“Kirion is a prince and worth the price of that title. At age twenty-three, he is in prime condition now for breeding.”
A voice echoed through the chamber. “Will we be able to examine him?”
My breath caught.
Rohan let out a sharp laugh. “You have all his information in your packets. I should think it unnecessary. He is healthy and sound. All you could want in any royal omega.”
The air wheezed slowly from my lungs.
“Any more questions?” Rohan asked.
“Can we take him right away?”
Rohan’s foot tapped behind me. “A deal is a deal. As soon as the money is transferred, Kirion will be yours.”
My chest tightened. I had been allowed to pack some small bags of clothes and keepsakes. That was it. Nothing else wascoming with me. Not my whole wardrobe, my furniture, my servant… nothing. I had included my laptop and phone but wasn’t sure if those might be taken from me as soon as I settled in my new home.
“Is that it?” Rohan’s voice rose, obviously eager for the money. “Can we start the bidding now?”
The rustling of bodies before me caused a knee-jerk response. My gaze flicked forward through my eyelashes.
There they were. All lined up. A dozen or more dragons, all alphas, all wearing suits or flashy cloaks. Some looked quite young, others old. My stomach turned over and for a moment I thought I might be sick. That would make Rohan howl with anger.
No matter what happened, whether I was sick or not wouldn’t change my fate. It would only embarrass me more and make everything that was happening harder to endure.
I swallowed back bile. A shiver curled down my spine. Chills broke out all over my body.
Behind me, Rohan’s voice rose. “The opening bid is one million.”
Silence fell over the room.
A million? Ridiculous. Who would pay that for anyone, even an omega prince?
For a moment, I thought that was the end. Everyone would laugh at my father’s crazed antics and file out. Rohan would be shamed for a day or so, then get over it. I’d be free to stay.
My heart hammered. I swore I could hear the dust moving behind the walls. Even the pungent scent of the alphas seemed to pause.
Then a voice rang out and my heart withered. My mouth dropped open in startled shock.
“House Catharian bids one million.”
My nightmare had begun.
2
Tane
The first thing I noticed was his hair. It was like the sun had come down from the sky and through the wolf king’s palace windows to set it aflame.
All around me, dragons were bidding on the beautiful omega. Numbers filled the air faster than I could keep up.
I wanted him. Not for me, of course. Hell no. He was only twenty-three. I was forty-three. Kirion was too young for me. No, I was here for my son, Malin, who had just turned twenty-one. He had been in a bit of trouble. This was my last resort to tame and settle him. And maybe one day have grandchildren.
I raised my hand through the crowd. What had the last bid been? One point eight mil?
“Two million,” I said loudly.
People turned to stare. They didn’t know me. I wasn’t a society guy. I didn’t appear in the pages of wealthy lifestyle magazines despite my ten figure bank accounts. Malin, however,… high society might have heard of him. He was flamboyant andlet everyone know he was wealthy. My money had kept him out of prison more times than I could count for petty but loud things, like public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, fights. He was part of a dragon brat pack that jet-setted all over the world. He wouldn’t have had the money for it all but I had been generous and set up a trust for him when he was a baby. My soft heart allowed him access when he was eighteen and far too young and immature for it. Too late to fix that mistake, I tried to control things by letting him live at home where I could keep an eye on him. But he did as he pleased. He never listened to me.
