Page 19 of Brutal Alpha

“Whatever stuff you have that makes you smell different,” I snapped. “Artificial.”

“Oh, my cologne?”

“Sure.”

“In my bag,” the human said, pointing to the leather briefcase he’d left propped up against a rock. “You like it? You can take it, man, be my guest.” He scuttled over to the briefcase,rifling through it and picking out a glass bottle with a spray top. He handed it to me, eager to please, and my nose wrinkled.

“It smells awful,” I said, but I took it from him regardless, spraying myself generously until I was certain no shifter would be able to pick out my natural scent beneath the offensive artificial perfume. I probably wouldn’t pass in a one-on-one setting, but in a dimly lit area with a mix of humans and shifters? I’d manage for a little while, and that was all I needed.

The human put up surprisingly little fight as I tied him to a tree with his own necktie, and I might have felt sorry for the guy if he wasn’t here to buy another person. My own search of his briefcase revealed several sizable wads of cash, and a wave of nausea hit me.

“Yeah, that’s all yours, man. Take whatever you want,” the human was babbling. The idea that such a weak, spineless excuse for a man really thought he could handle a shifter woman was laughable, but I wasn’t in the mood for humor. I didn’t answer him as I picked up the briefcase and left him there—he’d wiggle out eventually, or one of the Arbor shifters would stumble across him later. What happened then was his problem, not mine.

His cries followed me all the way to the crevice in the mountainside, but once I slipped through the opening, they faded out of my hearing. Inside, the narrow path soon expanded into a modest cavern, lit by a few torches hung on the walls. That worked in my favor—between the humans, the Arbor shifters, and the slightly raised stage taking up about a third of the floor space, the cavern felt crowded, and it was easy to slip in unnoticed at the back.

That was when I saw them. About ten females were consigned to one corner, naked, shackled at the ankles, andtrembling with terror. Among them, Julia stood out like an eagle among pigeons. Refusing to make herself small or avert her gaze from the males who sought to subjugate her, she held her head high and defiant. I hoped she’d given the Arbor hunters hell.

A hushed anticipation filled the cavern, deepening as a shifter stepped onto the stage. Although I had never met Lowell Axton, I recognized him. He was clearly an Alpha, and the Arbor shifters stood ready as he raised a hand for silence.

“Good evening, gentlemen. Thank you all for making the journey out to our little island.” His smile showed too many teeth. “As promised, we have an array of potential brides for you tonight, and I’m sure they’ll make several of you very happy husbands.”

Husbands. Brides. It was all a sham. As little as marriage meant to shifters, it was still a bond in its own way, and this sick ritual made it an utter mockery.

I tried to pay as little attention as possible to the first few sales. They were all the same: a terrified girl was pushed onto the stage, the bidding began, one human emerged victorious, handed over the promised money to Axton, and was “wedded” to his prize on the stage. The crowd jeered for kisses, and my hands balled into fists at my side as the humans groped the females, pressing slobbery kisses to their unwilling mouths. I was only here for Julia, I reminded myself. There was nothing I could do for those women until we were both safe. After that—after that, we’d find a way.

It felt like hours passed in that too-small cavern, surrounded by the scent of acrid cologne and the females’ fear, until finally, the penultimate girl was pushed onto the stage. She was a small, freckled redhead, no older than twenty at best, but she was brave. When one of the shifters unlocked her shackles,she made a desperate break for the exit—there was no way she could be fast enough. A hunter grabbed her around the waist and carried her, kicking and screaming, from the cavern, followed by her dour-looking buyer.

As much as I pitied her, I couldn’t spare her more thought, because we had finally arrived at the last lot: Julia.

“We’ve saved the best for last, gentlemen,” Axton announced. “I hope your pockets are deep this evening because we won’t be letting this one go cheap. Not only is she a beauty, but she has Alpha blood in her.” A ripple of interest ran through the audience, and I felt sick to my stomach.

Julia stepped onto the stage like a queen greeting her subjects, even with her ankles shackled, and there was more than one wolf whistle from the audience. A pang of regret rushed through me—I should have played along with her little theory that we were mates, should have marked her where the slope of her elegant neck met her shoulder. I should have marked her as mine, so these pathetic excuses for men wouldn’t even consider touching her.

“I know, I know,” continued Axton, smug and slimy, “she’s very exciting. So what if I told you she was also a witch?”

How the fuck did they know that? Her own family didn’t know. Had they been trailing her all night? My blood boiled, and tamping down the growl that grew in my chest was more effort than it had ever been before.

“Bidding for this beauty starts at fifty thousand,” continued Axton. It was more than twice as much as any other female had gone for, but that didn’t stop several hands going up. I didn’t know exactly how much was in my stolen briefcase, but it didn’t matter. I shoved my hand in the air, feeling dirty as much as determined.

With every price hike, I raised my hand again, barely hearing the numbers anymore. I was certain it had gone far beyond the wads of cash in the briefcase at my side, but it didn’t matter—I only needed the chance to get close to Julia, just needed them to unlock the shackles around her ankles, and we would make our escape. My fingers were itching by the time it was down to me and one other person, who was looking more and more irritated with every bid I made. Axton, by contrast, looked like the cat that got the cream, and it irked me to know I wouldn’t get the chance to rip him limb from limb today. That would have to wait.

“Two-twenty,” Axton called, and the human raised his hand.

“Two-thirty.” I raised mine.

“Two-forty.” The human was starting to look nervous.

“Two-fifty.” I raised my hand, telling myself this was nearly over.

“Two-sixty.” There was a pause. The human looked pained. He shook his head.

Despite my obvious victory, Axton took another several interminable seconds asking the rest of the crowd if they were absolutely certain they were out before he finally announced,

“Then she’s sold to the gentleman at the back. Come up and claim your bride, Sir.”

There was no triumph within me as I made my way through the throng and up to the stage. This was the riskiest part of the whole plan—there was little chance I would be recognized on sight, but there was still the possibility that the scent-masking cologne would fail me. If it was discovered I wasa shifter before we had the chance to make our escape, Julia and I were both done for.

When I met her wide blue eyes, it was clear she knew that as well as I did.

---