Zara's POV
The day after tomorrow is supposed to be my 20th birthday. Like every other girl born in an Alpha family, a lot of ranked wolves will come to visit me at the time I can feel my mate's scent.
But they are not here to celebrate, but to auction me.
Because I am a maid at the disposal of my Alpha father, Derek, and my dear stepsister, Sophia, and I am treated with no mercy. They have made a deal with the most luxurious auction house in my pack, the Shadow Pack, to sell me to cover the expenses for Sophia's wedding.
They say I deserve what I deserve, after I killed my mom.
After several desperate explanations and subsequent merciless punishments, I have painfully withdrawn any hope from them. So this time, when Sophia comes over to me, with one arm linked through my ex-boyfriend's and the other hand holding up her gown, accusing me of intentionally ruining it, I just let out a scoff.
"You know what? I neither envy you enough to ruin that stupid dress, nor do I envy the fact that you actually treasure that love rat beside you like a golden boy. Just continue to be delusional, and you two will match each other very well."
"What the hell, you mother-killing bitch! How dare you talk to me like that?" Anger instantly flashes across Sophia's face. She raises her hand, about to slap me again just like she always does.
I just stand still, my voice quizzical. "That's right. Go on, slap me. Might as well hit me until my face is swollen and I can't even speak, like you did before. That way, no one will buy me tomorrow. Guess what our father will do to you when he has to pay for your wedding?"
Derek is a fickle wolf who only cares about himself. His affection for any woman never lasts more than half a year. Mom and I were the ones left neglected before, and now it's Sophia and her mother.
"She's right, Sophia. We should wait until the auction is over," my ex, David, whispers in her ear.
Fear is already on Sophia's face, but upon hearing David's words, she suddenly flares up again. "Oh, really? You want me to let Zara off... could it be that you still have feelings for her?!"
David is the heir of the Crescent Pack. We once fell in love for three years and we even got engaged. But once my mom died, Derek remarried his mistress and I lost my position as heiress, he quickly broke up with me and chose Sophia, the new heiress, when Sophia seduced him.
"Oh, no, honey. I am absolutely into you, and you alone!"
Sophia sneers. "Then prove it. Slap Zara on the face, hard, just once, and I will trust you. Slapping her once won't leave a very obvious mark, right?"
How ridiculous... Selling my body for money isn't enough. Now they even want to use my pain to prove their so-called damn love.
David shoots me a glance, a flash of anger flickers in his eyes when he turns to Sophia again. "That's not what I mean, Sophia. What I'm trying to say is, there are many ways to punish her, right? Some methods cause much more pain than just a slap. For instance, leaving Zara near the border for a night. Don't you think that approach would be very effective? I'm sure she won't dare to go against you anymore when she comes back totally freaking out tomorrow."
...
Four hours later, at night, I am forcibly sent to the junction of the Shadow Pack and the Snowfield Pack. The Alpha of the latter is Maxwell Smith, who is well known for his brutality and bellicosity, and for the fact that no single pack can withstand Snowfield's attack.
A notorious wolf fighting for the position of Alpha King, a beast in human skin.
I am abandoned in a forest clearing, listening to the sounds of rogue wolves wandering through the woods. I curl up and tremble, so terrified that I try not to make any sound. The guards sent by Sophia are in the distance, only there to monitor my location—they will only intervene to rescue me quickly when the rogue wolves have tormented me to the point of a mental breakdown.
I can do nothing but cry silently.
After three years of torment, I am no longer the excellent healing arts student with strong healing power I once was, nor the outstanding student who always scored high in combat classes. My skin is excessively pale from years of being forced inside without sunlight, my body is overly thin from never having enough to eat, and the skills I learned have deteriorated from years of working as a maid.
I have been trained to be a weak slave suited to be played and used. I do not stand a chance if I encounter Rogues.
When the strange sounds around us grow closer, my wolf, Blair, suddenly says, "Zara, why don't you go ahead and take a look? After that burst of fighting sounds just now, there seem to be strange, suppressed cries, and I can feel a strong wolf there. I can't tell for the moment whether these cries stem from lust or fear—cries of fear and cries of lust are really hard to distinguish, and it makes me really curious."
I exclaim in a low voice, "What are you talking about? There's likely danger ahead! I already have enough trouble!"
Blair replies, "The two guards won't just sit by and watch you actually get hurt. You will be auctioned tomorrow as the most exciting item, remember? A wolf of noble blood serving as a sex slave. You are far more seductive than those Omegas and will definitely be frantically scrambled for, if you are presented in a perfect way. They won't watch you get harmed and therefore get devalued."
"Why not free yourself at this final moment? Maybe we can even cause them some trouble."
I am stunned for a while. "You're right." I take a deep breath.
I have been a maid for so long that I've nearly forgotten what I was like when I was once spirited and ambitious. My tomorrow is darker than death, so what fucking trouble do I have to care about? Isn't it pathetic that I don't even dare to fulfill my wolf's curiosity?
Then, I stand up and begin to run with my thin body and pale skin. At first, I stumble because I lack strength and haven't run for a long time. But it doesn't take long to run faster and faster, as if I am flying.
I haven't felt like my lost, precious self for so long that I even weep with joy.
"Wait, what is she doing? Has she gone insane, running away from us?"
"Stop and come back, you stupid maid, or you will be very sorry once we get you!" The angry voice of the guard comes from behind, but this only makes me run more determinedly, to the extent that I surpass my limits and they can't catch me in a short time.
I run through thicket after thicket, the wind brushing against my cheeks. As the moonlight grows dimmer and I can barely make out the path ahead, heavy breathing sounds are already close beside me. I can tell that the source of this sound wants to suppress it but is helpless to do so. I walk straight toward it.
What can I possibly witness before I become a sex slave? Just some dirty Rogues, or young couples coming here to taste the forbidden fruit for the first time—the fruit I'd never have a chance to taste with my beloved one?
And there he is, lying against a broken stump, his mouth open, continuously letting out stifled moans. He is tall and strong, with chiseled features and a well-defined jaw—he must be a wolf of noble blood. But now his entire body is covered with wounds where his skin has been torn open by sharp claws, blood dripping everywhere. In some places, the injuries have even reached his bones and internal organs.
He is so severely injured he can neither escape nor heal himself, but his deep silver gray eyes stare at me intently, almost burning me with danger and... desire?
"Oh my god, he must be drugged with an aphrodisiac, I can smell it! He was definitely set up by someone and he is desperate. It's very dangerous if he makes a final struggle. You have to escape now!!!" Blair screams.
I am stunned by his charming yet dangerous silver gray eyes, frozen for a moment, and then everything is too late. Before I can even turn around, this heavily wounded man suddenly leaps up and pins me to the ground. In just an instant, my world is spinning and everything is turning upside down. The smell of earth, blood, and his intense werewolf scent fill my nostrils.
His fierce yet handsome face fills my vision.
His strong hands grip my throat, making it nearly impossible for me to breathe. I am nearly overwhelmed by suffocating asphyxiation.
"Please..."
"Shut up! Another killer, and a woman at that, huh? Since you're so into ambushing me, guess what I'll do to you before I die? Screw you first or kill you first?" His eyes are full of desperation and rage.
His burning breath hits my face, and I am almost too weak to struggle. I can only watch helplessly as his eyes turn red, ready to bite me to death.
I close my eyes, ready to reunite with my mom, bitterly and yet euphorically.
But then he pauses. "No, wait. Are you a healer? I can sense the healing energy that the Moon Goddess has bestowed upon you." He loosens his grip slightly.
I open my eyes, speaking with difficulty. "Yes, I am not a killer, just a healer, and I mean you no harm... You're about to die without healing. Don't kill me... I will help you."
As I speak, my hand moves to his firm chest, healing energy gathering at my fingertips. With the movement of my fingers, a long, bloody gash across his chest quickly heals.
"Ah..." The man loosens his grip more and lets out a deep moan that seems both pained and pleasurable, which almost arouses me.
The way he grips my throat is no longer purely harsh but carries a caressing quality, which allows me to feel how burning hot and powerful his hands are, and how warm and firm his chest is. The blood and sweat on his face mix together and drip onto my face, accompanied by the scent of hormones, making it impossible for me to resist.
My private biology teacher once said that due to reproductive instincts, a werewolf's desires become strongest when facing death, and I can feel that now. I am nearly on fire with desire.
And what did he just say? Screw me?
Well, even though he almost killed me just then, he's undeniably sexy, way better than David, who insisted on waiting until after marriage to be intimate, claiming he just wanted to be responsible—which only made me wonder if he had issues in that department.
I've never experienced a wonderful and intense orgasm before, and I want it now.
Besides, what if Derek and Sophia find I am not a virgin and I am consequently devalued significantly?
Well, well. I want to see them go crazy for once, to prove that I am much more than a pig for slaughter.
"Oh my god, what happened here? Is that a desperate wolf from Snowfield? Quickly get that piece of trash off her and kill him! Make sure she is intact or the Alpha will kill us!" Just at this moment, the two guards arrive and gasp.
The man's face freezes for a moment.
"You fooled me, you pretty little thing. You said you would help me, but your guards are so hostile to a Snowfield wolf like me, and they exposed your true position. You are nothing but another nasty liar showing up at an important moment in my life to try and mess everything up." The light in his eyes quickly fades, replaced by sorrow and hatred. "I've reached the end of my rope. Guess what I'm going to do to you? How about we make a deal—you stay submissive while I use you to threaten your guards not to come close, and as a reward, I won't screw you too hard and torture you mercilessly when I reach my warriors?"
I am gasping heavily beneath him, his claws sliding across my neck. I know all this talk about screwing and escaping is false, just delirious words induced by aphrodisiacs and desperation. His earlier leap has already exhausted his last bit of strength. But his claws are still sharp enough to rip my throat open in a second.
I reveal a crazed smile, licking my lips. "You've got things totally wrong, Sir. I have a better deal for both of us."
"How about I heal you completely, and in exchange, you kill them both, then get laid with me?"
"What?" He is stunned for a moment.
I say quickly, "They are not my guards but my surveillants. I am just a sex slave waiting to be sold. That's why they said to make sure I am 'intact'—because I am just an item. You are in the same boat as me, not them. I didn't lie to you at all, and I believe you are wise enough to judge my words."
"Kill me and die, or trust me and save us both. It is your turn to choose."