Ella's POV
The lights above me were blinding, but not enough to hide the lust, greed, and hunger in their eyes. My wrists were shackled in silver — not because I was a threat, but because fear was part of the show.
I was the product. The last lot of the night.
My name wasn't even announced. Just the facts.
> "Virgin. Human. Nineteen. Untouched. Debt-backed. Packless."
Their laughter echoed through the warehouse.
They didn't see a girl.
They saw a trophy. A conquest. A possession.
The man beside me, the auctioneer, pulled me forward by the chain. I stumbled in the heels they'd forced onto my feet — I'd never worn shoes like this. I'd never worn something so… indecent. A short silk slip with no sleeves, no bra, and no dignity. Just enough to cover shame, not enough to cover skin.
> "Starting bid: five hundred thousand."
My heart pounded like it wanted to escape my chest. Each second stretched like eternity. No one raised a hand. No one said a word.
Until…
> "One million."
His voice sliced through the silence.
Cold. Deep. Absolute.
It wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.
A ripple of gasps swept through the room. All heads turned.
I followed their gaze and saw him for the first time.
Black suit. No tie. Sharp jaw. Eyes like ice. Shoulders that could hold the world. He stood still, arms folded, as if bored — as if buying a human girl was just another line on a shopping list.
The auctioneer hesitated, then called out, "One million from the Blood Moon Alpha. Do I hear one point five?"
Silence.
No one dared.
> "Five million," the man said again, like it was nothing.
The gavel hit the wood.
> "Sold… to Alpha Xander Black."
My knees buckled.
I had heard the stories about him.
He was a monster in tailored suits. A savage wrapped in calm.
The Alpha who rejected the mate bond.
The Alpha who killed his own father to claim the throne.
The Alpha who hadn't been seen with a woman in five years — since his mate died in a fire she supposedly set herself.
And now… I belonged to him.
---
Xander's POV
I didn't need her.
I didn't want her.
But the Council was breathing down my neck. They said I needed a Luna. That my rule was weakening. That the bloodline must continue. That appearances mattered.
So I did what I always do — shut them up with power.
Buying a mate wasn't ideal, but it was clean. I controlled the terms. No fate. No bond. No emotions. Just a contract.
And yet… the moment I saw her, my wolf stirred.
Not because she was beautiful — though she was.
Not because she looked scared — though she did.
It was something else. Something under her skin. In her scent.
It reminded me of…
> "Bring her to the estate," I said to Beta Nate.
> "What should I tell her?" he asked.
> "Tell her the truth."
I lit a cigarette and stared into the fog.
> "She's nothing but a body to keep the Council off my back."
But I was lying — not to Nate. To myself.
Because the moment her eyes met mine…
My dead mate's name echoed in my head.
Hazel.
And I didn't know why.
---
Ella's POV
The car was silent.
Not a word from the guards. Not a sound from the city.
As we passed through the iron gates of Blood Moon territory, I clutched my shaking hands.
They brought me to the estate — no, not a house. A fortress carved into the side of a mountain. Gothic, cold, and towering into the sky like it had grown there long before humans even walked the earth.
They didn't tell me anything. Just shoved me inside, handed me to a housekeeper, and vanished.
> "This way, girl," the woman said.
She didn't look at me as she led me through marbled halls and candlelit corridors.
When we reached the room, I gasped.
It was… beautiful.
A king-sized canopy bed. Fire-lit walls. A carved desk. Bookshelves. Silk sheets.
But it felt like a cage.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the door. Waiting.
An hour passed.
Two.
I changed into the white nightgown they left for me — soft cotton, modest.
I didn't eat the food. I didn't sleep.
Then the door opened.
And he walked in.
Alpha Xander Black.
The man who owned me.
He looked tired. Unshaven. Like he hadn't slept in days. But his eyes were still cold. His walk still calculated.
I stood quickly, my breath catching in my throat.
> "There are rules," he said.
> "Yes, Alpha."
> "You do not leave this room without permission."
> "Yes, Alpha."
> "You do not speak unless spoken to."
> "Yes, Alpha."
He paused. Looked me over. My cheeks burned under his gaze.
> "And you do not touch me."
I swallowed.
> "Unless I touch you first."
---
Xander's POV
She flinched. I saw it. That small recoil in her shoulders.
She was afraid.
Good.
Fear is easier than love. Fear doesn't disappoint.
Still… something in her pulled at me.
Not lust.
Not power.
Recognition.
I stepped closer and brushed a strand of hair from her face.
She didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Her skin was warm under my touch. Her scent invaded my senses.
Fresh rain. Wild lilac. And…
And something else.
Something… mine.
> "Get some rest," I said, stepping back.
> "Yes, Alpha."
I turned to leave, but paused.
> "You're not to leave this room."
> "I understand."
> "You'll eat what's given. You'll speak when told. You'll obey."
She nodded.
But I saw the flicker in her eyes.
Defiance. Faint, but alive.
Interesting.
---
Ella's POV
The door closed behind him, and I collapsed onto the bed, shaking.
He didn't hit me.
Didn't touch me… much.
But he didn't have to.
His presence alone was like being hunted.
And yet…
When he touched my face…
My stomach fluttered.
No. No, no, no.
That's the bond. That's the wolf magic.
I couldn't let myself feel anything.
Not after what happened that night.
The pills didn't work.
The pregnancy test was clear.
I hadn't told anyone.
Not even Marie.
And now I was here, under his roof, carrying a secret inside me that could kill us both.
Because Alpha Xander Black…
Might just be the father of my child.