Page 4 of Purchased

There’s a ripple of indulgent laughter from the crowd. Some of the shifters understand the hunger I am experiencing. They wish the same thing for themselves. They wander the world, disappointed at how every pretty, smart, suitable girl is somehow lackluster because she is notthe one. I was one of them just minutes ago. Now I am forever changed.

“Sir, the auction…”

“I want her. Now. Ten million.”

There’s a collective gasp. That’s a record price by quite a ways. These girls aren’t normally considered prizes. They are considered instead to be servants, slaves, and toys. Their worth lies in their lack of connections. Their inherent disposability. The highest price paid before this barely cracked half a million.

The money doesn’t matter to me. Ten million is a rounding error on my balance sheets.

The director slams the gavel down. “Sold!”

I move through the crowd with the intention of saving her from this horrible predicament. I notice immediately that the silver around her neck appears to be nearly pure. They’re keeping her nature muted, treating her like a mutt. They’re trying to stop her from shifting. Interesting.

“My name is Armand, pup,” I tell her, crouching next to her. “And I am not going to hurt you. Come with me.”

I speak English to her. Like most educated Frenchmen, my English is better than some English people’s. I know it is accented, but I am sure she can understand me. She will understand the pack too, for all of us speak at least two languages. The de Lune pack has always prided itself on education and refinement. We may be wild wolves and vicious predators, but there’s no reason not to enjoy the finer things in life.

My terrified mate lifts her eyes to mine, and I reach for her, wanting to caress her cheek, wanting to gentle her, reassure her that I will not hurt her. She is safe with me. I am going to take her from this terrible place and I am going to look after her.

She whips her head around and bites my hand hard enough to very nearly draw blood. She is feral, she is terrified, and if she feels the mate bond, she does not know what it is, or what it means. I take the pain without reacting. Best not to show a mouthy pup that it has the ability to hurt.

“Are you done?” I ask the question as mildly as I can.

She looks at me with fury in her dark eyes, and an unmistakable sentiment of loathing as she releases my hand.

“I do not want to stay here a moment longer than I have to, and I can only assume that you also want to go, so let us go, now. Swiftly.”

She pulls away from me, indicating she has every intention of making this as difficult as possible. The crowd is stirring, and I can feel the director watching us. He will want to move on with the auction, but I do not care.

“I can pick you up and carry you out of here if I have to, but I don’t think you’ll like that.”

Fuck. Off.

She doesn’t say it, but I feel it in her energy, the narrowing of her eyes, the curl of her upper lip.

“Second thoughts, Mr. de Lune?” The director raises his voice so everybody can hear. “I’m afraid all purchases are final. Even ones you will quickly come to regret.”

The crowd laughs.

“Some hands, please, to help Mr. de Lune claim his property,” the director calls out.

“No! Nobody touches her besides me.” I snarl the warning. The very idea of seeing so much as another man’s finger on my mate is enough to make me near feral with fury.

Her resistance is exciting everyone. I could drag her out of here, but this is introducing a new complication; she is showing me up in front of representatives from packs all over Europe and beyond. How I handle her will become a matter of record worldwide. They all just saw her bite me. Am I going to stand for that? I cannot.

I have to subdue her before we leave, show everyone that I am not a flailing, useless alpha. Several years ago when I took command of the de Lune pack, I was one of the youngest men to ever become alpha of a major pack, and that has created interest and gossip in equal measure.

Perhaps I am too sensitive, but weakness cannot be shown when you are an alpha. It can encourage others to try to exploit it, and create situations where the entire pack is in danger.

This moment is not just about my mate and me. It is about the whole pack. It is about the stability of the European wolves as a whole. I am on display as much as she is, and it would be very good for my reputation to tame her live.

Just how rebellious can one young whelp be?

“I don’t want to hurt you, but if you don’t come with me right now, I am going to spank you long and hard in front of everybody and carry you away regardless. I want you to get up, compose yourself, and come with me.”

I offer my hand for her to take.

Again she bites it. It hurts more the second time, and the laughter from the crowd is louder.

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