My name is Ember Fin, and I am an orphan. I started living with my uncle after I lost my parents to a disastrous earthquake that claimed many lives in my pack.
The memories of their laughter and warmth are all I have left.
Till today, some say that it was the wrath of the moon goddess, angered by the sins of the pack, that caused her to unleash her divine fury.
"Phew!" I sighed in frustration and weakness. For the past few days, I and some other late shifters, who are rejected and sold by our families, had been crammed into a suffocating, windowless cell.
The air reeked of sweat and every movement of our bodies brought a chorus of groans from the tight space.
We weren't given food, and we were also treated like servants.
How did I get here? From a pampered princess to a caged slave? It's all thanks to my wicked uncle.
After my parent's death, he found me and took me to his pack, claiming it was his duty as family.
At first, I believed his words, but over time, it became clear that his real motivation was greed, a chance to seize the wealth my parents left behind.
He had treated me well until I didn't get my wolf at eighteen, having claimed all the properties my late parents had left behind, he drugged me and sold me off.
Being dragged down the hallway in chains, the cold metal bit into my wrists and ankles, leaving searing pain with every step.
The damp, musty air clung to my skin, and the stone floor beneath me was slick with something foul.
My vision blurred from exhaustion, but I could still make out the flickering light casting eerie shadows on the crumbling walls.
"Would you walk faster, you untamed rejects?" The wild man barked at us. It was very obvious that he was the broker.
'Well, we were all tired as a result of exhaustion and pain.' I grumbled in my head.
"Ahhhh My back... my back...!" I screamed in pain. One of the ruthless men standing behind me, had flogged my back with a whip.
Even as I fell to the ground, I kept getting some more lashes all over my body.
Almost immediately, my whole body got covered in blood. The worst part of my dilemma was that none of them cared about what they were doing to us. It was even very obvious that they were enjoying the pains that they were inflicting on us.
In no time, we arrived at the hall. Throughout my journey chained and beaten, I could only cry in pain, and also call on the moon goddess to come and take me away, just like the way that she claimed my parents.
We got to the hall, and we met the presence of an audience, that I later discovered were mostly Alphas, who came to look for younger and fresher blood that they would prey on.
All my body was sore, and I reeked of fresh blood and rotten meat. Obviously, from my untreated wounds.
"So, like I promised, you'll have a spectacular display today." The broker began, and I stared at him in disgust.
There were over thirty young girls including me, chained, with legs and hands bound together. some had passed out in fear.
"Looking at these young bloods, I know that it'd be a tough decision to make. Let's start from the first person!" He said sardonically, and they started bidding on the price that she would be sold at.
Although my vision was actually blurry, and I was also the last person on the line, and I could clearly see how everything was going.
Soon, like a movie, I was just the last remaining.
There, I laid on the ground in a helpless manner, I cried unto the moon goddess with fear and anxiety , hoping she'll save me and not desert me.
With so much hate and anger in me, I cursed and yelled at the men sitting in the audience. I couldn't explain how they derived joy in preying on the vulnerability of young girls.
"She is the last girl remaining, feisty and obviously the most beautiful of them all." The broker started again. This time, he was obviously talking about me.
Each passing second, I would notice the impatience in the eyes of those men.
Their eyes, glinting with lust and evil, seemed to pierce through me like daggers, making my skin crawl.
A shiver ran down my spine as I felt their stares strip me of my dignity, leaving me exposed and powerless. The bile in my throat threatened to rise, but I forced it down, channeling my fear into silent defiance.
"Fuck you" I cursed at him, but I was silenced with an ear deafening slap that almost shattered my brain.
"You cursed animal!" He spat at me.
At this point, I had given up already, could only cry in misery and hoping that the worst wouldn't happen.
"Mere looking at her, you'd know that she is very fertile. She will definitely fill your home with plenty of wolf babies." The broker continued, and the whole audience started laughing at me, again.
I have never felt so humiliated and demeaned.
Here I was, sitting down in front of an audience of deranged, lustful men who loved to capitalize on the weaknesses of others.
The most annoying part of it was that they were actually laughing like drunk fools who had lost their minds. In all honesty, I actually didn't find anything funny in all the naughty jokes that they were making.
"You'll will suffer and die in hell. Karma will come after all of you." I cried out in frustration, and the response was another round of laughter.
What was funny to them?
Why did they find it funny?
"You'll be the first to die." One of the guards fired back at me, and dashed towards me with a sword.
"Stop!" the voice of the emcee, echoed across the entire building. "Do not tamper with this commodity. Remember that if she has any scar, her market value would also reduce as well." He yelled at the guard, and he drew back immediately.
What would have happened if he didn't hold that boy back? As I yearned for death.
Where has their conscience gone?
"So, who is making the first bid?" He asked the audience.
"Twenty thousand dollars!" A deep baritone voice shouted from the back of the audience.
"Fifty thousand..." Another intercepted him.
"One hundred thousand dollars..." Another.
Yet, another, until a shocking incident happened.
A voice that sounded more superior to the rest mentioned a figure, and the auditorium went into a long murmur.
"Ten million dollars." The voice muttered, and the whole attention turned to him. Everyone wanted to see who it was. Well, the broker didn't waste any time, before declaring the auction closed.
I stared in uncertainty, as I didn't have any idea, about any drama that was even happening at the moment.
"Sold to Alpha Roman Moscow!" The broker mumbled under his breath, and dashed off the stage with immediate effect like someone who had seen a ghost.