Marked By The Vengeful Lycan

Chapter Three

"Five hundred and fifty gold pieces!" someone shouted from the back, followed by a chorus of whistles.

"Six hundred! She might be plain, but she’s got Alpha blood!"

I stayed on the floor, my hands clutching the white lace of my skirt. I glanced at Lucas, but he was too busy whispering in Elara’s ear, his hand possessively on her waist. He didn't even look at me.

Was I so blind? How did I not see this coming? How did I manage to believe that Lucas could love me?

I'd always known I wasn't as beautiful as my younger sister. Elara was the beauty of our pack with her long, luscious blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Suitors would line up waiting just for a glimpse of her.

I was plain and more reserved. I'd never thought of myself as ugly growing up, I just knew my beauty wasn't as spectacular as my sister’s and that was fine by me. That was until we moved to the new pack my father conquered and the pack members began to describe me as the uglier sister, the ugly daughter of the Alpha. And my self-esteem took a hit, I started trying to make myself smaller, to make myself easier to deal with. I thought I was an inconvenience because I wasn't as beautiful as expected and so I made myself pleasant and useful until I became a desperate people pleaser.

And when I found Lucas, an Alpha son. And the first man who didn't look at me with mild irritation, I thought finally, I had a chance to be happy.

But here he was now standing with my sister, his eyes shining with love for her. And I was on the floor, the guests of my mating ceremony screaming prices as they tried to outbid each other over me.

I'd never felt so cheap in my life.

“Nine hundred!” an older man screamed.

My eyes widened when I saw who it was, the Head baker at the village. He was old, older than my grandfather. His skin was wrinkled and he had grey hair.

How could such a man bid on me? How could any of them even be doing this as if I were a household property? And worse of all, my father was leading this.

My father chuckled happily as he slapped the back of one of his warriors. “Nine hundred! Incredible!”

“A thousand!” another man screamed, stumbling drunkenly over his stool.

I felt bile climb up my throat. Beside me, Lucas pulled my sister into his arms and they chuckled together, watching the event unfold.

“One thousand one hundred!” a voice roared from the left.

My father’s grin widened, his eyes darting between the bidders as if he were counting coins “Do I hear fifteen hundred? Fifteen hundred for an Alpha’s daughter? Think of the lineage she carries! Think of the sons she could produce!”

The crowd erupted again. Men who had known me since I was a child, men who had sat at my father’s table, were now looking at me with predatory hunger. Their eyes were greedily taking in my body and I felt nauseous at the lustful desires I saw in their eyes.

“Fifteen hundred!!” the baker shouted again, his voice cracking with desperation. He stepped forward, his cane thumping against the floor, his watery eyes fixed on my face in a way that made me want to claw my own skin off.

I looked back at Lucas one last time, silently begging and hoping that he would change his mind. But he didn't.

He simply adjusted his grip on my sister and turned away. To him, I was a nuisance he's finally gotten rid of.

“Fifteen hundred, going once!” my father shouted.

The air in the room stiffened and immediately everywhere quieted down.

“Fifteen hundred, going twice!”

I closed my eyes, praying for the ground to swallow me. It was final, I belonged to the baker.

“Three thousand!” Someone yelled, causing me to snap open my eyes instantly.

I watched as the man stood up and stepped forward. Every iota of hope I had momentarily felt died immediately I saw who it was.

Alpha Eugene got up, his eyes bright with desire. He was one of the oldest Alphas in existence, and one of the most cruel.

Two of his concubines had died from his violent temper. The tales of his brutal treatment of women traveled far and wide, even the women in his pack were nothing but glorified slaves, they had no rights and lived based on his orders. He was an animal. A brute. And he’d just offered the highest bid for me.

The silence in the room was now heavy and suffocating. Even the drunken men who'd all been excitedly bidding were now silent, they seemed to sober up at the sight of him.

My father’s face transformed. The greed in his eyes was so bright it was blinding.

“Three thousand!” my father bellowed, his voice cracking with a manic sort of joy. He didn't even look at me. “Alpha Eugene bids three thousand! Sold, of course!”

Finally, my eyes found my mother in the front row and I watched her through blurry eyes. But as expected, my mother simply turned away, refusing to look at me.

I had just been sold to the most cruel Alpha in our realm, and there was no one to save me.

Alpha Eugene held up his hand. “But before I make payment, Garrick, I’d like to inspect my goods. As your daughter was previously engaged to Lucas, it is expected that she's soiled…”

Laughter rang out in the room. Alpha Eugene continued, smiling now. “It doesn't matter to me that my little concubine is not a virgin, but of course I must see what I am paying for, eh?”

My father chuckled. “What do you suggest?”

Alpha Eugene’s eyes met mine and a cruel glint shone in them. “Strip!”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“Stand up and take off your clothes so I can assess you fully!” Alpha Eugene barked.