Chapter 5：The God of Death

Ivy’s POV

On the day of the auction, they dress me up like a seductive lamb leading to slaughter. 

True to their word, they healed all my wounds externally, but I can still feel the pain under my skin.

I saw myself in a mirror as I was led into the auction hall. I’m dressed in an outfit almost identical to the one they had me wearing at the wedding–a strappy bra and short skirt. My long auburn hair has been styled so it cascades down my face in soft, luxurious waves, and my makeup is heavy, shadowy and sultry. I look, objectively, beautiful. Seductive, alluring, even. But I also look far too revealing than I’m comfortable with. 

As I walk up onto the stage, all the Alphas in the shadowy audience seating stare at me with lustful eyes that make my skin crawl. Yet, as an Alpha-blooded she-wolf, all I feel is humiliation.

My gaze lands on Veronica, arm-in-arm with Erick, seated contentedly in a side box.

Scratch that. I feel nothing but humiliation and loathing. 

“And now,” the auctioneer says, gesturing towards me with a sweeping arm, “We have something truly special for you tonight! The fallen daughter of Alpha Bradley Bell, fallen Alpha of the now-disbanded Thunderclaw pack, is up for auction! She is wolfless, but she possesses unparalleled beauty.” The auctioneer leans towards the audience with a leering smile. “Could she be yours to bring home?”

All the Alphas’ eyes are glued to my body, and my stomach curdles. 

“Bidding starts at $50 million,” the auctioneer concludes. 

And so the bidding begins. 

My eyes jump around the audience wildly, trying to keep track of what’s happening. 

“$70 million!” One overenthusiastic young Alpha shouts.

A moment later, he’s usurped by an old, grizzled-looking Alpha with a nasty scar. “100 million!” he counters.

“$150 million!” A third Alpha with a huge beard chimes in. 

All the while, the auctioneer follows the action, looking from Alpha to Alpha and encouraging increasingly high bids. Even though the starting price is obscenely high, the Alphas seem eager and excited to compete with one another. 

I locate an Alpha sitting near the center of the audience, his gaze filled with a different desire and madness than the others, sending chills down my spine. When he looks at me, I can sense every awful thing he wants to do to me. For some reason, my intuition tells me that he must be the Alpha S that Elsbeth mentioned.

He’s among the most eager bidders in the room.

In a cacophony of noise and raised signs, the price jumps all the way up to $550 million. At this point, only Alpha S and a young man I don’t recognize in a second-floor box are bidding. 

Secretly, I’m rooting for him. I can’t go back with Alpha S. I can’t.

Horrifying thing to root for someone to buy you, though. The entire situation makes me sick. 

“$600 million!” The young man on the second floor calls out, causing the hall to fall silent..

Everyone on the first floor looks up.

It’s the best spot in the auction house, which means whoever’s sitting there is of extremely high status. The young man whispers to the man beside him, who’s shrouded beyond recognition. It’s immediately clear that the mystery man is the real boss. 

Alpha S stands up angrily. “So what if it’s $600 million?” He shouts, furious. “No one dares outbid me for what I want!”

He strides onto the stage with powerful steps. To my shock and terror, as he approaches me, licking his lips, all the Alphas hesitate—none dare to stop him. I tremble as his obsessive gaze sweeps over me.

“Such fair skin…”

Alpha S boasts arrogantly, reveling in the fact that no one dares to stop him, his greedy eyes fixed on me. Just as his hand is about to touch my bare thigh, the young man from the second floor suddenly appears on stage and throws him to the ground with a painful crunch. The man exudes power. 

Alpha S, clearly shocked by the young man’s overwhelming power, whimpers in fear. “Lycan……He’s a Lycan! There’s a Lycan here!”

The auction hall quickly fills with the Alpha’s murmurs.  

“Why is there a Lycan here?!”

“Lycans are either royal warriors or royalty themselves. Who could it be?”

“Whoever it is, we’re fine so long as it’s not that prince.”

“Are they here to kill us?”

The mysterious man leaps from the second-floor balcony with a feral grace, his movements powerful and untamed. He wears a sharply tailored dark suit, exuding an air of rugged elegance and raw power. As he strides toward the auction stage, his Lycan aura surges, swiftly engulfing the entire auction house. Everyone is overwhelmed by the crushing pressure, falling into a deathly silence. 

Surprisingly, it isn't as uncomfortable as I had imagined. I smell that wonderful scent from the wedding again, and this time, I know for certain it’s coming from the man onstage. I recognize him as the man who saved me at the wedding–I’m sure of it. You don’t forget a face that handsome, after all. 

“Prince Spencer.” The young man–Spencer’s Beta, I guess–nods respectfully to Spencer, awaiting orders.

Everyone’s eyes widen in disbelief. 

It’s well-known that the most feared member of the Lycan royal family isn’t the Lycan king, but his son, Lycan Prince Spencer. He’s considered the most powerful Lycan in history, most known for his brutal attack on rebels. When three packs joined forces to try and overthrow the Lycan royal hierarchy, Prince Spencer single handedly wiped out every single rebel member overnight. He’s not only a prince.

Many know him as the God of Death. 

“No one dares to challenge you, huh?” Prince Spencer's voice drips with disdain, yet exudes suffocating pressure. “What if I do?”

Alpha S, curled up on the ground, suddenly widens his eyes and gasps, his face going pale as if facing death. His lips tremble, but he doesn't dare to make a sound.

Prince Spencer can't be bothered with him anymore, instead walking towards me.

I can't help but hold my breath as I watch Spencer break my chains with his bare hands and lift me up. The moment he touches me, a strange sensation courses through my body, filling me with an indescribable joy deep within my soul.

Moon Goddess, how can this be happening?

I carefully steal a glance at Prince Spencer. He’s undeniably handsome, but his powerful aura makes me tremble. I know that if he wanted to torment me, I would have no chance of resisting. I absolutely couldn't afford to provoke this strongest Lycan Prince.

His incomprehensible gaze locked onto me, and then he reached out his hand towards me. His broad, slender fingers, calloused ever so lightly, extended slowly towards me.