Chapter 8: Number Seventeen

The auction hall was already crowded by the time I was led inside.

The room shimmered beneath crystal chandeliers, their golden light spilling across polished marble floors and walls lined with dark mahogany. Everything about it was elegant. And completely wrong.

A line of women stood near the front of the room.

Some were breathtakingly beautiful, their figures slim and graceful, they wore expensive gown. A few smiled nervously, whispering excitedly to one another as though tonight was the beginning of a dream.

Others looked nothing like them. Their eyes were swollen from crying. Their hands trembled. Some stared blankly at the floor, their faces empty, as though they had already accepted whatever fate awaited them.

I wasn't the only one who had been forced to come here.

A wide leather belt was fastened around each of our waists. Attached to it was a brass tag with a number engraved across the front.

They didn't use our names, just numbers. As if we weren't people anymore.

I lowered my eyes to the tag resting against my dress. Seventeen. That was all I was now. Number Seventeen.

Across the room, rows of powerful Alphas occupied elegant seats, dressed in tailored suits and expensive watches that gleamed under the lights. Their conversations blended into a low murmur while attendants moved quietly between them, serving drinks and refreshments.

My heart refused to slow.

Almost without thinking, my gaze searched the room.

Where was Hayes Denzel?

Mom had said he would be here.

I looked from one side of the hall to the other but couldn't find him. Maybe he hadn't come after all. A tiny breath of relief escaped me.

Then... Something made me look up.

High above the ballroom, overlooking everyone else, was a private balcony reserved for the most important guests.

My breath caught. He was there. Even from across the room, there was no mistaking him.

He sat alone, one arm resting lazily against the arm of his chair, his posture relaxed yet commanding. A perfectly tailored black suit brought out his broad shoulders, while the crisp white shirt under made his dark hair seem even darker.

He was devastatingly handsome. Sharp jaw, straight nose. Dark hair brushed neatly away from his forehead. Everything about him looked refined. He was untouchable.

But it wasn't his appearance that frightened me. It was his presence.

The entire room buzzed with conversation, but somehow he seemed untouched by the noise. A cold authority surrounded him, as though the air itself knew not to disturb him.

People laughed below him. No one laughed near him.

His icy blue eyes swept across the room with quiet indifference, revealing nothing of what he was thinking.

A chill ran down my spine. I quickly lowered my head.

Why was I even worried? Someone like Alpha Hayes Denzel would never notice someone like me. The thought almost made me laugh. He was a ruthless billionaire Alpha. I was the rejected girl with no wolf.

It was ridiculous. The doors at the front of the hall opened once more.

The room gradually fell silent as the announcer stepped onto the stage. The women around me were quietly guided into a single line.

I found my parents standing near one of the side walls. Mom caught my eye and gave me an encouraging smile.

My chest tightened. Somehow... I forced myself to smile back.

Then the announcer cleared his throat, and every conversation in the room died away.

The ceremony began.

One by one, the women stepped forward.

The Alpha's began to bid, some of them raised the prices higher, some were so quick to call a huge price when an elegant lady was led forward. It was almost like a competition. These disgusting men saw us as nothing but something they could price and take home.

It was bitterly disturbing, if only I could disappear, if only I could take some of the women who didn't want to be here with me. Somewhere far away, we would start a new life. That thought was far-fetched. Impossible.

Some of the ladies smiled excitedly, their faces glowing with hope as they left the stage.

Others broke down in tears, their sobs echoing through the hall as they were led away. With each woman who disappeared, the line grew shorter.

My heart pounded harder. Soon... It was my turn.

My knees trembled as I realized there was no one left standing beside me. The line had disappeared. I was the last one to be sold off like a piece of furniture.

Every pair of eyes in the room shifted toward me. My mouth went dry.

For a moment, no one spoke. They all just stared at me with open disgust, like I wasn't even worth a moment of their time. Some of the Alphas looked impatient, as though they couldn't wait for me to be led out.

The silence stretched so long it felt unbearable. Heat rushed to my face as I lowered my gaze, wishing I could disappear.

I stole a glance toward my parents.

My mother's hopeful expression slowly turned into disappointment. My father stood stiffly beside her, his jaw clenched, avoiding my eyes altogether.

A knot formed in my throat. Even now... I was still letting them down.

Then the announcer's voice broke the

silence. "Do we have an opening offer for the curvy lady?"

Curvy. The word caught me off guard.

No one had ever described me that way before. He didn't call me fatty, a cow, or a pig. For the first time in years, someone had spoken about my body without cruelty.

It was such a small thing, but somehow, it still made my chest ache.

The announcer waited another moment before clearing his throat.

Nobody spoke, they kept staring at me with disgust. Not a single hand moved.

"She's too big," someone said.

"She is wolfless you." Another added.

"Yeah, wasn't she rejected by Jake?"

My fingers curled into fists. I wished the floor would open and swallow me whole.

One Alpha laughed, then he said. "I'll offer a thousand dollars."

Laughter broke. My chest tightened, the lowest price for other girls cost thousands of dollars.

Another man leaned back in his chair.

"One thousand... and ninety-nine cents."

The laughter grew louder, like it was a circus, and I was a clown performing a play.

A third voice joined in. "I'll add ten dollars."

Someone else smirked. "She'll do for the nights my wife's away. I'll go for one-thousand two hundred cents."

They laughed even more. Every word chipped away at what little dignity I had left.

I stared at the floor. Don't cry. Please... Don't cry. If they saw me break... They would enjoy it even more.

The announcer's smile had disappeared. He glanced around the room one last time.

"Any higher?"

They laughed again as another man said. "You're asking for too much, she's already huge."

They laughed again. It was getting too much and irritating.

I looked toward my parents. My father's shoulders sagged. My mother covered her face, sobbing into his chest as though she had lost something precious.

Not me, obviously. The money.

The announcer took a slow breath.

"Very well." His gavel lifted. "Going once... going twice..."

A deep voice rolled through the ballroom.

It was calm and cold. Impossible to ignore.

"Ten million dollars."

The room fell silent. Every head turned toward the private balcony.

My heart stopped. Slowly.... I lifted my eyes.

Alpha Hayes Denzel was already looking at me.