Page 5 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride

As the first bids came in, I couldn’t shake the initial shock that coursed through me as more and more men placed their bids, soon turning it into a war. They went back and forth, the auctioneer sounding more and more thrilled as the number went up higher and higher.

I tried to pay attention, given how my fate was apparently being decided for me, but it was nearly impossible to focus beneath those bright lights and the fear that gripped me as a damning thought ate away at me; regardless of how hard they fought each other, or how high the number became, I would be sent off with whomever inevitably won. I’d be their prize, and they’d get to do whatever they wanted with me.

I’d have no choice but to go along with it, and that was enough to make my heart hammer in my chest. As if the room was closing in around me, I could feel my pulse raging in my ears, and I couldn’t focus on anything but the stage’s illuminated edge.

I knew that I could try and fight against the winner, but I had no idea what to expect. I wouldn’t know whom I’d be up against, or what they’d be capable of. Given the numbers that were being thrown around, I was surrounded by rich, influential men, and surely they’d have more than enough resources to keep me subdued.

Worse, if they decided I wasn’t worth the trouble, I could be killed off just as easily.

While I knew my last name came with more than enough reasons for someone to want me in their possession, hearing that volleying of bidding and witnessing that desperation firsthand made my skin crawl.

My stomach twisted every time I heard their voices as they placed their bids, blind to who exactly they were, along with their intentions.

At that moment, I was nothing more than a piece of meat with a notorious name, and I just wanted to run. I wanted to flee and get as far away as physically possible, but I knew better than that. Besides, even if I did want to run, my legs wouldn’t carry me. I was frozen in place, pathetically holding up my card and silently pleading for it to all be over.

I hated this feeling of doom and uncertainty, like every individual right and choice were being stripped from me one by one.

I wanted to go home. I wanted to walk out of that building and never return. I just wanted things to go back to normal.

As I suffered internally for some time while the bidding went on, going back and forth between what seemed like two individuals, the auctioneer finally closed the bidding once the other gave up and the winner was announced.

My stomach ached as I was hit with another wave of fear, completely missing who it was. I couldn’t see them anyway from the lights, but regardless, I was still just as terrified.

If the seedy club said anything about its clientele and the people willing to participate in some underground human auction, then I knew I had every right to be terrified of whoever I was stuck with.

As a round of reluctant clapping moved through the crowd of participants, the auctioneer sounding far too pleased with the amount I had been purchased for, I could hardly feel my legs or the air in my lungs.

I felt completely numb, aside from the raging beat of my heart.

Before long, the guard from before with the gentler touch rounded me up again and guided me off stage, wearing a wide smile.

“Not bad, Levov Princess. You exceeded expectations,” he said triumphantly as he moved me backstage, passing whoever was up next.

I already knew I probably resembled the woman I had seen before it was my turn—overwhelmed, disoriented, and deathly afraid of the fate ahead of me.

Even if I wanted to say something to the guard leading me down a different hall, I couldn’t. My throat burned and felt as if it had closed up completely, only allowing me to pull in shallow, weak breaths.

I stumbled slightly as I was pulled around a corner and brought to a smaller, private room. The walls and floors were concrete, finished with a single wooden bench. There wasn’t a single window, and given how small it was, the space seemed even worse than the first room I woke up in.

“Sit,” the man said, giving me a final once-over with a satisfied smirk as I did exactly that, my legs feeling too weak to hold me up. He pushed back his sandy-blonde hair as he chuckled to himself.

Given the chance to actually look at him, a sense of confusion settled over me. He seemed younger than I would’ve expected. His features weren’t quite as defined or sharp as someone more mature, and I couldn’t help but wonder how old he was. In my mind, I assumed around early twenties.

“It’s too bad we have to let you go, Levov. But money is money. The winner will be here soon enough to claim their prize. Don’t look too excited about it.”

The teasing in his voice only stoked my anger more, erasing that slight hope I had of him being a weaker link—a gentler force I could potentially convince to help me. That idea was completely gone, and I bit back the urge to lunge at him.

If my hands weren’t bound, I would’ve considered clawing his eyes out.

He gave me one last smirk before stepping out of the tiny room and closing the heavy door behind him, locking it.

The moment I was alone, I looked around the space, finding only gray cement walls and a single camera in one corner, angled directly at me. It made my stomach clench more, and I took in a shaken breath.

Given the chance to sit in what seemed like deafening silence then, I swallowed hard and tried to not give in to the emotions bubbling beneath the surface.

I was so scared—terrified of what was ahead of me, and of what I’d possibly have to endure.

I had been sold to someone I didn’t know, left to wait for them to come and claim me as their prize. I didn’t know what the extent of that would entail, but I hated even thinking about it. It made my blood run cold.

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