Page 27 of Betrayed Auctioned Mate

“It’s an auction,” Olivia says, her voice calm but firm. “A big one. Bigger than anything we’ve seen so far.”

“How big?” Aris asks, his expression grim.

Byron hesitates before answering. He exchanges a long look with Olivia.

“Important enough that every major player in the area seems to be getting involved. We’re talking high-profile buyers, big money. They’re auctioning off… everything. Weapons, drugs, and... people. Women. And our Attlefolkers are major contributors to the latter. We think they’ve been preparing for this for a while.”

A low murmur runs through the room, but it’s quickly silenced when Keira speaks up. “It’s taking place at a hideout twenty miles north of here, in four days. Up in the mountains. Big, isolated mansion. It’s called Border Ridge. Whoever’s facilitating owns the land for miles, so infiltration will be difficult unless we move covertly.”

My chest tightens at her words. Twenty miles. It’s too close. Everything we’ve been working toward is coming to a head, and the thought of Keira being anywhere near that place makes me want to be sick. I force myself to stay quiet, to stay focused.

Aris leans forward, his eyes narrowing. “Then we need to focus on gathering intel and keeping a low profile. Multiple infiltrators—we need new fake IDs, Percy, get on that, please, and extraction points on map before anything else, so we’ll need an overhead of the whole site.”

“That’s the plan,” Byron says. “Multiple agents on the ground. Blending in won’t be easy, but with the right covers, we should be able to get close enough to identify key targets.”

“Who’s going in?” Bigby asks, his tone casual, but I can see the way his eyes flick around the table.

Byron looks at Aris, who gives a singular nod. “We’ll decide that today. I want everyone ready to move. We can’t afford any mistakes on this one.”

Keira stays focused on the screen, her fingers still moving rapidly over the keys, gathering every scrap of information she can. She’s always been hyper-focused when something needs doing, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something more driving her this time. Maybe it’s the same thing that’s been driving me. Perhaps we both feel the same heavy presence of our ghosts in the room with us, the girl I cannot go back in time to save, but I can maybe try to avenge.

“Keira, Olivia, Byron—I want you three to finalize the details. Get us maps, get us entrances and exits, and narrow down the profiles we’re seeking on the ground,” Aris says. “Everyone else, make sure you’re prepared for any eventuality. We’ll be moving fast on this one, and we’ll need everyone able in the field, even if you’re on standby. Let’s do this.”

The meeting dissolves, people dispersing to their tasks, clustering in murmuring twos and threes, discussing their responsibilities. I already know mine will be securing weapons and body armor and ensuring everyone is the safest they can be.

I linger in the meeting room doorway for a second too long, my eyes drawn to Keira despite myself. She’s still at the laptop, her brow furrowed in concentration.

I want to talk to her. I want to say… something. Anything.

Instead, I turn and walk out. Four days. Four days until everything comes to a head, and all I can think about is how to keep her safe, how to make sure that this time, I don’t fail her.

As I walk down the hallway, a knot of worry squeezes inside me. I don’t know if I deserve the responsibility of protecting her, but I’ll die before I fail. And I know one thing: I need to talk to her before we go out on the field, or I might regret it forever.

Chapter 15 - Keira

The moon hangs low, a half circle casting a soft light over the trees surrounding the pack center. Wind moves through them like soft pockets of breath, sweeping across the leafy tops, which seem to shine, half-iridescent in the glow. I stare out over Rosecreek below me, trying to find some peace in its stillness, but my mind won’t settle. Everything is in motion—inside and out.

The pack center is a hive of anxiety and activity tonight. The mission tomorrow has everyone on edge, prepping and checking gear, mapping out strategies. I hear voices echoing down the hallway, the low hum of conversation punctuated by the occasional bark of orders or bleat laughter that sounds a little too forced.

Everyone’s trying to pretend this is just another mission, but we all know better. They’ve been chasing these auctioneers for months—it’s why I’m here at all—and now, we’re finally close to something big. I feel the pressure like a vice. Every time I move, it gets tighter.

Even here, in my room, it’s pressing in on me. The walls are too narrow, the air too thin. I’ve been pacing for the past hour, trying to shake off the nerves and find some clarity. It’s not working.

I considered approaching Aris earlier. The thought of asking him to take me off the mission tomorrow crossed my mind more than once. I could tell him I’m not ready, I thought, or that I need more time, that this was too much after everything that happened to me when we last knew each other. But I haven’t asked, and I won’t. I know that. I’ve never backed out on a job before and won’t start now.

Noise layers itself on top of the noise outside. I hear footsteps in the hall, slow and deliberate, and my heart skips a beat. There’s only one person who would come here tonight. Only one who’s been orbiting me like a plane about to crash into a planet.

There’s a soft knock at the door. I take a deep breath, steadying myself, and walk to open it.

Ado stands there in the dim light of the hallway, his face half-shadowed. He looks just as wrecked as I feel, energy radiating off him in waves. There’s something in his eyes—desperation, guilt, maybe both—and it twists something inside me like a knife.

“Keira,” he says quietly, his voice rough. “We need to talk.”

I cross my arms, leaning against the doorframe, trying to put up a wall between us. Instinctually, I don’t want him in my room. I don’t want him in my room, because then, he might defeat the few trembling reservations I have left. “About what? You’ve had plenty of chances to talk, Ado. It’s not my fault you never do.”

He flinches at that, but I don’t soften. I can’t. If I let him in, everything I’ve been holding back will come crashing down on me, and I can’t afford that. Not now. Not when everything is on the line.

“I never wanted to leave you,” he blurts out, the words tumbling out in a rush. “Back then… when they took you. I tried to come back, but… I couldn’t. Not with the injury. But if I could go back in time, I—”

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