The velvet ropes parted, and the air shifted. Perfume, sweat, and the faint musk of wolves mixed in the candlelit hall. All eyes turned to the stage where the next lot was being paraded.
Me.
The iron collar bit into my throat as the handler yanked the chain forward. My bare feet scraped against the wooden floor, each step echoing louder than my pounding heart. My wrists trembled, but I held my chin high. They would not see me break.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"She's human."
"No, look at her eyes. She carries blood."
"She'll fetch a price."
I hated them all. Every hungry stare, every cruel smirk. They saw property, not a woman.
The auctioneer smiled, showing too many teeth. "Lot 27. A rare beauty. Untamed, unclaimed. Strong bloodline. Fit for breeding or breaking. Shall we start the bidding?"
My stomach twisted, bile rising. Breeding. Breaking. I wanted to spit in his face.
Numbers rose from the crowd. Gold coins clinked. Wolves growled as they fought for me with money, not claws.
Then the room stilled.
A shadow shifted at the back. He didn't raise a hand, didn't shout a bid. He only leaned forward, and the room obeyed.
The Alpha.
Even without an introduction, I knew. His presence coiled around my throat tighter than the iron collar. Dark hair, sharp jaw, eyes like burning coal. His power pressed against the hall, making the air heavy.
"Sold," the auctioneer stammered before the bidding had reached its peak.
Confusion rippled through the crowd, but no one dared object. The Alpha had spoken without words.
The chain snapped as if it feared him. The handler shoved me forward, and my knees nearly gave out.
I lifted my head and met his gaze. Fire. Danger. A promise of ruin.
He stepped closer, boots thudding against the stone floor. His scent hit me first, wild pine and smoke, intoxicating and wrong. His fingers closed around my chin, forcing me to look at him.
"You're mine," he said, voice low enough to curl against my skin.
I wanted to scream. To fight. To run. Instead, my body betrayed me with a shiver.
Laughter erupted from a corner of the hall. "The great Alpha claims a pet?"
The Alpha didn't look away from me. His lips curved in something between a smile and a snarl.
"She's not a pet," he said, loud enough for the hall to hear. "She's my mate."
The room fell silent. My blood froze.
Mate.
My heart hammered so hard it hurt. I had prayed the stories weren't true, that fate didn't weave cruel bonds. But his grip on me told me otherwise.
I was bound.
And as the hall bowed their heads in respect, I knew one thing with chilling clarity.
I hadn't been bought. I had been claimed.