All Chapters of ALPHA SALFORD : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

By the time evening arrived, I’d been passed between so many hands I’d lost count, my sense of time slipping away somewhere between the third round of makeup and the endless discussion of which crystals best matched the gown waiting for me.A hairstylist arrived first, a sharp, elegant woman who introduced herself with a name I recognized even from my sheltered upbringing — the most sought-after stylist in the entire region, the kind of artist packs supposedly waited months to book for their most important events, weddings and coronations and the rare gathering significant enough to justify the expense. She worked in near-silence, twisting sections of my hair into an elaborate arrangement that somehow still looked effortless, pinning tiny crystals into the strands that caught the light every time I moved my head even slightly.“Why all this?” I finally asked, watching her reflection in the mirror rather than my own, unable to shake the feeling that I was being prepared for something f

The cars pulled to a stop outside a restaurant unlike anything I’d ever seen, all glass and soft golden light spilling out onto the street, valets already rushing forward before the engine had fully died, their movements precise and rehearsed in a way that told me this level of urgency was reserved for very few guests.“Welcome, Supreme Alpha Salford.” A man in an immaculate suit appeared at the entrance before we’d even stepped fully out of the car, bowing so low his forehead nearly grazed his own knees, his voice trembling slightly with something between reverence and nerves. “We’re honored to have you dining with us tonight.”Every head in the entrance turned as we walked inside, whispers rippling through the crowd of well-dressed patrons waiting for tables I suspected they’d reserved months in advance, the kind of clientele who clearly expected to be the most important people in any room they entered until we arrived and proved otherwise. I kept my chin lifted, refusing to let the

“This is an auction house.” Jason’s voice stayed level, though something careful had crept into it, like he was choosing each word with unusual precision, weighing them before letting them leave his mouth. “There’s something inside tonight that belongs to you.”“Jason, I don’t need anything from a place like this.” I glanced up at the towering columns, the gold-lettered sign, the well-dressed crowd still filing through the entrance ahead of us, murmuring to each other behind gloved hands. “Whatever game this is—”“It’s not a game.” He turned to face me fully, something unusually solemn settling over his features, the teasing confidence from the car entirely absent now. “For years, the world has been deciding what you deserve, Bella. Your father decided you deserved to be traded like currency. Sherwood decided you deserved a lifetime of lies dressed up as love. Tonight, I intend to rewrite that particular story.” A slow, sharp smile curved at the edge of his mouth, dangerous and satisf

The bidding hadn’t stopped at one point five million, not by a long shot, the room’s excitement clearly feeding on itself the way these things always seemed to once enough money entered the conversation.Somewhere near the back of the room, a silver-haired collector I didn’t recognize had pushed his paddle up twice more in quick succession, driving the number higher with an obstinance that suggested pride mattered more to him now than the crown itself, the way these things always seemed to escalate once ego entered the equation. Jason hadn’t so much as glanced in the man’s direction. He’d simply waited, unbothered, until the auctioneer called for the next bid, his composure never once wavering despite the sums climbing higher with every passing second, as though the entire spectacle amused him more than it concerned him.“Three million,” he said like it meant nothing.“Supreme Alpha Salford.” The auctioneer’s voice had climbed into something almost breathless. “Three million dollars.

The footsteps weren’t Jason’s.A waiter passed behind me instead, balancing a tray of champagne flutes, entirely indifferent to the scene unfolding a few feet away, weaving between clusters of guests without so much as a glance in our direction, his footsteps unremarkable in every way that mattered. Disappointment settled low in my stomach, sharper than I wanted to admit, the small hope I’d let myself feel curdling instantly into something closer to embarrassment. Virginia’s laugh filled the silence before I could recover my composure.“An invisible crown.” She shook her head slowly, savoring every syllable, clearly delighted to have a fresh angle of humiliation to work with. “The poor man must be so ashamed of you already, buying things that never even materialize.”“Can’t wash off your roots, can you, sister?” My stepmother’s voice carried that same false gentleness, worse somehow than open cruelty, wrapped around the insult like silk around a blade. “No matter how much crystal he d