CHAPTER THREE - THE AUCTION

She walked closely behind Mark, wrapped tightly in her coat. Sophia had told him she was willing to sell her virginity for the money. She wanted to go immediately, but he refused, saying that the pack only opens the underground on certain days. She would have to wait for another week.

 

This was torturous for Sophia. Bank emails arrived every day, and she could see her mum's blood pressure rising. Her mum had recovered but was still too ill to do strenuous work. Becky followed them, acting like a seasoned spy. She kept looking behind her.

 

"No one from the restaurant followed us," she said for the thirteenth time. Sophia had to admit that Becky was more nervous than she was.

 

Mark shushed her. "Act normal, please," he said as he led them down a narrow, zigzagging path through people's front yards.

 

Sophia hissed as her coat got caught on a nail. She couldn't allow it to be torn. She didn't have a voluminous wardrobe.

 

Along the way, they met several bikers who were clearly part of the Zang werewolf gang. They all had tattoos on their arms, which they displayed proudly like a prize.

 

Then the catcalls started, and their leering looks made Sophia pull her coat closer. Becky blew them a kiss, and the men cheered her on, while Mark pushed them forward, irritatingly.

 

"Don't encourage them, Becky. Those men aren't your regular boyfriends. They'll tear you up and use you so badly you'll cry home. Just don't come back to me crying rape. Everyone knows what they're signing up for when they come to the underground. The police can't even get into this place. The Zang family owns Zang City. They're the law here," Mark snapped. Sophia couldn't tell if he said it out of love for Becky or if he just wanted zero trouble.

 

"Whatever," Becky mouthed though she didn't repeat the act. She believed everything Mark said. Just around the corner, a group of teenage boys were smoking heavily, and there was nothing gentlemanly about them. Sophia coughed heavily, and the smoke got to her.

 

"Quit that," Mark snapped as he hurried his steps. Sophia and Becky did the same. Before long, they stopped in front of a dirty-looking building with various paintings on it. It didn't look as grand as Sophia had thought it would be.

 

"Is this the famous underground?" Becky asked, her face contorted in disgust. Sophia agreed, but didn't dare voice it. They were there because of her, and it was far away from the Zang PackHouse.

"Just wait until you get inside, you'll see the difference," Mark said confidently. Sophia couldn't help but wonder how many times he had been there.

 

"When are we getting in?" Becky asked impatiently, as men began to gather around them. It was getting rowdy, and suddenly a man rushed forward from the crowd, heading towards them.

 

Sophia's heart skipped a beat, but she soon relaxed when the man smiled at Mark and they exchanged pleasantries. The conversation soon turned to her, and the man gave her a grand look. Sophia almost shrank into her coat. His gaze was absurd as he licked his lips. Then, recognition clicked - he was the man who had been with Alan.

 

"Where has she been hiding? Geez, there is such a beautiful girl around you and you hide her away," the man said incredulously to Mark, punching him playfully on the shoulder. Mark doubled over in pain, and Sophia swallowed. Mark wasn't an ordinary guy; he was strong, yet that punch sent him howling. The other guy was undoubtedly a werewolf. His devilish glint and the tattoo on his arm gave it away.

 

"Such a weakling," the man turned his attention to Sophia, ignoring the onlookers. He moved closer to her, and Sophia stepped back. But she accidentally stepped into Becky, who pushed her right into the man's arms. He held her steady, and she could smell him. He drew back from her instantly, mischief glistening in his eyes.

 

"I think I know just who would like this," he said, taking Sophia by the hand and trying to lead her away from the team.

 

"Where are you taking her?" Becky asked protectively. Sophia tried to look back at her, but the man held her shoulders.

"Are you coming along too? Is she for sale too?" the man asked, licking his lips.

 

"No, Paulo. She is mine," Mark replied.

The man called Paulo smirked. "Have fun keeping that."

"This is where the party disperses. My lady," the man said, bowing to Becky in mockery.

He led Sophia out of the little group, and she turned back to see Mark and Becky being ushered out of the underground area. She was now alone in the wolf's den.

 

Paulo helped her into the inner area and led her into a dirty building. Sophia was perplexed - the outside had looked unkempt, but there was a freaking palace inside. The floors went down instead of up. Sophia nodded absentmindedly; that was where the underground came from.

 

The house must have been carved from the ground itself. Her attention was grasped when Paulo pushed her into a room with many other young girls like her. Sophia hid her face away in her coat.

 

"You can stay here once the bell rings. You'll be brought to the auction table, and in the morning, your client will pay you in cash for your hard work. So, make sure you work hard and go along with whatever your client suggests. This is your one chance to make a lot of money in your life, so make good use of it." He winked at them as he said this and left the room.

 

She heard the door click shut, and the padlock set in place. Then the jiggling of keys, and finally, silence.

Sophia turned away from the door; the girls were all looking at her strangely. "You sure pack a lot up there," one of them said with a voice green with envy.

 

Sophia smiled thinly. She knew she was a curvy girl, and she had lived with the embarrassment her whole life. Her curves just refused to slim down, and her ample breasts got her attention from men.

"No need to be embarrassed; you're going to be the belle of the night," a rather slim girl said with an air of jealousy.

Sophia kept to herself until the bell rang. She made to leave the room with her coat, but the girls dragged it off her body. She covered her body with her hands. Becky had bought her some skimpy dress for her to wear. The floral material clung to her body, the flimsy material caressing her skin.

 

"No need to be worried so much about your dignity; you're going to lose it all tonight and over and over," Paulo said as he pushed her forward out of the room. He removed her hands that covered her body, and before she knew it, a black cloth was tied around her eyes. Her hands were tied as well, and she was dragged forward to a podium. The heavy flash of the light was hot on her skin.

 

"So who is going to bed with this delightful item here? She is every werewolf's dream," the announcer shouted into the mic. Sophia stood frozen in place. She knew her cleavage was up for viewing. A hand had tugged the already low shirt even lower, and she could feel the cool air from the air conditioner blowing up her legs.

 

Sophia gasped when she heard the huge amount of money the bidder started with. The price kept on rising, and although her brain should have been rejoicing at the large sum, she silently shed a tear. She had looked forward to giving her virginity to the man she loved, but here she was selling it to the highest bidder.

 

The rough shaking of the announcer on her hand brought her attention back to the present. Her left hand was held in his, and it was raised up in the air. “Sold, come up and claim your prize.”

 

Sophia trembled as silence descended upon the whole room. It was as if many mourned the fact that she did not belong to them but did not have the privilege to complain.

 

The heavy sound of boots was what echoed in the hall. Sophia bit her lip, unable to see who came to claim her. He stopped in front of her, and a shrill sensation ran through her body as the man ran coarse hands down her body. “Mine,” he whispered in her ear. It was Alan Zang's voice. Sophia screamed in her mind, her heart beating fast, and she was sure he could hear her racing heartbeat as he hugged her.

 

The feeling of him so close to her was doing a lot of damage to her senses. She had never felt this way before for any man. She gave a small yelp as he lifted her off her feet. The sound of his heavy boots was the only sound she heard as he carried her out of the room, and of course, the loud sound of her own heartbeat beating in rhythm with his own.