Sold

Seline

My heart began pounding after Jax had placed his bid, eyes darting around in confusion. The crowd was perplexed as well, turning to one another and whispering loudly. Why was my owner placing a bid on me? It didn't make sense.

I palmed my chest to keep it from bursting out of my chest. Ferrara was still seated where he was, unmoved and that meant one thing; he wasn't impressed. At all. Neither the red dress, lipstick nor the alluring sight of my nakedness appealed to his senses. He'd probably seen shifters with larger tits, curvier figures, and much more beautiful than I was.

I couldn't fail. I had nowhere else to go if that happened. The mission to end Ferrara DeMarco couldn't just fall apart before we'd barely begun. What in the world was Jax thinking? I'd known him to be smarter than this.

As the silence and murmurings edged on, so did my panic. Jax's mother's warning flashed through my mind and I shuddered, wrapping my arms around my chest. I knew what she was capable of, and she was much more cruel and evil than her son. I could get kicked out of the Academy if she decided to be lenient with my punishment but my life would remain a hellhole for life.

"Fifteen million." A deep voice broke through the rowdy commentaries. A hush like no other fell upon the entire theater. I looked up breathlessly, searching for who'd just spoken. The auctioneer's eyes were wider than saucers. He poked a finger in his left ear, twisting it like a screw to get out the dirt. "F-fifteen million?" he moped his forehead and surveys the audience. I suspected that he'd try and raise the bid higher but he was speechless. I was betting that no bidder had ever paid that much for a shifter before, no matter the quality or capabilities.

I closed my eyes, Jax's first words to me as he rescued me from the fire that had engulfed my family and home. You are special, Seline. The Goddess has kept you alive to avenge their deaths. Be strong. Stop crying.

I snapped my eyes back open as the auctioneer's gravel rang out. "And that's a deal, folks! Sold to the richest and most influential gentleman in the building. His Royal Majesty, Vampire King Ferrara DeMarco."

The claps and hoots grew louder and I almost jump in glee. Success! It worked! I glanced up at Jax who stood, neutral to all that was going on. There was a slight smirk on his lips and he gave me a thumbs up. Good girl. Now go make me proud.

I nodded, looking back at Ferrara who was being swamped with congratulations laced with envy. He was beautifully attractive with sleek black hair that looked like silk, and a muscular body. His arms were strong, his biceps defined. In a few minutes, I'd have those arms wrapped around me. I couldn't have hoped for anything better.

The guards came up the stage again, hauling me back into my cage. I tried breaking free from their grasp, screaming for an explanation as the curtain fell. I overheard the auctioneer rapping his gravel once more and announcing a fifteen minutes break. He met me backstage, eyes shining in greed. "I apologize for ripping your dress." He scanned my neck and the rest of my body slowly. A shifter helper handed me a large towel and I wrapped it around my bosom tightly. "But it paid off! You're truly a gem, Seline. Never in my auctioning years have I been lucky enough to sell a shifter for that insane amount of money."

I'd long given up on understanding the mind of vampires a long time ago, but stuff like this was too baffling. Why waste such a huge amount of money on a wolf pet when they had mates to keep them entertained and busy? Now that he had purchased me, what did he hope to do with me?

I didn't want to know anymore. The most important thing was I'd been sold to achieve an aim. I was saying goodbye to the Academy for a while, and I'd never felt happier to not indulging the slight, irrelevant bumps along the way.

I spied the five guards I'd messed up onstage lurking in the shadows. They were muttering amongst themselves, nursing their battered parts with iced tea bags and glaring at me from time to time. I paid them no mind because I was superior in status now. I belonged to the Vampire King, a higher authority to the Academy and they were mere bottom feeders. I snorted, hanging up my head in pride.

Mary, Jax's assistant tapped me from the back in the middle of my pompous display. She pressed a yellow dress to my chest, offering me a bittersweet smile. "Congratulations, Seline. His Majesty has instructed me to help you put this on."

I raised both hands up and she peeled away the towel, slipping the beautiful dress over my head. It was slightly bigger than my usual fit but was still great anyway. It was long-sleeved and covered me up well. One of the most modest dresses I'd ever worn. It was the most modest dress I'd ever worn. When the shifters were first brought to the Academy, we only had long dresses. To get us acquainted with our new way of life, Jax had them all burnt and replaced with skimpy wear. It made us confident, sexy, and alluring for buyers to be swayed.

"His Majesty is currently in talks with some dignitaries and will come to collect you soon. In the meantime, do you need anything? Clothes, accessories, or books to take along with you?"

I wanted to carry the pink floral gown which was my last gift from my father. It was my favorite and a painful reminder of what happened to them. Plus, I wore that dress the day they died. But I shook my head and plopped down on a stool, hugging the arms of my sleeves. They smelt like peppermint mixed with new leather.

Mary pulled at my dress. "The backstage is unfit for you to meet the king. Let's go wait outside."

"Are you sure? He's supposed to meet me backstage." At least that was what I'd seen other new masters do whenever they purchased a shifter. When she saw that I wasn't ready, she relented, sitting beside me and barking at a guard to get us water.

I could barely hear her. I tuned her voice out completely.

Jax's words reined in.

We're both victims of the same enemy, Seline. Ferrara took everything away from me and my mother. The crown, the mansion, the fame...everything. It was meant to be mine! Mine and mine alone. But he found a clever way to turn the Volturi council against my mom and me and we were thrown out to the streets. He killed your pack and family without a cogent reason. He's a plague that needs to be stopped and if we both worked together we can bring him down and declare freedom for all shifter and vampire mankind.

That became the sole purpose of my staying alive. Now I was sold to him, I would infiltrate his home, make him trust me. Give me access to his bedroom and wait for the right moment at night to strike.

And then I would kill myself and join my deceased family.