1. Rescue

Nikolai

'Are you sure she is here?' Alexander asked me through the mind-link as we walked down the dimly lit hallway.

'Yes. My men have found her,' I replied. I wouldn't be wasting my time like this if I wasn't sure.

Alex was an old friend of mine. He was a part of my pack before he met his mate and joined the Wintercrown Pack. And now he needed to rescue his mate before she got auctioned off.

Apparently, there was an attack on his pack. The attackers were unknown but they stole a lot of money and kidnapped quite a few females. Their Alpha was killed and his twenty-year-old son had to take over as the new Alpha. Too many lives were lost and the pack was too unstable without an experienced Alpha to save their females. The new Alpha, Zain, made the right decision to cut his losses and focus on stabilizing the pack instead of potentially risking getting into a war.

So, Alex approached me. And there we were, in New York, halfway across the world from the supernatural island Jiv, the land I called home.

'I want to kill them all.'

'You will not cause a fight,' I replied sharply. He wasn’t thinking straight. Having a mate does that to you. 'We will get her and then get out. You pay for her right now; I'll have it wired back to you in a week or so. Remember—one mistake and she is gone forever.'

He grunted.

"Please, Alpha Volkov, enter," the man leading us through the establishment said and opened the door in front of us.

And I did. Alex and my brothers followed me.

The door led us into a large, open-plan warehouse-like section with high ceilings and no windows. The difference was that instead of goods, this warehouse housed slaves. And at that moment, they were in barred cages of approximately four by eight feet. The establishment was strategically lit so that the light from the chandeliers shined on the slaves brightly enough to make them a hundred percent visible and keep the visitors walking around in the shadows.

'Go find her,' I mind-linked Alex. With a nod, he left. Mikhail and Vladimir followed him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

A particularly unique smell hit my nose and I began walking in its direction. I kept my senses on high alert. As an Alpha, I was invited, but as the Alpha of Rogues, I was not welcome there.

The humans in the cages were between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four, of varying sizes, colours, and levels of training. A tabled stand was placed next to each cage and on it was their description, the key to their cage, and a leash.

We could pick and choose the slave that we wanted according to our preferences. Once we picked one, we had to use the key to unlock the cage and then leash them, claiming them as ours. Next is the payment stage and then, there is an 'after-party'.

The scent led me towards the end of the warehouse where there were barely any visitors.

She was short. Even on a slightly elevated level, she didn't reach my chin. Her long, dark hair grazed the top of her ass. Her back was facing me and I already liked what I saw.

"Turn around," I ordered, wanting to see more.

She froze, her heartbeat sped up before she slowly turned around.

My breath caught in my throat.

Only one word came to my mind that had the potential to capture even a slice of the wholesomeness of her beauty. Heavenly. She looked like the Moon Goddess had spent some extra time to carve her out.

Her eyes were downcast, her back straight and body still with her hands behind her back. She was very well trained, no doubt. I had the sudden urge to have her look at me. She was undeniably beautiful, pure, and innocent— she was someone who didn't belong here.

And for some reason, I wanted to take her away from that place and shield her from the ugliness.

"Look at me," I ordered and her lips parted.

Her eyes snapped up and I inhaled sharply.

I stopped breathing for a second. They were the most beautiful chocolate brown-coloured eyes. Those dark, alluring eyes called out to me. I never wanted to look away from them. I wanted her attention, her eyes on me and only me. The combination of her doe-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, small nose, plump lips, and pointy chin made an unforgettable face.

I never participated in these kinds of events and nor did I buy slaves. But the moment her eyes locked with mine, I could not imagine walking out of that place without her. I knew I would regret it.

Her hair covered most of her front but it was easy to tell that she had a nice set of breasts and a flat stomach and a curvaceous ass. But upon a closer look, she looked malnourished.

I took a step closer to her, stepping out of the shadows so that she would be able to see me too. She instinctively shuffled backward, until her back hit the bars behind her.

She looked terrified. No shit she did.

But she didn't need to be afraid of me. Hell, as long as I was there, she didn't need to be afraid of anybody.

"What is your name?" I tried asking softly, yet it felt grating to my ears.

"I have no name. Master called me ‘pet’," she said softly. She had the softest, most melodic voice I had ever heard.

What the fuck? Pet? Seriously?

"What was your name before you were brought here?" I said, barely controlling my anger. I didn't want to scare her. When she didn't reply, a growl tore from my mouth. She trembled at that. Fuck! I needed to control my temper.

"Avalyn," she whispered so softly that I would have lost it if it hadn't been for my heightened senses.

My hands gripped the bars of her cage and she looked at me like I was going to reach in and eat her whole. I wanted to, but not the way she was thinking.

"Avalyn," I repeated, her name rolling off my tongue so effortlessly that it felt like I had been saying it all my life.

She bit down on her bottom lip.

"Don't," I whispered, easily reaching in and taking it out from between her teeth, and then confessed, "it makes me want to bite your lip too."

Instinctively, she jumped a bit in shock, and then for some reason, her eyes squeezed shut in pain.

I immediately retracted my hand and scanned her for any source of pain or discomfort. The only thing she was wearing was an awful leather collar. It looked a bit tight and it must have dug in her neck when she jumped.

"Come ‘ere," I murmured. "Let me get rid of that for you."

Her eyes, which seemed like the windows to her soul, reflected surprise and then hope. Slowly and unsurely, she moved closer to me.

I reached in. My hands brushed the side of her neck and her soft hair to reach the back of her neck and undo the clasp.

"Nikolai," Andrei murmured. It was quiet and barely audible. But it was enough to snap me out of it and realize where we were.

"I can't remove it here, but I will loosen it so that it doesn't hurt you," I said and loosened it so that instead of choking her throat, it rested loosely on the base of her neck.

"Thank you, Master," she whispered, gently rubbing her throat, which had reddened a bit.

"I want you to be mine, Ava," I told her honestly. "I want you to come home with me." I heard some footsteps that were heading towards us but I ignored them. I focused on Ava.

"Do you want to be mine?" I wanted her, but not against her will.

Her lips parted in shock. Of course, she was. Masters didn't ask slaves for anything, certainly not for permission to own them.

Her eyes slid past me and fear built in them.

"...key isn't there. I looked everywhere, even checked her entire body, but she didn't take it."

"Are you certain, Alpha Alphonso? All the keys are in their place. It isn't possible."

The footsteps were growing closer and closer. I quickly glanced towards her stand. The key was right beside it. They thankfully weren't talking about her.

"Avalyn," I called her name and her tear-filled eyes fell on me.

"I'm talking about her." They were a couple of feet away.

"Her key is right there, Alpha Alphonso."

"Impossible," he muttered under his breath before he headed towards us. Dammit.

I kept my eyes on Ava. She looked into my eyes like I had all the answers in the world. And then she gave me a nod. "Yes, Master." Her voice was soft yet firm.

I saw a hand try to reach for the key out of the corner of my eye. For my Ava's key. I darted my hand out and grabbed it right before he could.

The employee swore under his breath, knowing there was going to be a pissing match.

"She's mine," Alphonso declared.

I turned around and pinned him with a glare, my wolf restless at his declaration. "The fuck she is."

"I saw her first. I chose her first."

"Alpha Vo-" The employee turned apologetic. Of course, he would side with him. He was the Alpha of 'real' wolves whereas I was the Alpha of rogues.

I looked at the employee and cut off his poor attempt at making peace. "The rules clearly state that the one who takes the key first, unlocks the cage, and leashes the slave, will be the owner of that slave. Provided they pay for them. If a dim-witted individual with bad vision cannot locate a fucking key, then it is not my concern."

"Are you calling me dim-wi–"

"That is your assumption, I did not say your name." I cut him off.

His face flushed with anger while I remained impassive.

"If you want, we can settle it right here." I flicked my claw out with a smirk. Both of us knew that I would win. You don't become the Alpha of Rogues just like that. Unlike the rest of the packs, bloodline did not determine who would be our Alpha. I had fought and won against several wolves to become the Alpha of The Rogue Pack. And that required raw power and real skill.

"New York is common ground for all packs. Fighting here is prohibited by the High Council," the employee reminded us, looking worried.

"I am letting this one go only because I am a law-abiding wolf, unlike you,” Alphonso said, like that was supposed to be an insult, and then left. I would shoot myself in the ass before following the High Council's rules.

"Apologies for that." The employee lowered his head before leaving.

I unlocked Ava's cage and noticed that she was crying.

"Why are you crying?" I was so confused.

"I… I am sorry that you had to face him," she whimpered. "I am so-sorry for attracting him."

I quickly unlocked the cage and extended my hand to help her out and tried really hard to reign in my temper at the same time. I needed to make a list of all her previous Masters and kill them very, very slowly. "We barely exchanged two sentences to each other, Ava. It wasn't a big deal." I assured her, but she didn't seem convinced. "His name is literally Mango. You don't face them, you chop them up and then eat them. Or if they are rotten like he is, you throw them out."

She bit her lip, looking slightly amused.

"And you are an extremely beautiful woman. It isn't your fault that men are attracted to you."

"It isn't?" She looked shocked by that revelation.

"It isn't," I confirmed, still holding out my hand for her.

Timidly, she placed her hand in mine and, slowly, she walked out until she was standing right in front of me.

I suddenly questioned her motives. Did she say yes just so that she didn't have to go with Mango or did she really want to come home with me and be mine?

"Did you say yes because you wanted to or because you had to?" I hated guessing games. "Be honest."

She looked me in my eyes and with complete earnestness, she replied, "Because I want you to be my Master." I believed her.

"Good," I said and tucked the thick, dark hair that was shielding her face behind her ear.

My breath hitched in my throat. She was utterly beautiful, more so up close. Purity and innocence radiated off her. How she stayed that way in such a place, I had no clue. 

Everything about her called out to me. She was like an angel. I wanted to free her yet bind her to me. I wanted to let her have her innocence yet fuck her until she went limp in my arms. I wanted her to love me. I wanted the angel to love the beast. So I was going to play this angel to the beast's tunes. Her fate was sealed the second I saw her. There was no freedom from me now. My wolf was happy too.

But what confused me was that she wasn't my mate, yet I felt that with her.

"I will take you away from here. You will be free, Ava," I said, my thumb caressing her cheek. She sighed and leaned into my palm like a kitten. She was fucking perfect.

I was going to be her savior and she was going to be mine.

You will be free from this kind of life, but never from me. You are mine!

I cupped her chin and made her look up at me again. I lowered my head until our lips were inches away. Her eyes lowered to my lips before her tongue snaked out to wet her own. Fuck. She wanted it too. But I needed verbal consent.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" I whispered and she nodded, her eyes on my lips.

"Speak," I murmured my order.

"Yes, Master," she breathed.

I closed the gap and captured her full lips. She froze before kissing back. I kept the kiss soft and gentle, not forcing her, yet showing her who was in power, who owned her, not only her body but her heart, mind, and soul.

"Do you feel it too?" I asked, tearing my mouth from hers. She had to feel the spark, the connection I felt with her.

She gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod.

It might not have been mate pull but I didn't give a shit. It was something I was not willing to let go of. This angel in front of me was perfect and she was mine.

"Alpha." Andrei's quiet voice brought me out of my daze and I shook my head to clear it.

The kiss was really something.

"I want her back, Volkov." I heard someone snap. So this was what Andrei was warning me about.

I turned around, shifting so that I covered Ava entirely. Of course, it had to be Emilio González, the Alpha of the Montaña Pack. I fucking hated this prick.

"She is mine," I growled out, making my blood hum louder.

"You haven't paid for her yet and she was mine before she even got here," he growled, but I heard the slight tremble in his voice. His blood wasn't as strong as mine. I was a full-blooded Alpha and he was a Beta by blood.

I also decided to make a hitlist of all of her previous Masters and Emilio Gonzales was right on top. 

"You shouldn't have sent her here if you didn't want to sell her," I growled out. I couldn't stand this fucking asshole. I knew he wanted her back just because I had bought her. It was always a competition with him.

"You haven't leashed her yet, nor have you paid for her. She is free in a public area, wearing a nameless collar, and is around two people who want her. She is fair game, Rogue." Dammit. He was not wrong about that part. I was too busy taking in her beauty and forgot the most important part.

He moved so that he could see her and then extended his hand as if he was going to grab her.

"You touch her and you’re dead," I threatened in a low, menacing voice.

He glared at me but retracted his hand.

"Come here, pet!" he dared to order my Ava. She was trembling again, confused about what to do.

"She is mine now, Gonzalez. Tread carefully," I said, standing in front of her, covering her naked form again and making sure she didn't follow the piece of shit's order over mine.

The employee came rushing towards us. Having bloodshed there would be terrible for the business and they would probably ban me forever, but I didn't care. Ava was coming home with me, one way or another.

"You sold her to us, Alpha Gonzalez," the employee reminded him.

"And I want her back!" Emilio snapped at him.

"I want her!" he said furiously as his eyes shifted from the employee to me. "You are not even an Alpha, Nikolai Volkov! You lead a pack of fucking rogues and claim yourself to be The Alpha of Rogues. You are nothing but the Alpha of sheep!"

"I am more of an Alpha than you can ever be, Gonzalez. Watch your words, Beta. You might just start a war you can’t finish," I hissed. I would not tolerate disrespect, nor did I suffer fools.

He gulped but didn't say anything. When he saw an audience forming, he smiled widely.

"Let's make her choose." I knew it was one of his mind games, but he did not know how I had felt more for Ava than just lust. It was a connection that bound us and, from what I understood, she felt the same. It was time to teach that fucker a long-overdue lesson.

"Come to me, pet. We will go back home to our pack. I'll forget everything and start fresh. No punishment for attracting him. You know all my rules, likes and dislikes. It is easy for you to do the right thing. He is the Alpha of Rogues. The same pack that caused us so much grief."

I had been confident up until then. But when he said that, Ava's face shifted and she lowered her eyes.

"They are cruel. You know this. And you want to go with their Alpha, the cruelest of them all? Don't be stupid. Come on, let's go home, pet."

My reputation did precede me. And for the first time, I did not like it.

He extended his hand to grab her but I caught it before it could touch her. I looked at her. "What is your choice, Avalyn?"

Yes, they may have had a history that would work in his favor. It could influence her decision. It was natural to choose the familiar. But it had to be her choice.

Her breath hitched before she looked up at him and then me. "You. I choose you."

I released the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"You fucking slut," he growled, about to lunge at her.

"Enough," Andrei was in front of us in a flash. "Leave before you make a bigger fool of yourself."

I glared at Gonzalez. He  was still looking at Ava in anger. I let out a little growl. The moment he looked at me, his eyes flashed with fear and I knew he was done fighting.

I took out my checkbook, glanced at the information stand, and wrote a check for a million dollars, which was more than twice the price they had asked. "Here. We will be leaving right away." I tossed it at the employee before grabbing Ava's hand and leading her out of there.

As soon as we were out of the establishment, I shrugged off my jacket and made her wear it.

We walked to my car. Vladimir, Mikhail, Alex, and Belle were already in their seats, with her sleeping in Alex's lap.

"Is she okay?" I asked him. He nodded without a word.

We were staying at a hotel that night and then finally leaving the following morning to go back home to Jiv.

The drive to the hotel wasn't long. Good. Ava needed proper clothes.

She seemed uncomfortable during our short trip from the hotel lobby to my suite, but I made sure to hold her hand until we were inside my suite, silently letting her know that I was there for her.

The first thing I did when we reached our room was to rip apart her collar.

"You are done wearing these things, got it?" I asked and she nodded.

"Words," I demanded. I liked hearing her voice.

"Yes, Master," she replied, looking pleased with my order.

"Let's take a shower now, go to the bathroom, and wait for me," I told Ava. She ran to the washroom, rushing to please me.

I had to do something. I wanted her to be normal, to have a normal life. Yet I also wanted her to live with me, a werewolf, and let me claim her. I wanted to free her yet still wanted her to stay in my cage. I wanted to command her yet give her freedom of choice. She belonged in heaven yet I wanted her to stay in hell with me. She was innocent and my wolf wanted to taint her forever so she wouldn't leave me. She was doomed to stay with me now; there was no escaping me.