Irina’s POV

The stage felt like a platform for slaughter.

Bright lights burned my eyes. I couldn’t see past the first few rows, but I could feel them—dozens of eyes crawling over my skin like insects.

Below me, the crowd shifted. Whispered. Waited.

Some wore masks. Expensive ones—silk and leather that covered half their faces. Important people, probably. The kind who didn’t want their presence at a sex slave auction getting back to their respectable lives.

Others didn’t bother hiding. Their faces were bare, expressions naked with greed and hunger. They stared at me like I was meat on a butcher’s block.

My arms wrapped around myself instinctively. The thin white dress did nothing to shield me from their gazes. I was exposed. Vulnerable.

Prey.

"Auction begins!" the announcer’s voice boomed.

Silence.

Not a single voice called out. Not a single bid.

I stood there, trembling, and felt the weight of that silence crush down on me.

The crowd started murmuring. Confused whispers spread like ripples across water.

Then I saw him.

Maxim stood near the back, arms crossed, that familiar smirk on his face.

He met my eyes deliberately. Purposefully.

*See?* his expression said. *I told you. You’re mine. Mine alone.*

My hands clenched into fists. Nails bit into my palms until I felt skin break.

He’d done this. Claimed me publicly so no one would dare bid. Condemned me to be house property—available to anyone, protected by no one.

The announcer cleared his throat. "No bids? Anyone?"

More silence.

He waited exactly thirty seconds. I counted each one, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Well then," he finally said. "Since there are no bids, this omega becomes house property. Available to all patrons—"

The door at the back of the room slammed open.

The sound cracked through the space like a gunshot. Everyone turned.

A man stepped inside.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair cut short. But it was his eyes that hit me first—forest green, intense, burning with something I couldn’t name.

My wolf stirred.

No—not stirred. *Erupted.*

She clawed at my insides, desperate and wild. The sensation was like the mate bond but stronger. *Deeper.* More primal.

My breath came faster. Heat flooded my body, making my skin feel too tight. My legs went weak.

What was happening?

The man’s gaze locked onto mine across the crowded room.

He felt it too. I could see it in the way his entire body went still. Predatory.

"As I was saying," the announcer continued, oblivious. "No bids means she becomes permanent house inventory. Effective immediately—"

"Wait."

The single word cut through the room like a blade.

The man’s voice was deep. Authoritative. The kind of voice that expected obedience.

The entire crowd fell silent.

He moved forward slowly. Each step deliberate. The crowd parted for him automatically, people stepping aside without thinking about it. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Maxim turned to see who’d interrupted.

His face went white.

Then red.

Then he dropped his eyes to the floor, shoulders hunching inward.

I’d never seen Maxim show deference to anyone. Ever.

Who was this man?

"Alpha King Nicolas." The host’s voice came out strained. "What brings you here?"

Alpha King.

The title hit me like cold water.

Nicolas. The Mad King. Ruler of the entire underground wolf empire. The most dangerous man in our world.

And he was staring at me.

"This is my territory," Nicolas said, his tone casual. Almost lazy. "I can’t come check on my own business?"

"Of course you can," the host said quickly. "I just meant—"

"This woman." Nicolas interrupted him without looking away from me. "I’m taking her."

The room exploded into whispers.

Nicolas moved toward the stage. Each step closer made my wolf more frantic. She was clawing, howling, *desperate* to reach him.

Nicolas stopped at the foot of the stage. Looked up at me.

Our eyes met.

Time stopped.

The bond snapped into place so violently it knocked the air from my lungs. Not like with Maxim—that had been painful, wrong. This was *right.* So right it terrified me.

*Mate.*

My wolf screamed the word inside my head.

*Mate mate mate MATE—*

No. No, this couldn’t be happening. I’d already lost one mate. Already been rejected. The moon goddess wouldn’t—couldn’t—

But the bond was real. Solid. Undeniable.

Nicolas climbed onto the stage in one smooth motion. He moved like violence contained in human form—every muscle controlled, ready to explode into action.

He stopped directly in front of me.

Up close, he was even more overwhelming. Taller than I’d thought. Broader. His presence filled the entire space, pushing out all the air.

Behind us, the announcer cleared his throat nervously. "Sir, the auction has concluded. She’s house property now. If you want to make a purchase—"

"Shut up."

The announcer’s mouth snapped closed.

Then Nicolas moved. His head dipped. His mouth found my neck.

And his teeth sank into my skin.

Pain exploded through me—sharp and burning and *claiming.*

The mark formed instantly. I felt it lock into place, felt the bond solidify into something permanent and unbreakable.

A sound escaped my throat. Half gasp, half moan.

The entire room stared.