Chapter 4 LEAVE ONLY ONE ALIVE

AVA'S POV

Alpha Axel's eyes swept over all the slave traders, stopping on the leader of the slave traders. He twisted his neck slightly, his back straightening, but with each of his every actio

ns, it only served to make them more nervous and scared.

I couldn't fault them at all, I would have been scared myself. This Alpha had a really dangerous aura, it was extremely noticeable as soon as he stalked out of the forest to the position he was at the moment.

"Alpha Axel!" one of the slave traders whispered, it wasn't so loud anyways but with the silence that pervaded the whole surrounding, everyone heard it clearly.

'You mean you're just realizing that just now? Dimwits!' I thought angrily in my head.

All the slave traders were already retreating subtly but indeed noticeably, the protective circle around me had gotten smaller and stuffier.

Even the leader of the slave traders was in a state of panic, his legs shaking almost uncontrollably. I reckoned he must have difficulty swallowing even his saliva with the way he was shivering.

"Do Not Make Me Repeat My Question," Alpha Axel said again, punctuating his every word, his gaze locked on one person, the leader of slave traders.

"A-A-Alpha, she... we were chasing a runaway slave," his voice trembling as he explained, pointing at me.

"I can't believe this guy," I thought to myself, lost in my own thoughts. "He's such a coward, trying to make it look like I ran away from them. Technically, I did run away, but not from them. That should suffice enough to prove they're lying, right?"

But my thoughts were interrupted when one of the slave traders grabbed my hands that were still bound together, revealing the slave mark on my hand. "Goddess!" I seethed, my anger and humiliation boiling over. "This mark of shame and slavery! If I ever get out of this alive, I'll make them pay for this embarrassment."

But it was easier said than done. I was still trying to decide who I was angrier at more, Myself, for not seeing through Rowan's plan, Rowan, for killing me and thereby putting my into such a messy situation and even making sure I was reduced to this pathetic low life wolfless omega, or these Slavers who sealed my embarrassment with the slave mark.

Alpha Axel stalked towards them slowly, with a predatory pace, his cold eyes scanning each of them as if searching for an excuse to unleash fury on them.

He breached the remnants of the protective circle, his towering frame looming over me as he bent low, his hands stretching forward, sweeping my hair out of the way to see my battered face. His gaze bore into me, his eyes piercing and cold, before his lazy voice drawled out in an indifferent tone.

"Is she dead?"

For a second or two, silence pervaded the surroundings. Then, as if suddenly realizing that Alpha Axel was a potential buyer, the leader of the slave traders regained his previous courage, which had disappeared when Alpha Axel came out of the woods with his combat team of elite wolves.

"No, not at all, Alpha," he said. "She is young-blooded and can't die so easily. She was only a bit stubborn and feisty, so we had to discipline her a bit. You know how they are. Look!" He came closer to me, pulling some of my hair out of my face as he continued, "She is also chubby, with plenty of blood - perfect for a blood slave."

Alpha Axel hummed in response, not saying any more words. Though I couldn't open my eyes to see him, I could feel his piercing gaze on me. Then, to my dismay, he finally spoke up, his deep voice firm and commanding. "I'll buy her!" he declared, his words echoing through the clearing.

My face burned with embarrassment and shame. The thought of being purchased like a piece of property by an ex-lover I had previously broken up with, was humiliating.

'I mean, what other reduction was there that was worse than what I have been reduced to?' I thought angrily, the anger making it almost difficult to breathe.

It didn't take long to remember that, though I was still the same Ava, the Vampire Queen on the inside, I was Ava, the wolfless omega and blood slave, on the outside. As disgusting as it made me feel, I was somewhat relieved that, at least, my face wasn't recognizable; it would be worse if he knew I was his ex.

Not surprising, the slave traders, on the other hand, were overjoyed beyond bounds, nodding their heads like mentally deranged patients.

They hadn't expected to sell me so quickly; it was a huge gain on their side. They wouldn't have to spend any money on me, yet they would make a handsome profit from selling me to Alpha Axel. There seemed to be no downside in this business deal.

"Untie her!" Alpha Axel commanded, his tone icy, not even sparing me another glance, as he straightened up and walked back to his initial position.

The leader of the slave traders signaled to two men, and they immediately came to start untying me. Considering how rough they had handled me, I reckoned I must look ragged and dirty.

When they were done, they made me stand up, and Alpha Axel took a step or two forward, a little distance away from me, looking down at me. As a Queen previously, I had grown accustomed to holding my head up, so out of habit, I held my head up, meeting his gaze, trying to squint my eyes open to see him properly.

He didn't say a word to me; he just tossed a check towards the slavers, and the leader caught it, chuckling when he saw the amount.

"Come over here," Alpha Axel commanded, his gaze still fixed on me. Despite knowing I was unrecognizable, my hands, out of instinct, touched my face; my cheeks felt heavier from the bruises I had sustained earlier. For once, I was thankful that the moon goddess had made me appear different to suit the shithole of a life I was shoved into.

Quickly recovering myself, I stepped behind Alpha Axel. After all, this was a better hell hole than being with the slavers.

"Thank you, Alpha Axel," the leader of the slave traders said happily, as they picked up their bags and guns. "We will be on our way now." Alpha Axel merely stared at them, his expression unreadable.

As they turned to leave, they were confronted by a pack of fierce-looking wolves, their eyes blazing with a menacing intent. The leader of the slave traders swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly as he addressed Alpha Axel without totally turning his back, his grip on his dagger becoming stronger. "Alpha Axel, please grant us passage so we may leave in peace."

But I knew, in that moment, that Alpha Axel had no intention of letting them leave his territory alive. His response was laced with a sinister tone, his eyes darkening with an unnerving intensity. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? You should wait for the opening party - it promises to be... fun." The humorless smile that spread across his face sent a chill down my spine, and I knew they were all in grave danger.

Not like I cared much anyways, they hadn't done anything that made nice that endeared them to me, rather they had been the sole reason for my humiliation.

"We-we can't w-w-wait any longer, we have to go. P-please grant us passage," the leader of the slave traders stuttered, his voice filled with desperation as he tried to convince Alpha Axel to let them leave. He was growing increasingly uncomfortable as the time passed, his eyes dancing nervously between Alpha Axel and his men.

But the man who spoke up next was unfazed, his tone as indifferent as Alpha Axel's. "But you can't leave just yet. I mean someone has to witness the show, else who will tell the story?" He sneered, his dominance and control obvious, stamping it clear in the minds of the slavers, that they were at the mercy of these ruthless wolves.

This was Axel's best friend, Kaiden. Only he had the courage to speak without the Alpha's permission. Although he appeared more approachable than Axel, at this moment, to the slave traders, he was nothing but a reaper. His words made the slave traders' hope of escape plummet further.

The leader of the slave traders swallowed hard, his face pale, like that of a vampire, as if just realizing the full extent of their situation. They were trapped, and Alpha Axel had no intention of letting them go anytime soon. The air was thick with tension, and I could sense the slave traders' fear and desperation as they gripped tight unto their weapons.

"We could return the money if you want, you can have the girl all to yourself. You don't need to give us a dime," he said, stepping forward a bit as he threw the money at the feet of one of the guards, all in an effort to call a truce.

"That won't be necessary to say. I mean, that was the price for the girl, and we've paid it,"Kaiden said with a smirk, clearly enjoying the fear he could see in their faces because of his words. "If people were to find out that we bought a blood slave from you without paying, what do you think they would say about Alpha Axel? Don't you think it's worthy of ruining his reputation?"

"We won't tell anyone anything about this, not a single soul. Just grant us passage and we will leave the way we came," The leader of the slave traders said, his voice giving way to fear.

Before Kaiden could continue messing with them, Alpha Axel cut in, "That's enough Kaiden, there's just enough validity even if it's one person spreading the news."

The message behind Alpha Axel's statement was crystal clear: He wanted them dead. This only made my revenge several heads less; that didn't seem like a bad thing to say.

"What do you mean by this?" the leader of the slave traders asked, his voice trembling as his entire body shook with fear. But Alpha Axel ignored him, his body swiveling slowly as his attention became focused on me, his gaze unnerving and unreadable.

Suddenly, a warm hand grasped mine, and I winced in pain as the grip pressed into my bruised skin. The hand released mine as quickly as it had taken it, as if scalded by an iron. Alpha Axel's eyes flashed with rage, his teeth clenched in a snarl. "Leave only one alive!" he commanded, his voice cold and menacing.