The Cursed Alpha's Dark Obsession

Chapter3

Morning came too fast.

The lights slammed on and workers moved down the row unlocking cages. My body still felt heavy from the drug. Every muscle ached. My stomach was empty and tight.

“Out. Now,” one of them barked. “Clothes on. Line up.”

I pulled the tiny black scraps on with shaking hands. The top barely covered anything. The bottom sat too low on my hips. I felt naked even with them on.

Selene was already standing tall in her cage like she had been waiting for this moment her whole life. She adjusted the strings on her top and smiled at her own reflection in the metal bars.

“Today is my day,” she said loud enough for everyone to hear. “I can feel it. Some high alpha is going to take one look and that’ll be it.”

A few girls muttered in agreement. Others stayed quiet, eyes on the floor.

I sat in the corner of my cage until they dragged me out. My legs were still unsteady. The short-haired girl from yesterday glanced at me but said nothing.

They herded us into a bigger holding room. The floor was cleaner here but the air still smelled like fear. Chains on our ankles kept us from running. We stood in a loose line while workers walked past and fixed hair or wiped dirt off faces.

Selene kept talking.

“I heard the Ironfang alpha might come. And the Stormclaw one. Real power. Not the small packs.”

One girl near her asked, “What if they don’t pick any of us?”

Selene laughed. “Speak for yourself. They’re going to fight over me.”

I kept my head down. My stomach hurt from hunger. The drug still sat in my bones like leftover weight. I didn’t want to be seen. I didn’t want any of this.

The short-haired girl shifted closer to me and spoke under her breath. “Don’t listen to her. She talks like that every time someone new comes.”

I didn’t answer. My throat still felt raw from yesterday.

Another girl on my other side was shaking so hard the chain on her ankle rattled. “I heard some of them don’t even buy. They just look and leave. What if we stay here forever?”

Selene heard her and turned. “Then you stay. I won’t.”

A worker walked past and shoved Selene’s shoulder. “Quiet. Line stays straight.”

Selene shot him a look but closed her mouth.

Time dragged. My feet hurt from standing. The little bit of cloth they gave us did nothing against the cold air in the room. Some girls tried to fix each other’s hair. Others just stared at the big doors like they could will them to stay closed.

I counted the cracks in the floor to keep my mind busy. Twenty-three before I lost track and started over.

Then the big doors at the end of the room opened.

The sound was heavy. Final.

Alphas walked in.

They were taller than the workers. Broader. The air changed the second they entered. Power rolled off them in waves. Most of the girls straightened up and pushed forward a little, smiling too hard, trying to catch an eye.

I stayed where I was.

Selene stepped slightly ahead of the line, chin high, chest out.

I counted six alphas at first. Then more. Some looked bored. Some looked hungry. They moved slowly down the line, stopping here and there, lifting a chin, sniffing a wrist, talking in low voices to Madame Vex who walked with them.

My heart slammed so hard I felt it in my throat.

One alpha stopped in front of Selene. She smiled wide and said something soft. He looked her over for a long moment, eyes moving from her face down to her legs and back up. She held still, smiling the whole time. Then he moved on without a word. Her smile cracked for a second before she fixed it.

Another alpha paused near the short-haired girl. She kept her eyes down. He asked Madame Vex something quiet. Madame Vex shook her head. He walked away.

A third alpha stopped three girls down from me. The girl started crying the moment he touched her chin. He dropped his hand and kept walking.

I wanted to disappear into the floor.

Whispers moved down the line.

“That’s the Stormclaw alpha.”

“No, the tall one in black is Ironfang.”

“He’s never bought anyone before.”

“Doesn’t matter. He’s here.”

Selene tossed her hair and spoke without looking at anyone. “He’ll stop for me. Watch.”

I kept my eyes on the floor. The chain around my ankle felt heavier with every second.

Then he walked in.

I didn’t know his name yet. I only knew the room felt colder when he entered. He was taller than the others. Black clothes. Dark hair. Eyes that didn’t smile. He didn’t look at any of the girls who were practically leaning toward him. He just walked.

Selene’s smile got wider. She shifted so she was more in his path.

He didn’t even glance at her.

He kept walking. Past the eager faces. Past the girls who whispered his name like it was something holy. Past Selene, who froze when he ignored her completely.

Someone behind me sucked in a sharp breath.

He stopped in front of me.

I kept my eyes on the floor. My hands were fists at my sides.

He didn’t speak at first. He just stood there. I could feel him looking at me. The silence stretched so long my legs started to shake.

Then he leaned in. I felt him breathe in near my neck. The sound was quiet but it made every hair on my arms stand up. Heat and something darker rolled off him. My stomach twisted.

His fingers caught my chin and forced my face up.

His eyes were dark and sharp. They didn’t look kind. They looked like they had already decided something.

His voice was low and final.

“I’m buying this one.”

The room went silent.

Selene’s face changed so fast it almost looked painful. Shock first. Then pure rage.

Madame Vex stepped closer, already smiling like money had just walked in. “Of course, Alpha Kael Draven. Excellent choice. She’s new. Still unbroken.”

He didn’t look at Madame Vex. He still had my chin in his hand.

Behind him I saw another alpha watching with a raised eyebrow and a half-smile. That one looked amused, like this was the best entertainment he had seen in a long time.

Selene’s voice cut through the quiet, sharp and shaking.

“Her? You’re choosing her?”

No one answered her.

Kael Draven finally let go of my chin. He looked at me like he was still deciding something, even though the words had already left his mouth.

Madame Vex was already talking prices, her voice smooth and quick. Papers appeared. The other alphas watched with different levels of interest or boredom. Some of the girls stared at me with open jealousy. Others just looked relieved it wasn’t them.

My pulse was so loud I could barely hear anything else.

He had walked past every girl in the room.

And stopped at me.

Selene took a step forward like she wanted to say more, but the amused alpha beside Kael put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head once. She went still, but her eyes stayed on me, full of hate.

The short-haired girl stared at me with wide eyes. One of the crying girls had stopped making noise completely.

Kael looked at Madame Vex again.

“Have her ready in five minutes,” he said.

“I don’t like waiting.”

Then his eyes came back to me. The

room felt smaller.

He spoke only to me this time, voice quiet enough that most of the others had to strain to hear it.

“You’re mine now.