Zara's POV
In an instant, my body trembles uncontrollably.
Everyone knows Maxwell is a monster, and his legacy is written in blood. Three years ago, when the elderly Alpha King dies suddenly, Maxwell, the one trusted by Alpha King, has just recently ascended to the Alpha position and is regarded as a strong contender for Alpha King. However, at the King's own memorial, just because of a simple argument, he unleashed his warriors, turning the solemn event into a slaughterhouse for the pack nobility. That massacre ignited a war that tore our world apart for nearly two years.
I can't imagine what would happen to me if I fell into his hands.
He already knows about my self-destructive streak. Maybe he'll bind me with ropes, leather, or whatever he can find, tying me down so securely that I can't even take my own life. I'll be left with no choice but to whimper for him while he uses me.
His mercy last night must have been a facade. He just needs my healing energy, just like the perfect mask of loyalty he wore when the old Alpha King was still alive.
Oh, Goddess… the most desperate part is this: even as terror paralyzes me, the damned mate bond makes sure my senses are still completely flooded with his potent pheromones.
On top of that, I am drugged.
I bite my lip until I taste blood, my body quivering with a need that is both terrifying and thrilling. I try to block it out, to fight the haze clouding my mind.
But then his gaze deepens, and I am lost. My control snaps.
A soft, undeniable whimper escapes me as I start to pant, the heat in my cheeks spreading through my entire body. Below, I feel myself grow wet, my juice seeping through my clothes to slide down my thighs.
"Well, well. It appears our lovely prize has found her fated mate in the audience. What a magnificent, raw display of the bond..." The auctioneer's voice drips with sadistic glee as his fingers dig into my chin, parading me before the sea of hungry eyes.
"The question is, gentlemen: will her mate have the coin to claim his fated prize? Or will a richer wolf have the nerve to rip her from his grasp?" His voice rises to a fever pitch. "Let's find out! The auction starts now!"