Chapter 5

Lorien's POV

"Take it up with the auctioneer," I reply evenly, my gaze never leaving Scarlett's. In her eyes I see a flicker of hope amidst her uncertainty.

"Enough!" The auctioneer raises his hands for silence. "The sale is final. The girl belongs to the Lycan K ing."

"Never!” The man slams his fists down. "I won't stand for this injustice!"

I clench my jaw, patience wearing thin. Why does he persist? Scarlett trembles on the stage, eyes wide with fear and fragile hope.

"If you insist on disputing this," I growl, stepping forward, "perhaps I should give you a more convincing argument."

My body convulses, muscles swelling as fur sprouts, raven black shifting to brilliant silver-white. My face elongates into a snout, fangs bared. In seconds I tower over them as a massive wolf.

The room falls silent. All eyes are fixed on me. "Does anyone else contest my claim?" My voice booms through their bones.

Rowan pales, mouth opening and closing wordlessly. His bravado has vanished.

"Good," I rumble, satisfied with their submission. "Then we're done here."

I turn to Scarlett. She seems to shudder at my monstrous form, yet I sense an inexplicable connection between us, primal and profound. I vow to protect her, no matter what comes.

As I shift back into my human form, the sensation of the transformation is comforting as it always. I feel the air rush around me as my body condenses and my fur gives way skin.The warmth that came from my pelt vanishes, replaced by a chill that penetrates my bare skin.

My vision quickly adjusts to the near darkness and I make out Scarlet's silhouette. She seems transfixed, her gaze sweeping over my naked body before she quickly looks away, cheeks flushing.

For a few moments, neither of us move until a guard drags her forward. She doesn't say a word, but the atmosphere has changed. Bids for the next victim along with the murmurs of the crowd disappear in the strange tension that seems to hang in the air.

"Are you ready to pay my lord?" The thin young man, an owl shifter, sits behind the steel desk and lifts his gaze from a ledger. His face is pale and gaunt, his large yellow eyes hungry as he stares at me.

Flanking him are two wolves, their thick fur bristling with menace. They nod their heads in respect for me, but I know they would not hesitate to attack if I refused to pay. I can feel their energy radiating off them like an invisible aura of violence, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.

Jasper joins us with my phone. I feel Scarlet's admiring gaze burning with an unfamiliar longing. The owl administrator taps his booted foot impatiently as I click on the keys to transfer the money.

Seconds later, a chime rings on his computer signaling the transaction is complete. He's all smiles then. "Thank you, my lord. Come see us again soon!"

I grab Scarlet by the elbow. We leave the room in silence, the tension still palpable between us. I wonder what she is thinking, but I don't want to disrupt the fragile moment. As we walk, I feel a strange calmness wash over me. I realize I'm not worried about her reaction to her new circumstances. I trust she will accept me for who I am, no matter how strange or different.

Mine.

The word pounds through me as we leave this wretched place. I vow to protect her, unravel the mystery that binds us. For I have paid the devil's price to make her mine. And I won't let anyone steal her away, no matter what shadows stalk our path. She belongs with me now, despite her humanness.

***

Scarlett's POV

Lorien half-drags me along, forcing me to keep pace with his long strides as we leave that horrible auction house. My heart pounds, wondering what fate awaits me now.

He deposits me in his luxury SUV, and I shiver uncontrollably, from cold and fear. Yet somehow I know I'm safe with him. His friend climbs in back and we speed off into the night.

"W-what will you d-do with me?" I stammer through chattering teeth.

At first Lorien doesn't answer, just turns up the heat until I stop shaking. At a stoplight he turns to me, expression unreadable. "You're my mate, probably."

I'm stunned. The Lorien Swift? Gorgeous, powerful Alpha King? And I'm just a human girl.

"Mate?" I ask timidly. "But I'm not a shifter..."

"We have time to understand this bond," he says. For now, you'll live in my pack's compound under my protection.

I know little of shifters. But whispers speak of this secretive community behind reinforced gates. Their own little town...

We arrive at the formidable gates. They are reinforced to an unfathomable degree. We wind our way through the compound. I spot a supermarket, a school... very similar to any other rural town in Oregon.

He pulls into the u-shaped drivway of a home and tersely orders me out. He seems angry, and I worry he regrets buying me. "You'll live here, in the home with other unmarried females of a certain age." He sneers his words like being unattached was my fault.

Well, it wasn't for lack of trying, I think bitterly remembering Thomas.

"Jasper, see that she is settled in. I need to make some phone calls." With that he hops in the SUV, closing the door with an audible click, shutting me and my questions down.

Jasper leads me up to the porch of the two-story brick house. It looks like any other house in Oregon. A swing hangs from the roof, and pots of vibrant flowers line the walkway. I can feel a strange energy emanating from it, like it's alive and watching us.

Jasper pushes open the unlocked door with one swift motion and invites me inside. The interior is surprisingly warm and welcoming—the walls are painted a soft sage green, and the furniture is all distressed wood and cozy fabrics.

He gestures for me to take a seat on the sofa, then sits down next to me at an arm's length distance. He is night and day from Lorien. With his blond hair and soft blue eyes filled with kindness. His shoulders are relaxed, his voice gentle as he speaks.

"This is your new home," he says quietly. "You'll be safe here." I draw back slightly, overwhelmed by his words and how different they are from what I expected—that Lorien would lock me away in some tower or dungeon. Instead this man, Jasper, is offering sanctuary, protection even though I'm nothing more than prey to them.

"Thank you," I whisper, tears forming in my eyes at the unexpected kindness.

He nods solemnly as if understanding my feelings without saying a word more about it—a gesture that makes my heart swell with gratitude despite everything else going on around me.

Jasper continues, "First time Lorien's valued a woman so highly...We went through hell to get you, and you're one of us now. Even if you are not his mate, he won't let you go."

"Lorien's mate?!" A sudden woman's voice sounded behind me.