Chapter 4

She nearly pulled her own back with the miss.

Damon's expression darkened. He stepped up and kicked my leg so hard it broke. I howled.

"Now she can't dodge. Hit her."

Through Serena's greedy counting of her prizes, my ears rang. My vision swam.

As I hit the floor, Damon pulled Serena into his arms and blew gently on her palm.

"Sweetheart, does it hurt? Let me kiss it."

"Such a brave girl. I'll take you to the Auction House. Bid on anything. Whatever you want, it's yours."

Serena giggled and looked at me. "What about the Luna, then?"

"She doesn't deserve anything." Damon's eyes landed on me. Something occurred to him.

He walked up to me and said coldly, "You wanted to leave me, didn't you? I'll give you a chance."

"What do you want?" Cold sweat soaked me from the pain.

"The most beautiful She-Wolf in Ashcroft should fetch quite a price." He laughed. "Put you on the Auction House block — I bet you'd make good money."

"You're insane!"

He ignored me and had someone draft a voluntary auction contract. He shoved it at me.

I kept struggling. I wouldn't sign.

He sneered. "Not signing?"

A wave of his hand, and someone stumbled in and dropped to his knees before me.

My eyes went wide.

It was Mason Ellsworth — the friend who'd put his coat over me at the cellar estate.

Mason had been Damon's closest Pack brother since they were pups. He and his parents had stood as witnesses at our Mating Ceremony.

Now this once-sharp Beta was ragged and bloody, stripped of every shred of dignity, kneeling and kowtowing.

"You're insane!" I screamed at Damon. "He's your Pack brother! How could you do this to him!"

"What, you feel bad for him?" Damon looked like a demon crawled out of hell. "The most beautiful She-Wolf in Ashcroft really is something — not just seducing her stepbrother, but my Pack brother too. He spoke up for my mate and got on my nerves, so I corrected him."

Mason sobbed, his forehead bleeding from the kowtowing. "Luna, I'm begging you — whatever Damon says, agree to it. My family's bankrupt. My parents are tied up at a construction site. If you refuse, he'll have them buried alive in concrete."

"I can't lose my parents, Luna. Please."

The thud of his forehead on the floor hit me in the chest. My hand shook as I picked up the pen and signed "Voluntary" on the contract.

Damon patted my head, satisfied. "When you're on that block, work it. You might just get some blind rich Alpha to buy you and catch your next mistake for you."

My lips trembled. "Damon, you'll get what's coming to you."

He scoffed. "Only people who betray their real love do. We'll see who pays."

A masked figure walked up and injected something into my side.

Everything went dark.

When I woke, I had nothing on.

I was locked in the glass display case inside Damon's VIP room at the Auction House.

On the sofa, Damon and Serena were tangled together.

Noticing I was awake, Serena balled up the small cloth she'd been wearing and threw it against the glass near my face.

Numb, I pulled it off me.

"Damon," his friends called from outside, laughing. "Word's out you're auctioning your mate. Everyone's thrilled."

"A few old Alphas have their eye on the Luna. They're lining up to place the winning bid."

Damon exhaled and leaned back, lazy.

"Tell them to be patient. I'll put her up from time to time so the old gentlemen can entertain themselves."

"A She-Wolf without a womb is the perfect plaything. No consequences. They'll be over the moon."

He kicked the case. "Last chance. Call that brother lover of yours. Tell him you're Damon Sterling's dog for the rest of your life. And I might consider buying you along when I buy something pretty for Serena."

I closed my eyes. I said nothing.

He cursed under his breath and shoved Serena off him.

"Bitch. Let's see how long you stay stubborn."

The auction began. Every item Serena fancied, Damon took with a wave.

Serena sat buried in luxury, grinning wide enough to crack her face.

But Damon's face only grew colder. His eyes kept coming back to me.

Finally, the last lot was announced.

"The final item, offered by Sterling of Ashcroft. Titled: Beloved."

"Five million."

"Ten million!"

"Fifty million!"

As the price climbed, Damon's face darkened.

"Evelyn. One last chance..."

"Booth Thirty-One places the winning bid." A voice cut across the calls.

Damon went pale and turned sharply to the floor.

Booth Thirty-One was curtained off. No one could see who sat inside.

But he wasn't smug. His face was grim.

"How is it someone else?" He paced in front of the window.

"Congratulations, Luna. A fresh simp to catch you," Serena laughed. "Hope he's not a freak."

"She's too tender. Once the old ones tire of her, I'll bid a night myself."

"Shut up!" Damon kicked the hanger-on who'd been jeering and roared, red-eyed. "I said nobody was to outbid me on the final lot. Who the hell doesn't value his life enough to bid?"