THE ALPHA WHO BOUGHT ME FOR ONE DOLLAR

The Auction That Shouldn’t Exist The first rule of Silverveil City was simple: You don’t talk about what happens beneath it. Not the deals. Not the disappearances. Not the creatures that were not supposed to exist. And especially not the auction. ⸻ Aria Vale ran through the rain. Her breath came in sharp gasps as cold water soaked her hoodie, clinging to her skin like ice. Behind her, footsteps echoed. Not human. Too heavy. Too coordinated. Too… patient. They weren’t chasing her like normal men. They were tracking her like prey already caught. Aria turned sharply into a narrow alley, nearly slipping on wet concrete. “Seriously?” she muttered, wiping rain from her eyes. “Can today end without me almost dying?” A low growl answered her. Her stomach dropped. Three figures stepped into the alley entrance. Tall. Broad. Wrong. Their eyes weren’t normal—gold, glowing faintly in the dark. One tilted his head. “There she is.” Aria sighed. “Of course there is.” Then she ran again. ⸻ Three hours earlier… Aria had been just another nobody. A waitress in a luxury café inside the city’s financial district. Serving billionaires who didn’t look at her twice. Until the man in the black suit walked in. He didn’t sit. Didn’t order. He just stared at her. Like he already knew her name. Like he was waiting for something inside her to wake up. When he finally left, he whispered something only she seemed to hear: “They’ve found you.” ⸻ Now she understood what he meant. ⸻ Back in the alley, Aria skidded to a stop. Dead end. Brick wall. No escape. “Great,” she breathed. “Love this for me.” The three men approached slowly. Confident now. One of them smiled. “You shouldn’t have run.” “Yeah?” Aria shot back. “You shouldn’t have started it.” The second man chuckled. “Still joking. Interesting.” “Still ugly,” she replied instantly. The air shifted. The smile disappeared. The tallest man stepped forward. “Enough. Bring her—” He never finished. A black flash cut through the rain. THWIP. A dart struck his neck. He collapsed instantly. The others reacted— THWIP. THWIP. Two more darts. Silence. All three fell. Aria blinked. “…Okay. That’s new.” ⸻ Slow footsteps echoed behind her. Not rushed. Not scared. Controlled. A presence entered the alley that made even the rain feel quieter. A man stepped out of the shadows. Black coat. Silver-threaded suit beneath it. Expensive enough to buy half the city. His watch alone looked like it cost a fortune. But it wasn’t the money that made the air heavy. It was him. Ronan Blackthorne. Publicly: * Billionaire CEO of Blackthorne Global Holdings Secretly: * Alpha King of the Blackthorn Pack * Ruler of territories humans never mapped * Commander of an entire hidden supernatural empire His golden eyes landed on Aria. And paused. Just for a fraction of a second. Like something inside him had recognized her before his mind did. ⸻ Aria crossed her arms. “Okay. I don’t know who you are, but I’m having a really bad day, so if you’re here to kidnap me too, please take a number.” Silence. Then— A faint smirk tugged at Ronan’s lips. “You talk too much for someone who should already be dead.” Aria frowned. “Thanks? I think?” Ronan stepped closer. The temperature dropped slightly. The air itself felt heavier around him. Aria instinctively stepped back. Her back hit the wall. She hated that. Ronan noticed. He always noticed everything. “You’re not human,” he said calmly. Aria stared at him. “…Excuse me?” Ronan tilted his head slightly. “Interesting. You don’t even know.” A pause. Then he added quietly: “Someone sealed it inside you.” Aria blinked. “Sealed what inside me?” Ronan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked past her—at the unconscious men on the ground. His expression darkened. “They found you faster than I expected.” Aria narrowed her eyes. “Okay, pause. Who is ‘they’? And why does everyone keep talking about me like I’m a missing package?” Ronan stepped closer again. This time, Aria didn’t move. Not because she wasn’t scared— But because something in her chest reacted to him. A strange pressure. Like something inside her was listening. Ronan spoke softly: “You’re coming with me.” Aria let out a short laugh. “No.” One word. Immediate. Ronan blinked. Not used to that answer. People didn’t usually refuse him. Not in business. Not in packs. Not in life. “…No?” he repeated. “Yeah,” Aria said. “No. I’m not going anywhere with a stranger who shows up after I get attacked in an alley. That’s how horror movies start.” A beat of silence. Then— Ronan exhaled slowly. Almost amused. “You think I’m asking.” ⸻ Before Aria could react, he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. The moment he touched her— The world exploded. Not physically. Energetically. A shockwave burst through the alley. Windows in nearby buildings cracked instantly. Streetlights flickered and died. The ground beneath them trembled. Aria gasped. Ronan’s grip tightened slightly—not painful, but controlled. His expression changed. For the first time… Something like shock crossed his face. “…Impossible.” Aria stared at him. “What did I just do?!” Ronan didn’t answer. Because for the first time in years— His wolf spoke inside him. Mate. ⸻ Ronan let go immediately. Like touching fire. He took a slow step back. His expression had gone dangerously calm again—but his eyes had changed. Sharper. Colder. Possessive in a way he didn’t yet understand. “You’re coming with me,” he said again. Aria stepped back. “No.” Ronan stared at her. Then, quietly: “You don’t get to refuse what you are.” Before she could respond— A black SUV convoy screeched into the street. Doors opened. Men in suits stepped out. Not just guards. Pack enforcers. Elite ones. They lowered their heads instantly when they saw Ronan. “Alpha,” one said. Aria froze. “…Alpha?” Ronan didn’t look at her. “Get in the car.” Aria shook her head. “Absolutely not.” Ronan finally looked at her again. And this time— His voice dropped lower. Dangerous. Final. “You can walk in… or I can carry you.” A pause. Aria looked at the convoy. Looked at the unconscious men. Looked at Ronan. “…I hate this city,” she muttered. Then she got in. ⸻ As the car door closed, Ronan stood outside in the rain. His golden eyes didn’t leave the vehicle. Inside him, Nyxar stirred. Not aggressive. Not chaotic. Focused. Obsessed. She is ours. Ronan’s expression darkened slightly. “No,” he whispered to himself. But even he didn’t sound convinced. Because for the first time in his life… Something had been taken from his control. And it had a name. Aria Vale. ⸻ END OF EPISODE 1