hapter 3
SONIA’S POV
“That’s easy,” he replied without even turning around. “After you’re sold, and I hand you over to your owner, I’ll reject your then,” he said, confusing me even more. I waited until he had gone before I finally crumpled down in tears.
The next day came, and I was taken to an open square. It surprised me how many people had come for the auction. I couldn’t imagine that so many people were sick enough to want to buy another person, but I soon discovered I was not the only “item” up for sale.
Stolen properties, illegal potions, and even people’s wolves, extracted and trapped in some glass–like object, were up for sale.
“Wolf essence,” the man guarding me whispered when he saw me staring in disbelief as the bids rose for the glass–like objects. “You can’t really extract a person’s wolf, but when you take the wolf essence, the wolf dies, and the person becomes wolfless.”
“What is the essence used for? Why is it extracted?” I found myself asking, surprised that he had even started talking to me in the first place.
He shrugged. “It’s used to make very dangerous weapons.”
“And how is the wolf essence extracted?” I asked again, sure that no one would willingly give up their wolf.
He laughed. “Trust me, you don’t want to know, It’s the most singularly painful experience anyone can have.”
For some reason, his explanation filled me with fear and even more questions. Someone bid a huge sum, and the essence was given to the person. “Next,” the man in charge bellowed, and I turned to look up at him.
“We have a woman, not too strong since she’s an omega, but she is very beautiful. She wouldn’t be suitable for a breeder since she’d only birth you omega children, but you can keep her around as a plaything. Oh! She’s also Alpha Fenris’s daughter, so if you want, you can use her to get to her father
He was still talking, but I could not hear anything else he said. My eyes glazed over, and it seemed like everything was happening in slow motion. “She also Alpha Fenris’s daughter… The auctioneer’s words rang in my ears. They would auction me now. They would take me up to that podium and sell me off to the highest bidder. I wondered the kinds of men that would. bid on me, probably sleazy men who wanted to use me as a pleasure toy until they had their fill of me, and then they would discard me.
I felt strong hands grab me and push me to the middle of the field. I was carried and placed on top of a small, rotating podium.
“Thirty coins, the bid had begun.
I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself. My father would find me. He was Alpha Fenris, after all, the invincible, the powerful. He would not let his daughter get sold off at some illegal auction.
The bidding continued, with people reluctant to add coins to their initial bid. I noticed a particular man in the crowd was consistent in his bidding. He looked to be about twenty–something years old and of average height. He was the least threatening person in the crowd so far, and I suddenly wished that if the whole auctioning would go through, he would be the one to end up with me.
Everyone in the crowd looked large, powerful, and scary. I could only imagine what they planned to do with me.
“Forty–six coins,” a large man with a greasy–looking beard said, licking his lips, and I closed my eyes in revulsion.
“Alright, let’s put an end to this,” I heard the young man I was rooting for say. “A hundred and fifty coins, and that’s my Jast bid.” He got up then, as though he was ready to walk off if someone placed a higher bid. The entire field remained silent.
“A hundred and fifty, going, a hundred and fifty going, gone.” The man in charge of the auction said, and my eyes went immediately to the man who had bought me, but then the auctioneer’s next words sent a jolt of fear through me.
1/2
6:23 PM c c.
Chapter 3
“Sold to Jason, on behalf of Alpha Ramon.”
The entire field became deathly quiet. There was a tightness in my throat that made it impossible for me to breathe. My eyes scanned the crowd again to light on the man I now knew was called Jason. He had not been here on his own; he was here on behalf of Alpha Ramon of the Bloodmoon pack, my father’s worst enemy, and the Alpha of the same man who had kidnapped.
- me.
I suddenly realized I could not let them take me to the Bloodmoon pack. I was going to escape, or die trying
I jumped down from the podium, a bit clumsily since my hands and feet were bound, and I began jumping as fast as I could. I was moving into the crowd, hoping that once I mingled with the crowd, it would be difficult to find me. Maybe, then I’d have enough time to find a sharp object and free myself.
The man who had been standing in for Alpha Ramon made a beeline my way. Thinking fast. I snatched up a handful of coins from the auctioneer’s jar and threw them into the crowd. The people didn’t exactly start scrambling for it, but it caused enough of a ruckus to let me slip into the crowd undetected.
I slipped a dagger from someone’s pocket and cut the binding on my feet first, then, walking more swiftly, I pushed further into the crowd, then bent and cut open the binding on my hands.
It took me a while to cut it, and when I was done, I noticed two pairs of boots facing me. I looked up at the owner and found myself looking into the eyes of Jason, the man that had bought me on behalf of Alpha Ramon.
“Not very clever of you,” he said angrily, hauling me up to my feet. “You want a piece of advice from me? Don’t ever try this with Alpha Ramon. Yes, he is as ruthless as everyone says he is, and trust me, he hates your father. If you give him the slightest reason to take out the anger he feels for your father on you, trust me, he will, and his punishment techniques are so cruel, they are guaranteed to break you.”
I could only stare at him as he spoke. He had begun dragging me through the crowd toward a carriage. I dug in my heels, refusing to let him push me in, but he only hurt me further trying to put me in the carriage.
“You better let me go now,” I said, playing my last card. “If my father finds our you have me, he’ll not only kill your Alpha, but he’ll also destroy you in the worst way.”
Jason laughed. “What do you think was in your father’s message? He said he’s fond of you, that you’re a nice pet, and look a lot like your mother, but not important enough for him to risk his plans over. Alpha Fenris is not coming for you, so you’d do well to start thinking of ways you can please your new owner, Alpha Ramon,”
I blinked back the tears that threatened to overflow, and I was silent as he finally helped me into the carriage. He was lying, 1 told myself. My father had killed people in the past because of me, he loved me!
But deep down, I realized that it had not cost him much to kill those people. All it took was an order. To rescue me would take a whole lot more.
We traveled together for miles until we finally arrived in Bloodmoon. Some maids bathed me and dressed me in a long flowing gown. It was finally time for me to be brought to Alpha Ramon, my new owner.
I was brought into a very large council chamber that was occupied by only nine people – I counted. I didn’t know who any of them were, except the man who had kidnapped me from my garden several days ago was there, sitting on a throne–like seat at the center of the council chambers.
I was not prepared for the jolt 1 felt on seeing him again, but before I could analyze my feelings properly, he was already speaking.
“I, Alpha Ramon of the Bloodmoon pack, reject you, Sonia, as my mate. You would stay on, however, in this pack as my breeder.”
Nothing made sense anymore. The soldier was Alpha Ramon? Why then had he waited until I got to Bloodmoon to reject me? And why had he sold me out in an auction, only to buy me h
