：Ex’s Wedding

Ivy’s POV

I sit naked in the bathtub as the Omega maid scrubs my skin pink, staring straight ahead.

It’s Veronica and Erick’s wedding day–the day they’ve chosen to solidify my final humiliation.

The maid gives me one last scrub, hauls me out of the water, wraps me in a towel, and dabs rose oil onto my skin. Wordlessly, she drags me towards my miserable rotting mattress of a bed, where a lacy bra and skimpy miniskirt have been laid out for me.

I stare at the clothing in shock. “Where’s the rest of it?”

The maid shakes her head sadly.

My stomach plummets. The maid starts to dress me, and I struggle at first, but it’s no use. When the maid is done stuffing me into my clothes–little more than underwear, really–I look into the rusty old mirror before me. As I’m distracted by the plunging scooped neckline of the bra, the maid clamps shackles around my wrists and ankles.

Even though I’ve already lost touch with my inner wolf thanks to the wolfsbane, it’s not enough.

Veronica never misses a chance to humiliate me.

By the time I make it into the banquet hall, Veronica and Erick have already wed.

The moment I walk into the banquet hall, I smell the most wonderful scent. Almost intoxicating–as though it’s drawing me towards something.

But what?

The maid nods once to me, then shuffles off, leaving me standard near the altar.

Veronica’s gaze lands on me, and her lips twist into a wicked smile. She looks beautiful, which I hate, and the wedding dress she’s wearing looks an awful lot like the one I was supposed to wear.

I hate her.

My attention shifts to Erick seated next to her with his arm wrapped around her waist. No matter how much I hate Veronica, Erick is the object of my vengeance. I’ll see him fall by my hand, or I’ll die trying.

I think Veronica can see the loathing in my gaze, because she taps her knife against her wine glass and stands up, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have with us Ivy Bell, the daughter of the late Alpha Bradley Bell of the Obsidian pack!” She calls out.

Jeers and whistles fill the room, a mockery of applause.

“As punishment for her traitorous ways,” Veronica continues, looking at me with a cruel glint in her eyes, “Ivy will be a public maid. Anyone can taste her any time.”

My mouth falls open as the crowd erupts into thunderous applause. A hundred leering eyes slip over me, slimy with their intent. I want to protest, but I know it’s no use. I need to survive first if I want to ever avenge my father. I look up at my once-best friend’s evil face, anger and fear filling my heart.

How much more can she do to me?

Whatever aromatherapy they’ve got at this wedding seems to be helping, though. Every time I catch a hint of that wonderful, intoxicating scent, my tense nerves seem to relax a bit.

I spent the rest of the wedding reception pouring drinks. As I do, though, strange men approach me, whistling and running their hands along my body. I shudder, but don’t dare object. It makes me feel sick, though.

As I pour champagne into a slender flute, a drunk Thunderclaw werewolf walks over to me and wraps his arm around my waist, rough hands wandering over my delicate, exposed skin.

“Hey!” I protest, writhing and struggling to escape. “Don’t touch me!”

“You’re public use, aren’t you?” He murmurs in my ear. The scent of alcohol emanating from him damn almost burns.

He starts to drag me out of the hall. “Let’s go to my room, baby,” he urges.

“Let go of me!” I snap.

He laughs, slamming me roughly against the wall and leaning in to kiss me. My stomach drops, I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping to dissociate from whatever’s going to happen to me, when–

“Ah!” The werewolf shrieks.

My eyes snap open just in time to see him get lifted up into the air, neck caught in a chokehold.

“You… you…” the drunk werewolf struggles to say, but he can barely make a sound.

I look up to see a tall, handsome man holding my assailant in a chokehold. The stranger is indescribably stunning–his eyes are hazel, almost gold, and shimmer with unknown depths. His hair is tousled and black. He’s dressed in a lean, elegant black suit that does his abundant musculature just about every possible favor. As he studies the guy in his grasp, his jaw is taut, and I can’t help but admire his gorgeous chiseled features.

He smells just like that wonderful scent in the wedding hall.

Who is he?

I watch, stunned silent, as the stranger tosses the drunk werewolf aside like he’s trash. He hits the floor with a sickening crunch, sliding several feet along the polished marble until he hits the wall hard. He moans silently, writhing on the floor as though his bones have been broken.

“Get lost!” The stranger commands.

My assailant struggles to his feet with great difficulty, glaring resentfully at the stranger before leaving in obvious disgrace.

I watch him go and exhale a sigh of relief. Once he’s gone, my attention returns to the stranger–my rescuer–with curiosity and caution. He’s not from my pack. I’ve never seen him before. And he has a noble aura that no member of the Thunderclaw pack could ever have. His every move exudes authority, making me want to submit.

“Thank you,” I whisper quietly.

The stranger stares at me for a long moment, then leaves without a word.

The moment he leaves, the weight of what happened crashes over me. To avoid punishment, I return to the hall. As I do, I can see the drunk werewolf talking to Veronica, who looks at me with hatred. My heart sinks.

She knows.

Soon, Veronica makes another announcement. “We’ll be selecting some of the maids to send to the Omega Auction,” she says, standing up. Her gaze locks on me. “Including the traitor and ex-Alpha’s daughter, Ivy Bell.”

The hall erupts into murmurs. Shivers arc along my skin. An auction? An Alpha-blooded she-wolf being publicly auctioned at the Omega Auction–it’s a massive humiliation for me as well as my entire pack.

“Don’t worry,” Veronica says, sauntering over to me and leaning in close. “Alpha S will like you.”

Alpha S?

Who is he?

：Becoming the Alpha’s Toy?

Ivy’s POV

“Move!” A tall, thin werewolf barks at us as he shuffles us down the aisle.

I shudder. I’m on my way to the Omega Auction with a huge group of other lowly Omegas, and I’ve never been so scared.

As we move, the other Omegas glare at me, knowing full well that if not for my actions, Veronica never would’ve sent anyone to the auction. She’s hell-bent on destroying me, and doesn’t seem to care who gets caught in the crossfire.

The thin werewolf in charge of escorting us finally stops shuffling us down the camped dirty Omega tunnels and stops in front of a short, stocky werewolf–the auction employee, I assume. With a grin that makes my blood run cold, the thin werewolf points at me.

“Our Luna wants you to take good care of her,” he says to the stocky werewolf with a knowing glance, handing him a wad of cash.

What does Veronica want to do to me?

The short werewolf nods, malice gleaming in his eyes as he takes the cash and looks me up and down.

The other Omegas are shuttled into cells to await the start of the auction, but the short werewolf grabs my arm and leads me away from the rest of them.

“We’re taking you to someone special,” he snarls to me.

“No, please!” I beg, struggling in his grasp, but he holds tight. “I haven’t done anything, it’s all Veronica, you don’t need to–”

“No choice,” he says with a grin that shows all his teeth. “We took the money. We have to do the job.”

All I can do is accept my fate numbly as he leads me to a cell not unlike the dungeon I’ve been residing in. When I see the whip, my heart sinks.

So Veronica paid them to torture me.

My once best friend is now actively trying to harm me.

The stocky werewolf grabs the whip from the wall and snaps it a few times experimentally. Every time I hear the sound, I want to scream, but I have to stay strong.

For the sake of my father, at least, if not myself.

When the stocky werewolf finally raises the whip towards me, smiling like a madman, I look him dead in the eyes.

I’m well used to the feeling of lashes against my skin by now, but even still, I cry out with every sharp strike. Soon enough, there’s blood splattering the walls. When the short werewolf is finally done with me, I collapse to the ground heavy-limbed, shuddering as silent tears slip out past my eyelids.

“Why?” I ask quietly, voice hoarse from crying.

“Don’t worry,” he says, kneeling down next to me and wiping a tear away with the calloused pad of his thumb. I jolt at the touch. He grins sadistically. “We’ll heal your wounds before the auction. We’ll make sure to sell you for a good price.”

My heart feels like he’s shattering. Once I’m able to walk more or less on my own, the short werewolf leads me to the cell block with the rest of the Omegas.

“In,” he says harshly, shoving me into a cell with one other Omega girl.

The Omega looks me up and down carefully as I enter. She’s pretty, I realize, in a soft-spoken, subtle way.

“What could you have possibly done to make him so angry?” She asks. “And how stupid are you?”

I struggle to answer, but I’m too weak to manage the words.

“I’m Elsbeth, by the way. Huh,” she says suddenly, looking at me more closely. “You’re done for.”

“Wh… why?” I ask, voice weak and barely audible.

Elsbeth smiles sadly. “You don’t have a wolf, do you?”

I shake my head ever so slightly, and even that small motion causes pain to flare up all over my body. The wolfsbane has severed my connection to my wolf entirely by now.

“An Omega without a wolf is worthless,” she explains sadly. “Usually, the auction wouldn’t even take you. But you’re very pretty, so maybe that’s why they made an exception. See, this auction specializes in providing playthings and breeding wolves for powerful Alphas. Without a wolf, though…” Elsbeth shrugs, looking at me with pity. “Well, you’ll only be a plaything. Which is just about the worst thing you can be.”

My heart sinks in despair.

“Do you know who Alpha S is?” Elsbeth asks, leaning against the wall of the cell.

I start to shake my head, then remember Veronica’s words just before she sent me off. ‘Don’t worry, Alpha S will like you,’ she’d said.

“Who is he?” I ask, dreading the answer. But I need to know, for the sake of my own survival.

“He’s a sick, twisted Alpha,” Elsbeth replies, voice heavy with hatred. She nearly spits out his name as it passes her lips. “Absolutely disgusting. He likes to buy pretty, broken she-wolves like you and play with them until they die.”

She looks me up and down one last time, and I can tell that she’s predicted my fate already.

“You are definitely his type.”

：The God of Death

Ivy’s POV

On the day of the auction, they dress me up like a seductive lamb leading to slaughter.

True to their word, they healed all my wounds externally, but I can still feel the pain under my skin.

I saw myself in a mirror as I was led into the auction hall. I’m dressed in an outfit almost identical to the one they had me wearing at the wedding–a strappy bra and short skirt. My long auburn hair has been styled so it cascades down my face in soft, luxurious waves, and my makeup is heavy, shadowy and sultry. I look, objectively, beautiful. Seductive, alluring, even. But I also look far too revealing than I’m comfortable with.

As I walk up onto the stage, all the Alphas in the shadowy audience seating stare at me with lustful eyes that make my skin crawl. Yet, as an Alpha-blooded she-wolf, all I feel is humiliation.

My gaze lands on Veronica, arm-in-arm with Erick, seated contentedly in a side box.

Scratch that. I feel nothing but humiliation and loathing.

“And now,” the auctioneer says, gesturing towards me with a sweeping arm, “We have something truly special for you tonight! The fallen daughter of Alpha Bradley Bell, fallen Alpha of the now-disbanded Thunderclaw pack, is up for auction! She is wolfless, but she possesses unparalleled beauty.” The auctioneer leans towards the audience with a leering smile. “Could she be yours to bring home?”

All the Alphas’ eyes are glued to my body, and my stomach curdles.

“Bidding starts at $50 million,” the auctioneer concludes.

And so the bidding begins.

My eyes jump around the audience wildly, trying to keep track of what’s happening.

“$70 million!” One overenthusiastic young Alpha shouts.

A moment later, he’s usurped by an old, grizzled-looking Alpha with a nasty scar. “100 million!” he counters.

“$150 million!” A third Alpha with a huge beard chimes in.

All the while, the auctioneer follows the action, looking from Alpha to Alpha and encouraging increasingly high bids. Even though the starting price is obscenely high, the Alphas seem eager and excited to compete with one another.

I locate an Alpha sitting near the center of the audience, his gaze filled with a different desire and madness than the others, sending chills down my spine. When he looks at me, I can sense every awful thing he wants to do to me. For some reason, my intuition tells me that he must be the Alpha S that Elsbeth mentioned.

He’s among the most eager bidders in the room.

In a cacophony of noise and raised signs, the price jumps all the way up to $550 million. At this point, only Alpha S and a young man I don’t recognize in a second-floor box are bidding.

Secretly, I’m rooting for him. I can’t go back with Alpha S. I can’t.

Horrifying thing to root for someone to buy you, though. The entire situation makes me sick.

“$600 million!” The young man on the second floor calls out, causing the hall to fall silent..

Everyone on the first floor looks up.

It’s the best spot in the auction house, which means whoever’s sitting there is of extremely high status. The young man whispers to the man beside him, who’s shrouded beyond recognition. It’s immediately clear that the mystery man is the real boss.

Alpha S stands up angrily. “So what if it’s $600 million?” He shouts, furious. “No one dares outbid me for what I want!”

He strides onto the stage with powerful steps. To my shock and terror, as he approaches me, licking his lips, all the Alphas hesitate—none dare to stop him. I tremble as his obsessive gaze sweeps over me.

“Such fair skin…”

Alpha S boasts arrogantly, reveling in the fact that no one dares to stop him, his greedy eyes fixed on me. Just as his hand is about to touch my bare thigh, the young man from the second floor suddenly appears on stage and throws him to the ground with a painful crunch. The man exudes power.

Alpha S, clearly shocked by the young man’s overwhelming power, whimpers in fear. “Lycan……He’s a Lycan! There’s a Lycan here!”

The auction hall quickly fills with the Alpha’s murmurs.

“Why is there a Lycan here?!”

“Lycans are either royal warriors or royalty themselves. Who could it be?”

“Whoever it is, we’re fine so long as it’s not that prince.”

“Are they here to kill us?”

The mysterious man leaps from the second-floor balcony with a feral grace, his movements powerful and untamed. He wears a sharply tailored dark suit, exuding an air of rugged elegance and raw power. As he strides toward the auction stage, his Lycan aura surges, swiftly engulfing the entire auction house. Everyone is overwhelmed by the crushing pressure, falling into a deathly silence.

Surprisingly, it isn't as uncomfortable as I had imagined. I smell that wonderful scent from the wedding again, and this time, I know for certain it’s coming from the man onstage. I recognize him as the man who saved me at the wedding–I’m sure of it. You don’t forget a face that handsome, after all.

“Prince Spencer.” The young man–Spencer’s Beta, I guess–nods respectfully to Spencer, awaiting orders.

Everyone’s eyes widen in disbelief.

It’s well-known that the most feared member of the Lycan royal family isn’t the Lycan king, but his son, Lycan Prince Spencer. He’s considered the most powerful Lycan in history, most known for his brutal attack on rebels. When three packs joined forces to try and overthrow the Lycan royal hierarchy, Prince Spencer single handedly wiped out every single rebel member overnight. He’s not only a prince.

Many know him as the God of Death.

“No one dares to challenge you, huh?” Prince Spencer's voice drips with disdain, yet exudes suffocating pressure. “What if I do?”

Alpha S, curled up on the ground, suddenly widens his eyes and gasps, his face going pale as if facing death. His lips tremble, but he doesn't dare to make a sound.

Prince Spencer can't be bothered with him anymore, instead walking towards me.

I can't help but hold my breath as I watch Spencer break my chains with his bare hands and lift me up. The moment he touches me, a strange sensation courses through my body, filling me with an indescribable joy deep within my soul.

Moon Goddess, how can this be happening?

I carefully steal a glance at Prince Spencer. He’s undeniably handsome, but his powerful aura makes me tremble. I know that if he wanted to torment me, I would have no chance of resisting. I absolutely couldn't afford to provoke this strongest Lycan Prince.

His incomprehensible gaze locked onto me, and then he reached out his hand towards me. His broad, slender fingers, calloused ever so lightly, extended slowly towards me.