"Wait, nay, please just listen tae me."
But the horses were already movin', and Mhairi's pleas disappeared into the darkness behind them.
CHAPTER TWO
Earlier that evening
"Ye're certain this is the place?"
Alpin MacDougal kept his voice low, eyes fixed on the entrance to what looked like an abandoned grain warehouse. But the number of guards stationed around it told a different story.
"Aye, me laird." His scout, Callum, gestured toward the building. "Three lasses from our lands disappeared in the last month. Tracks led here."
Alpin's jaw tightened. He'd heard the rumors, underground auctions where women were sold like cattle, but hearing and seeing were two very different things.
"How many guards?"
"Eight outside that I can count. More inside, likely."
Too many to fight. Not without startin' a war he wasnae ready for. "I'm goin' in."
Callum's head whipped toward him. "Me laird…"
"I need tae see what's happenin' in there. Who's runnin' this. Who's buyin'." Alpin adjusted his cloak, pullin' the hood lower over his fair hair. "If I can get names, faces, evidence, we can bring this tae the king."
"And if they recognize ye?"
"They willnae." Alpin had dressed carefully, plain clothes, nothin' that screamedlaird. And he'd left his clan colors back at camp. "Stay here with the men. If I'm nae out by dawn, ride back and tell Tristan what ye saw."
"Me laird..."
"That's an order, Callum."
The scout's mouth pressed into a thin line, but he nodded.
Alpin made his way toward the entrance, keeping to the shadows. The guards were checking each man who entered, looking for weapons, mostly, but they let him pass with barely a glance after he slipped them a few coins.
Inside, the noise hit him first. Voices. Laughter. The clink of glasses. And underneath it all, something that made his skin crawl. Anticipation. Hunger.
The chamber was packed. Alpin found a spot near the back, where he could see the raised platform without bein' too visible himself. His hand rested on the dirk hidden beneath his cloak.
"Gentlemen!" A scarred man stepped onto the platform. "Welcome, welcome. We have a fine selection fer ye taenight."
Alpin's attention sharpened. That was Laird Aodh Graham. He'd heard of him before—a laird with considerable power and connections, known for his ruthlessness and willingness toprofit from any venture, no matter how dark. The auctions were just another way for him to expand his wealth.
The first lass they brought out was barely sixteen. Alpin's hands curled into fists as the biddin' started, as men shouted numbers like she was livestock. When she was dragged off the platform in tears, he had to force himself to stay still.
Evidence first. Justice after.
Two more lasses followed. Both sold within minutes.
"Our next offerin’ is a rare prize indeed!"
A new lass was pushed onto the platform, and Alpin's breath caught.
She was beautiful—dark hair, grey eyes that flashed with fury even through her obvious terror. But it wasn’t her beauty that held his attention. It was the way she fought. The way she snarled at Graham like a wildcat despite being surrounded by men twice her size.
"I'm nae fer sale, ye bastard!"
