Camila's POV
Nathaniel was going to the auction.
And worse, he intended to participate.
A thick silence stretched between us, the fire casting shadows against the wooden walls. My breath felt shallow as I studied him, searching for any hint of emotion beneath the unreadable mask he wore so effortlessly.
"You can't—" I tried again, but he only raised an eyebrow, daring me to finish the sentence.
Of course he can, I realized bitterly. Nathaniel Blackwood wasn't just any Alpha. He was powerful. Feared. Respected. A man like him could do anything he wanted, and no one would question it.
Not even Alpha Carter.
The weight of the situation pressed against my chest. If Nathaniel was in business with Silvercrest, then there was a chance—no, a certainty—that my name was already on the list of runaways being sold.
If I ran, I'd never stop running.
If Alpha Carter caught me, I wouldn't live to see another sunrise.
The thought sent a sharp pang of terror through me. I had spent years learning how to survive, how to evade capture, how to blend into the shadows. But this?
This was a game I had no control over.
Nathaniel must have noticed my panic because his expression shifted slightly, the amusement from before fading into something more serious.
"You're afraid." It wasn't a question.
I forced myself to breathe evenly, to keep my voice steady. "Why would I be?"
"You were running," he said, voice low but certain. "I saw it the moment I found you."
My heart pounded, but I said nothing.
"You were desperate," he continued, as if I hadn't just tried to deny him an answer. "That kind of fear—it doesn't come from nothing." His golden eyes darkened, sharp with knowing. "You belong to someone."
I flinched.
His lips curved slightly, but there was no humor in it. "And I don't need to ask who."
A heavy silence settled between us.
I felt exposed, like he had stripped away every last layer I had used to protect myself. I had spent years hiding, running, surviving—only for this man to look at me once and know.
I swallowed, my throat dry. "Then you know why I have to leave."
Nathaniel tilted his head slightly, as if considering my words. Then he exhaled, slow and measured, before saying the last thing I expected.
"You won't make it."
The certainty in his voice sent a shiver down my spine.
His gaze was unwavering, cold but not cruel—just factual, as though he were stating something as simple as the weather.
"If you run," he continued, "you will never stop running. He will find you, and when he does, he will kill you."
I stiffened.
His voice didn't rise. He didn't threaten. He didn't need to. The words alone sent ice through my veins.
Because he was right.
Nathaniel took a step forward, slow and deliberate, until his towering frame cast a shadow over me. The air between us was thick, his presence suffocating in a way that had nothing to do with fear—but everything to do with power.
"But if Carter finds you first," he said, his voice just above a whisper, "he will kill you."
The room felt impossibly still.
My pulse pounded in my ears, but I held his gaze, refusing to look away.
Then, just as the weight of his words settled deep in my bones, he straightened, stepping back slightly—just enough for me to breathe.
"But I'm not going to let that happen."
His voice was quieter now, but no less commanding. "I'm going to that auction, Camila. And I will buy you."
I swallowed hard. "Why?"
"Because it's the only way to keep you alive."
His tone left no room for argument.
He had already made his decision.
And whether I liked it or not, my fate was no longer in my own hands.
My fingers clenched around the blanket draped over me, my mind spinning.
This was a trap.
It had to be.
Alpha Nathaniel Blackwood wasn't known for his kindness. He wasn't a savior. He was a man feared across every territory, a ruler whose name carried enough weight to make enemies tremble.
So why was he doing this?
"You expect me to believe that?" My voice was quiet, but I forced myself to meet his gaze. "That you would spend your money just to save me?"
Nathaniel didn't flinch, didn't waver. Instead, he held my stare for a long moment before speaking.
"You think you have a choice."
A chill crawled down my spine.
His words weren't a threat.
They were a fact.
"You have nothing, Camila," he continued, his tone steady, almost indifferent. "No resources. No allies. No territory that would shelter you. Running will get you nowhere but dead."
He leaned slightly closer, and I caught the faintest trace of pine and something darker—something dangerous. "I don't waste my time explaining myself. But make no mistake, I decide what happens next. Not you."
I hated how steady my voice wasn't when I asked, "And what exactly do you want to happen next?"
Nathaniel tilted his head slightly, as if amused by my defiance. Then, with the same ease one might use to discuss the weather, he answered.
"You're coming with me."
The finality in his voice sent my heart pounding.
"You mean as a prisoner."
His lips twitched in something that wasn't quite a smirk. "No. As property."
A wave of nausea rolled through me.
"I'm not a thing to be owned," I spat.
Nathaniel exhaled sharply, his patience thinning. "No, but you are a thing to be hunted." His eyes darkened, his voice low and lethal. "And whether you like it or not, a collar is the only thing that will stop Alpha Carter from ripping your throat out the moment he finds you."
My breath hitched.
He was right.
If Alpha Carter got his hands on me, I would be dead within seconds. The only thing that could stop that from happening was a claim that outranked his.
And Nathaniel's did.
Because he was an Alpha. A stronger Alpha.
If he bought me at the auction, Alpha Carter wouldn't be able to touch me.
My hands curled into fists beneath the blanket. "So that's it? You buy me, and I'm just supposed to accept it?"
Nathaniel studied me for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
"You misunderstand, Camila."
He straightened, towering over me once more. "You're already mine. The difference is whether you walk into that auction willingly or I throw you over my shoulder and drag you there."
I inhaled sharply, my body going rigid.
His eyes gleamed with quiet authority, the firelight casting golden flecks in his irises.
"Choose."
A beat of silence.
A war waged inside me.
Then, finally, I exhaled shakily and whispered, "I hate you."
Nathaniel smirked. "Then we understand each other."
And just like that, my fate was sealed.