Alpha Kane's Rejected Mate

Chapter 1: Sold to the Devil

"Fifty thousand dollars for the omega."

My blood turns to ice as Alpha Kane Morrison's cold voice echoes through the auction hall. Every wolf in the room turns to stare at me, their eyes hungry and predatory, but none as terrifying as the man who just bought me.

Kane Morrison. Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. The most ruthless, powerful, and devastatingly handsome wolf in the Northern Territories. And now, apparently, my new owner.

"Sold!" The auctioneer's gavel slams down, sealing my fate.

My stepfather Richard grins as he pockets the money the same man who promised my mother on her deathbed that he'd take care of me. Taking care of me, apparently, means selling me like cattle to pay off his gambling debts.

"Congratulations, Alpha Morrison," Richard says, practically bowing. "She's all yours. Untouched, just like you requested."

Untouched. The word makes me want to vomit. They're talking about my virginity like it's a selling point, like I'm some prize cow being traded.

Kane doesn't respond to Richard. Instead, his dark eyes lock onto mine across the crowded hall, and I feel the full force of his Alpha power slam into me. My knees nearly buckle from the intensity.

He's massive at least six-foot-five with shoulders that strain against his expensive black suit. Dark hair that looks like he runs his fingers through it, a jaw that could cut glass, and those eyes... God, those obsidian eyes that seem to see straight into my soul.

"Come here, little omega."

His voice is like honey poured over broken glass smooth but dangerous. Every instinct I have screams at me to run, but my feet move toward him anyway. Alpha command is impossible for an omega to resist.

"What's your name?" he asks when I reach him, his voice low enough that only I can hear it.

"Zara," I whisper, unable to look away from his face. Up close, he's even more devastating. Sharp cheekbones, full lips that look like sin, and a small scar through his left eyebrow that only makes him more attractive.

"Zara." The way he says my name makes heat pool low in my belly, and I hate myself for the reaction. "Do you know why I bought you?"

I shake my head, not trusting my voice.

"Because you're going to pay for what your pack did to mine." His hand shoots out and grabs my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Your former Alpha killed my mate three years ago. Shot her in the back like a coward while she was trying to protect pack children."

My breath catches. Luna Sarah Morrison had been a legend kind, powerful, beloved by everyone who knew her. When she died, Kane had gone on a killing spree that left half the Eastern Territories in ruins.

"I didn't—my pack didn't"

"Your pack harbored the shooter. Protected him. Lied to my face about his whereabouts." Kane's grip tightens. "So now, little omega, you're going to spend the rest of your life making amends for their sins."

"I was just a child when that happened!" The words burst out before I can stop them. "I had nothing to do with Luna Sarah's death!"

Something flickers in his eyes surprise, maybe, that I dared to talk back. "Irrelevant. You carry their scent. Their blood. That makes you guilty by association."

"That's not fair"

"Fair?" Kane laughs, but there's no humor in it. "Was it fair when my pregnant mate was murdered in cold blood? Was it fair when I held her dying body and felt our unborn pup's heartbeat fade away?"

The pain in his voice hits me like a physical blow. Suddenly his need for revenge makes sense, even if I'm the wrong target for it.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I say quietly. "But hurting me won't bring her back."

"No. But it might make me feel better." His thumb traces over my bottom lip, and I shiver despite myself. "And you're going to help me with that, aren't you, little omega?"

Before I can answer, he releases my chin and turns to address the crowd.

"Gentlemen, the auction is over. Anyone who has business with the Blood Moon Pack can contact my beta. Everyone else get out."

The room clears quickly. Nobody argues with Kane Morrison when he uses that tone.

When we're alone except for his security detail, Kane finally looks at me again.

"Strip."

The command hits me like a slap. "What?"

"You heard me. Strip. I want to see what I bought."

"I'm not doing that." I cross my arms over my chest, trying to look braver than I feel.

Kane's eyes flash with something dangerous. "You are my property now, omega. My slave. You'll do what I say, when I say it, or you'll be punished. Is that clear?"

"I'm not your slave. Slavery was outlawed decades ago"

"Not slavery. Debt servitude. Completely legal, especially when the debt in question involves harboring a murderer." Kane pulls out a thick contract and waves it in front of my face. "Your stepfather signed over all rights to you in exchange for his life. The alternative was me killing him slowly for his pack's crimes."

My heart sinks as I read the contract terms. Fifty years of servitude. No pay. No rights. No freedom to leave.

Fifty years of being Kane Morrison's personal property.

"Now," Kane says, his voice dropping to that dangerous whisper again, "strip. Before I lose what little patience I have left."

I want to refuse. Every part of me wants to fight, to run, to do anything but give in to this monster. But I can see the barely leashed violence in his eyes, can smell the threat rolling off him in waves.

Slowly, my fingers go to the buttons of my simple dress. Kane watches every movement like a predator stalking prey, his dark eyes tracking the reveal of my skin.

When I'm down to just my underwear, I stop.

"All of it," Kane growls.

"Please." The word comes out broken. "Not here. Not with your men watching."

Kane glances at his security team, and something in his expression shifts. "Out. All of you."

They leave without question, and suddenly we're alone in the vast auction hall.

"Continue."

With shaking hands, I remove my bra and panties, standing naked before the most dangerous man in the werewolf world. Kane's eyes rake over every inch of my body, and I've never felt more exposed or vulnerable in my life.

"Beautiful," he murmurs, almost to himself. "Perfect skin. Perfect curves. I can see why you were the most expensive omega at auction."

Heat floods my cheeks. I want to cover myself, but something in his gaze stops me.

"Turn around."

I do as he says, hating how my body responds to the authority in his voice. When I face him again, his expression is unreadable.

"Get dressed. We're leaving."

"Where are you taking me?"

Kane's smile is all teeth and no warmth. "Home, little omega. Where you'll learn exactly what it means to belong to me."

As I hurriedly put my clothes back on, one thought echoes in my mind:

I'm never going to escape this alive.