AUCTIONED TO MY ALPHA PROFESSOR

FIND HER

Dennison's POV

My Gamma stood before me, his head bowed slightly, his voice tinged with regret. “I'm sorry, Alpha, but there's no sign of her. We couldn't find her.”

I leaned back in my chair, the leather chair creaking under my weight. I let out a slow, controlled breath. My fingers drummed impatiently against the armrest, matching the uneasy rhythm of my heartbeat.

“Lily.” The name echoed in my mind like a sad song. She couldn't just vanish. Not her. Not after what I'd seen in her eyes.

“And where exactly did you search for her?” I asked, my voice low but filled with an edge that made my Gamma stiffen.

“We went back to Club X and met with the manager,” he explained in a cautious tone. “I asked him to provide the girl's information, which he did. But when I ran a thorough check, I realized that the information was false. The only person matching that name is a twenty-two-year-old woman.”

My jaw clenched, a flicker of frustration igniting within me. She had lied—not just to the club, but to me as well. The audacity of it both infuriated and intrigued me. Who was she, really?

The girl I'd seen on that stage two nights ago, her presence commanding, her eyes blazing with defiance, was no ordinary woman. She had lied about her age, her name, and her identity. But why?

I could still see her clearly in my mind: the way she carried herself, the way her gaze locked with mine, unflinching and body. She wasn't twenty-two as she'd claimed.

No, the girl I'd seen couldn't have been more than nineteen. She was young, but there was a fire in her that hid her real age. A fire that had drawn me in, that had made me outbid every other man in that room, including my step brother, even though I had no plans of taking any girl home.

“Incredible,” I muttered, to myself rather than to my Gamma. My mind raced, piecing together the fragments of what little I knew about her.

“Well, keep searching for her.” I said in a firm voice. “I don't care if it takes two years or forever. Make sure you find her and don't come back to me until you have her.”

My Gamma nodded, his expression serious. “Yes, Alpha. I promise, I won’t fail you.”

As he turned to leave, I added, my voice dropping to a near whisper, “And remember, be discreet. I don’t want anyone to know about this.”

He gave me another nod, before exiting the room, the door clicking shut behind him.

The silence that followed was short-lived. The door burst open again, and in strode my stepbrother, his face flushed with anger, his eyes blazing like a storm.

“Dennison–” He began, his voice sharp and accusatory, but I cut him off before he could finish.

“It's Alpha Dennison to you.” I growled, my patience already wearing thin. I could feel the familiar surge of irritation rising within me, but I forced it down, maintaining my composure.

His eyes flashed with resentment, but he knew better than to push me too far. “How dare you outbid me on that auction, huh? Did you know how badly I wanted to bring that girl to my bed? Do you know how badly I wanted to f**k that girl, huh?”

In one swift motion, I rose from my chair and strode toward the window, my back to him.

“You should have bid higher, then,” I said coolly, my tone dismissive. “I didn’t stop you from trying—or did I?”

His face twisted into a snarl, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “You’re such a brute. I hate you, Dennison!”

A proud smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I watched him storm out of the room, his anger radiating off him in waves.

If there was one thing I was glad about, it was that I hadn’t let him win that bid. My stepbrother was a psychopath, a misogynist, a man who derived so much pleasure from preying on weak people. No one knows what he would have done to that girl, under the guise of “I bought you.”

The thought made my blood boil. He was the son of the same woman who had destroyed my family, the woman who had taken my mother from me, the woman who had caused my mother's death.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on the past. I have to concentrate more on finding that girl. Therefore, I pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand.

I've had so many one-night stands with different women and I forget them as soon as I'm done, but why is her's different, that I can't get her out of my mind?

Who was she, really?

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out, glancing at the screen. It was Vincent, my Beta.

“Greetings, Alpha.” He answered in a calm voice as always.

“How is it going, Vince? I asked in a sharp tone. “You haven't gotten back to me on my last task. Is there a problem?”

There was a brief pause on the other end and it didn't go unnoticed by me. “I'm sorry, Alpha. Something came up, but I'll get back to you shortly.”

“Don’t keep me waiting, Vincent,” I said before ending the call.

I stood, my gaze fixed on the city below me. It was time to take on a new role, to become someone else entirely. Maybe then, I'll be able to find my mate.

The door opened and my Beta walked in, a smile playing on his lips.

“Congratulations, Alpha,” he said. “San Jose University has approved your application as a professor.”

I turned, a small satisfied smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “And hope you did everything as I suggested?” I asked and he nodded.

“Good. No one has to know my true identity as the Alpha of this pack. It's better that way.” Who knows, I might meet my mate in school? I really hope I do. It's been so long.

My Beta nodded. “Of course, Alpha. Your secret is safe with me. No one knows that you are the Alpha after all”

Only a few people know that I was the Alpha and at this point, I was glad about it, else it would have been difficult for me to apply as a professor in San Jose University.

I nodded in return, my mind already focused on the task ahead. It was time to become Professor Dennison, instead of Alpha Dennison and to find my mate.

The game had just begun.