giving him their attention. Some pull out numbered paddles. Others simply watch with interest, sipping their drinks.I look around again, still desperately hoping to spot Dante.Nothing.But what would he do if he were here anyway? a bitter voice in my head asks. He made it clear what I am to him. Nothing but collateral.Still... some stupid, naive part of me believes he would save me. That despite his cruel words and his games, he wouldn't let me be sold off to a stranger.Or maybe I just hope that because he's the only person I know in this entire country. The only familiar fa