Mine.
My hair stood on end. She was an Omega. ArealOmega. I didn’t know why she was here—if she were a plant from the very people we were trying to trap, or something else. But this little, beautiful Omega was mine, and no one in this room was going to touch her.
“You won’t get any words out of her,” I said to Delano, clinging to the character I’d developed. “She’s not allowed to speak without permission. Isn’t that right,gattina?”
Her dark eyes went wide as she stared at me, but she nodded, the relief there plain.
Delano turned to me. “She’s yours? If she’s yours, then why is she here with the merchandise? You shouldn’t let your pets run around without a leash.”
“No, I shouldn’t,” I said softly. “She’ll be punished for it later. But then again, she likes that.” The smirk I allowed frightened her, the orange in her scent turning bitter. Good. Whoever she was should be terrified. This was a place she should never be, even if she was right where I wanted her.
“Were you looking for us,gattina?” I asked. “It must be important for you to disobey. You may answer me.”
She licked her lips, and I prayed allowing her to speak wouldn’t put her at risk. Delano was watching, and more than anyone else, we couldn’t fuck this up with him. I didn’t want him anywhere near her.
“Yes, Master. I’m sorry.”
HearingMasterfrom those pretty lips did things to me I couldn’t show right now. But I also needed to make sure everyone in this room didn’t question who she was, or who we were. The regret in my chest was strong, but neither of us had a choice. “Strip,” I told her. “You’ve lost the privilege of clothing for the night. Go kneel with your other Masters and wait for me. We will decide your punishment together.”
There was hurt and betrayal in her gaze, and it deserved to be there. But being naked and embarrassed was better than being bought, beaten, and raped. Which is what it would be with her.
With shaking hands, she stripped the baby doll nightgown over her head, and I held out my hand for it. She gave it to me, and turned away, slowly and deliberately going where I’d told her.
Thank fuck she’d noticed enough, and both Nick and Seb didn’t bat an eye as she knelt at their feet. If anything, they looked at her with enough disdain to sell the bit.
“I’ll pay whatever you want for her,” Delano said. “She still has some life in her eyes. Breaking her would be fun.”
“I apologize for my slave,” I said. “She’s brand new. Still being trained and should have known not to tempt our clients. She will be disciplined, but she is not for sale.”
His eyes narrowed. “Interesting.”
I smirked. “You know perfectly well I don’t sell untrained slaves, Delano. Once her training is complete, we will make a decision about whether to keep her. If we don’t, you’ll be my first call.”
This fucker wasn’t getting anywhere near her, but he didn’t have to know that right now.
“Then I look forward to observing her training while I’m here.”
Fuck. I walked right into that one. And now I’d put the Omega into an impossible position. Then again, she was here, and she’d caught Delano’s vile eye. It didn’t matter who she really was, she was fucked one way or another. Better it be us.
I threw on my laziest, most arrogant smile. “I’m sure you will. Enjoy the auction.”
Turning, I made my way back to where the little Omega now knelt by my pack mates, shivering. I sat in my chair and pulled her roughly between my legs, forcing her to look up at me. The roughness was mainly for show, knowing Delano’s eyes were still on me.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” I said.
She didn’t say anything, just stared through me like she was dazed. Beside me, I felt the tension in both Nick and Sebastian. Were they reacting as strongly to her scent as I was? Because if so, this changed everything at the worst fucking time. In our line of work, surprises were the enemy.
An unclaimed Omega who was a scent match?
That was the ultimate surprise.
“Who are you?”
She licked her lips, eyes looking anywhere but at me, trying to figure out an escape. No matter how she ended up here, there wasn’t one now. If we let her go and she wasn’t seen with us, Delano would ask questions and our story would fall apart. Or if she went into the world and he had her followed, she could be taken and never heard from again. He would do it. He’d done it before.
Fuck, he probably had people out there doing it right now.
“Selena,” she finally whispered. “My name is Selena.”