"A rare beauty, untouched by any Alpha, fit to be a Luna. Shall we begin the bidding?"
My breath caught as my fiancé, Alpha Kade Rowan, gave me away like a prize for the highest bidder—not to an enemy or rogue pack, but to a room full of wealthy Alphas.
"One hundred thousand."
"Two hundred thousand," came the response.
I turned to Kade, hoping he'd stop this, but he only leaned back, swirling his drink, amused.
I had devoted years to him, yet now, I was nothing but entertainment.
"Half a million," someone called.
The room went still.
Then, Alpha Lucian Blackwood appeared. His name alone sent a ripple through the crowd—he wasn’t just any Alpha. His presence was so overwhelming that even the strongest men hesitated before him.
"I’m not going anywhere with you." My voice was steady, though my heart raced.
"I always get what I want," Lucian said, his gaze intense, locking onto me from the shadows.
"One way or another."
....
My fiancé had given me away like a sheep to slaughter.
Not to an enemy. Not to a rogue pack. But to a room full of the wealthiest Alphas, where they would bid on me like I was nothing more than a possession to be bought and claimed.
He had put me on auction.
And he was enjoying it.
The realization crushed me, made it impossible to breathe as I stood frozen under the glare of the crystal chandeliers. Around me, powerful men lounged in velvet chairs, sipping expensive whiskey, their eyes hungry and assessing. The air was thick with the scent of dominance, wealth, and something darker—something that told me that no matter how much I wanted to run, I wouldn’t make it out of here untouched.
A voice echoed over the microphone, smooth and practiced.
"And now, the highlight of our evening—the most exquisite offering of the night."
The crowd shifted, eager. My stomach twisted into knots.
A few minutes earlier…
The evening had started like any other social event in the elite werewolf world—grand, suffocating, and designed to flaunt power. The auction itself was a tradition among the most powerful packs, where rare and expensive things were sold to the highest bidder. Exotic artifacts. Historic weapons. Even private islands.
But never people.
Or so I had thought.
I had been standing beside my fiancé, Alpha Kade Rowan, sipping from a crystal flute of champagne, pretending to enjoy myself. The weight of his arm around my waist was familiar but empty, like an accessory he wore rather than an embrace.
Kade was beautiful in a ruthless way—tall, broad-shouldered, with striking golden eyes that had once made me believe he saw me as more than a prize. But now, as I caught the smug tilt of his lips, that belief shattered.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the host’s voice boomed. "We have a surprise addition to our auction tonight—an exclusive, one-of-a-kind opportunity."
The moment the spotlight swung toward me, my blood turned to ice.
There was a split second where I thought it had been a mistake. That they meant someone else.
Then I felt Kade’s hand slide from my waist as he leaned close to my ear, his voice a whisper of amusement.
"Go on," he murmured.
I turned to him, my heart slamming against my ribs. "What the hell is this?"
He smirked. "Relax. It’s just for fun."
Fun.
He had put me up for sale.
My breath came in sharp bursts, but the host was already speaking. "A rare beauty, untouched by any other Alpha, fit to be a Luna of the highest caliber. Shall we begin the bidding?"
Laughter rippled through the crowd as the first offer came in.
"One hundred thousand."
A new wave of dread slammed into me.
"Two hundred thousand," someone else countered.
I turned to Kade, waiting for him to stop this, to realize how disgusting it was. But he didn’t. He merely leaned back in his chair, swirling his drink, watching.
Amused.
I had spent years at his side. I had devoted myself to him. And yet, in this moment, I meant nothing more than entertainment.
"Half a million," someone called.
I barely registered the gasps around me, the rising excitement. My ears were ringing, my vision blurring as I swallowed back the burn of betrayal.
I wasn’t even a person to them.
I was property.
A hollow ache spread in my chest as the bids climbed higher. The host’s voice rang with excitement.
"Six hundred thousand!"
"Seven!"
"Nine hundred thousand!"
The crowd fell silent, anticipation thickening the air. I held my breath, my fingers trembling. This was it. Someone was about to claim me.
And then—
"One million."
The room froze.
The voice that spoke wasn’t loud, but it didn’t need to be. It carried something far more dangerous than volume. It carried power.
The weight of his presence settled over me before I even saw him.
Slowly, the sea of elite Alphas parted, revealing him.
Alpha Lucian Blackwood.
His name alone sent a ripple of unease through the gathering. He wasn’t just another Alpha. He was a force—silent, unreadable, with an aura so overwhelming that even the strongest men hesitated in his presence.
He sat in the shadows, his gaze locked onto me with an intensity that made my breath hitch. He wasn’t grinning like the others. Wasn’t entertained.
No. He was claiming.
The host struggled to find his voice. "O-One million going once…"
Silence.
No one dared to counter.
"Going twice…"
I turned to Kade, desperate, my eyes begging him to do something.
He didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Because to him, this was still a game.
"Sold!" The gavel struck down.
A finality I couldn’t escape.
The room erupted into murmurs, but all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat, uneven and frantic.
Lucian rose from his seat, moving through the room with slow, deliberate steps. He was even taller up close, his shoulders broad beneath the tailored black suit that did nothing to soften the raw dominance radiating from him.
He stopped at the foot of the stage.
Close. Too close.
My breathing shallowed as I forced myself to lift my chin, to meet the storm brewing in his dark eyes.
He didn’t speak immediately. He just looked at me, as if seeing something no one else had. As if I wasn’t just an auction item, but something… more.
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. "I’m not going anywhere with you."
The crowd held its breath.
Lucian tilted his head slightly, considering my defiance.
And then, in a voice so calm it sent shivers down my spine, he said—
"Come with me."
