Page 41 of Betrayed Auctioned Mate

I swallow hard, her words sinking into my chest like pushpins. “I just need to see her. Make sure she’s okay.” I feel like a child, even as I say it.

Olivia shakes her head, her expression softening. “She’s being taken care of. Maisie, Veronica, and Rosa are with her. But after what she went through tonight… she needs space.”

She doesn’t voice the unspoken truth of it:she needs space from you.

“I just want to help,” I say, the gravel in my voice even taking me off guard. “She shouldn’t have to go through this alone.”

Olivia holds up a hand to shush me into silence. She opens her mouth as if to speak, considering her words, and then closes it and shakes her head.

She’s given up on me too. “Just try to get some rest, Ado.”

Before I can respond, she slips back into the medical bay, and I stand staring at the closing door until it clicks.

Chapter 21 - Keira

The stone walls are slick with moisture, and the air smells of mold and rot.

I’m chained to a metal chair, my wrists bound tightly in front of me. The chains dig into my skin, biting with every movement. I try hard not to move.

A man stands in front of me, tall and hulking, his shadow swallowing me whole. His face is blurred in the dim light, but I see the sneer twisting his lips, the malice in his eyes. He wants to hurt me. This, I know to be true.

“I see why you’re not talking. You still think they’re coming for you?” His voice is low, mocking, dripping with disdain. “They’ve forgotten about you, girl. You’re nothing to them now.”

I swallow hard, the words lodging in my throat. I won’t let him see the fear. I won’t let him win. I force myself to sit up straighter to meet his gaze head-on.

“They’ll come,” I say, my voice steady, though my heart pounds. “My team is coming for me. They’ll find me, and when they do—”

He laughs, cutting me off. It’s a harsh, grating sound that echoes in the small room. “You’re delusional. They’ve already moved on. You’re just another casualty, a lost name on a list. No one’s coming for you. We’ve got eyes on them, and we know they’re not planning anything to find you. They think you’re already dead.”

I feel the sting of doubt prick at the back of my mind, the creeping sensation of hopelessness trying to take root. But I can’t afford to believe him. I won’t.

“They haven’t given up,” I snap back, clinging to the defiance in my voice. “I’m not forgotten. They’re coming.”

He steps closer, looming over me, his breath hot and foul against my face. “No one’s coming,” he hisses. “You’re owned now. Not a soldier, not a person. Just property.”

I grit my teeth, refusing to let him see the cracks forming in my resolve. My eyes burn.

The chains rattle as he steps back, the sound echoing in the silence. His sneer deepens. “You’ll never be free again.”

***

When the flashbacks end, I don’t dream.

When I wake, the world swims back into focus slowly, light streaming through the blinds. Everything aches. I feel a dull throb at the back of my head, and I instinctively reach up to touch it. My fingers brush against a bandage.

The antiseptic smell of the med bay fills my nose, mixed with the faint scent of lavender from a diffuser in the corner. I blink a few times, trying to sit up, but my body protests with a wave of nausea.

A soft gasp from beside me makes me pause, and I turn my head to see Maisie standing next to the bed, holding a plastic water bottle.

"Keira," Maisie says quietly, her voice sweet but full of concern. "You’re awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck," I mutter, my throat dry and my voice raspy. "What happened?"

Maisie hesitates, then steps closer, handing me the water bottle. "You sustained a pretty nasty bump to the head, butthankfully, it wasn’t a concussion. You’re going to be okay, just... you need to rest."

I nod, the memory of last night creeping back in. The blood-bonding. Ado. The stage. Everything feels like a blur, like a nightmare that hasn’t entirely faded. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to push the memories down, but they’re too strong.

I remember very little of the ride back to Rosecreek. When we returned to the pack center, I was escorted to the med bay, but I think my shock was too great to fully process what was happening. I remember hearing Veronica and Maisie murmuring quietly across the room. And someone was holding my hand…

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