Chapter 6

My face burned with embarrassment and shame. The thought of being purchased like a piece of property by an ex-lover I had previously broken up with, was humiliating.

‘I mean, what other reduction was there that was worse than what I have been reduced to?’ I thought angrily, the anger making it almost difficult to breathe.

It didn't take long to remember that, though I was still the same Ava, the Vampire Queen on the inside, I was Ava, the wolfless omega and blood slave, on the outside. As disgusting as it made me feel, I was somewhat relieved that, at least, my face wasn't recognizable; it would be worse if he knew I was his ex.

Not surprising, the slave traders, on the other hand, were overjoyed beyond bounds, nodding their heads like mentally deranged patients.

They hadn't expected to sell me so quickly; it was a huge gain on their side. They wouldn't have to spend any money on me, yet they would make a handsome profit from selling me to Alpha Axel. There seemed to be no downside in this business deal.

“Untie her!” Alpha Axel commanded, his tone icy, not even sparing me another glance, as he straightened up and walked back to his initial position.

The leader of the slave traders signaled to two men, and they immediately came to start untying me. Considering how rough they had handled me, I reckoned I must look ragged and dirty.

When they were done, they made me stand up, and Alpha Axel took a step or two forward, a little distance away from me, looking down at me. As a Queen previously, I had grown accustomed to holding my head up, so out of habit, I held my head up, meeting his gaze, trying to squint my eyes open to see him properly.

He didn't say a word to me; he just tossed a check towards the slavers, and the leader caught it, chuckling when he saw the amount.

“Come over here,” Alpha Axel commanded, his gaze still fixed on me. Despite knowing I was unrecognizable, my hands, out of instinct, touched my face; my cheeks felt heavier from the bruises I had sustained earlier. For once, I was thankful that the moon goddess had made me appear different to suit the shithole of a life I was shoved into.

Quickly recovering myself, I stepped behind Alpha Axel. After all, this was a better hell hole than being with the slavers.

“Thank you, Alpha Axel,” the leader of the slave traders said happily, as they picked up their bags and guns. “We will be on our way now.” Alpha Axel merely stared at them, his expression unreadable.

As they turned to leave, they were confronted by a pack of fierce-looking wolves, their eyes blazing with a menacing intent. The leader of the slave traders swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly as he addressed Alpha Axel without totally turning his back, his grip on his dagger becoming stronger. “Alpha Axel, please grant us passage so we may leave in peace.”

But I knew, in that moment, that Alpha Axel had no intention of letting them leave his territory alive. His response was laced with a sinister tone, his eyes darkening with an unnerving intensity. “Why are you in such a hurry to leave? You should wait for the opening party - it promises to be... fun.” The humorless smile that spread across his face sent a chill down my spine, and I knew they were all in grave danger.

Not like I cared much anyways, they hadn't done anything that made nice that endeared them to me, rather they had been the sole reason for my humiliation.

“We-we can't w-w-wait any longer, we have to go. P-please grant us passage," the leader of the slave traders stuttered, his voice filled with desperation as he tried to convince Alpha Axel to let them leave. He was growing increasingly uncomfortable as the time passed, his eyes dancing nervously between Alpha Axel and his men.

But the man who spoke up next was unfazed, his tone as indifferent as Alpha Axel's. “But you can't leave just yet. I mean someone has to witness the show, else who will tell the story?” He sneered, his dominance and control obvious, stamping it clear in the minds of the slavers, that they were at the mercy of these ruthless wolves.

This was Axel's best friend, Kaiden. Only he had the courage to speak without the Alpha's permission. Although he appeared more approachable than Axel, at this moment, to the slave traders, he was nothing but a reaper. His words made the slave traders' hope of escape plummet further.

The leader of the slave traders swallowed hard, his face pale, like that of a vampire, as if just realizing the full extent of their situation. They were trapped, and Alpha Axel had no intention of letting them go anytime soon. The air was thick with tension, and I could sense the slave traders' fear and desperation as they gripped tight unto their weapons.

“We could return the money if you want, you can have the girl all to yourself. You don't need to give us a dime,” he said, stepping forward a bit as he threw the money at the feet of one of the guards, all in an effort to call a truce.

“That won't be necessary to say. I mean, that was the price for the girl, and we've paid it,” Kaiden said with a smirk, clearly enjoying the fear he could see in their faces because of his words. “If people were to find out that we bought a blood slave from you without paying, what do you think they would say about Alpha Axel? Don't you think it's worthy of ruining his reputation?”

“We won't tell anyone anything about this, not a single soul. Just grant us passage and we will leave the way we came,” The leader of the slave traders said, his voice giving way to fear.

Before Kaiden could continue messing with them, Alpha Axel cut in, “That's enough Kaiden, there's just enough validity even if it's one person spreading the news.”

The message behind Alpha Axel's statement was crystal clear: He wanted them dead. This only made my revenge several heads less; that didn't seem like a bad thing to say.

“What do you mean by this?” the leader of the slave traders asked, his voice trembling as his entire body shook with fear. But Alpha Axel ignored him, his body swiveling slowly as his attention became focused on me, his gaze unnerving and unreadable.

Suddenly, a warm hand grasped mine, and I winced in pain as the grip pressed into my bruised skin. The hand released mine as quickly as it had taken it, as if scalded by an iron. Alpha Axel's eyes flashed with rage, his teeth clenched in a snarl. “Leave only one alive!” he commanded, his voice cold and menacing.