The Alpha's Little Prey

3

Eve

I could smell the fear with every breath I took. It was thick, overwhelming and painfully real. It tainted every inch of the cold, dark room we'd been thrown in, lacing the air with its dark stench.

The floor was cold, hard and seemed to be made of some kind of metal. The room smelled like musk, oil and sweat. There were no windows and no light. The rogues had thrown us into pitch darkness and shut the door.

We were all too scared to move, to try to find a way out. The sounds from outside the door didn't help. The wall seemed to rumble from the noise. I could hear cheering, shouts, and even wolf whistles.

My heart pounded in my throat, my hands clammy with sweat.

They were going to sell us as s*x slaves.

Agatha, the other woman who had spoken up in the truck, had said,

“Sell us. Like we were property to be owned. Merchandise.”

Fear gripped me as the door swung open again, flooding the room with light and one of the rogues walked in to drag another screaming girl out before shutting the door.

That was the sixth girl. I couldn't help but think about what fate lay behind the door. Soon, the room shook again with the sound of lewd laughter, sadistic excitement buzzing in the air. Who were these people?

A man's voice called out again. It was the same pattern. He introduced the girl, described her qualities and called out the starting amount. Some had been sold for twenty thousand dollars, some fifty...one girl had been sold at a whopping two hundred thousand dollars. She screamed the entire way.

Who would do something like this?

More girls were dragged out of the room, over and over again until all but seven of us remained. Some screamed, others begged. A few like Agatha, went willingly, as if they had resigned themselves to their fate.

My heart thundered wildly in my chest, beads of sweat lacing my face as I stared wildly into the dark, waiting, fearing the moment I'd be taken...forced to reckon with a fate not of my own choosing.

I didn't have the time to wonder because the door swung open again and this time, they headed straight for me. I shook, my throat closing up such that I couldn't scream, terror seizing my voice. They drag me down a dimly lit hallway, the stench of vomit and other bodily fluids filling my nose.

Soon, we were through the hallway and out onto a stage.

"This one, ladies and gentlemen, is special. A real prize. Hush, now," The auctioneer said, teasing the crowd, drawing out curiosity.

His men dragged me out into the bright lights and dumped me unceremoniously on the middle of the floor.

My heart stopped. The crowd was deathly silent. That scared me even more. I looked up and saw hundreds of beady eyes staring at me, scrolling over every part of my body...assessing the merchandise. Men, women, young, old, human, werewolf, others...

They all wanted the same thing. To buy a person. In this case...me.

I curled into myself, frightened beyond comprehension and scrambled to protect myself from their lewd stares.

"A beauty, is she not?" The auctioneer said suddenly, cutting through the silence like a knife. "I promised you a true prize, everyone. This one here is an angel. Young. Not more than 18, I believe. Trainable. And most importantly..." He trailed off, allowing his words to hang in the air, like a chopping block waiting to come down. His beady eyes shone with lust and greed, and pleasure. The sick bastard was getting off on this.

"...a virgin," He whispered. Then the block came swinging down. I could swear I heard someone gulp.

How did he know that? Nausea and trepidation rolled through me leaving me dizzy.

Immediately, the bid started. One woman called out ten thousand dollars and I gasped at the number. Then came the clamoring. Numbers were thrown out in frightening escalation...each higher than the last.

"Twenty thousand!"

"Thirty!"

"Thirty-five!"

"Fifty thousand!"

My mouth dried up, heart thundering in my chest as my eyes darted around following the calls as they erupted in the arena.

Higher and higher, the figure went until my eyes streamed tears. I was appalled at how much these monsters were willing to spend purchasing people.

I gasped when a voice high up in the shadows to the left of the arena growled out, “Ten million!”

What?

The voice was deep and dark. Its power reverberated through the arena, silencing the crowd with both intensity and the meaning of what he'd just said.

I stared up at the source of the voice and strained my eyes to focus, to see what sort of monster was willing to buy me for such a price.

Even the auctioneer was shell shocked, only recovering himself a moment later. He was about to swing down the gavel and seal my fate when someone else called out.

“Fifteen!” Another voice shouted, the voice cruel and mused, coming only a few feet away from the former voice.

I couldn't make out the face or form of this voice either because of the darkness. Cowards. Hiding their faces to conceal their true nature.

A collective gasp of disbelief echoed through the arena, everyone as confused as to why anyone would spend Such a price on a single individual

“Twenty Million!” The former voice called out again, louder this time, sounding agitated. Like he didn't want to do this.

“Twenty five,” The latter said again, almost taunting the former with his ability to pay a higher price.

Not a word was uttered in the arena as everyone stared gobsmacked at the show unraveling before their eyes.

“Thirty,” the former voice called again, a deep growl that shook me to my core at its intensity. Whoever the monster was, he grew enraged with each call.

“Thirty-five,” The latter voice called again in an almost lazy tone as if the wholesaling bored him, yet I could tell he was entertained, Lewdly so.

“Fifty million f*****g dollars, King! She’s mine!” The former voice roared and I found myself cowering alongside nearly everyone else in the arena. He was definitely an Alpha.

Even The auctioneer's, King's, mouth dropped in shock. A second went by. Ten. Thirty.

No further calls.

“Sold! To Mr Blackwood for fifty million dollars!” The auctioneer, whom I had just learned was called King exclaimed with greedy enthusiasm, his eyes beading out of his head, his mouth almost salivating as he pounded the gavel down with a sickening finality, effecting sealing my fate.

The arena remained quiet for a beat longer before erupting in a callous flourish of laughter and applause.

King's men soon came to drag me off the stage and I could barely put up a fight, my lungs emptied with shock at what had just happened. As they pulled me away, I felt the lingering heat of a pair of eyes on my back, I glanced over my shoulder to see his blue eyes peering at me. Mr. Blackwood, King had called him.

The monster.

Dread filled my belly at what would happen to me. What did he want from me that he was willing to pay such a ridiculous price? Fifty million dollars. That's how much I was worth. A s*x slave to a deranged monster.

As King's men carried me off stage and away, we walked past another pair of men who seemed to be carrying another unfortunate woman. Oh, goddess. No.

“Cece! Cece! No! Please, she's just a kid! No!” I screamed, tears filling my eyes as I jerked and fought the men holding me.

Cece had heard me and turned her head towards me. Her soft, innocent face streaked with tears burned into my memory as she screamed and called For me to save her. The men gagged her and dragged her out of my sight to face the same fate I had just lived through.

“Move it!” One of the men barked in my ears, as he tightened his hand around my arms, biting into the skin.

They dragged me through another hallway as I fought and screamed like hell. Why did a girl as young as Cece have to suffer the same fate?

I soon grew weak And slumped against the men who jerked me back on my feet without a care. They took me through a series of locked doors. Cells.

Whoever these people were, they didn't just sell s*x slaves. There were antiques, jewelry, exotic animals, drugs, guns, people…they were dealers. Your one stop shop for all things illegal and inhumane, I thought dryly, my humor long stolen from me.

The last door opened to the outside and I nearly moaned at the cool bite of the night breeze. It had felt like years since I'd last seen the moon or felt the night breeze against my skin.

A sleek black SUV was parked outside the arena in what looked to be a poorly lit, otherwise empty parking lot. A tall man stood next to the vehicle, a blank expression on his face. It had a handsome face, good sharp features, steel gray eyes and a jaw That could snap my neck before I blinked.

Yet, I knew immediately that this wasn't the person who had purchased me. His power, though real and strong, lacked a certain essence. His brother, perhaps?

“Here you go, sir. One virgin slave,” The henchman said, stroking a dirty long tongue over his teeth as he shoved me towards the man.

I stumbled into him, not expecting to be pushed and fell to the ground when he side stepped me, not caring to be disturbed by me.

He didn't say a word to me, instead cast a weird look at me.

“I've already sent the payment,” He spoke in a cool, steady tone. I could sense the power rumbling beneath…Controlled yet ruthless, if need be. “You'd do well not to mess with Mr. Blackwood’s properties,” He advised, leveling the henchman with a pointed stare.

“Aww. We've roughed up the goods before. I'm sure Mr Black won't mind,” The man said, grinning stupidly as he pranced away.

This man wasn't an Alpha. Beta, then. This Mr. Blackwood must be his Alpha.

Anger coursed through my veins, causing me to react.

“So you're the monster's little b***h, huh? Come to collect the goods? What, he can't do himself? The coward!” I spat at the man, wrapping bravado around like a shield against the dangers of this man.

“Get in,” The man said, releasing some of that power so that I'm forced to obey. He opened the front door for me like I was some dignitary, gently closing it behind me. Then he got into the driver's seat and locked the doors.

I swallowed thickly, willing myself not to rumble in fear as he started up the car and pulled out of the parking pot and onto the road without sparing a glance at me.

I took the time to study his face out of the corner of my eye, dismissing the chills that settled on my skin as we drove deeper into the darkness of night.

The man didn't even flinch under my stare.

“Who are you? Where are you taking me?” I asked carefully, after a while, the silence killed me.

“You'll find out soon enough ” The man answered and offered up nothing more.

His words did nothing to ease my fears. I felt my eyes sting with tears but bit my lip to keep them from falling. I wouldn't let these men see me weak. Not until I had killed every single one of them.

The drive went on and on for a few hours until we were pulling into a giant gated estate. I could barely make anything out in the darkness. As he parked in front of the mansion, he opened the door and came around to my side to open my door before gesturing with his head for me to get out.

I obeyed not wanting to be killed before I even figured out an escape. He led me into the giant, looming mansion and I couldn’t keep my jaw off the ground. The structure was both impressive and intimidating, imitating some nineteenth century building. It was obviously old yet carried modern touches as if it had been remodeled over the years.

I barely had time to catch my bearings when three women descended the stairs and stopped right in front of us, curtseying in front of the man.

“Get her ready for Alpha. Change those dirty clothes she's in and make sure she looks her best. He'll have your heads if she doesn't,” He said menacingly, waiting until they nodded their heads.

“Don't take her to his room. Keep her in the North Wing until he returns. He'll find her when he's ready,” He added Before turning around to walk away.

Suddenly, dread filled me, twisting my guts, causing me to run after him, latching onto his arm, my eyes wide with inched tears.

“Please. Please, don't leave me here. He'll kill me. Please,” I pleaded, forsaking my last shred of dignity.

I couldn't avenge my mother if I was dead.

The man looked at me like I was nothing but an irritating fly and wrenched his arm out of my grip.

“Death would be a far better fate,” He whispered, his face expressionless and walked into the night, taking my breath with him.