I jumped as the auctioneer stepped forward and jammed a dark stick into her side. The taser shocked her, and her body sagged, chest heaving.

Still, as she blinked, shaking her head, she searched the crowd again with as much fervour as clawed up my chest right now.

Searching for… me?

The universe had a cruel sense of humour. Matching me with the mate of the Alpha responsible for the servitude I was chained to.

HisOmega was mine…

It took everything in me to remain still. A beast lurked, trying to take over, demanding I throw myself across the room and rip her from the stage. The feral side of me became all-consuming, a flash of hope making it… intoxicating.

Free her and claim her.

But… I couldn’t.

My eyes slid to where Knox sat, legs crossed, a drink swirling lazily in his hand as he watched the stage with languid curiosity—which was still more than he offered most of these events.

I needed to remain shrouded in darkness, where those beautiful violet eyes would never catch me.

They could never.

It felt like a chasm was opening up beneath me, but no matter what fate awaited her from the others in this room, none would compare to the reality that would find her if my master learned what she was to me.

Death would be better.

Anythingwould be better.

So, I shifted back a pace, fixing my eyes on the floor.

“Feral as they come,” the auctioneer chuckled as he shocked her again. Her whine tore me apart, flesh to marrow. I shifted before I caught myself, protective instincts like I’d never faced drawing a low rumbling growl from my throat.

I seized it, shoving it down, then coughed, trying to pass it off. At my side, Knox had gone absolutely still. He didn’t look at me, but his glass was no longer swirling.

Fuck.

Icouldn’tlose control.

I fixed my gaze on the Oxfords I wore, clasping my cuff with my other hand and trying to stop the world from spinning.

I could hear her panting from the stage, and it would have been easier to tear my own heart from my chest than it was to keep my eyes floor bound.

I stared at the swirling black and red patterns on the carpet, following them up and down the slice of floor before me.

I’d never felt like this.

Not since my chains.

Never.

I didn’t want to leave this place without her—to spend the rest of my life wondering desperately if her death, at the hand of whatever monster bought her tonight, was quick.

If an Alpha had laid a hand on her.

Had bitten or claimed her.

That maybe…just maybe, she’d died in silence and peace without any more pain than she was already in.

That would be the best outcome. Better than the torture Knox would drag out, discovering a leverage point to make me suffer.