SOLD TO THE ALPHA WITH A DEVIL'S KISS

**Anya’s POV**

After they shove me into an iron cage, the chains bite into my wrists and the cold iron stings against my raw skin from weeks of abuse. Also, my bare feet stumble and when the guard kicks me forward, I crash against the bars like an animal.

Well, that’s what they call me these days. Not Anya, and certainly not the Alpha’s daughter. I am just the cursed wolf girl and the one who killed my own mother.

The story has followed me since I was a child. The night I was born, my mother died, and several misfortunes happened in the pack. It’s the very reason why nobody respects me there, and when Dad remarried, my already miserable life became even worse.

My stepmother—Lady Selene—never let anyone forget it. She told the pack that I was marked by the goddess herself, born to bring ruin and to bring death. She slanders me anytime she gets the chance to, and Dad never scolds her for slandering his only daughter.

Then, she blamed me when she had a miscarriage, and my father…my mighty Alpha father believed her!

Or maybe it was easier to believe the woman who warmed his bed, instead of defending the daughter who carried his first mate’s blood.

Now here I am, shackled and dragged into the black market to be sold like an animal. His heir, the BloodMoon princess, was reduced to nothing!

“When I get out of here, I swear I will kill you!” I snap at the guard but he just ignores me. “Damn you!” I curse when he just smirks.

Then, I tug at the hem of the dress Selene shoved me into before letting these guys take me from the packhouse. It’s so short that with the slightest move, everything that I should be hiding will be on display.

Seriously, what kind of humiliation is this?

Honestly, I still can’t believe that my stepmother really went through with selling me. Of course she did. She’s been dying to get rid of me since the day she married my Dad. Not only that, she worked so hard to convince everyone that I was really cursed!

And my father, the Alpha? He just let it happen. He always listens to Selene as if her words are final in everything…now that they have a son.

At the age of twenty, I should be enjoying life but the truth is a bitter pill to swallow. Throughout my twenty years of existence, I never even had a taste of real freedom. My life has been one endless cage, and now I am literally being auctioned like an item!

Fantastic life, right?

I look around and wish that someone will come to just kill me!

But then a pair of rough hands gropes me from behind. I grit my teeth before glaring at him! “How dare you touch someone like me!” I snap.

I thought he was one of the guards! Turns out he’s just another disgusting pig hanging around backstage. He probably thinks of taking advantage of me or the other girls.

“Stop pretending you don’t like it!” he sneers. “That body of yours won’t stay untouched for long, lass,” he says and my blood boils.

“Oh, really?” I ask while raising my eyebrow. “Get away before I will curse you to death!” I growl.

Surprisingly, he is one of the people who believes the rumors about me being cursed by the Moon Goddess. He staggers as he walks away, and occasionally, he steals a glance at me. When our eyes meet, I pretend to chant a curse and he drops to the floor, howling for forgiveness.

However, before I can celebrate my small victory, someone yanks my hair from behind.

“Let me go!” I scream, struggling as my scalp burns and then he’s gone.

Someone slams him into the nearest wall and I wonder who it is.

“Stop mistreating the girl,” he warns.

I have been in the black market for several days and his voice doesn’t belong to anyone at the auction site. I glance at him to check his appearance and I gasp for air. He is a tall man with broad shoulders and eyes burning like fire. He is not my age, a little bit old perhaps, but he really looks dangerous and powerful!

“S-sorry, Alpha—”

Alpha?!

The stranger’s gaze falls on me, sharp enough to cut and I nearly melt under it.

“Th-Thank you,” I manage, heat rising to my face.

Goddess, I sound like an idiot and by the looks of it, he doesn’t look amused by my appearance. I can’t blame him though. Right now, I look like a harlot!

“Next time you plan to sell yourself, at least learn how to fight,” he suggests.

Excuse me? Why would I try to sell myself? Is he crazy? When I glare at him, he glares back as if I offended him in one way or another. Then, he walks away.

But of course, I won’t let him.

“Excuse me? What did you say?” I snap. “Are you implying that it is my wish to be sold like this? Are you fucking serious?” I scream and he stops walking right away.

Then he smirks as he looks at me. “Isn’t it, Missy? You know that rich men come here to buy virgins for their toys.”

“T-Toys?” I stammer.

I really thought that patrons of the black market buy women or young girls to be their slaves, and not their toys. Is he telling the truth? Will someone buy me to become his toy?

“Don’t you get my drift, Missy? When I say toy, powerful men are here to buy someone that can warm our beds at night. Hold on, are you pretending to be a virgin?”

What did he just say?! Pretending to be a virgin? I am a fucking virgin and there’s no way I will allow myself to become a sex toy for powerful men! Then before my brain can stop me, I lunge at him and use my free legs to attack him!

He grunts after I slam my knee toward his groin. I know it’s painful but it’s worth it for someone like him.

“What the fuck!?” he growls in pain.

“That’s for disrespecting me, Mister! You don’t know what I have been through and I don’t need another arrogant Alpha throwing disrespectful words at me!”

I am already at my lowest, how dare he disrespect me even more?

“What have you done?!” someone shouts from the back, and when I turn around, I recognize him. “Come on, it’s your turn to doll up a little,” he says as he grabs me from the cage like a dog.

Then he takes me to an area where a middle-aged woman is applying beauty products to the girls. She sizes me up before letting me sit on the chair, fronting a cracked mirror. After a few minutes, I look decent enough to be on stage for the auction.

Later on, I am being shoved onto the stage, with the lights blinding me, and then the crowd roars.

“Tonight,” the auctioneer bellows, “we bring you something truly rare! A wild, cursed wolf, only twenty years old! Once heir to BloodMoon, now a dangerous beauty who no one else could tame! Gentlemen, feast your eyes on Anya Mendoza!”

I hear the laughter and the whistles from men who size me up to see if I am worth their money. Then the auctioneer starts describing me like a specimen. Whistles pierce the air and greedy eyes crawl over my skin as if they could peel away the dress clinging to me. I keep my chin high, but inside, I’m burning with embarrassment!

“Gentlemen, look at that body,” the auctioneer calls out. “She will keep you warm at night. Most of all, she is a rare specimen with a strong bloodline. Born of Alpha stock, she is the cursed heir of Blood Moon!”

A murmur erupts through the crowd at the reminder of my shame.

The auctioneer smirks, lifting his hand toward me. “Not only is she beautiful…look at those eyes, those hips,and the way the Moon Goddess carved her. She is perfect, isn’t she? Breed her, tame her, and use her you please. A wolf like this doesn’t come to the market often!”

The crowd howls even louder.

“Any message for the bidders, Anya?” the auctioneer sneers, thrusting the mic at me.

I glare. If looks could kill, he would be ash. He’s Selene’s lapdog; the one she sold me to, who’s now parading me for profit.

The crowd erupts again.

“Let’s start at five hundred grand!”

“One Million!” shouts some wrinkly old wolf who looks like he should be my grandpa.

“Three Million!” another man yells.

“Five Million!”

“Six Million!”

Are they serious? Is this my life now?

“Going once, going twice—”

“Ten Million,” a cold voice cuts through and my stomach drops.

I squint through the blinding lights, and my heart lurches. It’s him. The arrogant Alpha from earlier.

Why the hell is he bidding on me?!

“Fifteen Million,” the old man bids again.

“Sixteen Million!” another snarls.

“Twenty Million,” the arrogant Alpha counters smoothly.

“Twenty-one Million!” the golden-clad wolf sneers, not backing down but the arrogant Alpha just smiles.

“Fifty Million,” the Alpha says. “And I’ll top any higher bids.”

The crowd gasps while the auctioneer is trembling with happiness. He grins from ear to ear and he is probably already counting his share inside his head.

“S-Sold! To Alpha Kael Orlov of Silverfang Pack—for fifty million!”

My blood runs cold.

Kael Orlov. Alpha of Silver Fang. My father’s rival for Selene’s heart. I never met him before so I assumed he was about the same age as my Dad. Turns out, he is younger and so handsome. How the hell did Selene seduce him?

When he steps onto the stage to claim me, he mouths, “Mate.”

**Anya’s POV**

What?! To him? I’m sold to him?

Sold.

For a moment, I can’t believe it’s really happening but the word slams into me like a blade and I am not even breathing when the auctioneer shouts the winning bid. Fifty Million. For me, and not just from anyone, but from him! Out of all the monsters in this place, it has to be him!

Kael Orlov. Alpha of Silver Fang.

He is my buyer!

I watch him walk toward the cashier who will receive the payment. How rich is Alpha Kael? How can he afford to pay fifty million in an auction just to have me?

My stomach knots. He could have bought an army or he could just keep the money for his pack and yet he spent that much on me! I steal one quick glance at him, just enough to catch those ice-blue eyes turning toward me at the same exact moment.

Our gazes collide and before I can look away, he mouths again, “Mate.”

I furrow my brows. What is he talking about?

Why am I his mate?

I steal another glance at Alpha Kael and I regret it instantly because his gaze meets mine with lethal precision and those glacial eyes lock on me like chains. Heat floods my cheeks immediately so I dart my gaze away.

“Hello, Anya,” he greets me after he settles everything.

I am speechless, though.

“Scared?” he asks.

I just nod my head, as if I have lost the ability to talk.

“Well, you should be,” he mentions and my eyes widen in confusion.

Is he threatening me? What’s wrong with him?

“Let’s go,” he orders.

So, I follow in silence toward his car but he doesn’t speak as his driver opens the door of his sleek black car. I slip inside, chained wrists heavy in my lap, while Alpha Kael settles in beside me. His presence is suffocating but I can’t complain. He just sits beside me, broad shoulders wrapped in black but still, he is exuding that aura of command that makes my wolf whimper in submission.

I lift my chained wrists and stare at the bruises. Then I realize that the Moon Goddess must hate me.

Perhaps I committed a heinous crime or something unforgivable in my past life? Otherwise, why else would she abandon me like this? Why else would she watch me crawl through pain after pain without lifting a finger to help me?

Did I kill someone in the past? Did I betray someone? Or ripped someone’s soul in half? Because what else could explain it? What else could explain being born cursed, hated by my own pack, and dragged like an animal into a cage where strangers bid for my body?

“Are you crying?” he asks.

“Excuse me?”

“You look sad, Anya.”

“Can you uncuff me first before talking to me?” I answer with a question.

“Later.”

Then he closes my eyes as if to dismiss me.

Hours later, the car stops in front of a massive gate that looks like a fortress. After the driver presses something near the mailbox, the gate automatically opens. The car enters and the gate closes again but I am confused why I don’t see any houses nearby.

“Perhaps, do you live under the ground?” I ask and he frowns.

“Is that a hint that you like to stay in the dark basement, Anya?”

“No, I am just saying that I don’t see any houses since we enter the gate.”

“Because my property is big,” he answers.

I roll my eyes and decide not to speak with him again. I just focus on the scenery we pass by and I notice we pass by a lot of trees.

Then about thirty minutes later, I can finally see his place…and let’s say, it’s really massive!

The driver parks the vehicle near the fountain and a middle-aged man whom I assume to be the butler welcomes us. As the door opens, rows of servants bow their heads low. He is really living a luxurious lifestyle in the middle of nowhere!

The servants are being polite and they greet the Alpha but Kael doesn’t so much as glance at them. He just walks through his empire like an untamed God.

“Show her to her room, Albert,” Kael orders in a low voice as if he is tired.

The butler bows. “Yes, Alpha.”

I expect him to lead me inside the mansion, the towering beast of a house that rises against the night like a castle, but instead, we keep walking past it.

My chest tightens. “Where…where are we going?” I whisper.

The butler doesn’t answer. He only glances at me, pity flashing in his eyes before he lowers his gaze. That’s when I know—I’m not going to the main house.

My new “room” is in the extension.

A separate wing, beautiful from the outside, but cold the moment I step inside. The hall smells faintly of perfume and wine. Then my heart sinks as realization claws through me.

I’m not the only one here.

There are others.

The Alpha’s women?

His harem?

The moment they hear Albert’s footsteps, they come out of their rooms to check and they move like shadows in silk gowns. One woman leans against the doorframe, lips painted blood-red, eyes sparkling with mockery as she studies me.

“Another one,” she murmurs, like I’m nothing more than a trinket added to Kael Orlov’s collection.

My stomach knots. Then, the butler gestures toward a door at the end of the hall. “This will be your room, Miss.”

Then before leaving, he uncuffs me with something from his pocket. It doesn’t look like a key but still, it works just fine. As the butler leaves, I push the door open, expecting nothing more than four empty walls and maybe a thin mattress thrown on the floor.

Instead…I freeze in shock.

The room is spacious, softly lit by a golden chandelier, and the scent of lavender lingers in the air. After taking another deep breath, I explore my new prison cell. The closet catches my attention first and when I open it, my heart nearly drops.

There are rows of beautiful dresses inside. I touch one hesitantly, the fabric slipping like water through my fingers.

It feels new but that’s the thing, isn’t it? It doesn’t feel chosen for me.

It feels prepared as though I’m just another name on an endless list, another body to be dressed up and paraded whenever the Alpha chooses.

A chill slides down my spine. What’s waiting for me in this place?

Gritting my teeth, I close the closet and check the windows. It’s not locked and when I open it, fresh air greets me. What’s the meaning of this? Am I not a prisoner here?

Then I run to the door and ensure it’s bolted before I choose a dress I can wear and place it on top of the bed. Afterward, I tiptoe toward the bathroom to take a bath. It’s been a while since I was able to clean myself properly.

An hour later, I’m done.

But while combing my hair, someone knocks on the door. I whirl around and stand up to open the door.

Albert the butler is standing outside and I wonder why.

“Alpha Kael requests your presence,” he announces and my pulse immediately spikes.

I just nod my head and I follow him until we stop at a massive carved door inside the mansion. He knocks softly.

“Enter!”

As the door swings open, my breath stills. Kael stands at the window, back to me. When he turns, my lungs forget how to work for a minute. If only he were not so handsome, then maybe I would have a chance to be sassy with him all the time.

“H-Hello…Alpha,” The word slips out before I can stop it.

Pathetic, though.

His lips curl into a smile built for devils.

“I have rules in this place, Anya,” he says, voice low enough to make the hairs on my arms rise.

“I am listening, Alpha.”

He steps closer, every movement controlled, lethal. “Follow them, and you’ll survive here.”

Not live but survive!

“One. Obey me without question.”

My throat tightens. “Okay, noted on that.”

“Two. Don’t you dare try to escape.”

As if I could. Mentally, I roll my eyes.

“And three…” His gaze sharpens. “Don’t waste food.”

I frown. Why would I waste my food? And why would he care about it when he just splurges on his money at the black market?

The third one is weird but I don’t dare question him. As long as he will not hurt me, I plan to follow whatever rules he will set for me.

Finally, he closes the distance, towering over me, his scent wrapping around my senses.

Like me, he just finished taking a bath and his cologne made my knees weak.

“What’s your full name, little wolf?” He asks as if he needs to confirm something.

“A-Anya Mendoza.”

His smirk deepens. He leans down, his lips brushing the air between us, hot enough to brand. “Mendoza…so are you really from Blood Moon?”

“I am,” I answer.

“Perfect,” he states as if he has something sinister inside his mind.

So, I step back to distance myself.

“Oh, by the way, you look beautiful when you’re scared,” he murmurs. “And remember, Anya…” he says while tilting his head. “There’s rule number four,” he adds.

“What is it?”

“Satisfy my needs, whenever…wherever I want to.”

My heart stutters. “Are you crazy?” I snap but he just smirks.