The air was heavy, as if saturated with poison. The smells of dirt, sweat, cheap wine, and hot alpha pheromones mingled in a thick, suffocating fog. The auction floor was abuzz with noise: shouting, whistling, insults, banging on the bars of the cages. Alphas in various states of excitement and rage pushed each other, examining the merchandise.
The cages stood in a ragged row, a pitiful reminder of lost freedom. The omegas hid behind the rusty bars, broken in varying degrees: some cried silently, others huddled in a corner in panic, and still others sat listlessly on the dirty floor.
But there were other omegas who, having inhaled pheromones, climbed onto the cages, exposing their genitals and all their orifices, which were met with enthusiasm by the spectators. Any alpha who was the first to notice such an omega would quickly give a few gold coins to the guard, as if reserving the omega for a couple of minutes. And without shame, they would begin to engage in dirty deeds through the cage. In some cages, the bars were so stretched by genitals that you could stick your leg in up to your thigh.
He was one of them. He crouched in the corner of the cage, trying to make himself smaller. The chains cutting into his wrists and ankles were so tight that the skin around them was inflamed and bleeding. Every movement made the chains rattle, attracting unwanted attention. He wore only a shirt that barely covered his nipples.
The smells around him grew stronger. The hot pheromones of the alphas hit his sense of smell like red-hot needles. His stomach twisted with nausea. His head spun, and every breath caused pain.
Someone nearby laughed, and the cage shook from the impact of a boot.
"Look at him!" shouted a rough, drunken voice. "Skinny, dirty, but he smells good! He's purebred, no doubt about it!"
The omega clenched his teeth, trying not to react. But it was too late.
"Oh, are you being picky too?" The man threw a bottle into the cage, but it hit the bars, bounced off the floor and rolled away.
The bars of the cage creaked. Rough hands grabbed him by his golden hair, pulling him closer to the exit. The alpha's face hung right in front of him, his eyes clouded with excitement, his breath heavy and foul.
"Come on, open your mouth!" he barked, roughly pulling his lips apart. "Teeth intact... everything's fine."
He tried to break free, but received a sharp slap across the face.
"Quiet, you bastard!" the alpha growled.
Another approached from behind, unceremoniously feeling his body through his thin, dirty shirt. Hands felt his hips, chest, stomach, assessing his muscles, bone structure, reaction. Then his hand lightly touched the wet hole.
"He's shaking like a bitch in heat," someone laughed. "But that's okay, we'll train him. A couple of weeks in our house and he'll be licking boots for a bowl of porridge. And maybe not just boots?"
The laughter and whistles of several men merged into a single roar that deafened his ears. Omega felt nauseous, but he held back, biting his lip until it bled.
The crowd advanced. The Alphas approached one after another, examining him as if he were livestock. One sniffed his neck, another grinned and pulled his hair, sniffing his skin. The smell of foreign pheromones filled his lungs, poisoning every cell in his body.
With each passing minute, he felt reality slipping away. His head was spinning. His heart was pounding in his chest as if trying to break free. Everything was blurring before his eyes.
He prayed for only one thing: that someone would choose someone else, anyone but him.
And suddenly, the world changed.
All the filthy stench, all the heat and anger of the crowd disappeared under the pressure of a new wave of smell.
The smell was different. This smell was strong, clean and... frightening. Like a winter storm, like the roaring sea.
It hit him like a hammer to the chest. His stomach clenched so tightly that he doubled over, clutching his belly. Tears welled up in his eyes. His body instinctively reacted to the smell with submission.
The crowd froze. The alphas, who had been shouting and laughing just a moment ago, parted like a herd before a predator.
Slow, heavy footsteps approached. The soles of his shoes crunched on the dirty ground.
He was afraid to raise his head, but he couldn't resist his instinct. Through the haze, he saw a tall, massive silhouette standing in the shadows. His face was hidden by a hood, but even under the fabric, he could sense his power.
Without saying a word, the stranger approached the merchant. A long sword protruded from under his cloak, along with a bag.
"I need a young omega," the man said in a dry, rough voice.
Lightly touching the cage with the omega with his shoulder, the man brushed invisible dust off his cloak. Everything in the barn seemed to stop breathing.
"Um, yes," the merchant began, awkwardly glancing at his merchandise, realising that none of it was the sort the man was looking for. But to pass up such a lucrative aristocrat, for whom he could charge five times the price without hearing any objections... It was too tempting.
The merchant raised his head to look the man up and down. After analysing him, the man smiled.
An aristocrat in a hood who tries to avoid eye contact. It's clear. A pervert.
"Follow me." With a confident stride, the elderly beta led the alpha to the most battered cage.
In this cage, sitting with his legs spread wide, was a miniature omega. His body, stained with fluids, glistened, and his dark hair was matted into a single clump. Seeing the visitors, he smiled sweetly and began to release his pungent odour.
"This is our best exhibit. He will do anything you command him to do. His reproductive organs and teeth are intact. He can also read and write."
The alpha, covering his nose from the nauseating smell, took three steps back.
"And why is an omega who can read and write sitting in a cage?"
"He made love before marriage, my Lord, so his parents sold him to us," the man replied cheerfully, as if the day they brought this boy in was the brightest day of his life. "I personally tested his abilities on myself. A magnificent omega."
Without wasting any time, the omega got down on all fours and slowly approached the bars. Grasping one bar with both hands, he slowly began to move his fingers up and down, licking it and moaning sweetly. He tried to make eye contact with the man, but because of the long hood, he could only focus on the thin, tightly closed lips that showed no emotion. The onlookers watching the transaction from the sidelines began to whistle and stamp their feet with excitement.
The merchant also clapped his hands to the omega and, praising him, set the price at five hundred gold coins. Feeling the taste of victory on his tongue, he smugly held out his hand to seal the deal.
"Huh?"
The man who had been standing nearby a moment ago had disappeared somewhere. Quickly scanning the hall, he noticed him looming over the smallest dusty cage.