A spotlight landed on the struggling Elaina as the man dragged her to the middle of the stage where the announcer stood.
"Because they are unbranded, some of the items would be untamed and aggressive just as you requested." the announcer spoke into his mic. He moved his microphone downwards and turned to her,
"It would be better for you to behave yourself," he warned. His black eyes flashed golden and her heart raced. Not just because he was a werewolf but because of the darkness outlining his body, which she could see through her hair.
After ensuring that his threat was well received, he brought the mic back up and turned to the audience.
"Tall, with long arms and legs. A perfect figure that would wrap fully around you when doing the deed. And for those looking for a wild time under the sheets, as she had demonstrated, she would be quite the aggressive one," he wriggled his eyebrows.
"The bidding starts from five million," he started the bid and Elaina's eyes widened. Five million?!
"5.3 million," someone called and she couldn't help but raise her eyes to the audience. Through her hair, she managed to see the booths that surrounded the stage. The booths were made of darkened glass to protect the identities of the bidders. Though her eyes were covered, it felt like she was treading on eggshells so she closed them.
"5.5 million,"
"5.6," came various bids.
Information was transmitted to the announcer's earbud and he nodded. He turned to Elaina and used his free hand to push all of her hair to the back. The man holding her took the hint and held all of her hair in his hand, revealing the beauty hidden behind.
"She is a real beauty," the announcer praised.
"Six million," a person called right after they moved her hair.
"6.2 million,"
"6.5,"
"6.7," came numerous bids from different booths.
"Seven million," came the last bid that ended the battle. No one was willing to take the price higher than that.
The announcer's eyes shone in delight, "We have seven million," he spoke into his microphone "Going, going, gone." he snapped his fingers,
"Sold to booth eight for seven million," he concluded the first bid. He passed a look at the man holding her, the man nodded and took her off the stage, and their spot was replaced by another slave.
"Next up, item two," Elaina heard as they walked off the stage. The man took her past the booths to a dark hallway behind them. She grew anxious by the second as they got closer to the booth and then, a thought crossed her mind.
A possible chance of escaping. The hallway was too narrow for the both of them to walk comfortably, so she had to walk in front of the man. It was a reckless plan but she was going to go ahead with it anyways.
Her eyes moved to the man's feet that were right behind hers. She slowed down her pace and when one of his feet came close to hers, she raised her foot and stomped hard on his. The force she used was hard enough to make him flinch, but not enough for him to loosen his grip.
Elaina's eyes widened when he didn't budge but she didn't falter, she stomped on his foot over and over but he remained unfazed.
The man sighed, this wasn't his first time dealing with slaves so he wasn't surprised about her action. Her plan may have worked if it had been a human in his place but it wasn't. He couldn't let her do something like this to her owner so he tightened his grip on her arm and flung her forward.
Elaina lost her footing and would have fallen but she felt herself move backward until her back slammed forcefully into the wall. Her vision blurred and her ears rang for a few seconds.
The force at which he slammed her wasn't enough to make her lose consciousness, but just enough to kill her spirit.
"Move," he ordered but she didn't respond. He pursed his lip, perhaps the force was too much.
He sighed then walked forward, dragging her with him. Arriving at the booth, he knocked twice on the door before entering.
"I have brought the slave," he bowed slightly then pushed her into the room, releasing his hold on her arm.
Elaina stumbled forward and landed in the arms of a man. It took her a few seconds to regain her senses and she blinked multiple times to clear the dizziness out of her eyes. Her hair fell on the right side of her face as she looked up to see who held her.
Her eyes widened when she saw a man dressed like a butler and she quickly pushed herself back and took three steps away from the man. She turned to the door but it was blocked by the man who brought her.
"Don't be scared," she heard a gentle voice speak. She turned her head back to the front and made eye contact with a man seated on a couch who she assumed to be her buyer.
"Come here," he stretched his hand out but she took a step back. Her heart slammed against her chest and fear coursed through her veins.
"What's your name?" the man asked and she took another step back. Her eyes traveled across the booth. It had a three-seater couch which the man sat on, a small bar at one side of the room, and a medium-sized bed on the other side.
A bed! she gulped nervously and took another step back.
"She must be scared," the man concluded. He faced his butler and ordered, "Bring her to me,"
The butler started to move towards her and she panicked, having nowhere to go. Behind her was the man who had slammed her into the wall and in front of her was the man who bought her. She racked her head, trying to think of any means to escape.
If it had been another time, Elaina would have been fine but right now, her fatigued body that had been slammed twice on hard surfaces in the same night was currently going through the slow process of awakening so it couldn't handle the pressure of her racing mind. Her head spun and her body fell to the ground with a thud. Darkness spread around her as she lost consciousness.
The butler quickly walked to her unconscious body and carried her in his arms. "She is alright, Master," he informed his master after checking her pulse. "Though her temperature is a bit hot,"
The man stood up from his seat, "It is her first time going through all of this. She must have passed out due to fear and exhaustion," he said as he came to stand in front of his butler.
A sinister smile etched its way on his lips as he stared at her unconscious figure. He placed his hand on her face, "Don't worry, father will take care of you,"
"Let's go," he told his butler before walking past him. He stopped and told the man at the door what he wanted to hear, "Do not fret. You would receive your payment before dawn," and the man stepped aside and opened the door for him and his butler to pass.