LUNA ASTERBELLE’S POV
Yesterday was hectic. I was forced to agree upon the conditions of the auction through the document that Beta Holmes gave me. I had to sign it with my full name along with a drop of my blood where I pressed my thumb to paste my fingerprint. One of the terms that made me terrified to forfeit was the fact that I’d die if I did—they would slowly torture me until I gave up and was exhausted from living.
After an hour of contract signing, the auction proceeded as planned, and everyone of us was bought through the bidding system. The only difference I had among other women was the fact that the one who had the highest bid on me wasn’t a stranger; it was Alpha Holmes himself.
He made a generous offer to purchase me for three times what my father expected—a whopping ten trillion dollars!
I wouldn’t have that much money even if I worked my ass off for my entire life; Mr. Asterbelle would surely be glad that he sold me.
My feet were injured after all the hours I spent wearing the glass sandals that didn't fit my size, so I headed to their clinic. The pack’s doctor was approachable; he seemed to be carefree compared to everyone else, or maybe it was just my imagination.
All of my remaining power to fight against Alpha Holmes was put into nothingness when I realized how much our strengths differ. I made up my mind to follow whatever he wanted, thinking that there might be a possibility that he’d set me free if I didn't disobey him.
Although that was a mere fantasy, I was treated like a slave on the very first day of my stay here at the Crimson Moon Pack House. The maids and butlers, whom I believed to be the lowest-ranking wolves here, were the same; they made me do what they were supposed to be responsible for.
I couldn’t even complain, so I let them order me around as they pleased, until the Beta arrived and saw me wiping the lobby’s floor with a wet cloth that was soaked in water and soap.
"What are you doing there, Miss Asterbelle?" Beta Holmes asked before he dropped his belongings on the table.
I paused for a while, pondering whether I should answer him or pretend like he wasn’t there. I didn’t last long being silent when the Beta pulled the towel away from me, which forced me to kneel on the ground with both of my palms still on the same spot, as if I were rubbing the floor with my bare hands.
"Stop what you’re doing right now, Luna Asterbelle! You’re beginning to be such an eyesore," Beta Holmes said, his voice giving a hint of worry.
Why?
For what reason does he need to be worried about me?
I tilted my head upward to look at him. "Beta Holmes, please refrain from interacting with me from today onwards. You and I have no business with each other, and your only task to bring me here was accomplished already," I uttered with kindness, though my soul felt empty. "I still have a lot of pending chores to finish; excuse me—"
"Who made you do this?" Beta Holmes grabbed the edge of my apron to prevent me from walking away.
I heaved out a sigh. "Mind your own life. You have no right to be concerned about me since you were the one who forced me to come here in the first place."
In an attempt to remove his grip on my outfit, I magically spun around until I was caught in his arms. My heart skipped a hundred beats, not because of how the Beta caught me, but because I was afraid that I’d fall and hurt myself with a lot of people watching.
"You’re exhausted physically and mentally, Miss Asterbelle. How can you expect to manage your chores properly if you disregard your health?" he questioned in such a serious manner as he let go of me.
I refused to reply to him, knowing that our conversation wouldn’t end if I didn’t leave him alone.
My ears tingled at the whimpering sound of a man who seemed to be in so much pleasure rather than pain. By the time I looked behind me, Shin was already there.
"Did my voice awaken you, my Luna?" he asked with a tender smile.
I clicked my tongue in irritation that I have to deal with this man’s erotic mind all the time. "In your dreams, Shin. I’m tired, so don’t bother following me."
"Why? The day has just begun."
"Go ask your damn brother."
The dark clouds were piled up in the sky, leaving no stars visible. I went out of the house with a thick leather coat as the weather was frigid, and I didn't even notice that the Alpha was still there even after I told him not to follow me.
"What else do you want?" I questioned him.
"You?" Shin answered a second after I asked him. "I bought you with the money that I saved for years. I'm not going to let you do as you please, as if I was the one who got sold at the auction."
I gulped, anticipating the worst to come.
And as I expected, the Alpha aggressively pulled me while he rushed back into the pack house. I thought that we would head back to the lobby, but judging by the direction that we were going, that wasn't the case. My heart couldn't stop beating quickly; I couldn't read what was running through Shin's mind.
The Alpha brought me inside what seemed to be a library. There were about thousands of various books as well as candles that were lit up, though it was still kind of dark here.
"What is this place?" I murmured in between my tiny gasps as my wrist was beginning to hurt because of the Alpha's strong grip.
This room kind of reminds me of the Dark Shadow Clan's Organization, where the underground almost gave me a heart attack because of how creepy the vibe was.
"All you do is run your mouth. Don't you have eyes to see what this area's composed of?" he coldly replied, and I wasn't able to say anything else after that as I kept my mouth shut.
We kept on walking for minutes and only stopped when he let go of me, then pushed me towards the dead end, which made my back hit the wall. And by the moment that I glanced upon him, he already had an aura that made me ultimately fear him. It was the same aura that I saw from my father back when he banished me from the Blood Moon Pack.
The Alpha looked down on me as if I were one of his prey.
And speaking of prey, I continuously heard several screams that came from different people, and that was the only time where I got to see that there were a lot of us in this dim area. This must be the underground cell that was specified in my contract when I joined the auction, where we would end up spending the rest of our lives.
"Are these all of the people who refused to be yours?" A single query was all it took for me to shiver, like I should've asked for the Alpha's permission to let me speak.
Silence filled the cells, as if they had all disappeared somewhere else.
But that was just my pure imagination.
It was the only way for me to disregard the pain that I received from how my arms were suddenly twisted until they were separated from my shoulders, where my blood gushed out.