Sold to the Alpha With Silver Eyes

Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

*Eden*

“Where is she?” Alpha Jerome roars, the pack house door slamming into the wall in the foyer. The floorboards rumbling beneath his angry steps as my back stiffens. It's a habit now, my muscles readying for the beating I will get for something I did or something I didn’t do.

I can feel it in the way the air shifts as he stomps into the kitchen, the warm air growing colder as he approaches behind me. I shrink under his touch, the way he slips his old wrinkled fingers into my hair, gripping for dear life.

“I-i’m s-sorry,” I rush out stumbling over the words, a gasp of pain breaking from my lips as he yanks hard, throwing my head back.

He presses his disgusting stubbled cheek up against mine and my eyes slide closed, tears already working their way out. My skin crawls and my nerves scream for me to squirm away, but it will only make things ten times worse, he feeds off my resistance.

The last time I tried to protect myself It took three weeks for those injuries to heal. Even if my body shakes and the tears stream down my cheeks If I want to survive this beating I have to remain as still as I can. So I force myself to submit to him, as I always do.

“Did you think it would be funny?” He grits out, spit leaving his lips and hitting my cheeks, as I wince and try to look away. “Or are you just that brain dead? No wonder your family left you behind. They were weak and useless just like you but at least they knew when to drop dead weight.”

A pang of anger hits me in the heart, his words causing more pain than his tightening grip on my head. Every cell in my body screams to stand up and defend my family’s name, but the hollow in me reminds me there is no point. They are long gone and I am here, suffering because of them.

“Oooh, what’d the bitch do this time?” Luna Patrice coos, a giddy grin on her lips as she saunters in and helps herself to the bowl of oranges on the counter. Her slender frame slinks around toward the sink and she halts, only long enough to drink in the scene before her.

“She replaced my shampoo with bleach!” He grinds out. “Can’t you smell it?”

“Alpha Jerome, I swear it wasn’t me,” I force out as he tugs harder, my hands flying up as I whimper and try to grab his hand to provide my scalp some relief.

“Liar.” He hisses before he shoves me hard into the counter.

My hips crash into the granite countertop, my head hammering into the wooden cupboard door, the wood splintering with ease and Luna Patrice gasps in shock. Stars dot my vision as I try to catch my breath, my hip bones already bruised as I slam my hand to my forehead, feeling the warmth of blood.

“Baby! I just had those redone,” she whines, rushing over as she shoves me aside to inspect the damage. I stumble away, my back resting on the side of the fridge as I gulp down air, trying to brace myself for whatever comes next.

“I will replace them,” he whispers fake sweet words to her, as he reaches out and grabs hold of me again.

I whimper and try to slip away, my skull on fire as it feels it is being ripped from my skin. A gut wrenching smile slips up at the corner of his lips when he sees the reaction he gets from me.

“How about we just replace her?” She mutters before she scoffs and looks me up and down, like I am dirt beneath her. “Just looking at her standing there so pathetic makes me want to gag.”

“Can’t do that and you know it. Her being here is a personal favor.” Alpha Jerome reminds her and she groans in annoyance.

“Well, beat her outside, so you stop ruining my house.” Patrice whines, her voice high pitched and a pout on her red lacquered lips.

“Fine,” Jerome says, his voice dropping a notch as he narrows his eyes at me.

“Keith!” Patrice shrieks out and a second later their demon spawn comes flying into the kitchen, a wide grin on his face.

“Dad, notice anything funny about your shampoo this morning?” Keith, their teenage son asks, cackling uncontrollably.

“It was you?” He growls out in anger, before breaking into a smile. “You little shit, you remind me of your ma, always playing tricks on me.”

“Please let me go now?” I whisper, attempting to anticipate his every movement to avoid more tension on my hair.

Patrice lets out a roar of laughter and Alpha Jerome tosses me aside with the flick of his wrist. I fly across the counter, slipping off the otherside, I barely get my arm out in time to stop my face from hitting the floor first. My thin wrist buckles under my weight as I roll to the side and it cracks and pain rushes up my arm like a dry sponge hitting water.

There isn’t a second for me to even register the pain before the pack alarm sounds and plunges the kitchen into silence. Patrice looks at Jerome who stands still as a statue before a second alarm blares signalling an attack.

“Oh shit, oh shit!” Patrice breathes out rushing around, uselessly running back and forth as she dry heaves. Keith takes off, the coward he is, immediately leaving his parents behind, not even shouting a goodbye as Jerome stands still frozen in shock.

“Jerome!” Patrice cries, “Jerome, what do we do?”

I force myself to stand, cradling my arm as I prepare to run. This may be the only way out of this fucking hell hole, with this pack having zero warriors with any abilities and no training there is no way it will survive this attack. I can finally disappear into the void between humans and wolves and just merely exist.

“Run!” Jerome screams, fear in his eyes as he rushes toward Patrice and grabs her. I move to rush past them out the only exit but Jerome whips around and shoves me hard at my shoulders forcing me back and onto my ass with a clanging of my teeth. “Not you. No you, I demand you stay and protect this place. That is an Alpha’s order!”

Then he leaves me in the silence of the house. Only my erratic heart beats and loud sharp inhales to keep me company as the door splinters apart and rogues saunter in moments later. The leader gives me a look of surprise before it turns into an evil grin.

“Well then, Alpha left us a little offering, did he?” He straightens up a little, rolling his shoulders before he tilts his head. “Look for other stowaways.”

My feet feel heavy as I try to convince myself to do anything but stand here. I could run, hide, scream, something, if only I weren’t alpha ordered to stay here. My brain is working too fast, coming up with too many scenarios and potential outcomes that I am frozen, unable to think of a work around.

Each step he takes toward me spells out my doom as my heart pounds in my ears, drowning out the screams and pleas for help that cry out from afar. Fuck Jerome and his stupid fucking alpha order.

“You docile?” The man asks, stepping up closer as I open my mouth to speak, but only a croak comes out and I try to swallow the lump in my throat. I shake my head no and he smirks. His hand reaching out and tugging at a loose strand of my hair.

“Don’t touch me.” I force myself to say with little conviction. He raises a fluffy black brow, amused by the weak attempt to protect myself. But words are all I have the strength for right now. Alpha Jerome made damn sure of that.

He lunges toward me, forcing me to scramble back on my butt as I press into the wall. The asshole sniffs around me, his hand finding my throat as I try to slap it away and then grip his wrist scratching at it like a feral kitten. He slaps me and pushes my neck to the side. The sting and shock of the action render me still as he moves to the other side of my neck before he laughs happily.

“Unmated, young and a sight prettier than most young she wolves I see these days and you reek of Beta blood. You are going to bring me a pretty penny.”

“What?” I hiss, my legs flailing out as I try to kick at him even if it is a sad attempt. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Are you thinking about the A-Line for her?” Another man asks, stepping out of the shadows.

“Oh no, no, this one goes to the underground.” The original guy says, stepping back as he releases me. I curl up, tucking my knees to my chin as I hug myself and try to hold myself up, my wrist still aching from Jerome.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I bite out and he ignores me, speaking with his buddy as he inspects his arm where I scratched him up.

“We start her bidding at $100k.” He tells his friend, who looks shocked.

“That’s a little high for a breeder, don’t you think?” he hisses, looking over at me and my blood stops. My heart seizes as silence takes over everything and I hyperventilate, leaning forward in search of air, my hand pounding my chest, forcing my lungs to work.

“B-breeder?” I choke out, and they look down at me.

“Don’t look so sad. You are safe from us with this title. Otherwise, I’d be making you my personal little slave.” The original one grins.

A shiver runs over my spine, a vice grip around my aura lifting as I feel freedom as if it is within my reach. There has been a change in command. My alpha is either dead or has disowned the pack meaning I am in control of my own actions now.

“Over my dead body!” I roar, jumping up as I shove into them.

They tumble to the side only a few steps as I sprint for my life. There is no way in hell I will allow them to sell me to be someone’s breeder. I refuse to be used for sex and birthing a child for someone who doesn’t love or respect me, and owning someone is not respecting or loving that person.

I can hear the men cackling as they close in behind me and I curse this fucking hell I was banished to. From a trained warrior and beta’s daughter to a maid in servitude for something I wasn’t a part of.

But all that time with no food, absolutely no time for training. I have fallen into the role of the very weak damsel in distress I have always hated in the books and movies.

I would rather die fighting a useless fight than live as a sex slave to some asshole who buys me because I’m pretty. So I dig into my reserves of energy from my meal three days ago and force my scrawny legs to move.

There is a ledge up ahead. I can see it. Hell, I can taste it. The salty air warns me of the raging ocean below and I inhale deep, breathing the freedom I am mere steps away from. I can do this, just a little bit further…

“Ugggh!” I grunt out, a hard object hammering into me from the side as we crash to the ground and I roll, trying to slip out of grip. Hands reach for my ankles, dragging me on my belly toward them, rocks slicing my flesh as I grit my teeth and refuse to let him win. My feet kick back hard, cracking against something that gives way.

“Fucking bitch!” I hear them roar in a muffled voice.

It gives me a spark of hope as I steal the moment, my mind focusing as I scramble away, trying to find my footing. When I look up, my heart drops, my stomach turning sour as a slender but tall frame steps out in front of me.

My hands fly up in defense, my body working on pure adrenaline and instinct now as my fist connects with the woman’s face. But I’m weak and she only smiles at my attempt before arms wrap around me from behind and I am held in place.

“Let me go, you assholes!” I scream, my throat raw and painful, but no one cares about my pleas.

“You hit me, I hit you,” she says, showing her rotting teeth in a crooked smile before she throws her brass knuckle covered fist into my face. Pain explodes through my cheek and eye socket. Burst of red taking over my vision as blood pours from my nose and down the searing cut on my cheek.

“Not her face, Ruby!” A roar comes from behind me.

“Sorry, Bossman.” She mumbles.

Then she lifts my chin, but I can’t manage a good look at her as my vision is already spotty and fading. Then she strikes the left side of my ribcage and I vomit from the intensity of the hit. The bitterness of it burns my throat as I moan and gasp for breath as she hits me again and again.

Ruby seems to cackle, loving every second of my pain and suffering before the voice grows closer.

“You better hope like fucking hell her face heals fast, Ruby, otherwise I will make you look like her and sell your ass instead.”

“Why is she so special?” The woman spits out as my vision fades in and out, the exhaustion and pain winning out over my mental strength.

“She’s the highlight in our underground auction tonight.” The man from before says, his feet coming into my line of sight just before the world goes dark.

Chapter 2:

“Here is how this works.” Ruby says pacing up and down the line of ten of us standing wet and naked, handing out a tiny piece of fabric. “I am giving you all a dress to put on. You will put it on, and you will do it quickly without fussing.”

“And if we say no?” the woman next to me asks, bruises lining her face and neck as she scowls at Ruby, refusing to take the scrap of cloth.

“I advise you to remove that word from your dictionary if you want an easy life where you are going. You are all being given an opportunity here. If you blow it, you just go to the regular auction, the one where the bidders are full of booze, angrier and, well…hornier.” She walks closer to the woman, her nose an inch away as her lip twitches in annoyance.

“No.” The woman says, her face unflinching and Ruby grins.

“Woman to woman, you have made a terrible mistake and dug your own grave. But as a rogue who enjoys violence, I beg you to say it once more so I can verify it’s what you want and then beat your ass before sending you off to be used in every awful way you can imagine.”

My heart races as I reach out with shaky hands and I grab the woman’s hand, begging her with a soft squeeze to make her change her mind. She doesn’t pull away from me, but she doesn’t acknowledge me either. Instead, she looks away and clenches her jaw.

“Fine. I will wear it.” She grinds out. Ruby takes two steps back and I can see disappointment flash in her eyes before she shakes her head and continues with her spiel, handing me my dress before walking off to the others.

“We will get out of this.” I tell her, but she scoffs quietly.

“Keep telling yourself that.” She whispers. “You have the blood of a beta. Someone will come for you. Be it your father or alpha and pack.”

I drop my gaze to the wet ground, forcing the tears to stay away as I clear my throat.

“There is no one left to come for me.” I mutter, squaring my shoulders and gripping the dress in my hand. “They died and left me in this hell.”

She looks at me curiously before she exhales and we both slip into the sheer white dresses they gave us. I find myself self conscious for the first time in my life. My stomach aches and I wrap my arm over it to suppress the sound of my belly rumbling for food. No one utters a word, everyone just waiting in silence now as Ruby takes off to see when we are needed.

“My name is Eden,” I tell the woman, who licks her lip and looks away, ignoring me. “Not trying to be your friend. Just want someone to know my name in case I die.” I tell her truthfully.

I can see her visibly tense up before she exhales sharply.

“Leoni.” She says as she drops her head, looking at her bare feet. “I won’t let you die, Eden. Okay? I promise.”

Her promise is feeble, one that I know will be broken, but the fact she is trying to comfort me brings me a little peace.

“I’m glad you didn’t let her beat you.” I whisper, and she nods.

“We will be beaten down one way or another, Eden. Don’t let their flowery words fool you. We are being sold for our bodies. They want what is left in us obedient and too broken to care.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek, my entire body shivering even though I don’t feel cold. Out of all the ways I expected to die or end up, this was never even a thought.

“Heavens, what did I ever do to upset you?” I murmur to myself, looking up to where the sky should be. “Am I still answering for my family’s mistakes?”

Silence encases us, all of us resigned to our fate, knowing that right now there is no way out. But that doesn’t mean I won’t spend every damn day of this life trying. If they want me to breed a healthy child, then they need me to be healthy and strong as well. And the second I am that, I will die trying to escape.

Ruby comes back and quietly grabs woman after woman, each one reacting differently. Some of them sob and scream, while others already look broken and soulless. Leoni and two others stand with me, all of us feeling the rising tension as we wait for our turn.

When the door opens this time, Ruby saunters in with a sick grin and then she grabs me. Leoni reaches out, her hand gripping my forearm as I look at her, tears in my eyes before she gives me an encouraging nod.

I bite my lip, trapping it between my teeth as I am escorted into a dark alley and then through a massive red metal door that slides away, revealing a room stuffed to the gills with men.

My feet feel heavy as Ruby drags me in further by my arms. It feels like I am suffocating in laughter and sex crazed energy as my chest pumps up and down try breath. If I could smell, I know it would smell of filth and stale alcohol. That’s the type of environment these creeps and creatures breed.

As I look around the dimly lit room, I realize I recognize a few alphas from packs I had visited years ago with my father and others I know only by picture. My chin quivers as I fight back the sob brewing within me.

How deep does this illegal market go? Is no place safe from this awful trade? The king decreed these types of sales illegal over thirty years ago. And yet…so many people with titles and names sit in the crowd. People my old pack trusted, packs we considered allies.

“This one is not only unmarked, but while she was passed out, our very own doctor verified her purity.” The auctioneer proclaims with excitement, startling me as I snap my head in his direction.

My blood runs cold at his words, horror and the feeling filth dripping over my nearly naked body washes over me as a tear slips down my discolored, bruised cheek. My arms instinctively try to cover my body while the room grows quiet, interested eyes searing as they seem to lean closer, the room feeling smaller and smaller.

“The starting bid for her is 100 thousand.” He announces, and the room erupts in anger. “Now, now! If you do not think she is worth it, you need not bid, hmm? But let me tell you a little more about her. What you can not see from where you are is her piercing hazel eyes, with tiny soft freckles over soft olive skin.”

“She is too skinny! 25 thousand!” Someone shouts and others laugh.

“How will she survive child birthing?”

“And what about our drunken needs when we are trying to get her pregnant? Can her hips stand that?”

The men heckle and laugh, slapping each other on the back at my expense, and my cheeks grow red with anger.

“I am barren.” I shout, “So there will be no birthing you a child.”

It’s a lie, I think, but it’s all I have as the auctioneer laughs.

“Oh, you stupid girl, you are so, so naïve. Why else do you think we have a doctor to check you over?” he whispers. “Your ability to breed is guaranteed by this auction.”

Everything grows hazy, my body swaying as I try to remain standing and not pass out. It’s just hunger. I try to convince myself, but I know it’s the violation of me and my body that has me feeling like giving up on life. The fact I had no idea, the fact I am up here, it’s not some bad dream, it’s my reality, and it’s awful.

“She is of beta blood. The first higher ranking woman we have come across that is unwanted, and thus actionable. Plus, with her purity intact? If she bears you a son, he could go for a title in the kingdom.” He says as if it is some prize.

Everyone grows quiet before silent murmuring begins, and the auctioneer points out into the sea of men.

“Sir, is your paddle up?” He asks.

“101 thousand.” The man replies, waving his paddle before another flies up and another. Numbers start flying, men cursing at each other and others begging for a chance to buy my body. I watch in horror as no one seems to give a damn about what they are doing, what they are partaking in.

“250 thousand, in cash.” A voice breaks through the room. Mouths fall open as the man belonging to the voice pushes his way through the crowd, a bag full of cash in hand and held high.

“Well, that is quite the jump,” the auctioneer snickers.

“Is that a no?” He asks, stopping in his tracks. His black hood hiding his face as he tilts his head to the side, waiting for the answer.

“Uh, no! Sold! Sold for 250 thousand to uh…” he pauses and looks at the man. “What is your name?”

“Is that important with this amount of cash?” he asks as he turns his full attention on me and I freeze, caught in the gaze of his unique colored eyes. Then he places his gloved hand out for me to take, a strange gesture for a man who bought my virtue.

“I do not bite,” he whispers for me as I swallow roughly and walk toward him, choosing to refuse his hand.

“Right, I suppose a name doesn’t matter at that price point, but I need something to put on the ticket.” he says as my purchaser leads me away from the stage, his large frame hiding me in his shadow from the gaping eyes and grabby hands. “Uh, I guess. Sold To the alpha with silver eyes, it is.”

Chapter 3:

Chapter 3:

*Dev*

By the time we make it to the door, the poor girl is shaking under my arm, her eyes directly on the ground as she moves with ease next to me. To her I must seem like a monster, some asshole coming to do to her what all these bastards have, humiliate her. What kind of man buys a woman to carry his child when he has a mate?

“Ah, you are the lucky bastard who got this one, huh?” The ring leader of this whole auction says, beaming with a cheeky grin.

“Paying a fair sum for her.” I say, sounding bored. “Wouldn’t call it luck when it’s bought and paid for.”

He laughs, throwing his head back and for a moment I imagine dragging my lycan claw over his exposed throat and watching him bleed out at my feet. But I am here for a reason. We need to buy more time, so I need to play the part, even if it makes me feel sick to my stomach.

“You seem disappointed with your purchase. Is she uglier than you expected up close?” he asks, reaching out and lifting the girl’s chin. I watch as her jaw clenches and her eyes stay downcast as before.

“She is fine,” I grind out. “Your establishment is much less…pretentious than I expected. I don’t like large audiences or people trying to infer who I am and where I am from.”

His smile falters and I take pride in making him angry.

“I apologize if you felt that way. Perhaps, once you take her for a few spins, you will see the quality of our product and not the failings of our audience…hmmm?”

A shiver runs up my spine, fueling a deep-seated rage in my chest as I force a smile and nod. Hating the asshole, I have to be in order to fool this guy and his cronies.

“Yes, perhaps I am a little pent up and need a decent release.” I conjure the words up, hating them and the way the girl seems to flinch away from me. If only I could tell her how much of an asshole I am not. Okay, well, maybe I am one, but not this kind of asshole.

“Right well, let’s get the paperwork moving and then I can take you to a room to sample the product if you will, verify anything you wish to check.”

–Are you guys in place yet?-- I say through the mind link to my team, looking for the good news that they finally caught up to me. Pretending to be this sick much longer may make me vomit.

–Not quite, just need you to buy us five minutes. Dev–Hastings shoots back and I scoff out loud.

–Leoni may not have five minutes, so get your asses in gear–I hiss through the mind link before looking up at the guy who watches me curiously.

“Something wrong with what I said?” The man asks.

“Yes, actually. Sample the product, after I pay for her and she is mine? Shouldn’t I be sampling her first?” I bite the words out, feeling the way she tries to squirm some distance between us, but I yank her close, my hand falling to her bony waist as she shakes in my arm.

“Sorry, paperwork first, THEN, sampling. She is a virgin. Once you sample her, the goods are bad and her value drops. There is no return for this one.” He says firmly, his shoulders rolling back to intimidate me.

The last thing I need now is to fight this guy and then try to escape and free these girls on my own with no help. Fuck me, why did I have to run so damn fast?

“I see, then let’s get a move on.”

He leads us into a makeshift office, handing paperwork to me, but no pen. Then he opens a small box, exposing a cushion of pins as he reaches out and grabs the girl’s hand.

“Woah, hey, what are you doing?” I ask, reaching out to free the girl.

“This is part of the process, we are just signing the contract.”

She fights him feebly before he wins and presses her thumb to it and them onto the paper. He does this several times, stamping a new paper each time until he releases her and hands them to me.

“With blood?” I scoff, lifting a brow in question.

“Yes, and your blood will now bind this pact. You just do what she did and place your thumb print over hers.”

“Forgive me for being untrusting here, but this is an illegal auction, and you expect me to just willingly sign documents without knowing what they are?” I scoff, sitting back in the chair as I cross my arms over my chest. “Not a chance in hell.”

“The first document is me issuing her to you, the second is a seal of money being issued, as you paid in cash you will see the receipt only needs your blood and my signature. The reason I don't have you sign your name is for your own safety, sir.”

“I see,” I mutter, annoyed he is doing this the hard way. What is the point for pretenses when this auction is illegal and has been for so many years? Nothing makes this binding because she doesn’t consent and these documents aren’t real.

“And if she doesn’t deliver on her end or perhaps she isn’t living up to expectations, how do I sever this pact?” I ask, leaning forward as I lift the little pincushion and examine it.

He clears his throat and adjusts his cheap, fraying tie. Then he leans forward folding his hands together over his desk.

“Death, or her delivering you a child is the only way out of the pact. If you wish to keep your hands clean or perhaps you find your mate and she disapproves of this breeder, you may bring her back here and we will dispose of her for you.”

“Good,” I say, the lie a smooth as silk as I swallow the bile rising in my throat. These people are fucking sick and when I look over at the poor girl, she doesn’t even look scared by the threat of death, she almost looks like she would prefer it.

I prick my thumb on the pins, scanning the papers, quickly, not believing a damn thing that exits his shithole mouth before stamping it with my precious blood.

By the time I press my sore thumb on the last page, a shudder rolls through me and her as she gasps for air and I feel a constriction in my chest. Then, as if a breeze were whipping through the room, the air swirls around us and settles with a searing heat on my thumb.

“What was that?” I ask, looking up at him in shock.

“This auction may be illegal, but these documents legitmate. Done the right way, the way you both just did, it is truly binding. So you do not have to worry about anyone coming after you or trying to take her away.”

“And the documents, do they stay with you or come with me?” I ask him as he shoves them in a manilla envelope and seals it with a lick of his slimy tongue.

I want a closer look at them, verify the names and seal on it to see how legitimate they are. If they are real, then we have a much bigger problem than just illegal auctions.

“These are for you, should anyone try to claim you purchased her illegally at an auction. It is designed to look like she was willing, even if she isn’t” Then he stands and moves toward the door. “I will be right back after I prepare your room to try her out.”

The second he closes the door I am up on my feet pacing.

“Fuck, I really hate this prick” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose. What the hell did I just get myself into? I place my hands on my hips. “Fucking shit!”

“You could just let me go,” she whispers, her eyes on my face.

She is hauntingly beautiful. The ghost of a stunning woman she must have been before she was beaten and malnourished. As much as I would gladly free her, I can’t and I’m not sure I want to. My chest stirs strangely as I watch the hope slowly dim in her eyes. I frown, loathing myself and what I just accidentally did to her and myself.

“It is not as simple as letting you go.” I whisper, guilt and regret dripping in my words. .

–We are breeching now–Hastings says, finally hitting my mind link.

“Oh thank fuck,” I grumble, rushing to the door but freeze before I turn and look at the girl sitting there.

I wince, torn between leaving her or dragging her with me but when I see the fear on her face I rush over to her and tear off my black hoodie, wrapping it around her shoulders. “Things are about to get bloody. I suggest you hide, okay? I will come find you after and we can figure this out.”

“Wait!” she screams after me as I sprint out the door, leaving her behind.

The man in charge comes around the corner, his eyes growing wide as he runs into me. I rear back my fist and throw it into his face, his nose crunching beneath my strength as he drops to the ground and cries out in pain.

I drop to the ground, gripping his lapel as I yank him up and hammer his skull into the cement three times, ensuring he is at least brain damaged before I get up and rush back to where the auction is still being held.

The second I break through the door, the room is already in an uproar. Leoni, my undercover warrior, holds the auctioneer in the crook of her elbow, whispering in his ear before she snaps his neck and leaps off the stage at the first person she can find. Hastings and the others break in through a wall, grabbing everyone they can and making sure they can’t move.

A claw swipes past my face, narrowly missing me before I catch the wolf's meager paw and yank it back, exposing its side to me. I thrust my hand through its ribs, feeling them give way into a soft wet flesh of its insides before I drop it and transform into my lycan.

Moving to cut off the only remaining unguarded exit. Not a soul dares come my way as I stand two feet above even the tallest alpha in my form. Hastings closes in, moving those remaining toward the center, Leoni and a few other warriors doing the same for their exit.

A scream breaks through the silence, not a frightened scream but a feral one that comes from outside the room before rubbles flies in my direction, a large section of cement slamming me in the side and pinning me down, rebar slipping through my upper thigh as I roar in pain.

“GET OUT NOW!” a rogue yells loudly before everyone makes a break for the alternative exit.

The fading light of the sun pours into the hole, making the air hazy and near impossible to see as I shove the cement from my body with a grunt of effort. The metal slips from my thigh, but I push the pain away when I see a woman being dragged away by her long, deep brown hair.

I stumble over the broken wall in front of me, getting closer as my lycan retreats, leaving me in human form as it tries to speed up my healing. As I lean closer, the person dragging the woman cheers manically.

“HAHA!! The beta bitch is mine!”

My breeder screams, her body flailing as she tries like hell to fight a battle she won’t win. I try to walk over the shit on the ground to get to her, but crash and tumble down the broken bricks cursing as my warriors rush to my side, helping me up.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I roar, shoving them off, pointing at her as she grows further away. “Go after her!”

“But Alpha…” Hastings says looking at my leg as blood pours from it profusely. “You need this fixed, now.”

“I gave you an order, save her or don’t fucking come back!” I roar, shoving him away, but his hesitation infuriates me as I growl and break into a run. “Fuck it, I will do it myself.”

This girl is bound to me, stuck with me until we can figure out a way to break this unwanted breeder bond we have both found ourselves in. It is my duty to protect her, keep her safe, and that’s what I will do even if I bleed out trying to save her.

My leg wobbles beneath my weight as I pick up speed, gritting my teeth in order to force the pain from my mind. Each agonizing step draws me closer as her face becomes more clear for me to see, blood streaks her cheek and her right eyes is swollen and red. But when she sees me I see that spark come back, that little kindling of hope that I might actually be here to save her.

The fucker looks over his shoulder, a victorious grin on his lips until he sees my determined face and he falters, tripping over his feet. He stumbles, gathering himself before he grabs hold of her arm and yanks her along with more urgency.

I say nothing as I close in, my heart pumping my lycan stirring and wanting a chance to sink his teeth into this asshole regardless of the job it needs to do healing my leg.

“Ah shit, shit!” The rogue cusses to himself, his head swinging around as he cuts to the right rushing toward a ledge before he pauses and looks at me, lifting her up as if she were a sack of rice. “Want her? Go fucking get her dickhead!”

And he tosses her over the edge, I am only ten steps away as her body twists, her hair wrapping around her face as she falls from my sight. I can’t stop, no, I refuse to stop as I lurch forward, launching myself over the edge after her, praying to the heavens there is water beneath us.

Chapter 4:

White fabric rustles below me as try to control the speed of my descent, following her down. She twists and flips, her arms flailing and legs lifeless as if she has surrendered to her fate. My stomach drops as I approach her, my fingers stretching out in the darkness, hoping to get a grip on some part of her.

We collide with a grunt, her body bouncing off of mine as I panic and throw my hand out and find a hold on her, yanking her to me. Her frail body fights against me. Even in a deadfall, she fights, and it only makes me hold her that much tighter. She is so slender, her bones protruding as I drag my hand up her spine, cupping her head.

“Hang on to me,” I mutter to her. The sound of rushing water hits my ears and I exhale in relief. This is going to hurt like hell, but at least it isn’t certain death.

We have been falling for far too long for her to survive the hit on the water on her own. Werewolf or not, she is weak and already injured. I, however, can rely on my lycan. He comes forward, my bones creaking and breaking as they rearrange in a flash, the shift complete a mere moment before cold water rushes over us.

The bones in my legs quiver with the impact as it reverberates up my body and into my spine. I may not be able to move well in the morning, but we will both be alive. Or so I hope as I notice she doesn’t move against me, her body limp in the water as her hold on me releases.

I kick my legs, grunting under the water as it pushes and pulls me in many directions. The fight against the current is hard, but we break through the surface, sucking in air as I can feel her lungs fill. There is a sharp rattle in her chest as she breathes before breaking into a coughing fit, trying to break away from me.

My lycan retreats as I swim us to the river bank, her body dragging beneath mine as I crawl us both up onto the rock beach. She lays between my legs, her body shivering, and hands over her chest as she looks up at me, blinking as the moon makes its appearance from behind the clouds.

“Please, don’t.” She whimpers, her teeth clanking as she holds my hoodie tight to her body. She looks down, her cheeks flushing as she presses her head to the side, eyes squeezed closed.

My brows furrow and I look at her, confused until I realize I am naked, straddling her in a sheer dress that leaves nothing for the imagination. Which does absolutely nothing to help the current situation below my waist as I rush off of her and clear my throat.

“Shit, I apologize.” I mutter, feeling embarrassed even though I shouldn’t. “I wasn’t planning to do anything to you. Adrenaline can take many forms in men.”

“You should have let me die.” She mutters, pulling her legs to her as she cozies up to a rock right behind her. Long, lanky arms dripping wet as she wraps them around her shins as looks off into the distance, lost in thought.

“I just saved you, twice in one evening,” I joke, “And you would have rather died? All that and not even a thanks, just a depressing comment about letting you die instead.”

“I do not want to have your children.” She says firmly, her eyes meeting mine as I smirk at her.

“Good to know.” I nod, “Just so we are on the same page…I’m not exactly in the market for a breeder. Here I thought the whole thing was fake or illegal and now we are stu—” I pause, looking around twisting onto my hands and knees, sniffing the air before I rush over to her, shielding us both from view behind the rock she chose.

I look down, making sure she is okay, my nose brushing hers as she looks up at me and my throat constricts a huge lump forming as I try to swallow, but I am lost in her eyes and her face.

I hadn’t noticed the little scars dotting her face, five thin lines resembling burns over the bridge of her nose and high on her cheekbones. My fingers itch to touch them, to know how they feel as my hands lifts and my thumb ever so gently rubs over one.

Her eyes grow wide and she looks away quickly, leaving me staring at the side of her face before I look back up, trying to place the sound and scent I picked up moments ago. As I stare at the trees, my vision grows strange, one tree breaking off into three and rocks doubling quickly as I tumble back onto my ass with a grunt.

I blink repeatedly, trying to get my vision to clear as the woman gasps and moves into my sight.

“Lay back,” she whispers, her small hand pressing at my chest as I comply, loving the warmth of her palm.

“Thought you didn’t want my babies?” I tease her, but she ignores me, my hoodie flying from her body as she tears off a sleeve completely.

“Hey! That’s my favorite sweatshirt,” I growl, but she ignores me, her fingers groping at my upper thigh as I groan, hating how much I like where this is going. Until I feel something wet and pain explodes in my eyes, a tightness around my thigh just above my raging injury from the auction site.

“Unnnghh!” I groan, gritting my teeth together as I reach out, gripping her biceps and chuckling deep in my chest.

“I forgot to mention it might hurt,” she says, sounding meek and innocent, but I swear I can see the smug look on one of her three faces floating before me.

“You enjoyed that way too much.” I heave, hissing through my teeth as I try to calm my heart rate.

“Probably,” she says, looking away from me for a moment. I grip her arm tightly, knowing already she is going to make a run for it.

“Don’t even think about it. I dove off a cliff to save your ass. Don’t make me chase you down again.”

“You don’t have a right to own someone. I am a human, with rights and—”

“I know! And I didn’t buy you to have my kids.” I grit out, yanking her down over me. “I purchased you to buy time for my backup to arrive. You were the diversion. Don’t get all worked up thinking I actually wanted you.”

She grows quiet, looking around before she stands and walks around my back. Then she squats down, lifting me the best she can, thin arms slipping under my arm as she drags me. Or tries to drag me, anyway.

“Maybe you could help a little?” She whines.

I take three deep breaths before I use my other leg to help push my body along with her heaves until I find my back against the rock. And she plops down next to me, breathing heavily. We sit in silence for a moment, my ears on high alert as I listen for anything.

–Where the hell are you?-- Leoni shoots through the mind link, anger filling her voice.

–Over the cliff, landed in a river, probably floated several hundred yards down before getting us out–

There is a moment of silence before she comes back.

–Is she safe?--

–Who?--

–Eden. The girl you went after?-- Leoni asks. I swing my head over to look at the girl, her eyelids heavy as she tries to remain awake.

–She is with me, come get us–I tell her, shutting the link down for now.

“Eden.” I whisper and her long lashes flutter before she seems to focus and look over at me. “That is your name, right?”

She shrugs, and I let out a heavy sigh before I lift my elbow and nudge her side.

“Yes,” she whispers softly.

“I am Dev.” I say, offering her my hand to shake but regretting it the second my eyes sight grows distant again and I feel as if I am floating. “Woah…” I mumble to myself.

“You should save your energy so you can get out of here.”

“Oh, are you planning on leaving me for dead?” I ask her, a smug smile on my lips.

“I will wait with you until I know your bleeding has stopped.” She says, looking at her hands.

It is very clear she is conditioned to not look at anyone. Perhaps she has spent so long being treated like crap. Or maybe she has been with those auctioneers for a while, stuck as their animal, waiting to go to the slaughter.

“My warriors are coming. You can take off right now if you want.” I shrug and she moves away from me, tilting her head.

“I-I can?” she asks, her voice breaking in a way that makes my chest ache.

“As you said, it is not okay to own someone, and it’s not like I can do anything to stop you right now, but…” I pause, finding it harder and harder to stay focused as I grow tired by the minute.

“But what?” She asks me, the words rushing out and her eyes suddenly wide with interest.

“The document you were forced to sign is binding, and he will hunt you down,” Leoni says loudly, stepping around the rock. She kneels down next to Eden, who snaps her head in her direction, the two women looking at each other for a moment.

“You are okay? Nobody purchased you?” Eden asks, sounding happy for the first time, and Leoni smiles.

“What took you so long to find me?” I groan, trying to move myself to face them. She frowns at me.

“What took you so long to get to me?” She shoots back anger in her eyes.

“Take that shit up with the rest of the group. I was there for nearly ten minutes waiting for them, hell I was forced to buy them time.” I snort.

“You mean buy me.” Eden joins in and I furrow my brow.

“Now you have a lot to say?” I say. “Look, the point is I thought the documents were fake, okay? But since they aren’t, we are going to have to break the bond somehow.”

Leoni whistles low as she steps over, helping me up.

“That’s a lot of blood, Dev.” she says, concern all over her face.

“I’ll be fine.” I mutter as I stumble back onto the rock, moaning as nausea hits me hard and my stomach muscles tighten in preparation.

“Eden, get his other side,” Leoni says, but Eden remains unmoving.

“I-I think I need to leave now. It’s probably better that way.” She whispers guilt on her face before Leoni sighs heavily.

“No, I think you need to stay.” She says firmly.

Eden nibbles on her lip. An action I follow too closely, but I can’t look away.

“I just want to be free,” she finally says, her voice broken and her eyes filling with tears. “I don’t want to be beaten again, or used for sex or children.”

“Never,” I rasp out. “I would never, ever abuse you or use you for sex or to have my children.”

She looks sad but nods as she moves over to my side, slipping under my arm, her body slumping under my weight.

“I promise I will fix this,” I whisper to her, but she ignores me, focusing on the task before her.

“Dev doesn’t make promises he can’t keep,” Leoni offers. “You can trust him, and if you don’t and you run, we will find you.”

“Okay,” she gives in, her voice sounding small and defeated. “But can you get me some clothes before we get to the others? I don’t want anyone to see me like this,” she says as Leoni laughs.

“Hell yeah we can.”

Chapter 5:

*Eden*

I look down at the oversized shirt; the hem nearing my knees where a pair of loose fitting yoga pants bundle up. A frown tugs at my lips as I realize just how thin I have become over the last two years in that shit hole of a pack. Leoni was sweet enough to loan me the pants, and the shirt I assume came from one of the many massive men wandering around the campfire.

“You look…comfortable,” Dev says from behind me, making me jump. I whip around, blinking at him before I lift my arms and glance at my feet.

“It’s a little big,” I mutter, “But better than what I was wearing.”

“Agreed.” He says, his footsteps growing closer as I keep my eyes cast to the ground, where they belong unless I want a beating. “You are safe with us, Eden. You don’t have to be afraid to look at me.”

He sounds so sincere, and when I finally take a risk and look up at him, his eyes meet mine and my stomach settles for the first time since being freed. Well, loosely freed, clearly there are still some strings attached to me.

“Okay,” I mutter, still trying to reconcile my feelings about him.

He feels safe, like he is a bear, and I am his cub to protect. But a bear is still a bear, and danger lurks wherever they are, so I too must be cautious. Not to mention he owns me. My lips sneer at the thought. This guy promising protection purchased me like I was meat at the butchers. And a feeling of safety or not, that keeps trust at bay.

“Do you want to come over and try to eat something?” He asks, nodding in the direction of the fire. I shake my head no after thinking for a moment. The last thing I want is to get to know him. It makes it easier to hate him if I don’t know him. But my stomach betrays me as it grumbles and I wrap my arms around it, trying to silence it.

“Right,” he chuckles, reaching out to give me a hand. “Come get some food while it’s still warm.”

My lips press together, moving from side to side as I contemplate it. I want food, man I want food so damn desperately, but does this favor come at a price too?

“Eden!” Leoni shouts out, patting a spot in the grass next to her as she shovels food into her mouth. “Got you a spot next to me.”

I move in her direction, brushing past Dev’s outstretched hand. He shakes his head in disbelief, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, I hear him limping softly behind me and by the time I take my seat; he is offering me a plate of steaming hot food. It has been so long since I have had a warm meal, never being allowed to use the microwave and only allowed the scraps after they had gone cold and left unattended at the table.

The plate heats my cold fingers, and I sigh, relishing the warmth of it. My eyes fall closed and I move the plate closer, feeling the steam on my face, a smile making its way across my lips.

“Smell good?” Leoni asks through a mouthful of food.

“I assume so,” I offer her a smile as she tilts her head and her brows pull together.

“What does that mean?” She asks, lowering her plate and fork.

I shrug, switching the plate to one hand as I dig in with the fork in the other.

“I don’t have a sense of smell.”

“You don’t have a sense of smell…how? Were you born that way? Get punched in the nose?” Leoni asks, watching me like I am some oddity.

“I was injured a couple of years ago. It ruined my sense of smell.” I shrug, finally taking a bite of the gravy like meat and a swipe at what I learn is potatoes.

The food fills my mouth with a medley of flavors and my eyes water from the temperature as I shovel more in. My stomach growls and I find myself unable to be dainty about eating, feeling sauce dribbling down my lips and chin with no care in the world.

I eat quickly, near inhaling it as I try to control my chest that seems to move erratically until I finally finish and I look up, sensing eyes on me. My cheeks grow red with embarrassment and I turn to look at Leoni, feeling a sense of comfort in hiding by her. She reaches out and touches my cheek and I frown, my fingers swiping at my face, and I realize I am sobbing.

“Eden…” she mumbles.

“I am fine, I’m sorry.” I whisper, wiping my face on my arm and placing my plate to the side as I focus on the fire, trying to ignore the fact that I just devoured a meal while sobbing so quickly that I caught all of the attention of the men.

“Have some more,” Dev says, and I turn to see him sitting next to me, his injured leg out straight and bandaged heavily.

“No, no, I’m fine. I promise.” I mutter out, waving my hands to stop him from offering me more.

“What the hell are you doing over there now?” Someone groans, their voice filled with frustration.

“I’m eating?” Dev says, looking up at a man with disheveled blond hair and a scowl that could kill an army.

“Oh? Is that why my handiwork is already bleeding through?” He grits and points at his reddening bandage and Dev gives me a sly smirk.

“I was being a gracious host.” He shrugs.

“Well, how about you be a good leader and do what you are told so you don’t die on us? You may be a ly–”

“Alpha,” Dev cuts him off. “I may be an alpha, but yes, I know I still need time to heal. Fine, Topher, I will stay still now, happy?”

The man he called Topher narrows his eyes and watches him carefully before storming off in a huff.

“That is Topher. He is the healer with our group.” Dev says, turning to me like I asked. Then he leans over and nods toward Leoni. “You have met Leoni. She is one of my top warriors.”

“One of them?” She scoffs, “Try THE top warrior. Who else would allow themselves to be taken and sold as a damn breeder for the cause, hmmm?”

The men across the fire break into a laugh, one of them shaking his head.

“I lack the parts required to be sold in this auction, Leoni. Let’s not pretend you were picked merely based on skill set.” He says and she grins.

“That douche bucket is Hastings.” She introduces him, and he fakes a bow, before she leans over close to my ear. “He talks a big game, but he is a big softy and Dev’s best friend.”

“And your mate,” Hastings says from across the fire, arching a brow as Leoni smiles prettily at him.

“And yet you sit so far away.” She taunts, and he rolls his eyes.

“You sent me away so our guest could have my seat.”

“And yet Dev made his way closer to us with an injured leg. If you wanted to be over here, you would be.” She shrugs, very clearly playing the hard to get game.

“This is an every night occurrence. No one else here is mated, so they like to remain distant until they go to bed,” Dev whispers, leaning close.

I say nothing just, soaking it all in and letting my stomach settle as it twists with all the food now inside of it. I can feel Dev watching me closely, so I fiddle with my fingers, trying to make myself comfortable in a group of strangers.

“What about you? Do you have a mate we should be finding?” Dev finally asks me and I snap my eyes in his direction. My chest throbs, my throat closing up. I have never talked about my mate before, never having anyone to talk to about it. No friends, no kind words from anyone since the fire that ruined my life.

“Uh,” I rasp out, clearing my throat quietly. “Is there somewhere safe where I can sleep?”

My words are soft as I try to push the unresolved ache in my chest away from when my mate, whom I never saw or scented, rejected me. The very same day I lost my entire family, I had what was left of my heart and soul ripped from me and crushed with three horrible words.

“Oh, come on, you really don’t have a mate Have you at least found him yet?” Dev presses and I abruptly stand, the plate clattering as I kick it and I try to lean down to grab it.

He has the same idea as he leans forward, our heads slamming together as I let out a yelp and shoot back up, hand on my head. My foot moves forward, looking for stability as my vision comes back from red, only to have me witnessing the world spinning around me.

I slam into a hard body, arms wrapping around me as someone grunts, and I hear the air leave their lungs. Yet again I feel a flush come over me as I try to push myself up, my hands landing on the most muscular chest I could have ever imagined and I glance down into an amused set of silver eyes, a dimple in his cheeks as he smiles smugly and a soft laugh ripples through his chest.

“You are a mess,” He whispers, his hand reaching out and tucking loose hair behind my ear. His words aren’t harsh. Instead, it is almost like he is somehow complimenting me with slanderous terms and I find myself flustered, uncertain of how to respond.

After two heart beats I shove away from him, jumping up as fast as I can and taking three steps back. My hands nervously rub my pant legs and I look around, finding not a single person is paying attention to us other than Leoni and Hastings.

“Leoni, take her to her tent. I think she needs some space and time to process everything.” Dev says, wincing as he pushes himself back up to the log he was set on.

I don’t miss the way his eyes linger on mine, the two of us once again caught in some invisible field that confuses me. When Leoni calls my name, I break eye contact and rush away, trying to tell myself it has everything to do with not having man be nice to me in years and not a strange feeling in my chest that makes it seem like I somehow know him.