The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate-Chapter 33: A Familiar Buyer
Scarlett’s POV
The Rogue King stood on the platform, holding a heavy iron chain that was attached to a hook. As the guards shoved me up the wooden steps, he grabbed the chain and clipped it to the magical choker around my neck.
The sudden weight jerked my head back, making me gasp.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the Rogue King boomed, his voice full of excitement, like a man showing off a priceless treasure. "I promised you something rare. A pure, unmarked wolf. Look at her—no mark, no mate... and perfectly untouched."
The buyers began to circle the platform like sharks. One man, old and scarred, stepped closer, his eyes raking over my trembling body. "The girl looks weak," he muttered. "Is she healthy?"
"She’s stronger than she looks," the King laughed, yanking the chain to force me to stand straight. "And with the collar on, she’s as obedient as a lapdog."
I looked out into the dark tree line, my heart hammering against my ribs. I thought of my parents, of the life I wanted, and even of the mates who had broken my heart. I would rather have their hate a thousand times over than be sold to these monsters.
"Let the bidding begin!" the King shouted. "We start at fifty thousand!"
"Sixty!" a voice called from the shadows.
"Seventy-five!" another yelled.
I closed my eyes, a single tear tracing a path through the dirt on my cheek. Please, I prayed to the Moon Goddess. If you can hear me, just let me die before they take me.
The bidding climbed higher and higher, the numbers flying through the air... Each shout from a buyer felt like another nail in my coffin.
"Two hundred thousand!" the scarred man yelled, his eyes gleaming with a sick triumph.
The Rogue King raised his hand, a wide, greedy smile splitting his face. "Two hundred thousand going once... going twice..."
He was about to say "sold" when the heavy brush at the edge of the clearing parted. A man stepped into the light of the torches. He didn’t wear a mask like the other buyers, and he didn’t try to hide the sheer power radiating from him. He was tall, likely in his early thirties, with sharp, disciplined features.
Unlike the others, he didn’t look at me with hunger. He didn’t look at me with desire. He looked at me with a strange, questioning expression, as if he were annoyed to even be standing in this filth.
But why does he look so familiar? Where have I seen such a face before?
"Five hundred thousand," he said, his voice calm but loud enough to silence the entire camp.
The crowd gasped. The masked man nearby turned in shock. "Alpha Ethan? You are here? You have never set foot in a place like this."
But Alpha Ethan ignored him completely. He kept his gaze on me, his brow slightly furrowed, waiting for the Rogue King to finish the transaction. He looked like a man who was simply checking a task off a list, yet his presence was so heavy it made my breath hitch.
The Rogue King’s eyes widened, practically glowing with the thought of that much money. "Alpha Ethan! What a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know you had a taste for... things like this."
"Just get on with it," Ethan replied coldly. He didn’t want to chat; he seemed irritated to be here.
"Sold!" the Rogue King shouted, his voice echoing through the trees. "To Alpha Ethan!"
I gasped, my knees hitting the wooden stage. My fate was sealed. I was no longer a person; I was property.
Two of Alpha Ethan’s men, looking more like professional soldiers than rogues, walked up the steps to the Rogue King. They handed him a heavy silver suitcase. The King flipped the latches, revealing stacks of pound notes in mint condition. He ran a dirty finger over the cash, laughing under his breath.
Alpha Ethan stepped toward the platform. He didn’t look happy about his purchase. He looked at the iron chain holding me and then back at my face. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Stand up," he commanded. It wasn’t a snarl like Leo’s or a cold snap like Leon’s. It was a simple order from a man used to being obeyed.
I struggled to my feet, the metal choker still heavy and cold around my neck. I waited for him to touch me, to claim me, to show me the same cruelty I had come to expect from powerful men. Instead, he just nodded at one of his men.
"Take her to the car," he said shortly. "We’re leaving."
I didn’t even bother to struggle. I was weak—so fucking weak. Every ounce of fight I had left had evaporated the moment that iron collar snapped shut, and the weight of the day’s grief finally crushed me. I let them lead me, my feet dragging through the dirt, feeling like a ghost inhabiting a body that no longer belonged to me.
Suddenly, I saw my backpack on the ground, and I stopped.
"Please, that’s my bag... let me have it... inside are the only pictures of my parents," I cried, knowing they wouldn’t even answer me or care.
But strangely, my buyer nodded at one of his men. He picked up the bag and handed it over to me. My eyes widened; I was shocked—beyond shocked—but managed to whisper a thank you.
We broke through the thick line of bushes and reached a paved road I hadn’t known was there. I gasped, my eyes widening at the sight. Five massive black SUVs were parked in a perfect line, their engines on. Nearly twenty men stood around the vehicles, all dressed in tactical gear, their faces hard and eyes alert.
I shivered. He didn’t just come with guards; he came with a small army. Who was this man? Why would an Alpha of this caliber descend into a rogue filth-pit just to buy me?
One of the men opened the rear door of the center SUV. Alpha Ethan stepped in without a word. I stood on the asphalt, staring at the dark interior, fully expecting the guards to grab me by the hair and shove me into the trunk or the floorboards like cargo.
Instead, Ethan looked out from the leather seat and glanced at the guard on the other side. "Open the other door," he said flatly.
I froze, completely shocked. They weren’t throwing me in the back with the luggage. The guard turned me around and pulled open the opposite door, signaling for me to climb into the plush, heated interior right next to the Alpha.
I hesitated, my heart hammering against my ribs. I looked at the luxury of the car, then back at my mud-stained clothes and the heavy chain still trailing from my neck.
Ethan caught my gaze and scoffed, his patience clearly running out. "Get in, or I’ll leave you here," he said, his voice cold as ice. "And the rogues will take you again. This time, I’m not coming back to save you."
