Chains clinked as they bound my hands and ankles, a cruel reminder of the shackles that held me captive.

Three months have passed since I was rejected, betrayed, and cast out of the pack, and became a slave.

Unfortunately, that's all I would ever be. Just a slave, and they did whatever they wanted to me. It didn't bother me at this point. All unmated or rejected omegas who never shifted were eventually forced into slavery.

The destiny of our masters has been determined by the auction hosted by the werewolf council with one aim in mind: to increase the population of the werewolves. As a community, we stand at the bottom compared to other creatures in the world.

Previously, any rejected werewolf remained mate-less until they either chose one or got a second chance mate, which seldom occurred.

It used to be a choice given to everyone, unlike now.

If you're mate-less and, on top of that, never shifted, be prepared to be auctioned off, especially if you're a female over sixteen, and your purpose is solely to procreate. That's all.

We were labeled as the discarded ones, ungraced by the transformation. We were as good as humans but with better hearing and healing traits.

Every time they hurt me, beat me, punched me- I asked the moon goddess what the hell did I do wrong!

Over time, I have grown numb to the pain, and I had a realization that death has to be better than living your life in constant suffering because when you die, you are finally free. You no longer have to feel the pain of being tortured.

You're just dead - lost and gone forever.

I may be the only omega alive in this universe who would rather die than learn how to become the perfect slave.

While other omega girls that live here put their best foot forward to be the perfect pet, I made it my life's purpose to get under their skin, doing everything in my inner power to be marked as a rogue, so that I could leave this godforsaken place and live with humans.

I would rather die than spend the rest of my life pleasing the likes of them. Spending eighteen years of my life, living under their rule was already bad enough.

Death would be better than this.

To be honest, I don’t know what to expect in tonight’s auction, but one thing is certain: I would never allow my buyer to break me and for that I was certain.

The auctioneer's voice reverberated through the dimly lit hall, slicing through the heavy air like a dagger.

"Esteemed guests, the annual auction of omegas who have yet to embrace the wolf soul is now in session. These discarded ones, ungraced by the transformation, are here for your consideration. Let the bidding commence."

For the first time, I was actually scared, terrified of the unknown. I stood among the ten girls lined up for auction, my heart pounding in my chest.

Standing in the piece of cloth provided by the council management, it was made out of sheer material. It wasn’t even a dress; it barely reached my thighs and everything could be seen.

The material of the cloth was so thin that I could feel the cold air rushing inside. My flesh was bluntly visible through the dress. And these men were seeing me in this. I already felt dirty.

I didn’t need to watch the crowd of wealthy elites, I already knew their eyes must be hooded with lust and desire.

This was the reality we lived in, a world where our bodies were merely vessels for procreation or worst slavery, our fates determined by those who held the highest bids.

The auctioneer's voice echoed through the hall, announcing my turn, "Lot number 1: Aliyah Raye. Bidding starts at 500 gold coins."

The flashlight focused on me, casting an eerie glow over the sheer material clinging to my form. Chains bound my hands and ankles, rattling with every shiver that ran through me.

Five hundred gold coins – that's what they think I'm worth.

I stepped forward, my brown eyes still fixed on the ground, the chains on my hands and ankles clinking softly. The hushed whispers of the crowd filled the air. I felt their eyes, hungry and judgmental, roving over me.

It didn't bother me; I had grown numb to the leering gazes and dehumanizing atmosphere. This was just another twisted chapter in my life.

The bids began to escalate.

"600 gold coins!" proclaimed the first bidder, a voice tinged with a mix of desire and calculation.

The auctioneer's monotone voice continued, "Do we have 650? 650, anyone?"

Another voice chimed in, "650 gold coins for Lot 1!"

With each bid, my resentment grew.

The rhythm of the auction continued, each bid increasing by increments of 50 or 100 gold coins.

"700 gold coins!" called out a new participant, their interest in me palpable.

The bids continued to rise, and I could sense the eagerness in the voices, the hunger for possession. I despised every moment of it, but I had learned to conceal my true feelings behind a façade of compliance.

"Do we hear 750? 750 gold coins for the unmated omega?" The bids continued their ascent, echoing through the room.

Then, a sudden shift occurred.

“1000 gold coins!" The voice cut through the bidding like a knife.

A collective gasp rippled through the room. Yes, even I was shocked!

The auctioneer hesitated, not expecting a bid of such magnitude. At that moment, I couldn't help but wonder who would value me at such a high price.

I couldn't help but marvel at the lengths these wolves would go to claim me. The thought sent a shiver down my spine, not out of fear, but from the sheer revulsion of the situation.

But before the shock settled, another voice, a hard and commanding voice countered immediately.

"2000 gold coins!"

WHAT THE HELL!

My eyes widened in shock; no bid had ever surpassed 1,500 in the history of these auctions. This was unprecedented, and a cold realization crept in – it felt as if my fate was about to take an unexpected turn.

The harshness in the tone silenced the crowd, and I couldn't help but feel a strange mixture of dread and curiosity.

Who was this bidder, so determined and unyielding?

Simultaneously, the auctioneer's voice continued, trying to maintain control. "Do we have 2500? 2500, anyone?"

Then- the bidding war began, escalating in a frenzy.

By now I could make a difference between the two voices because only these two wolves were bidding for me as every other high-rank wolf retreated. I could tell they were Alphas- it wasn’t just their voice but the dominance they were born with.

Alpha One who bid 1000 coins earlier sounded desperate and angry, I could feel his voice echo in my ear; while Alpha Two who was countering- his voice sounded like the calm before the storm, his voice as cold as ice.

The bids climbed rapidly: "3000 gold coins!"

"5000 gold coins!"

“6000 gold coins!”

What the hell is happening?! I could feel the weight of the amounts being thrown around for a mere omega like me.

The numbers seemed to spiral out of control, reaching heights that defied convention. The atmosphere in the room grew tense as the bidding surpassed all expectations.

"7000 gold coins for Lot 1?" The auctioneer announced, attempting to steer the proceedings.

“7000!”

The room was alive with the fervor of the bids, the participants driven by a desire to claim possession of me.

Then, a voice, as if shattering the crescendo, silenced the room.

"10,000 gold coins!"

The auctioneer, momentarily stunned, recovered, "10,000 gold coins for the seemingly docile omega. Going once, going twice..."

"50,000 gold coins." The low and authoritative voice boomed through the hall, silencing everyone.

At that moment, even though it was punishable to lift my gaze, my head snapped up, compelled by the sheer gravity of the bid. My brown eyes widened in shock at the audacity of the declaration. My heart raced, and shock rippled through me. It felt like the ground had shifted beneath my feet. It was as if the world had momentarily frozen, and I stood there, chains clinking.

“Fif-” The auctioneer cleared his throat, even he, usually composed, seemed taken aback by the staggering bid.

He stammered slightly as he announced, "50,000 gold coins from Alpha of the Argent Crest going once …”

WHAT THE HELL!

No way!

My eyes opened wide.

Did he just say Alpha of Argent Crest, like the Dark Alpha?

I was under the impression that I was only going to be auctioned off to the other three Alphas.

Never before had the Alpha of the lost banes, yes that is what the werewolves of the Argent Crest pack are called, shown the slightest hint of interest in the auction. Year after year, he remained absent, leaving his loyal Beta Cillian, to preside over the proceedings.

And from what I was told, that was the worst thing that I was sold to him.

No lower-rank wolf has ever lived to tell the tale of meeting the Dark Alpha. It was just unheard of. This was worse than I expected. It was one thing to be marked as a slave. I would kill myself before that ever happened, but this... I knew very well that Dark Alpha was renowned for making his slaves suffer.

It was common knowledge that his various torture methods were far worse than all the Alpha’s ideas put together.

Rumor had it that former Alpha of Silver Moon Pack, Alpha Marcus Stormfang, reached out to Dark Alpha for new torture methods. Like seriously, who actually would reach out for torture methods?

They were all crazy. No, screw that, they were psychopaths. I just had to be the first omega to be in the presence of the world's most dangerous predators, and this was so nerve-wracking.

Unintentionally I started to shake.

My heart was beating so fast that I could feel it nearly falling out of my chest.

Why does Moon Goddess have to be so cruel? Why couldn't I just die peacefully?

Whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire with speculation. The cruelest Alpha, renowned for his cold indifference, had set his sights on a rejected omega—a rare occurrence that sent shivers down the spines of both buyers and omegas alike.

“Going twice, going thrice!"

Suddenly, in an instant that felt like an eternity, the gavel struck, announcing the completion of the sale.

"Aliyah Raye sold to the Alpha of the Argent Crest Pack.”

He had claimed me as his own.

At that moment, the realization struck me like a bolt of lightning—I had become more than a mere commodity, more than a rejected omega sold to the highest bidder. I had become a possession of the most powerful and feared alpha in our world.

Alpha Zion Fenrir Emberthorn, the Dark Alpha.

How will my life suffer from being sold to the most possessive alpha in my world?