Eden's POV
"Next up, ladies and gentlemen!" Vincent's voice rang out. "Look at this beautiful young wolf. Only nineteen. Bidding starts at one million!"
I sat in my glass box, covered by a white sheet. I couldn't see anything, but I could hear everything. That was the fourth girl Vincent had sold tonight. Each time the hammer came down, another one of us was gone.
"Sold for four million!" Vincent yelled, followed by the bang of his hammer. "Next one coming up!"
I hugged my knees to my chest. The bright lights above shone through the sheet into my box. In the glass, I saw myself reflected - just some scared girl on the floor.
Just yesterday, I was in my old room at the orphanage, expecting my birthday.
My memories before the age of three are a blank. I don't know how I ended up at the orphanage, or why my parents left me. Are they dead?
Whatever! Life at the orphanage can be described as miserable.
The other children were like demons to me. Because of my frail frame, it was common for my toys and lunches to be snatched away. I tried to explain the situation to the caregivers, but their responses were always cold and indifferent, often blaming me for not taking care of my things. Over time, I stopped complaining.
The bullying at the orphanage improved as I grew older, but in reality, the scene of torment merely shifted to school.
Whenever I joined a new class, I would become the girl they isolated. They would hit me, curse at me, and make me do anything they wanted. This escalated during high school, reaching a peak that led to my dropping out before finishing.
The goddess of misfortune seems to have a special preference for me. Just when I thought I could start working and earn a living, life dealt me a crushing blow.
Then on my birthday. When I was walking home from my warehouse job, Vincent Shadowvale saw me on the street.
"Well, what do we have here?" He blocked my path. "A little half-breed all alone?"
Half-breed? What was he talking about?
I tried to run, but his guys grabbed me. Vincent grabbed my chin, turning my face to the light.
He said. "Pretty enough to fetch a good price - some purebred wolves love playing with half-breed girls."
My stomach turned. The way he talked about me, like I was just something to sell...
One of his men pulled out a needle.
When the needle went in, my skin started burning and tingling. Was this some kind of drug to knock me out? But instead of passing out, I just felt sick and dizzy.
"What the hell?" Vincent frowned. "Double the dose."
They kept injecting more and more, but I didn't black out like they expected.
Vincent's eyes lit up like he'd hit the jackpot. "Oh, this is perfect. A half-breed who can resist wolfsbane? The buyers will go crazy for this."
I wanted to scream, to run, but my body wouldn't move. Finally, they locked me up with other girls who were waiting to be sold.
Vincent's voice brought me back. "And now, for our final auction of the night!"
He yanked off the white sheet from my box. The lights were so bright I had to shut my eyes.
When I could finally see again, I saw a bunch of people in masks sitting below, all staring at me.
Vincent spread his arms wide. "Ladies and gentlemen, I've saved something special for you tonight! This lovely creature right here is immune to wolfsbane!"
"Impossible!" a woman shouted.
"We tested it ourselves," Vincent said. "Triple dose - didn't even make her pass out!"
The crowd started talking.
I noticed this one guy who kept watching me. He wore a mask, revealing a pair of golden eyes. Could he be my buyer?
Then the big doors slammed open.
Two guys walked in, and damn. They were tall and incredibly handsome. Both had golden hair that shimmered under the lights. Their blue eyes were deep and captivating.
One had a sharp, cold look; his hair was neatly slicked back. The other had a charming smile and soft eyes, walking with the confidence. Their presence made the whole room feel tense.
My whole body went crazy the moment I saw them. Heart racing, skin tingling, like something inside me was trying to bust out. Maybe they were too hot. But no - this felt way different. Like my blood was singing or something.
"I can't believe they're here!" A woman exclaimed in surprise.
"The Silver Fang twins never come to auctions!" Her companion said.
Vincent's smile got bigger. "Well, well... the Alpha twins of Silver Fang Pack. Tonight just got a lot more interesting."
"The bidding will start at ten million!" Vincent announced.
Ten million? I almost laughed. I never thought I would be worth so much one day.
The price was so high that only a few people raised their paddles. I watched as some rich-looking guys in fancy suits started bidding.
"Sixteen!"
"Seventeen!"
"Eighteen!"
Then this guy with golden eyes raised his paddle. "Twenty million!"
The twins were acting weird. They kept looking at me like they wanted to eat me or something, but they hadn't bid once. I couldn't figure out why they even came if they weren't going to bid.
Golden Eyes seemed to be winning. No one else was bidding against his Thirty million. Vincent was about to bring down his hammer when-
"Sixty million," the casual twin said, like he was ordering coffee.
The whole room went silent. Even Vincent's jaw dropped.
Golden Eyes - Nathan, I heard someone call him - looked pissed. He started to raise his paddle again, but something in the twins' faces made him stop. It was like they were having some kind of silent showdown.
I watched as Nathan's hand slowly lowered. He bowed his head slightly, backing down.
"Sixty million going once..." Vincent could barely contain his excitement. This was probably more money than he'd ever made on one sale. "Going twice..."
No one else dared to bid.
"Sold! To the Silver Fang twins!" Vincent looked like he'd just won the lottery. "Our highest sale ever!"
Finally, they let me out of that glass cage. Vincent had his guards walk me over to the twins.
With each step closer to them, that weird feeling got stronger and stronger. Something inside me was going crazy, like it was trying to claw its way out. My skin felt hot, my heart was racing, and my head was spinning.
I couldn't help but notice how they watched me. Their eyes never left me for a second. The way they looked at me, like they were starving and I was food. Or like they'd been looking for something forever and just found it.
I was scared. What were they going to do to me?
When I finally stood in front of them, the ice-cold one spoke.
"You're our mate."
Wait, what?