Adan
In an instant, my world shifted, and she was now the center of it... my reason for living. My inner wolf growled, choosing her as his Mate, too.
"Well..." The gentleman wearing the white dinner jacket smiled at the crowd, looking around the room. "What do you say we start the bid at fifty thousand dollars?"
I casually held up my number. Although I would pay any price to have her, I didn't want anyone else in the room to know just yet. Fifty thousand was a joke for a woman like her, and everyone knew it.
"We have fifty thousand from the gentleman in the booth." The Master of Ceremonies smiled as he looked over the crowd. "Do I hear sixty thousand?"
"Sixty thousand," said another gentleman, holding up his sign across the room. My head snapped up, and I instantly recognized him. It was Blaze Marrow, Alpha of the Silver Star Pack. His eyes met mine, giving me a sinister smile.
"One hundred thousand." I arched an eyebrow, smiling back.
"Two hundred thousand," he replied, giving me a smug look.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand," a human man said, holding up his sign.
"We have a bid of two hundred and fifty thousand," the MC announced. "Do I hear three hundred thousand?"
"Five hundred thousand," I replied, holding up my sign. I wanted her, and I wasn't playing around.
Blaze leaned forward in his seat, his eyes never leaving mine. "One million dollars."
"Five million dollars," I replied.
Blaze narrowed his eyes at me, a low guttural growl erupting from deep within his chest, inaudible to human ears.
"Well!" The MC looked nervously between the three of us. "We have a bid of five million dollars. Do I hear six?"
The human man shook his head, lowering his number.
"Six million," Blaze announced across the room, staring daggers through me.
Brenna tried to yell at us through the gag, but we ignored her. However, another man walked up to help the first man restrain her.
Just hold on, Baby Girl, I thought silently, thankful she couldn't phase now. If she did, she would kill herself from the gold collar around her neck. The humans had no idea what they had.
"Ten million dollars," I said, rising to my feet, staring down Blaze.
Blaze rose to his feet as one corner of his lips lifted into a snarl. But then he turned around and walked out.
The MC let out a sigh of relief. "Well! We have a bid of ten million dollars on the table, the highest of the night! Do I hear eleven million?"
Silence.
"Do I hear ten million, five hundred thousand?"
Silence.
"Ten million going once, twice, sold to number sixty-nine in the booth!" he announced as everyone cheered. "And that concludes our bidding for tonight! Thank you all for coming!"
I walked straight over to Brenna, my eyes never leaving hers. She leaped at me, but the men holding her restraints pulled her back. She panted, seething to kill me. "Do you know who I am?"
But I had only one response for her. "You. Are. Mine."
Brenna gasped, knowing instantly what that meant. Even though we couldn't say it in front of the humans, I had just claimed her as my Mate. She lifted her chin, gathering herself as she came back to her senses. "I'll see you in Hell first!"
I grabbed a handful of her beautiful brown wavy hair and yanked her head back. My wolf was eager to claim her right then and there, in front of everyone. But I held my cool, revealing nothing to her or anyone else in the room. "That could be arranged."
She glared at me, pulling against her restraints.
"I'm going to pay for her...." I announced.
"You son of a—"
"While I'm gone, take off her restraints and get rid of that silver bracelet. Then find her an appropriate dress and heels." I stepped closer, one corner of my lips curling into a smile as I looked down at her. "I want her to look every inch a Queen before I return."
The two men looked at each other, their faces blank, and then quickly nodded. "Yes, Don Cole."
I turned on my heel and went to the private booth to pay my debt.
"Congratulations, Don Cole!" Fletcher said, a broad smile spreading across his lips. "I never knew you to bid before!"
"Because I haven't." I handed him my credit card, and he scanned it. "We have to talk."
He narrowed his eyes as he returned my card. "What about?"
I let out a deep breath. "This."
He nodded. Fletcher and I had mutual respect, even though we didn't always see eye to eye. But we were always able to talk things out like gentlemen. "Yeah, now's not the time. But could we meet tomorrow?"
"I'll come to you. What time is good?"
He bit his lower lip and released it, thinking. "Meet me downstairs at noon, and we'll have lunch. Will that work for you?" Obviously, he wanted to meet with me in a public place.
I let out a deep breath. "I'll see you then." I started to walk away, but he stopped me.
"Adan?"
I looked over my shoulder, raising an eyebrow.
One corner of his lips curled into a devilish smile. "Good luck with your hellcat."
I smirked as I walked away. Little did he know, he wasn't too far off the mark.
"Get off me!" I heard Brenna before I saw her, then she stumbled out from the back, wearing a silver gown with a slit up the side that shimmered when she walked. She wore matching silver stilettos... and the bracelet was gone.
There was a witch somewhere nearby. The witch who had applied it was the only one who could remove it. Obviously, Fletcher knew more about my world than he let on. I couldn't believe this was going on under his nose without his knowledge.
I looked her over carefully, and my breath caught. She was absolutely gorgeous.
"Ma'am, I'm only doing my job—"
He grabbed her arm, and she raised her hand to slap him, but I caught it in midair before she landed the blow. "Let's go."
She tried to pull away, but I held her firmly as she struggled to get away. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"
I smirked, enjoying her fighting spirit a bit too much. "Oh, yes. You are." I grabbed her arm firmly and led her just ahead of me, pushing her toward the door.
"Let go of me!" she yelled as I led her through the room. People stood back, giving us a wide berth as we passed. "You have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of!"
I flipped her quickly around and pushed her against the wall, my mouth a breath away from hers. My heart pounded as I took in her ruby red lips and the natural pink of her cheeks, but I held firm.
"I know exactly what you are," I growled, my voice low. "Do not make a scene before the humans. We'll talk when we get outside."
"I'm not—"
I grabbed her and pushed her against the wall again, never letting go of her arm as I stared into her eyes. "Do not push me," I said, my voice low. "I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I'm capable of."
We faced off, staring each other down, then she nodded once. "Okay. But this is not over. As soon as I'm outside, I'm running."
"If you do, I will hunt you down." I traced a finger lightly down her cheek as I gazed into her eyes. "And there will be nowhere you'll be able to hide."
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A/N: So, what do you think about this chapter? Let me know with an emoji in the comments below!