Beckett

The Black Fang pack had never hosted an auction before. It was the only way we could express our distaste for the practice without risk. Distaste curled my lip as I surveyed the curtained booths and tables weighed down with food. My frown only deepened when I spied the brightly lit platform in the center of the dim room.

"Ah, Beckett. I didn't expect to see you here."

I screwed on the diplomatic smile I'd been practicing since the day I stepped into the role of Alpha and turned to face Alpha James and Alpha Thorne. Both were busy filling their plates full of various meats that bled so much I wondered if they'd even touched a grill.

Thorne sucked blood from his thumb and grinned. "Come on now, James. There are several Alphas here that are mated. Doesn't stop them from enjoying the show."

"True enough. I hear we have some real beauties on display this evening. Might tempt me enough to start breeding," James said, eying me critically. "But that's not what surprises me. What made you decide to host? Rumor has it you're not a fan of the auction, and now you're hosting and attending."

"Gentleman. Enjoy the festivities. My mother, Leann, put in a lot of effort. I would hate for it to go to waste."

I had to shove every syllable between gritted teeth as I clapped them on the shoulder and headed to the booth reserved for me. Along the way, my sensitive ears picked up threads of gossip, most wondering about the packless she-wolf, but it was a familiar voice that froze me in place mid-step.

"You know what that silver hair means," Jack said to a crowd, tipping back his beer to allow them to process his words. "I bet I can get three pups on her before she gives out."

He yelped when I snatched him by the collar. His companions, all Alphas, fled faster than the lowest omegas when they saw the rage in my expression. Even among the leaders there was an acknowledged pecking order, and outside the Council wolves, I was a top dog.

"What are you doing here, Jack? Last I checked, you were a Beta."

Fur sprouted through his skin and fell away as he fought to control his shift. For all the power he had, he still had less control than a child. Beta was too high for him.

"Haven't you heard? The Blue Mountain Alpha named me as his heir since we don't have a Blood Alpha in our pack, and if you gave a fuck about our rules and customs, you would know Alpha Heirs can attend the auction."

Horror raced through me as I watched him walk away. I'd spent the last week devising a plan to ensure Devany's future Alpha was someone kind and fair. That also meant I spent the last week in a constant temper, always one misstep from the edge every time I so much as imagined another man putting his hands on her. Now all of that energy was wasted because Jack would not stop tonight until he went home with her.

Ignoring everyone, I raced to my booth and dragged my hand through my hair. This was a mistake. Maybe there was enough time to free her before this thing started. I had more than enough money to give her a fresh start somewhere, maybe even to hire a witch to obscure her scent from the hunters. Of course, if anyone ever found out, my entire pack would pay for my crimes.

But before I could decide if it was worth the risk, the auction began. Music, heavy on the bass, blared from the speakers, and Rachel, the woman who had been put in charge of the girls in the auction, stepped onto the platform. Rachel led a petite blonde wearing a green corset and a g-string that looked appropriate for a strip club.

A tall, blonde wolf I didn't recognize joined the women on stage, and he let loose a long whistle before raising a microphone to his lips. "Gentleman. The moment you've all been waiting on is here, and we are starting this auction off with a bang! I mean, look at this prime piece of flesh. Honey, turn around and touch your toes so everyone can see how round that ass is."

After a moment's hesitation, the woman obeyed, though I could see the tremors in her legs as she hinged forward. I glared at the man and wished the other Alphas could see me through the curtains. They weren't even going to share her name because who she was didn't matter to anyone in here.

"We will start the bidding at ten thousand."

Thirty minutes later, I was almost at my breaking point. The blonde sold for eighty-five thousand dollars. The next woman, a buxom redhead with thighs that could smother a man, went for sixty. The current woman, another blonde (only this time she was tall with breasts that were spilling out of her black corset), was well on her way to a hundred thousand.

My phone beeped, and I nearly tore my pants pulling it out of my pocket. Pria. Thank god. I messaged her twenty minutes ago, and I was afraid she wouldn't respond until it was too late.

Pria: I'm sorry, Becks. There's some obscure rule that makes you ineligible from bidding in the auction. If we were bound already, you could do it, but since we're not, you can't. It's all about breeding bullshit.

I clenched my hand, easing off just before I cracked my phone. That was it, then. There was nothing I could do to save Devany from this crowd. Not without making both of us fugitives.

"Alright, alright. Settle down. Those of you who just lost out on Ms. Motorboat will forget she ever existed when we bring out the next girl."

All my attention zeroed in on the smarmy blonde wolf. He shoved his hands into his trousers and smoothed back his hair, really working the crowd as they waited for Rachel to return with the next woman.

"You know we always like to whet your appetite a little before delivering the best, and boys..." Rachel appeared again, this time leading Devany out. "Look for yourself."

The crowd went wild, and my mouth went dry as I took her in. The curves that had been hinted at beneath her tank top and shorts at the bar were just as perfect as I imagined them to be. Her breasts strained against the leather corset each time she drew in a deep breath, and no matter how I tried to be a gentleman and pull my eyes away, I couldn't. All I could think about was how that fucking top created the perfect pathway for my tongue to follow all the way to paradise.

The MC circled Devany like a shark, stopping to run his hands through her hair. I watched her face, hating how wide and full of fear her eyes were.

"I've heard from more than a few folks that our little lavender queen here is naturally a silver." Shocked inhales. His hand hovered over her crotch. "Tell me? Does the carpet match the drapes?"

"Fuck you," she hissed.

I wanted to cheer her spirit, but inwardly, I groaned as her display of temper roused the interest of the Alphas even more. There was nothing they loved more than bending a will.

"Let's start the bidding at eighty thousand for this one."

The bids came in fast and furious, sometimes doubling the previous offer. Jack's voice was the one I heard the most, and I wondered if the little asshole realized if he won, all his money was going into the Black Fang's coffers since we had sponsored her for the auction. That thought might have given me a grim sense of satisfaction if it was anyone but Devany up there.

"Three hundred thousand. Going once...going twice...Sold to the Alpha Heir of the Blue Mountain Pack!"

Jack roared in triumph and stepped out of his booth, his grubby hands already reaching for the chain attached to Devany's collar. Rachel reluctantly handed her over, and everyone watched as Jack gripped Devany's face, turning it from side to side.

"You were never going to escape me."

He said it in a whisper, but I caught it. My wolf howled, begging me to do something. Devany looked back at Jack, her face white as she peeled her lips back in a wicked grin. In that moment, I knew what she was going to do, and no matter how fast I moved, I couldn't get to her in time to stop it.

Bone crunched under her fist as she landed a punch in the middle of Jack's face. Even if he wasn't a raging asshole, he couldn't have stopped himself from attacking. A physical assault always triggered the wolf.

Rachel screamed as Jack's mangy, yellow wolf dragged Devany to the ground. Booths overturned as Alphas raced to pull him off of her, but I made it first. Grabbing a fist full of fur and skin, I threw him across the room, where he crashed into a wall and didn't get up.

"Devany...Devany..."

I rolled her over and exhaled in relief when her eyes fluttered open. That relief faded the moment she sat up and raised her arm. There, on her forearm, were several puncture wounds. The kind that only a wolf could deliver.

"What did you do?" I shouted.

"I picked another option," she said, smiling sadly before passing out in my arms.