Page 10 of Sold Wolf Slave

“We’ll see how lucky after I get a peek,” another male voice said. “For all I know, she could be a bunch of nothing.”

“You should know by now that’s not the case,” Ronan said. “Otherwise, the pits wouldn’t be nearly as appealing.”

“I don’t know. The last one I won didn’t take very long to break. A week tops, and she was docile as a kitten. I want more challenge than that.”

“I’m sure we’ll find something to your liking,” Ronan replied.

Clambering back to my feet, I went to the front of my cage, trying to get a glimpse of whatever was happening.

A hulking man with dirty-blond hair strolled next to Ronan. They slowed down at each cage, letting the guy hover by the bars and leer at each woman. I waited in silence, keeping an eye on them as they continued down the line until they got to mine.

The man leaned forward, his blond hair greasy, a lecherous, hungry look on his face as he leered at me. My skin crawled as I stared back at him. My wolf snarled, bristling, wanting to tear him to shreds for even thinking of staring at me like that.

“I like this one,” he said. “Got a good look to her. And I like redheads.”

“Keep looking at me like that, and we’ll see how much you like me,” I snapped.

Ronan snarled, and I knew I’d probably pay for that later. The other man, on the other hand, laughed.

“Fiery as your hair, I see,” he said. He leered at me again, his eyes lingering on my chest. “I like that. It’s much more fun.” He straightened. “How much?”

Ronan rubbed his chin, looking me up and down. “I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, arranging a specific prize isn’t really supposed to happen. It’s supposed to be random. I’d be breaking a few rules if I rigged it.”

“Right, right,” the other man said.

It sounded like they were going through some script, more for their own amusement than anything else. Like they both knew the drill and where they would end up.

Unease prickled along my spine as the man continued. “I’m sure there’s something I can do that would help change your mind.”

I watched as the man extracted a thick roll of bills and passed it to Ronan, who tucked it into his pocket in such a smooth motion that I might have missed it.

“I think we’ve got ourselves a deal,” Ronan said. “Your fight’s two hours from now, right?”

“That’s right.” The man turned to me and gave another of those revolting grins. “I’m Pierce. Though after I win you, I’ll expect you to call me ‘sir.’”

I stayed mute, glaring at him. He let out a chortle.

“She’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said, clapping Ronan on the back. “I’ve got to get ready.” Turning to me, he winked and said, “See you in a couple of hours, sweetheart.”

He strolled away, whistling a shrill song as he strutted, shoulders back, not a care in the world. My skin crawled just looking at him.

I turned my attention to Ronan, who had re-extracted the wad of cash and stood in front of the cage, counting it. He gave a satisfied nod, then glanced up at me and smirked.

“Congratulations,” Ronan said. “Looks like you’re getting out of here sooner than expected.”

***

When things seemed particularly dim, I thought back to my old family and my life before everything had gone wrong.

Our dad was the witch, our mom was the shifter. Morgan had never been able to shift, had never even felt a wolf inside me. Or at least, that’s what she told me. But she was a talented witch when she wanted to use her magic. In fact, she was a better witch than I. I’d never had the patience for Dad’s lessons the way she had.

The village we grew up in was eclectic, filled with humans, witches, shifters, and other supernatural creatures. It was basically a haven for anyone who sought one, so long as they weren’t dangerous. My parents had moved there because Dad’s coven and Mom’s pack had both hated the idea of the two species mixing. So, they found a place where no one cared and had a family.

I loved my childhood. It had been filled with magic and hunts through the woods and a solid education. It had beeneverything I could have wanted. Things only went downhill when my parents died in a freak car accident.

Morgan and I were both a wreck after what happened to them. But the town stepped in to help, bringing food, periodically checking in on us, offering to help around the house, or get us anything we needed. They made the awful situation tolerable and let us heal after the sudden shock.

In a way, the whole growing up in a welcoming community where you trusted everyone because you had to ended up being the whole reason we had gotten into this mess in the first place.

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