Chapter 5 The auction

Shyla's P.O.V.

The eligible Luna of the Blood Moon Pack was right before me, growling furiously.

A guard injected concentrated wolfs-bane in her neck to subdue her. I had to cover my ears as her painful howls tended to shatter my eardrums.

She was sent to a separate room for preparation, so I mustered up some courage to inquire,

"We are omegas, slaves for higher shifters. But that's an Alpha wolf, why is she here?"

"That mutt?"

The duty guard scoffed, keenly observing our dresses and make up.

"She is demoted to the rank of omega by King Maddox. This auction is specially designed to sell her."

Phew!

An invisible weight lifted from my shoulders as the main limelight was directed towards someone else, but the emotional storm brewing inside me rendered me restless. The wounds of mortification were fresh in my soul, not to mention Ayleen's false accusation which endangered my life.

A wave of mean satisfaction washed over my existence, even the horrifying stories related to King Maddox's name didn't affect me.

"King Maddox? He is a monster. He eats human flesh for his power."

"He has massacred several packs in wars. He enjoys the suffering of others."

And so on...

King was coming here to buy Ayleen and not us, this was enough hope for me to look forward to the future.

...

A long glass ramp, red and white lights, a dark area for guests to hide their identities, the setting of the auction wasn't different from my time. It felt like the time reversed, and I was there to be sold again.

Alpha Raymond's dad had brought him to this market for fun as young slaves were present there, he stubbornly asked for me and didn't waver until the money wasn't paid. The man who promised to be my shield broke my heart in the worst way possible, even my hands were wounded while gathering the scattered pieces of my soul!

Anyway, the bright lights were focused on the stage and ramp to commence the auction, the middle-aged man aka keeper announced proudly.

"We present you the fresh pieces of our house, the girls worth every single penny. Keep your money ready for our masterpieces."

The keeper eyed his men for the youngest girl from the flock on stage. But Ayleen, dressed in red bikini, was brought out from inside and pushed forward,

"Fifty dollars for this slave!"

My hand flew to my mouth to stifle an involuntary gasp, this low rate wasn't even suitable for young male omegas. This was humiliating as well as insane, how could they do business if a strong she-wolf had such low prices?

However, the first buyer showed some sense and started with a reasonable amount,

"One thousand dollars!"

The keeper's lips stretched in a mile wide smile, he encouraged others,

"That's what we call a master jeweler's eye. Anyone higher than one thousand dollars?"

This unleashed the competitive nature of buyers, they actively participated in this session.

"Fifteen hundred dollars."

"Two thousand dollars."

"Ten thousand dollars!"

A sudden jump in price shushed the excited audience, this must be the highest amount of money ever offered for a mere slave. I saluted that man for his daring and congratulated him too, as no one would waste plenty of money for this.

My high heels were killing me, and the revealing pink dress was uncomfortable, so I thanked that stupid for concluding this deal. However, it was just my idea that he was the only lunatic in this crowd, as another stern voice reverberated the surroundings.

"Twenty thousand dollars!"

A sliver of dread touched my spine, flipping my stomach with terror. There was something so different about that tone that I wasn't able to describe my feelings in words. The girl beside me jabbed her elbow in my rib cage, trembling with fear.

"King Maddox is here."

Fuck!

The commanding aura prevailing over the hall engulfed the surroundings in suffocating silence. Ayleen let out a pleading howl, as if she had sensed her impending doom.

"Thirty thousand dollars!"

Her plea was instantly responded to by a desperate voice, whose owner wasn't a stranger to me. I balled my fists to hear that ass wipe Alpha's tone, anger curled hot in my gut like a burning inferno, ready to burn me whole.

Alpha Raymond was there to save his fated Luna, what was I even expecting?

The pain of betrayal cut through my heart like the day of my Luna accession, my efforts of sewing those open wounds terribly failed by this occurrence. Despite my vows of never crying for that asshole, tears streamed down my cheeks, I mourned the day when everything was snatched from me in a single jerk.

The keeper uttered more words of encouragement to spice up the whole process and started finalizing this deal to grasp this hefty amount.

"Thirty thousand dollars, one. Thirty thousand dollars, two. And thirty thousand dollars..."

At that final moment, that commanding voice raised the bar high,

"Fifty thousand dollars!"

This initiated a battle between two filthy rich people, ready to waste their money on a whim. After cash, Alpha Raymond included his assets in his offer, which was countered well by lycan King.

He kept doubling every amount and at last, Raymond spoke impatiently,

"The entire land, business, and bank accounts of Blood Moon Pack."

So, he was ready to live on the streets to save his soulmate!

I chuckled inwardly on the twists of destiny, the person who was mighty enough to change my fate was helpless like a damsel in distress.

The sound of heavy footsteps resonated in the hall as lycan King ended the argument with one shot,

"Double the worth of this puny pack! This slave is mine to use!"

Everyone knelt on the floor to welcome him, baring their necks in submission. Only my feet were cemented to the floor, my body frozen at the sight of the enormous beast emerging from the darkness.

My breath stuck in my throat to see the 2.43-meter tall horrendous lycan, its midnight black fur made him look like the grim clouds of death. His shining golden eyes were fixed at Ayleen, their murderous glint mirrored the euphoria of a hunter after catching his prey.

With one big step, he lunged at Ayleen, who screamed at the top of his lungs,

"Ray! Please help me!"

She tried to scurry away from that lycan to safety, but he grabbed her arm, pulling her closer. I gulped a lump in my throat with great difficulty as Raymond also joined them on the stage.

"You can kill me if you want, King Maddox.

I am ready to be your slave for my whole life. But please, spare my mate's life."

Two lycan warriors arrested Raymond and tackled him to the ground, his wolf came to his assistance and shifted swiftly.

However, he was defeated by mighty shifters. With a ferocious roar, King Maddox tore away Ayleen's arm and threw it at Raymond's face, a fountain of blood erupted from her wound as her agonizing shrieks thumped my heart.

"No!"

Alpha Raymond squirmed against the hold and begged piteously, but the King yanked Ayleen's body parts and shredded her flesh, turning her into a mess of tendons and bones. He closed his eyes and howled triumphantly,

"Next time, stay within your limits before going against me."

King Maddox kicked Raymond away and moved towards us. His furious gaze fell at me, the only stupid person standing in the crowd.

I didn't know from where I borrowed courage that his dangerous stalking towards me failed to scare me. I stared back at him in a trance as he commanded, his authoritative tone put an end to this shit show,

"Send all these slaves to my Castle..."