A female beta in a crisp white shirt and black dress pants steps forward to greet us. Her gaze is sharp as she looks Knox up and down, before glancing at the rest of us.Without a word, she hands my pack alpha a folded brochure.
“Welcome to the Morder,” the beta says, her smile tired like she’s been doing this for hours.Are we late?“The auction is already underway. Display and showroom details are in here.” She points at the paper in Knox’s hand.
“The auction already started?” Knox’s eyes go wide.
“Yes. And a quick reminder,” she adds, her tone dipping into something steelier. “Any violence—verbal or physical—and your whole pack will be removed from the facility. No second chances. No refunds.” She scans all four of us, waiting for us to acknowledge the rules.
“When did it start?” Knox goes stiff. “Are there any omegas left?”
The beta lets out a heavy sigh. “A few. But you’ll want to hurry.” She glances at Alex, then at Dakota. Her nose wrinkles when her gaze lands on his shoes. “And we only accept cash.”
My stomach drops and panic crackles in my chest.
Cash.
We cleared out our savings for this—every cent we had. But what if it’s not enough? What if we came all this way, risked everything, and we still walk away with nothing?
Knox must share my fear, because he doesn’t waste another second. We take off, marching inside the barrier.
The Morder sprawls in front of us like a fever dream—velvet tents in deep reds, blues, and greens dot the land, puffed up like circus pavilions. Light spills from their flaps, soft and golden. Somewhere near the center, a bonfire crackles, casting flickering light onto the crowd gathered nearby. At the far end of the clearing, a stage rises up out of the packed dirt, surrounded by people.
We rush toward it, shoving our way through the crushof bodies—shoulders bumping, scents thick in the air. That’s when it hits me.
Something sweet.
Not cloying or artificial, but something more like fruit ripening in the sun. My lungs tingle as I inhale deeply, and my fingers twitch.
Omegas.
They’re here.
They’reclose.
Holy fuck! This place is real.
The scent curls through the air and sinks its claws into something deep and primal inside me. My pulse kicks up. My skin feels too tight. Every instinct I’ve spent years learning to leash suddenly strains against me—restless, hungry, wild.
I blink hard, trying to keep my footing as the crowd surges forward, but it’s like the air is different now. Charged. Tasting them in it makes me want to move—dosomething.
To claim something.
“This way,” Knox grabs me by the wrist, tugging me further into the crowd. His touch settles something inside me, and I force myself to breathe.
Once we find a decent spot, I glance up at the stage. An older beta in a vibrant maroon and gold suit stands behind a polished podium, gesturing elegantly as he speaks. His voice carries over the crowd—smooth and rehearsed.
Dakota pushes closer between me and Knox, hugging himself. His breath curls in the air. “This is…different…than I thought it would be,” he whispers. “It’s kinda creepy.” He looks up at me with his big brown eyes. “Right?”
Confused by his words, I give the crowd a sweeping look. And he’s right. The alphas around us are a rough-looking mix: big frames, meaty fists, and tired eyes. They listen with the kind of attention that comes more from desperation than respect.
But before I can say anything to soothe our beta, movement on the stage catches my eye, as an omega stumbles out.
At first, she looks lovely—long brown hair, pale skin, draped in a red silk negligee that clings to her thin frame. But as she moves under the stage lights, the illusion cracks. Her eyes are ringed with dark circles, and her cheeks are hollow. There are bruises on her forearms—faint, but visible even from here. It looks like she’s been manhandled.
Dakota squints. “Is she hurt?” He turns to me, eyes wide and voice tight with worry. “Tadeo…” His voice drops to a whisper, “Do you think the people here did that to her?”
I quickly shake my head, then turn away from the beta.
I don’t want him to see the guilt in my eyes.
