Mated to the Ruthless Alpha

“This last specimen is one of a kind! A hybrid, part werewolf, part vampire, and…” the auctioneer paused dramatically, allowing the silence to stretch. His grin widened as hundreds of eyes fixed on the stage. “A virgin.” The reaction was immediate. Gasps. Whistles. Laughter. Hungry murmurs rolled through the crowd like a wave crashing against rocks. A chill slithered down my spine. Even through the haze clouding my vision, I could feel the shift in the room. The atmosphere became heavier, darker, more dangerous. Predatory. I swallowed hard and fought the urge to panic. The chains around my wrists rattled softly as my hands trembled. “The bid will start at half a million. Do I hear any offers?” I couldn't see much. The bright lights shining directly into my face blinded me, and whatever they had put into my eyes made everything appear distorted and blurry. Shapes moved. Shadows blended together. Faces were impossible to distinguish. But hearing? My hearing remained perfectly intact. Unfortunately. “Half a million!” The auctioneer's excitement practically dripped from every word. “Wonderful! We have half a million. Do I hear two million?” A pause. Then another voice. “Two million!” The crowd erupted again. I squeezed my eyes shut. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Just a few weeks ago, I had been living a normal life—or at least as normal as my miserable existence could be. Now I was standing on a stage. Chained. Drugged. Being sold like livestock. “Two million! Do I hear two and a half?” A paddle lifted somewhere. “Two and a half!” “Three million!” “Four!” The numbers continued climbing. Each bid felt like another nail being hammered into my coffin. My chest tightened. My breathing became uneven. The higher the amount rose, the more terrified I became. Because nobody spends millions of dollars on a woman out of kindness. Especially not men attending an underground auction. I knew exactly what kind of monsters sat in those seats. Fat tears rolled down my cheeks. I hated crying. I hated showing weakness. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop them. The betrayal hurt more than the fear. Because none of this would have happened if I hadn't trusted him. “Ten million going once!” The room fell quieter. “Ten million going twice!” Please. Please let this end. Please let someone save me. Even as the thought crossed my mind, I knew nobody was coming. Nobody had ever come before. Why would they start now? “Ten million going—” “Twenty million.” The voice cut through the room like a blade. Everything stopped. Even the auctioneer seemed stunned. The audience erupted into shocked whispers. Twenty million. For me. My stomach twisted violently. I didn't know whether to feel relieved or horrified. Because if someone was willing to spend twenty million dollars on a broken hybrid, then whatever they wanted from me couldn't be good. The auctioneer recovered quickly. “Twenty million!” he shouted excitedly. “Do I hear twenty-one?” Silence. Nobody challenged the bid. Nobody was rich—or stupid—enough. “Twenty million going once!” A pause. “Twenty million going twice!” My heart pounded painfully. “Sold!” The gavel slammed down. The sound echoed through the room. And with it, the last piece of freedom I possessed disappeared. I closed my eyes. This was my destiny. My cruel destiny. Two large men approached the stage, they unlocked the chains securing me to the platform, and grabbed my arms. I could have resisted. I could have fought. But what was the point? “She smells so good,” one of the men muttered as they dragged me through a corridor. “That bastard Romanov is going to have the time of his life.” The other man laughed darkly. “Absolutely. Do you think once he's done, it could be our turn?” Bile rose into my throat. I clenched my jaw to stop myself from vomiting. Every word made my skin crawl. Should I fight? Should I run? Should I try anything? The answer came immediately. No. Because now I knew who had bought me. Romanov. The name alone was enough to destroy any hope. He would find me. The Romanovs always found what belonged to them, and apparently, I belonged to one now. We moved through a series of hallways before reaching what appeared to be a private lounge. The doors opened, and they pushed me inside. The room smelled of expensive liquor and cedarwood. Luxury dripped from every corner. Dark furniture. Crystal decanters. Floor-to-ceiling windows. The kind of wealth most people only dreamed about. “Hm. I expected you to be screaming and thrashing around.” The deep voice immediately commanded attention. I slowly lifted my head. And finally saw the man everyone feared. Alexi Romanov. Even with my blurred vision, I recognized him instantly. He stood near a fireplace, holding a glass of whiskey. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Powerful. The kind of man who radiated danger without even trying. The Romanov family was infamous. Stories about them circulated throughout every pack and every supernatural territory. Cruel. Merciless. Unforgiving. Nobody wanted to cross a Romanov. And nobody wanted to be mated to one. Because the stories always ended badly. Now one stood directly in front of me. “Would that give me my freedom?” I asked quietly. A smirk appeared on his face. “It wouldn't.” Of course not. “But I'm glad you're aware of your current situation.” He picked up a second glass and poured whiskey into it. Then he offered it to me. “Leave us.” The two guards immediately obeyed. I stared suspiciously at the drink. “It's not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking.” Poison would almost be merciful. Without another word, I took the glass. “I thought you would prefer vodka,” I replied. A small smile tugged at his lips. “You'll fit the role perfectly…” His gaze lingered expectantly. “Lyrien.” The moment I gave him my name, his smile widened. “What a beautiful name, Lyrien.” Hearing him say it made my skin crawl. “I'm Alexi Romanov, previous Alpha of the Red Moon Pack, and I brought you here to make you an offer.” An offer? “You see,” he continued calmly, “I need a grandson.” ... I blinked. Several times. Surely I had heard him incorrectly. Of all the things I expected him to say, that wasn't one of them. “You are quite taken aback,” he observed. “I am, sir,” I admitted honestly. Because what else could I say? “If what you're after is a grandson, then perhaps this is a conversation you should be having with your son.” His snort held equal parts amusement and frustration. “If it were that easy, I wouldn't have spent millions on you, Lyrien.” Fair point. Still, nothing about this made sense. My mind raced through possibilities. Did he want me to sleep with his son? Did he intend to force some kind of arranged mating? Did he simply need a woman capable of producing heirs? Maybe he thought my hybrid bloodline had value. If so, he had wasted his money. I wasn't special. I carried all the weaknesses of wolves and vampires, but none of their strengths. I had never shifted. Never displayed unusual abilities. Never belonged anywhere. Too wolf for vampires. Too vampire for wolves. An unwanted mistake. “Do I have a say in this?” I asked. The question felt ridiculous the moment it left my mouth. His smirk answered before his words did. “What do you think, Lyrien?” I sighed. At least he wasn't pretending. Most powerful men liked disguising control as kindness. Alexi Romanov didn't bother. He simply took what he wanted. I handed him the empty glass. Without looking away from me, he refilled it. Again, I drank every drop. The burn barely affected me this time. “Let's go then,” he said. He set his own glass aside and stood. My stomach tightened. Every instinct screamed at me to run. But there was nowhere to go. No doors. No allies. No hope. Only questions. And fear. A lot of fear. “Time to meet your husband.” My heart nearly stopped. Husband? I followed him through several corridors, my thoughts spiraling further with every step. What kind of man was waiting for me? Was he cruel? Violent? Insane? Would he even want this arrangement? Or was he being forced into it just as much as I was? The answers came sooner than expected. Alexi stopped outside a set of large double doors. He opened them. I stepped inside. And froze. The last thing I expected when he told me I would meet my future husband was to see a man in a bed, connected to several machines. But what caught me off guard, what made me freeze in my spot, was the fact that for the first time in my life, I heard my wolf speak. “MATE.”