Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

KING DARIUS

The moment I strode into the auction hall, walking majestically toward a seat, the noisy people's attention was suddenly drawn to me and the hall immediately became dead silent. There were whispers and murmurs and while I walked, the men scurried from my path, which I didn't give much attention to.

"It's the rogue King"

It's him"

"What is he doing here?"

I could hear their hushed whispers but kept my brow furrowed and my jaw tightened while I scanned the room, searching for her. Still wondering if she had been bought, I walked to the front row, still looking for her. And at the sight of me, a man scurried away from his seat, leaving me to it. With a sigh of frustration after not seeing what seemed like her, I occupied the seat, relaxing my back to the chair and my hands on my lap before nodding at the auctioneer who was gaping at me to continue. And the music picked up immediately.

I ignored the piercing gazes and scanned the room, my eyes narrowing when I saw her. Even from a distance, she stood out. She was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and at that point, there was nothing I wanted more than her.

The auctioneer who had recently paused when I graced my presence, picked from where he stopped and continued, but my focus was solely on the girl in the white dress. There was something about her that I couldn't quite pinpoint. The magnetic pull and the energy was there.

And her scent… It caught my nostrils. It was a fragrance so sweet and satisfying. While I watched her, I practically undressed her in my head, and this thought made me swallow hard.

I thought of all the things I could do to her in bed and how her feeble moan would sound in my ears.

I took my seat in the middle of the large crowd. I needed to see who this girl was and what was so alluring about her that made my wolf jump.

When the bidding began, I waited, letting the anticipation build. When the moment was right, I spoke, my voice cutting through the murmur of the crowd.

“Her. I want her and her alone.”

The room went silent and everyone's gaze averted to the girl I was referring to while I maintained eye contact with her, my demeanor unshaken.

I could see the girl hitch, her fear palpable. She averted her gaze to the ground, too scared to meet mine again. But when she finally did, her eyes were wide with fear, her body tense. She had no idea how much I wanted her.

The connection was immediate, undeniable and she shook her head rapidly as if asking me to not do that.The auctioneer appeared confused, as if wondering who I was talking about.

“Mate,” My wolf whispered silently to me, my eyes still fixed on her. A maelstrom of emotions engulfed me and the hairs at the nape of my neck stood erect.

"Mate?" I muttered in surprise, creasing my brows and leaning forward to get a better view of her. The mate I've been searching for years, was right here... in an auction. And I didn't know if it was adrenaline or excitement working, I stood up immediately, fighting the urge that was pushing me to go up there and grab her.

But I quickly stopped myself... People were watching and I must compose myself.

At that point, I knew there was nothing else I wanted more in this world but her. However, the more I stared at her, the more it appeared to me that I must have met her before.

Something about her was familiar. And I couldn't quite understand what it was.

Hushed whispers filled the room and I was sure people would wonder what a rogue king was doing at an event like this, and being so interested.

But I didn't care about their apprehensive look. I was looking for my bride. The girl that was promised to me by her father.

When I had gone to her father and was told she had run away, I combed the area to search for her. She was mine and mine alone, and I must have her.

However, an eyewitness told me she had seen her run into Beta Sylvester's house. I had ordered Sylvester to be brought to my pack, beaten and tortured and he had confessed he sold my bride to an auction.

I had left him there, I'll decide his fate when I'm back from retrieving my bride from this auction. However, this strange, yet familiar girl who turned out to be my mate had made me forget about the bride.

“Excuse me, your Majesty. But whom is it?” the auctioneer questioned, disrupting me from my thoughts.

“The girl in the white dress,” I announced, my tone firm.

The auctioneer averted his gaze and settled it on her. A sly smile appeared on his lips– one that I knew very well, since I've worked with cunning people.

“I'm afraid she's very expensive, Your Majesty,” the auctioneer said.

My eyes darkened and I clenched my fists, feeling insulted. “Name your price.”

There was a hush and I glared at him, daring him to object.

“One thousand,” I muttered and dropped the bag of gold coins on the table.

“Wait! I want her too. I bid 2000,” a gentle man said, stepping forward and placing the bag of coins on the table. I turned to look at him, he didn't seem familiar. He must be from another province. I ignored him and grinned, muttering under my breath "What's life without a little bit of competition?"

I could hear the crowd murmuring "He's bidding with the rogue king?"

"So much guts for a stranger!"

"Will the rogue king let it slide?";

“Interesting,” the auctioneer whispered, his grin growing broad. He stared at the girl. “You are quite peculiar, eh. Everyone wants you. You must be of such importance.”

I couldn't see her expression cause she retreated into the dark to avoid the gazes on her.

“Your Majesty, someone else wants her and is willing to pay twice the amount that you bid.”

“4000,” I said, dropping more gold coins as I stared at the man defiantly.

There was a loud gasp and I could hear people talking about it. Why am I paying a price so high for a normal girl? But she wasn't just a girl. She was my mate. And I Wasn't willing to give her up. Every fiber of my being wanted her.

My rival brought out more gold coins and placed them on the table. “This is five thousand, now give her to me.”

The auctioneer’s eyes reflected the gold coins and I could see he was ready to give in which made my heart flutter and my chin tighten.