GAVNER'S POV
All my life, I had been cheated.
First, my brother was made Alpha King of the pack, a title that should have been mine. Then, the so-called goddess kept giving me weaklings as mates, one after the other.
I clenched my fists, my jaw tightening as bitter anger burned through me.
"Arrghhh!" I growled under my breath, slamming a fist onto the table which sent a sharp tremor up my arm, but I endured the pain. It was better than the rage eating me alive.
The anger didn't leave, rather it gnawed at me like a beast trapped inside my chest, clawing its way to the surface. I dropped my head onto the cold wood, my breath coming out ragged. Slowly, the weight on my limbs exhausted me, dragging me asbb by I suddenly dozed off.
The sharp blare of the alarm tore slammed in my ears, and the rays of the sun pierced my eyelids. I groaned, stretching as the light stabbed at my vision.
That goddamned alarm.
With a scowl, I cursed under my breath as I silenced the alarm. I rubbed my palm down my face as the shrill noise stabbed through my skull and I dragged myself to the bathroom.
The moment the ice cold water touched my skin, I exhaled sharply, the chill biting deep at my skin, but I didn't care. I scrubbed my face, brushed my teeth, and dressed quickly, I had urgent business to attend to.
As I stormed down the hallway, the air felt heavy.
"Walker, did you notice anything again?" My voice was steady but filled with authority as I asked.
The dungeon keeper dipped his head slightly. "She's been fierce since she woke up."
I halted mid-step. "She regained consciousness already?"
"Yes, Alpha," Walker replied, keeping pace beside me. "She's been hitting the bars. Hard. It's been days now. She keeps asking about her mother."
We reached the dungeon, the air thick with the smell of rusted metal and damp stone.
Lenora laid on the cold, dirty floor, her body curled in on itself and the moment she heard us approach, she lifted her head.
Her face was pale and her cheeks streaked with dried tears, but her eyes…her eyes burned with something different and it wasn't wasn't fear.
"Gavner," she rasped, her voice hoarse but steady. "Where is my mother?"
Her eyes were swollen like she cried all night.
Something about her was different. She had always been a nerd, timid and forgettable. But now… now there was a spark in her gaze that didn't seem right.
I stepped forward, my voice dripping with cruelty. "Lenora Silverberg, you should be begging. No—licking my feet for your safety. And yet, here you are, demanding answers about a mother who died like a chick—"
"No!" she roared, cutting me off. Her voice cracked with raw agony. "Don't you ever call my mother that. I'll find out the truth myself."
A wicked laugh ripped from my throat. Even Walker smirked, though he turned his face away.
"Little fierce lady," I sneered. "Save your strength. You'll need it. For your new masters."
My eyes trailed on her body as I watched it stiffened.
"No," she whispered, her voice breaking. "You can't do this to me… You can't reject me and sell me off."
I leaned closer, my lips curling into a slow, cruel smile. "Consider yourself lucky. I'm forgiving the fact that you tried to run away with your mother. Now shut your mouth."
Her shoulders trembled, not from fear, but from helpless rage.
"Take her," I ordered, my voice cold and final. "They'll be here soon."
"Yes, Alpha."
Walker unlocked the bars and yanked her forward.
Her steps were slow, unsteady, but she didn't fight back, and it didn't seem like she had given up either.
Walking into the main hall, the air buzzed with whispers. Omegas, betas, warriors, and guards had gathered—a crowd that always formed whenever I rejected a mate.
For them, it was a show.
"Is she the one?" a bidder asked, jabbing a finger toward Lenora.
She staggered as she entered, her hair a tangled mess, her face streaked with grime. Yet despite it all, there was a strange fire in her eyes.
All heads turned and the murmurs grew louder.
"Yes, she is," I crossed my arms behind my back, my fingers intertwining.
The first bidder's gaze swept over her like she was a piece of meat.
"She's pretty," he muttered, a grin twisting his lips. "She'll serve a great purpose."
Another bidder chuckled. "Gavner always delivers… She's worth the price."
"When can we take her?" the first bidder asked, stepping dangerously close to Lenora, his eyes lingering too long.
"You can take her once the payment is made," I smirked, taking slow steps forward. "Then let's not waste time."
The hall fell silent as I turned to the crowd. "Starting bid—fifty thousand."
A murmur rippled through the gathered bidders.
"Sixty," one of them called out, his eyes gleaming with sexual interest.
"Seventy," another countered almost instantly.
Lenora flinched at the mention of her worth being tossed around like she was some livestock, but that's her business.
"Eighty," a gruff voice declared.
The first bidder, the one whose gaze had lingered too long, took a step closer. He was cloaked from head to toe, his face concealed beneath a deep hood, as his lips curled in a devilish smirk while he studied her. "One hundred thousand."
The room fell quiet for a moment, and immediately another bidder—
"One hundred and twenty."
I arched my brow.
Lenora's breathing grew shallow, her knuckles turning white where they trembled at her sides.
"One hundred and fifty," the first bidder called out again, his gaze hungry. "She's worth it."
"One seventy!" another snapped.
I chuckled, enjoying the show. I have never sold an rejected mate for anything more than a hundred thousand.
"Two hundred thousand," a deep voice finally announced, cutting through the noise.
All eyes turned to the first bidder, hoping he'd bid higher. He stood still and there was something unsettling about him.
He looked like he had already decided she was his.
Lenora's shoulders shook, but she still didn't speak.
"Two hundred thousand going once—" I dragged the words out. "Twice—"
"Three hundred," the first bidder dressed in a hood interrupted, his voice filled with impatience.
I grinned. "Now that's the spirit. Three hundred going once—twice—" I let the silence hang before delivering the final blow.
"Sold."
Lenora's breath hitched, her fingers curling into fists at her sides as I turned to face the crowd.
I cleared my throat. "Is anyone against my choice of selling her off?"
No one dared speak. Of course, they wouldn't, not unless they wanted to join her fate.
I let my gaze sweep over the faces before me, some wide-eyed with shock, others carefully neutral. All of them were too afraid to speak.
"Then that settles it," I said, a smirk tugging at my lips.
The moment the words left my lips, the hooded figure reached up, gripping the edges of his cloak. With a single pull, he pulled it away.
HORACE'S POV
"No." I threw the hood on an old couch by the edge of the platform.
My voice sliced through the air like a blade.
"Absolutely not. Nora isn't leaving this room."
My voice was steady, but every word vibrated with authority.
Heads snapped toward me as I stepped inside.
Then, like clockwork, they all bowed. But I wasn't looking at them. My eyes searched only for one person.
Nora.
My eyes met hers, she stood on the platform, broken and frail. I saw how her legs wobbled.
Walker held her up, but she refused to collapse. Her red, swollen eyes met mine, and I saw it, the raw, aching sorrow buried beneath her eyes.
She had cried herself dry.
"Alpha Horace…" her weak, cracked voice whispered my name.
I clenched my jaw.
"Why are you disrupting my gathering?" Gavner growled slowly.
His anger simmered, but I kept my eyes on Nora.
"Since everyone is already here," I said calmly, adjusting my wristwatch, "I'll take this opportunity to make an important announcement."
Gavner stepped closer, his glare burning into me. "Horace, your announcement has nothing to do with me or this gathering."
I cocked my head. "It's Alpha Horace," I corrected. "I am your king. The Alpha King of the Midnight Prowlers."
His jaw tightened as I turned to the crowd and silence stretched across the hall.
"Lenora Silverberg, one of our own…" I said, my voice steady, "was given as a mate to Gavner four nights ago."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the hall. I watched as confusion flickered across the bidders' faces.
Gavner stiffed beside me at the sight of the confused glances the bidders exchanged.
"She was rejected," I continued. "She's the third mate Gavner has turned away."
"I tried to convince my brother to claim her back," I added, "but instead, I found him here. Selling her off like a piece of livestock."
"Nora…" I said softly, and her lips trembled as she lifted her head.
It struck me then, only her mother called her that.
I turned back to the crowd.
"We all know Lenora's position has been stripped away. She was cast out of the pack and lost her mother in a tragic car accident."
Nora's head dropped again and the sight of a single tear slipping down her cheek twisted something deep in my chest.
Ignoring the lump in my throat, I pulled out an old worn and frayed scroll, the words of our ancestors barely visible.
"In line with the scrolls," I said slowly, "there is a way to undo this."
The room fell silent, and Gavner glared at me.
"How?" he asked.