Zane - Confessions of a lycan

Chapter 8

Lily

When I woke up, morning had already turned into afternoon. I guess I was more exhausted than I thought.

Nolan had been nothing but polite since the incident where he sank his fangs in me.

The bite marks were like two angry dots on my wrist as I rubbed them restlessly.

After he had served me a late breakfast, he left me to my own device in the locked bedroom.

I tried several times to contact my wolf but to no avail.

However, the wound around my neck wasn´t healed yet. On top of that, I lost a lot of blood. So I understood that it might take some time. But the feeling of being alone and abandoned didn´t escape me. I could only hope that we would heal quickly and that she would return to me.

When afternoon turned into evening, a whole bunch of female vampires showed up.

They waxed pretty much every surface on my body, to my big dismay.

Then they did my makeup, gave me a manicure and styled my hair into big bouncy curls.

Later on, Nolan came and gave me a light blue long sleeved dress with a heart-shaped neckline to wear.

The arms were in sheer organza and the dress ended mid-thigh.

But all of their effort still hadn't been able to hide the burn mark that was still visible around my neck.

It was no longer an open wound, but it was red and angry.

I had my guesses as to why all this doll up of my appearance had taken place. But until now I had been too cowardly to ask.

As we drove along the busy road I thought I recognized where we were. I had never been here but I had seen postcards..

"Are we in New York?"

"Yeah, you've never been here before?" He took his eyes off the road and quickly looked at me.

"No, I've never been outside the pack borders." I did't want to dig deeper into that topic, so instead I changed the subject; "Where are you taking me, Nolan?" He squirmed a little in his seat.

"I didn't want to worry you little one. That's why I didn't tell you what was going to happen tonight."

I felt my whole body go cold. Would I be sold to someone else? I did't want to stay with Nolan, but I was afraid I would end up with someone even worse, meaner, with even less respect for me.

Nolan could probably hear my heart beating like a hummingbird.

"Darling, deep breaths. I promise nothing will happen to you". He took his cold hand and closed it around mine.

I was too paralyzed to care. "Lily, look at me…LOOK AT ME!" His harsh tone made me gasp, snapping me out of my paralysis. "How can you say that Nolan? You're going to sell me at an auction. Just about anything can happen to me."

I was trying to fight back the tears, so damn tired of them constantly falling. Breaking down wouldn't help me, not now.

"If I could have avoided doing this, I would have. But I am not the one who is calling the shots. There are several of us who have a major role in what will take place, but there are men higher in the hierarchy than I, Lily. We who arrange never participate in the auction, only observe and organize. But I have been given special permission to attend the auction tonight. So you don't have to be afraid, little one. Because I'm going to buy you. I am a very wealthy man, so no matter how high the bid, I promise you I'm going to buy you Lily." He ran his thumb over my cheek, catching a lone tear that fell despite my struggle to hold it back.

I did't know if his words should comfort or frighten me. But time would tell…

When we arrived, Nolan drove into an underground parking garage. He led me through a door that required several different verification codes. Through a long sterile corridor that led to another metal door with even more codes, which also had 2 guards standing outside it. What was this place?

Once inside, we were greeted by beautiful aesthetics. Furniture and walls in dark wood, moss green and burgundy velvet.

"Where are we?"

"At my club, Darling"

"Is this where the auction will be held?" He just nodded in response as he led me forward with a hand on my lower back, through the hallway. Outside the next door, this time a beautiful carved mahogany door, he stopped me.

"I must leave you in there with the other women. I have sent orders to my subordinates that they cannot touch you, hurt you or force you to change your clothes. No one will, I promise, because no one dares to go against me. But you have to put this back on, Lily.” In front of him, he held the damned silver collar. I felt my lower lip begin to tremble and tears burning behind my eyes.

Please no more pain. "I don't want to hurt you darling. But I've already broken all the rules when it comes to you. Collars are a must. Please understand" I gave him my best doe eyes, showing him all my emotions, my fears.

He just sighed while giving me a stern look. "What am I to do with you?"

I refused to turn away with my sad eyes and did everything to appeal to his heart, if he had one, I doubted it.

"Fine, you're off the silver collar. But seriously Lily, if I hear you put up so much as an attitude in there, I'll spank you so hard you can't sit for a week. Have I made myself clear enough?" I felt my entire body blush from head to toe.

Which earned me a devious smirk from the smug vampire. He chuckled and opened the door. "Come now, this will be over soon."

He ushered me into the room.

I froze at the sight before me. At least 15 women sat on a bench along the wall. All dressed only in minimal red lace underwear.

They all wore silver collars that were chained to each other.

Nolan didn't seem to notice my dismay, or he didn't care.

I could have been one of those women, disrespected and devalued. I still was one of those women. I'd just been lucky enough to be handpicked for some strange reason. All the women had been washed and made up. But that didn't take away the worn expression on their faces or the way their bodies hunched over.

"Ahh Nolan, my friend, there you are! What was taking so long?" A broad-shouldered werewolf in a gray suit, with stylish brown hair and a clean shaved face was walking towards us with a big smile, looking like someone from a fashion magazine.

How could you look so happy when you have people suffering all around you in the same room?

How could he participate in selling his own kind? My mind was reeling from the fact that this kind of evil existed.

His gaze shifted to me, looking back and forth, slightly confused, between me and Nolan.

"Good evening, Mark, this is Lily. I have spoken to our boss, and he has given me permission to attend the auction tonight. I found Lily in the basement of our warehouse and decided to buy her. You will take on my role tonight and approve and sign completed purchases." Nolan apparently had enough power for this man not to dare question him.

"I see. You leave your woman with me. I'll get her changed and ready and put her with the others."

I did't even have time to react before Nolan pushed Mark up against the wall with a firm grip around his neck.

"If you so much as touch her, I will make your life a living hell. No one touches or looks at what belongs to me!! Nolan's fangs had come down and were dripping with venom. The werewolf's face turned red as he tried to pull Nolan’s hands away from his neck. Before it could go any further, Nolan released his hold and the man crumpled to the floor, coughing and clutching his neck.

"I understand," the man managed to answer.

Nolan turned to me and didn't even seem to notice that I was terrified.

He pulled me into his arms and gave me a chaste kiss on the forehead. It took everything I hade not to cringe.

"The show is about to start, get in line and they'll call you up when it's your turn. I'll see you when it's over".

He gave the men in the room one last cold look before opening the door, leaving me behind.

The men got to work. I ignored them as my gaze fell on the blonde woman at the front of the line. Who didn't even seem to have noticed us entering or what had just went down.

Oh my goddess, it's Rose...

I went and squatted in front of her before taking her hands in mine. "Rose! Goddess, what have they done to you?"

At the sound of my voice, she cautiously looked up at me. "Lily?"

"Yes, sweetie it's me." "Lily, I don't know if I'm going to survive this." Tears burned behind my eyes as I heard her heartbreak.

"Rose, now you listen to me. You never know how strong you are until strong is the only option you have. Fight Rose, fight to the end." "But I'm terrified, I'm not brave like you." Poor Rose trembled like a leaf in the wind.

"Her time is up, move aside." A large guard tried to push me away and to pull Rose up from the bench.

"One second!" I tried to give him a stern look, but it was probably Nolan's threat that made him take a step back.

"Remember Rose, that bravery is not the lack of fear but the ability to look fear in the eye and say move aside, you are in my way!" Rose looked at me silently as the guard pulled her up by her arm, unlocked the chain and dragged her out of the room.

My heart was breaking for her, for the fate she was about to meet. And for the first time, I sat down and prayed.

Prayed to the moon goddess to protect her, to protect us, from a fate worse than death…