Lisa's POV
I woke up, my head aching and feeling confused. It was completely dark, and as I tried to move, I realized my hands were tied behind my back, and my legs were tied too. Panic hit me hard. I tried to scream, but something was stuffed in my mouth, turning my cry into a weak, muffled sound.
The surface under me was hard, shifting as if I were inside a moving car. And then realization hit me! I was in the trunk of a vehicle. My heart raced as I heard soft crying next to me. Turning as much as I could, I saw three other girls tied up like me. Their scared eyes locked with mine, and I knew they were just as frightened as me.
I struggled against the ropes, but they wouldn’t budge. My mind raced, trying to figure out how I got here. I remembered Silas betrayal, the rogues, and then… nothing.
The car hit a bump, making us all jolt. One of the girls whimpered, looking at me like I might know how to get us out. But I didn’t. I was just as stuck as they were. I didn’t even know how I ended up here.
Suddenly, the car stopped, and I heard footsteps outside. Before I could process it, the trunk flew open, flooding the dark space with bright sunlight. I blinked, trying to adjust, but before I could react, four large men began pulling us out. I struggled, trying to break free, but a sharp slap across my face made me freeze.
“If you try that again, I’ll make you regret it,” one of the men growled, his voice sending chills down my spine.
We were dragged inside a building, pulled through a large room, and then up some stairs. The men shoved us into a small room, and I hit the cold floor hard. Wincing, I looked up and realized there were other girls here too, their eyes empty, staring at me and the other three girls.
The men untied our hands and legs but left the strange collars around our necks. “Make a sound, and you’re dead,” one of them warned before locking the door behind them.
I sat up, my heart racing. The other girls in the room looked broken, like they had already given up. Fear twisted inside me. I reached out to my wolf, hoping she could help me, but… nothing. My wolf was silent.
“My wolf,” I whispered in panic, trying to connect with her again, but it was useless.
A quiet laugh came from the corner of the room. I turned toward the sound and saw a girl sitting alone. She looked worn out, her clothes torn. She stared at me with a sad smirk.
“You can’t talk to your wolf. That collar around your neck stops it,” she said calmly.
My stomach dropped. I touched the collar, feeling cold metal against my skin. “What do they want from us?” I asked, my voice shaking.
The girl sighed, her eyes looking tired. “In a few hours from now, they’ll sell us. We’ll be auctioned off to rich people who want to use us for whatever sick reasons they have. Most of us will become their slaves.”
Her words hit me hard. I looked around at the other girls, some silently crying, others staring into space. Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I had to stay strong. I had to find a way out.
The girl saw the look on my face and shook her head. “Don’t bother. People have tried to escape, and it never ends well. This place is guarded, and we’re powerless with these collars on.”
I swallowed hard, feeling the collar like a heavy weight around my neck. Without my wolf, I was weak, no different from a human.
Tears fell uncontrollably down my cheeks as I thought of my father. I wondered what had happened. Why would Silas tell me he was dead? Why did Dad look so terrified? Why did he send me away so quickly?
I was still trying to process everything when suddenly the door opened and three women marched in, each holding a long whip in their hands.
“The auction starts in three hours, but before that, we will have to differentiate the goats from the sheep, the diamonds from the chaff. All of you, up on your feet and take off your clothes,” the middle-aged lady with piercing brown eyes ordered, and quickly, the other girls rose to their feet, scared and terrified of her.
I stood there frozen, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. The other girls, their faces pale with fear, hurriedly obeyed the command, their trembling hands reaching for their clothes. The middle-aged woman with the piercing eyes watched us like a predator, her whip tapping lightly against her palm as if she couldn’t wait to use it.
I didn’t move. My mind was racing, my body frozen in shock. But then I felt the sharp sting of the whip against my back. The pain was immediate, tearing a gasp from my lips.
“I said undress!” the woman barked.
With shaking hands, I slowly started to remove my clothes. I couldn’t stop the tears that welled up in my eyes and slid down my cheeks. It wasn’t just the humiliation or the fear of what was coming next, but the crushing weight of hopelessness. How had my life come to this?
Once we were all undressed, the women began inspecting each of us. Their hands were cold and rough as they touched us, checking for things I didn’t even understand. The room was eerily silent except for the sound of sobs and the occasional snap of the whip when one of the girls didn’t move fast enough.
When they reached me, I stood still, forcing myself not to cry any more than I already had. The woman glanced at me, her eyes narrowing as she looked me over.
“This one’s a virgin,” she said, her voice cold and detached, like I was nothing more than livestock.
I was pushed to the side, joining a few other girls who had been marked the same. My stomach twisted with fear. What did this mean for us? What did they plan to do with us?
The other girls who weren’t virgins were led to the opposite side of the room, their heads hanging low in defeat. I caught the eye of one of them—a girl who couldn’t have been older than me. She gave me a sad, knowing look, as if she understood exactly what fate awaited all of us.
After the inspection, the woman with the whip looked at us, a cruel smile playing on her lips. “You’ll be treated well if you behave. But if you try anything stupid… you won’t live to regret it.”
I swallowed hard and closed my eyes, wishing all this was a dream.
“Go in there and clean yourselves up,” she ordered, pointing at a door.
We shuffled into the bathroom, a small, cold space with stalls. No one spoke. I stepped into one of the stalls, turned on the water, and let it run over me. The coldness stung, but I barely felt it. My mind was racing, still trying to understand everything.
When I finished washing, I stepped out, still shivering. The women were waiting for us, holding out thin, see-through dresses. I felt sick as I took the dress and put it on. The fabric was so light, it did nothing to cover me. I felt more exposed than ever.
“Hurry up,” one of the women snapped, her whip tapping against her leg like she couldn’t wait to use it again. The other girls dressed quickly too, exchanging scared looks, but no one dared to speak.
The woman with the cold eyes looked at us, smiling in a way that made my skin crawl. “Good,” she said. “Now you look presentable. Come with me.”
As they led us out, my heart pounded. I didn’t know where they were taking us, but I knew they were taking us to our nightmares. We were led through a hallway, and when we got to a door, one of the ladies pushed it open and ordered us in.
The room inside was even colder, with rows of chairs lined up against the walls. We were told to sit down. No one spoke. The fear in the air was thick and choking. I sat down, my heart pounding as I looked at the other girls. Some of them stared at the floor, too scared to lift their heads. Others had tears running silently down their cheeks.
It wasn’t long before the women started calling girls one by one, leading them out of the room. The door would open and close, open again and close. Each time the door opens it sends a wave of panic through me. I didn’t know where they were being taken or what was happening behind those doors, but I could tell from their expressions as they left that it wasn’t good.
I sat there, trying to keep myself calm, but it was impossible. Every second felt like an eternity. My mind raced, thinking of my father, and how everything had fallen apart so fast. I kept wishing that somehow, I would wake up from this nightmare, but deep down, I knew it was all real.
Then, it was my turn.
One of the women called me, her voice sharp and commanding. My legs felt weak as I stood up, and I had to force myself to walk. The eyes of the other girls followed me, their fear reflecting my own.
As the door creaked open, I was shoved into a room filled with people. My breath caught in my throat as I glanced at the people before me. Rows of well-dressed men and women sat in plush chairs, their eyes cold and calculating as they reviewed me like I was some sort of prize on display. The lighting was dim, but it didn’t hide the greed and hunger in their gazes.
I stood there, trembling, trying to cover myself with the thin, transparent dress they had forced me to wear. The room was eerily silent, except for the occasional whisper between the bidders and the soft hum of voices speaking bids. My heart pounded, fear surging through me as I realized what was happening. This was the auction.
A man stood at the front, overseeing the event like it was just another business transaction. He glanced at me briefly before turning to the audience. “Next up,” he said with a smirk, “a rare find. A virgin, strong, and in good health. Let’s start the bidding.”