The auctioneer's gavel hovered in the air, his eyes gleaming with greed as he prepared to seal my fate.
"Sold to King Rogan for five hundred thousand dollars!" he announced, his voice echoing through the underground chamber.
The fat rogue king in the front row smiled, revealing yellowed teeth that had tasted too much blood. I closed my eyes, unable to bear the triumph in his expression. This was it—my final moment of freedom.
"NO!"
The double doors of the auction house exploded inward with a deafening crash. Wood splinters rained down as a figure strode through the smoke, flanked by elite guards in formation.
Alpha Emmett.
His presence filled the room like a physical force, his tall frame radiating power that made even the most hardened rogues step back. His amber eyes blazed as they found mine, and something in my chest tightened at the sight of him.
"Alpha Emmett of the Azure Crest Pack," the auctioneer stammered, his gavel frozen mid-air. "This is a private auction. You have no jurisdiction here."
Emmett didn't bother responding. He moved with predatory grace, his guards forming a protective circle around him as he approached the platform where I stood chained.
"Ten million dollars," he said, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
The room fell silent.
"Ten... million?" The auctioneer's voice cracked.
"That's my bid," Emmett replied calmly, as if discussing the weather rather than throwing around an astronomical sum. "Cash. Immediately."
The rogue king sputtered in outrage. "This is outrageous! You can't just—"
"I can," Emmett interrupted, his eyes never leaving mine. "And I have."
He pulled out a phone and pressed a single button. Within seconds, his financial officer appeared with a briefcase, opening it to reveal stacks of hundred-dollar bills.
"Count it," Emmett commanded.
The auctioneer's hands shook as he accepted the briefcase, greed overcoming his scruples.
I stood frozen, unable to process what was happening. Emmett's eyes held mine, and I saw something there that made my breath catch—determination, and something deeper that I couldn't name.
"Emily," he said softly, reaching for me.
Before his fingers could touch mine, the doors burst open again. A familiar scent—pine and winter frost—filled the room, and my blood ran cold.
Maximilian.
He stormed in like a hurricane, his Alpha aura crashing down on everyone present. His eyes were already silver, his wolf pushing forward.
"What the FUCK is this?" he roared, taking in the scene—me on the platform, Emmett reaching for me, the briefcase of money.
"Alpha Maximilian," Emmett acknowledged, his voice steady despite the tension crackling between them. "I've purchased Emily's freedom."
"Purchased?" Maximilian's laugh was cold and sharp. "She belongs to me."
"She belongs to no one," Emmett replied, his guards tensing.
Maximilian's nostrils flared as he caught a scent. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he stalked toward me.
"Cedar and rain," he growled, inhaling deeply. "Your scent is all over her."
Something snapped in his expression. With a roar that was more wolf than man, he lunged forward, knocking Emmett's guards aside with inhuman strength.
"Max!" I cried out as he grabbed me roughly, his fingers digging into my arms.
"She's MINE!" he snarled, his face inches from Emmett's. "You dare touch what's mine?"
Emmett's eyes flashed amber. "She's not yours. Not anymore."
Maximilian's response was to throw me over his shoulder like a sack of flour. I screamed as he stormed toward the exit, his guards following.
"Emily!" Emmett called after us, but Maximilian was already shoving me into his waiting SUV.
"Drive," he ordered his driver, slamming the door.
I struggled against his iron grip. "Max, please—"
"Shut up," he growled, his eyes wild with a feral light I'd never seen before. "You belong to me. Only me."
The car sped away from the auction house, but instead of heading toward the main packhouse, we turned onto a private road I didn't recognize.
"Where are we going?" I asked, fear clawing at my throat.
Maximilian's smile was all teeth. "Home."
The drive lasted forever, winding through desolate roads until we reached a sprawling estate in the Hamptons. Security gates opened silently as we approached, and the car stopped in front of a mansion that seemed to grow organically from the dark woods surrounding it.
"Get out," Maximilian ordered, yanking me from the car.
He dragged me through the house and down a hidden staircase, his grip bruising on my arm. The temperature dropped with each descending step until we reached a heavy metal door.
"Max, don't do this," I pleaded as he pushed me inside.
The room beyond was small and bare, with silver-lined walls that made my skin crawl. A narrow cot and a bucket were the only furnishings.
"You'll stay here until you remember who you belong to," Maximilian said, his voice eerily calm now. "Until you forget his scent."
The door slammed shut behind him, and I heard the lock click into place.
I sank to my knees on the freezing floor, the silver in the walls already burning my skin. In the silence, I could hear my own ragged breathing and the distant sound of Maximilian's footsteps as he walked away, leaving me alone in my silver prison.
