All Chapters of The Alpha's Forbidden Auction Mate : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Mira Pov I didn't know how long I'd been standing there.At some point, I'd stopped paying attention to time completely.The auction kept moving whether I watched it or not. One girl would disappear through a side door, another would be brought onto the stage, and the same routine would start all over again. Different faces,different prices. Same outcome.The worst part wasn't even the bidding anymore.It was how normal everyone acted.The people sitting in those seats weren't behaving like they were doing something terrible. Nobody looked guilty. Nobody looked uncomfortable,some of them were talking quietly among themselves between lots. Others were drinking from crystal glasses brought by attendants who moved through the aisles like they were serving guests at some expensive event.As if there wasn't a stage in front of them.As if there weren't actual human beings being sold one after another.I leaned slightly closer to the opening in the wall, trying to understand what kind of p

Mira Pov The first bid came so fast that I almost missed it. The announcer had barely finished introducing me when somebody near the front called out a number that would have paid every bill Grandma and I had struggled with for years. For a second, I honestly thought I'd heard wrong, but then another bidder raised it before the announcer could finish repeating it, and a third voice jumped in right after that.I stood there under the bright lights trying not to look completely terrified while people argued over amounts of money that didn't even sound real anymore. Back home, I spent most of my time worrying about rent, groceries, and whether the diner would give me extra shifts. Here, people were casually throwing around enough money to buy entire neighborhoods.The worst part was how normal everyone looked. Nobody seemed shocked by the numbers. Nobody looked excited. They simply sat in their expensive seats, lifted a hand when they wanted to bid, and carried on like this was another

Rowan Pov I only asked to see her because her file kept showing up in front of me like someone wanted me to care about it, and I don’t like situations where things are pushed at me repeatedly without a reason I understand. It was supposed to be simple, just confirm what they were talking about, get it out of the way, move on. That’s all it was meant to be.When she walked into my office, I wasn’t expecting anything memorable. I’ve seen hundreds of people come through that same door with files attached to their names, all of them labeled important in one way or another. But she didn’t behave like someone trying to prove anything. She just stood there quietly, like my presence didn’t shift anything in her world. No nervous adjustments, no fake confidence, no performance. Just stillness.That alone should have made me dismiss her faster, because people who don’t react usually either don’t understand where they are or don’t respect it, and both are problems I don’t need. But I didn’t dis

Mira Pov For a few seconds, nobody said anything,I stood frozen near the center of the room while Rowan remained by the doorway. The prisoner had gone completely silent, and somehow that made everything worse. A moment ago he was talking. Now he looked like he hadn't said a single word.The silence stretched long enough to make my stomach twist. Then Rowan's eyes landed on me."Tell me," he said calmly, "what part of staying in your room sounded optional?"I opened my mouth.I closed it.Then I opened it again."Maybe the part where nobody was answering my questions."His expression didn't change."That doesn't explain why you're here.""It explains exactly why I'm here."The words came out before I could stop them."If people actually talked to me, I wouldn't have to wander around trying to figure things out myself."For a second I thought he might get angry.Instead, he looked tired,he tried to mask it but it was kind of noticeable Unfortunately for him, I wasn't done."Who is he?"

Mira Pov The darkness swallowed the dungeon so suddenly that for a second I honestly thought I'd gone blind. One moment I could see Rowan standing in front of me, and the next everything vanished. Not dimmed. Not shadowed. Gone. My heart slammed against my ribs as shouting erupted somewhere in the corridor. Metal crashed against stone, voices barked orders, and somewhere in the chaos a scream cut through the air before ending abruptly.Then came a growl that seemed to come from everywhere at once. It was deep enough to vibrate through the floor beneath my feet, and every hair on my arms stood up. "Stay where you are," Rowan ordered, like I had any intention of moving in the middle of whatever this was. I couldn't even see my own hands in front of my face, and that made everything worse.Another violent crash echoed through the hallway, followed by the sound of stone breaking apart. Dust filled the air, thick and choking, and a strange metallic smell drifted into the room. It took me