Page 6 of Auctioned Wolf Bride

The collar slammed against my throat as someone yanked the chain attached to it. My feet slipped from underneath me, and I fell to the ground, coughing and spluttering. Someone was dragging me across the ground back toward them. I thrashed and flailed even as I knew there was no point.

The four shifters stood above me, looking down at me. One of them jerked me back to my feet, holding the chain tight so I had no slack.

“Bitch,” the biggest one, Viktor, spat. Blood still trickled from the wound. He raised a hand to slap me.

One of the others grabbed his wrist.

“Don’t,” he hissed. “The arm’s bad enough. Damien won’t be happy if you damage her face.”

Viktor snarled, glaring down at me as he dropped his hand. “Come on,” he said, grabbing the chain from the other shifter and jerking me forward.

I would have dragged my feet, thrashing and stalling the entire way, but the other three shifters kept me moving, shoving me whenever I slowed down. When I started screaming for help, one of them told me to shut it or they would shove a rag in my mouth. I ignored him and kept yelling. He stayed true to his promise.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, we came to a large building. It wasn’t a house or a bunker, but something in between. Off to one side stood a large stage in front of a wide, empty area. The group dragged me inside, taking me down to the basement. My stomach plummeted as I took in my new surroundings.

Dozens of cages lined the walls, each of them with one or two girls stuffed inside, all of whom were wearing collars identical to mine. Some looked as though they’d been there for a month—they were malnourished, dirty, their clothes ragged. Others looked as though they had only been there a handful of days at most.

The girls watched silently as the men led me through the basement toward an empty cage. They uncuffed my hands and shoved me inside, slamming the door closed and locking it before I could even turn around. One of them locked the chainstill attached to my neck to one of the bars. Then, the four shifters walked away in silence.

I spat out the rag and hurried to the front of the cage, rattling the door even though I knew it was no use.

“Let me out!” I screamed, kicking the bars in desperation.

“It’s not going to do any good,” the girl in the cage next to me said. Above us, the door to the basement opened and slammed closed.

“I know.” I stepped back and sighed, running my fingers through my hair. “But just standing here feels so useless.”

She gave a tired smile as she slumped against the back of her cage. “I know. I think we all try to get out when we first get here.”

“I’m Thea,” I said.

“Rachel. Are you all right?”

“Angry more than anything,” I said. I glanced around, taking in the number of filled crates compared to the number of empty ones. It seemed whoever had taken us had nearly reached capacity. My jaw twitched as I willed my breath to steady. Whatever they had in store for us, it wasn’t good.

I glanced over at Rachel, taking in her scraggly, unkempt hair and dirty clothes. But her eyes didn’t have the dull matte of malnourishment, either. “How long have you been here?”

Rachel shrugged. “Five days, I think?”

I nodded. Walking over to the front of the cage, I examined the padlock. It was a heavy-duty number, the type designed to prevent shifters from being able to break them. Expected, but still disappointing. Still, that didn’t mean I couldn’t get around it.

“Do you have a couple bobby pins on you?” I asked.

Rachel shook her head.

“Any of the other girls?”

“Maybe?” She leaned forward. “Most of the girls who have been here a while don’t talk. They listen in.” She pointed a grimy finger upward, indicating the kidnappers.

I chewed my lip, considering. If I could get a hold of something thin and straight, I could probably pick the lock. If I got out, I could bring help back. Or maybe I couldn’t. Not in time to do any good, and not without being able to shift.

I let out an exhale of frustration, my mind still spinning. “What are they planning on doing with us?”

Up until now, I’d avoided thinking about it. Part of me didn’t want to know, except I needed to know what I was up against. I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

Rachel opened her mouth to answer, but clamped it shut when a door somewhere above opened and closed and footsteps echoed down the stairs. She shrank back against her cage, pressing against the bars as if trying to get as far away from the newcomer as possible.

“Who is it?” I hissed, but Rachel shook her head.