Chapter 3 The Negotiation

Selene’s Pov

I bolted past the altar, past the stunned pack members, straight through the temple doors. The cold air bit at my skin, but I didn’t stop.

The heavy boots of the guards thundered behind. They were fast, but fear made me faser. My dress tangled around my legs as I sprinted toward the forest, the towering trees looming like shadows of salvation.

Branches whipped at my face as I pushed deeper into the darkness. My breath came in ragged gasps, my pulse pounding in my ears. I didn’t know where I was going. I just knew I had to get away.

Then, suddenly, I heard a loud growl. It was so loud that it made the forest echo. Dread coiled around my heart. That wasn’t the guards.

I risked a glance over my shoulder, glowing red eyes stared back at me from the darkness.

They were rogues. A strangled gasp left my lips.

“Hell No!” I muttered under my breath, my legs trembling with fear.

Their snarls ripped through the silence. I forced my legs to move faster, ignoring the burning pain in my muscles. My bare feet slammed against the damp earth, slipping on leaves and dodging roots.

The forest lurked in danger, but I knew I had to keep running.

I could hear them closing in, their paws pounding the ground, their breath hot and wild. A branch caught my arm, slicing through my skin, but I didn’t stop.

Then my foot hit something hard. I looked down and it was a stone. I tried jumping over it but instead, I tripped.

The world tilted as I fell, hitting the ground with a brutal force that knocked the air from my lungs.

“No!”. “Selene, not now!” I yelled to myself, encouraging myself to get up, but it was too late.

A massive weight crashed over me, pressing me into the dirt. Rancid breath filled my nostrils as a rogue pinned me down, its claws digging into my shoulders.

Rough hands grabbed me, yanking me backward.

"Got you now, pretty thing," a voice rasped against my ear, his breath stinking.

"Let me go!" I shouted wildly, my voice laced with fear.

I swung my leg back with the little strength I had left, my knee slamming into his balls. A loud groan left his lips, as he stumbled over, letting me go and then cupping his jewels.

“Daughter of a bitch,” he cursed.

For a fleeting second, I thought I was free, but before I could take another step, an arm wrapped around my waist, hoisting me off the ground. I screamed and kicked, but there were so many that they overpowered me.

"Fiesty one, isn’t she?" Another rogue chuckled, tightening his grip.

"She won’t be there for long," a deeper voice said coldly.

A rough cloth was shoved over my mouth. I gasped, inhaling a sharp and strange scent. My vision blurred, the world tilting around me.

The last thing I saw was a carriage being brought closer and then everything went blank.

—

A dull ache throbbed in my head as my eyes fluttered open, my eyes taking in the surroundings. The room was dark except from the faint torchlight which was positioned at one corner of the room, making it impossible for me to sight any object in the room.

My body felt heavy with pain. I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the environment, but all my efforts were useless. The air was thick with the smell of decayed blood and my own sweat.

I shifted, and a cold metal bit into my wrists. I looked down at my wrists and then discovered it was tied with a chain impossible for me to break loose from.

Panic surged through me.

“I was doomed!”

“How come my life has been a turnaround of tragic events in the blink of an eye?”. “I was heading to my own doom so faster than I ever imagined”, I blinked, holding back the tears which burned underneath my eyes.

My eyes snapped fully open, and then I caught the sight of the rusted bars and the cracked walls.

My heart skipped a beat as a thought struck my mind.

“What the hell?”

The underground market? The place where wolves were stripped of their freedom, sold like livestock and thrown to the highest bidder.

I had heard stories of it while growing up, horrifying stories of those who were taken and never seen again.

I darted my gaze around the room, looking for the nearest way to escape, but my efforts were useless not when my hands were being bundled like a hardened criminal.

My breath caught in my throat as I heard footsteps approaching, and then the door creaked open. A man stepped inside, his silhouette framed in the dim torchlight. Another followed and then another, followed by more men.

From the way their eyes hovered around me, I guessed they were buyers.

The huge and muscular man who came in first seemed to be their leader, taken by the way he addressed them in lower tones.

“She is the one”, the man who I presumed to be their leader stated as he pointed towards me.

I glared at them with hatred, my eyes burning with fury.

“She’s a fine one,” the first man said, his voice smooth.

“She is actually healthy, strong and untouched”, another man added, a devilish smile wrapped across his face.

“She is such a rare find,” the leader commented, licking his lips with satisfaction.

“Though she doesn’t look so strong now, I am sure she will respond”, one of the buyers sneered.

“She had lost all her strength, battling with us, she seemed really persistent and strong” the leader remarked, cupping his two hands together.

I glared at him hatefully as soon as he made the statement.

One of the men who had kept silent since his entrance chucked. “Look, she seems stubborn, exactly how I want them”

“Strong, stubborn and unwilling” he cut in.

“How much?” he asked, his gaze directed at the leader.

“She is so strong and fine, her energy seems unmatched, and she is definitely worth every coin,” the leader noted, as he drew closer to me, untying the chain which was tied around my wrist.

"Fifty gold pieces to start." The buyer negotiated.

"Forty."

"Fifty-five."

Their voices blurred as numbers flew around me, reducing me to nothing more than a thing. My hands curled into fists at my sides, my chest tightened with fear.

"Eighty."

"One hundred coins". One of the men bargained, shutting the voice of every other person.

The hall went silent but just as he was about to jerk me up as though he had won a trophy, another voice broke from the crowd.

“Five hundred coins”, his voice, sent a cold shiver down my spine.

“Oh my goodness!”

“That's a lot of money“ I gasped in shock.

“Sold!” the leader of the rogues announced, and slowly, all the buyers dispersed, leaving me all alone with the rogues, their leader and my owner.

He moved towards me, a victorious smile spread across his face. He rolled his hands through my cheeks, but I was too quick to shove them away.

“Leave me alone, you son of a bitch!” I cursed, the spits from my mouth spilling all over his face.

He nodded his head, his smile laced with mischief.

“I love your type, so stubborn and feisty” he remarked, then let out a loud, dangerous laughter.

“I hate you!” I yelled as he rolled his hands through my hair, my voice cracking with anger. By this time, I had already known that my safety was in my hands and I had to protect myself.

Without further thought, I reached for the stick which lay barely a few metres away from me and lunged for it. I swung it at him, targeting his goddamn face.

Before the wood could make contact, his large hand shot out, catching my wrist in a crushing grip.

Before I could register what was happening, he pulled me forward, our bodies colliding against each other.

A sharp inhale left my lips as I slammed against the hard wall of his chest. The moment our bodies touched, I felt a burn right inside of me, a rush of warmth spreading through my veins, burning like wildfire.

My heartbeat intensified, racing in the same rhythm as his and just then, the word escaped his lips.

“Mate!”