Lea, a proud and determined woman, leads a fulfilling life until the day she finds herself unwittingly drawn into a secret world: the werewolf mate auction. Horrified by this situation, Lea must fight to preserve her independence and freedom. It is then that she meets Ethan, a charming and witty man, who is also participating in these auctions in the hope of finding his destined mate. Despite their differences, a spark ignites between Lea and Ethan, leading them to question their beliefs. However, their relationship faces many obstacles, including the manipulation of other auction participants, who seek to separate them. Lea and Ethan will have to join forces to overcome these challenges and face their own fears in order to make room for love. Together, they will discover that their bond extends beyond the conventions of this supernatural world and that they can build a healthy and fulfilling relationship, despite the dangers that await them. Their quest for happiness will force them to question their priorities and accept each other as they are.
Chapter 1 Chapitre 1
Lea took a step back, her breath cut by the violence of what she had just heard.
- Fifteen thousand.
The voice was cold, sharp, devoid of hesitation. In the room, a heavy silence settled, only disturbed by a slight murmur of approval. His heart coged against his rib cage, an icy shiver going up along his spine. She was not supposed to be here. She should never have crossed this door.
The man on the platform, dressed in a dark and impeccable costume, swept the assembly of the gaze before noding his head.
- Fifteen thousand for this specimen. Other offers?
Specimen. The word whistled in the air as an insult, lifting his heart. She felt her stomach twist, the urgency of escaping the tenant as the reality of what she saw struck her full whip.
Another man, older, raised his hand.
- Seventeen thousand.
Lea climbed to the nearest column, her nails sinking into polished wood. She could have believed in a classic auction if they were not human beings - especially men - aligned on this platform, delivered to the most offended. But they weren't quite human.
She shouldn't be there.
It all started with an error. A worldly evening, a charity gala to which she had gone without much conviction, dragged by a convinced friend that they were going to meet "influential people". A luxurious building, champagne cuts served in crystal flutes, feigned smiles behind bland conversations. Then, a corridor, a door ajar and this stupid curiosity that had pushed her to take a look inside.
She found herself on the other side of a world that she had never suspected.
On the platform, the young man in question remained impassive. Shirtless, his wrists attached in the back, he showed no sign of fear or submission. His eyes of a piercing gold swept the room, observers, analyzing each movement. His muscles, stretched under his skin marked with scars, testified to a brute force which only asked to be released.
Lea has a sudden nausea. Who were these people? Who could well organize such traffic in the city center, in this social gratin that it rubbed shoulders without ever suspecting anything?
- Twenty thousand.
The new figure made the assembly shiver. The looks turned to a man seated in the front row. His corner smile gave way he already knew he had won.
The man on the platform, the specimen as they said, does not flinch. However, Lea thought he saw an icy glow cross her gaze.
- Adjugated.
The noise of the hammer echoed like a thunderclap in Lea's head. One hand landed on his shoulder.
She stiffens.
- You shouldn't be here.
The voice was low, a whisper threatening in his ear.
She suddenly pivoted, finding herself in front of a man with hard features, her sharp gaze planted in hers. It was tall, far too close, its woody fragrance captivating despite the tension that electrified it.
She forced herself to swallow her panic.
- I ... I got lost.
He raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
- Bad answer.
Her arm closed on her before she could go back, causing her out of the room without leaving her to escape.
She tried to struggle, but it was like trying to push a stone wall. He brought her into a darker corridor, pushing her against a wall before planting her gaze in hers.
- Who sent you?
Lea swollen, desperately looking for a way to get out of this kneader.
- Person. I took the wrong door.
He seemed to gauge his honesty, his pupils linger on her as if he could detect the lie in the slightest shudder.
- You shouldn't have seen that.
She knew it. But it was too late to go back. Lea felt her heart banging violently while the man tightened his grip on his arm. He was not just threatening. He cleared something instinctive, dangerous, a brute force that was not human. She tried to keep her calm, to master the panic that hugged her throat, but each fiber of her body howled her to flee.
- Listen, I ... I won't say anything. I'm going to go and forget all that.
The shadow of a smile stretched the lips of his kidnapper.
- It doesn't work like that.
A snap of the fingers. Two other men appeared with the dark corridor, their perfectly synchronized movements, like hunting predators.
Lea does not think. His instinct took over. She swivel suddenly, taking advantage of a moment of floating, and rushed into the corridor. Her heels slammed against the ground, adrenaline torlled her body, but she knew they were going to catch her. They were too fast. Too silent.
A wall. A door. She didn't have time to think. She pushed her violently and rushed into a new room. His breath stopped net.
Glass turned to her.
She had just entered the middle of another auction room. But this time, she was on the wrong side.
- So ...
A sweet voice, full of satisfaction, rose from the back of the room. A man, sitting on a slightly raised platform, detailed her with fun. He wore an impeccable black suit, his face was cut with almost supernatural precision, and his piercing gaze did not leave it.
- An unexpected participant.
Lea took a step back, looking for a way out. Behind her, the men who were pursuing her were immobilized. Trapped.
The man in black rose slowly, each movement calculated.
- You flee something, it seems to me. A debt, maybe?
She clenched her fists.
- I am not supposed to be there.
A light, almost charming laugh, slipped into the air.
- And yet you are there.
With a gesture, he ordered the men behind her not to intervene. Then, he turned to the assembly, a condescending smile floating on his lips.
- How about a surprise for this evening? A human. It's pretty rare, isn't it?
Lea felt the ground shirk under her feet.
Murmurs traveled the room. The atmosphere changed subtly, becoming more oppressive. She then understood that these people, these creatures, were not only there to observe. They were there to choose.
The master of ceremonies crossed his hands behind his back and looked into his gaze in his.
- Gentlemen, Ladies ... We have a new auction.
Lea no longer felt her own breath. She had become the goods.
Lea felt a cold sweat slide her along the neck. Each gaze on it bore a hungry sparkle, an unhealthy curiosity that petrified it. His heart was beating so hard that he resounded even in his temples. She wanted to shout, protest, but her throat was too tied to let the slightest sound pass.
- Let's start the auctions, the man announced in black in a velvety voice.
A heavy silence preceded the first figure.
- Ten thousand.
Lea turned her head suddenly. Who could well ...
A man stood in the shadow of a column, away from other participants. It was large, the jaw chiseled, a dark look full of disturbing intensity. Her brown hair fell slightly on her forehead, and the sifted light emphasized the sharp line of her profile. Unlike the others, he did not seem amused by the situation.
- Fifteen thousand, proposed a voice somewhere in the room.
Lea felt panic invade him. They played with her life as if she were just a trophy.
- Twenty thousand.
His breath was cut. The man in the shade had just outbid. He moved slightly, enough for light to reveal his features better. Her gaze hung his, and, for a moment, she read something else than a simple desire for possession. Determination.
She did not know who he was, nor why he wanted it, but one thing was certain: he had just changed the course of the evening.
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