Irina’s POV
The stage felt like a platform for slaughter.
Bright lights burned my eyes. I couldn’t see past the first few rows, but I could feel them—dozens of eyes crawling over my skin like insects.
Below , the crowd shifted. Whispered. Waited.
So wore masks. Expensive ones—silk and leather that covered half their faces. Important people, probably. The kind who didn’t want their presence at a sex slave auction getting back to their respectable lives.
Others didn’t bother hiding. Their faces were bare, expressions naked with greed and hunger. They stared at like I was at on a butcher’s block.
My arms wrapped around myself instinctively. The thin white dress did nothing to shield from their gazes. I was exposed. Vulnerable.
Prey.
"Auction begins!" the announcer’s voice bood.
Silence.
Not a single voice called out. Not a single bid.
I stood there, trembling, and felt the weight of that silence crush down on .
The crowd started murmuring. Confused whispers spread like ripples across water.
Then I saw him.
Maxim stood near the back, arms crossed, that familiar smirk on his face.
He t my eyes deliberately. Purposefully.
*See?* his expression said. *I told you. You’re mine. Mine alone.*
My hands clenched into fists. Nails bit into my palms until I felt skin break.
He’d done this. Claid publicly so no one would dare bid. Condemned to be house property—available to anyone, protected by no one.
The announcer cleared his throat. "No bids? Anyone?"
More silence.
He waited exactly thirty seconds. I counted each one, my heart hamring against my ribs.
"Well then," he finally said. "Since there are no bids, this oga becos house property. Available to all patrons—"
The door at the back of the room slamd open.
The sound cracked through the space like a gunshot. Everyone turned.
A man stepped inside.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair cut short. But it was his eyes that hit first—forest green, intense, burning with sothing I couldn’t na.
My wolf stirred.
No—not stirred. *Erupted.*
She clawed at my insides, desperate and wild. The sensation was like the mate bond but stronger. *Deeper.* More primal.
My breath ca faster. Heat flooded my body, making my skin feel too tight. My legs went weak.
What was happening?
The man’s gaze locked onto mine across the crowded room.
He felt it too. I could see it in the way his entire body went still. Predatory.
"As I was saying," the announcer continued, oblivious. "No bids ans she becos permanent house inventory. Effective imdiately—"
"Wait."
The single word cut through the room like a blade.
The man’s voice was deep. Authoritative. The kind of voice that expected obedience.
The entire crowd fell silent.
He moved forward slowly. Each step deliberate. The crowd parted for him automatically, people stepping aside without thinking about it.
Maxim turned to see who’d interrupted.
His face went white.
Then red.
Then he dropped his eyes to the floor, shoulders hunching inward.
I’d never seen Maxim show deference to anyone. Ever.
Who was this man?
"Alpha King Nicolas." The host’s voice ca out strained. "What brings you here?"
Alpha King.
The title hit like cold water.
Nicolas. The Mad King. Ruler of the entire underground wolf empire. The most dangerous man in our world.
And he was staring at .
"This is my territory," Nicolas said, his tone casual. Almost lazy. "I can’t co check on my own business?"
"Of course you can," the host said quickly. "I just ant—"
"This woman." Nicolas interrupted him without looking away from . "I’m taking her."
The room exploded into whispers.
Nicolas moved toward the stage. Each step closer made my wolf more frantic. She was clawing, howling, *desperate* to reach him.
Nicolas stopped at the foot of the stage. Looked up at .
Our eyes t.
Ti stopped.
The bond snapped into place so violently it knocked the air from my lungs. Not like with Maxim—that had been painful, wrong. This was *right.* So right it terrified .
*Mate.*
My wolf scread the word inside my head.
*Mate mate mate MATE—*
No. No, this couldn’t be happening. I’d already lost one mate. Already been rejected. The moon goddess wouldn’t—couldn’t—
But the bond was real. Solid. Undeniable.
Nicolas climbed onto the stage in one smooth motion. He moved like violence contained in human form—every muscle controlled, ready to explode into action.
He stopped directly in front of .
Up close, he was even more overwhelming. Taller than I’d thought. Broader. His presence filled the entire space, pushing out all the air.
Behind us, the announcer cleared his throat nervously. "Sir, the auction has concluded. She’s house property now. If you want to make a purchase—"
"Shut up."
The announcer’s mouth snapped closed.
Then Nicolas moved. His head dipped. His mouth found my neck.
And his teeth sank into my skin.
Pain exploded through —sharp and burning and *claiming.*
The mark ford instantly. I felt it lock into place, felt the bond solidify into sothing permanent and unbreakable.
A sound escaped my throat. Half gasp, half moan.
The entire room stared.
User Comments
0 comments from readers