At the underground auction house, tonight's grand finale was billed as a 'premium wolf pet'.

Inside the cage, a male wolf knelt with a bite-prevention muzzle locked around his neck.

He was clearly a prisoner, yet his eyes held no trace of submission when he lifted his head. Instead, he looked like he was judging every single person in the room.

His gaze cut through the crowd and locked onto me. My heart stuttered as excitement flooded my system. I finally knew what true attraction felt like.

A well-dressed man in the front row raised his paddle. "$100 million."

Gasps erupted across the venue. It was an astronomical opening bid.

I smiled and slowly raised my paddle too. My voice brought the hall to dead silence.

"$500 million."

"$500 million?"

The man who had just bid $100 million whipped around to glare at me. He was Lucas Werner, second-in-command of the Shadowfang kingdom.

The kingdom had planned for their Alpha King, Lucian Frost, to pretend to be captured. They wanted to infiltrate the auction house to investigate the theft of their kingdom's sacred relic.

They were about to recover the relic and wrap things up. Lucas only needed to pose as a wealthy businessman and bid their agreed ceiling of $100 million to buy Lucian back.

They probably wondered where the hell I came from with $500 million to throw around.

Lucas looked calm on the surface, but inside, he was losing his mind. He frantically reached out through the mind-link. "Alpha King! We have a problem! Some crazy woman just bid $500 million! We don't have enough money to out-bet her!

"Alpha King! What do we do? Should we take you by force, or will you use your Alpha authority to scare her off?

"Alpha King! Can you hear me?"

However, Lucian seemed to have disconnected. He was not responding at all.

The usually decisive and ruthless Alpha King of the Shadowfang kingdom was staring fixedly at the languid woman on the second floor: me.

He had caught my scent the moment I walked in. It was a fatal pull that made those with werewolf genes instantly set off.

The scent of a fated mate.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as his pupils dilated and his blood ignited. Only one thought consumed his mind: he wanted me to take him home and lock him up, and he wanted to cover me in his scent.

He could not even remember who Lucas was right now. He did not want to be bothered while he was looking at his mate.

Lucas was in despair. His Alpha King had gone offline.

He looked at me, Vivian Sterling, the legendary heiress whose only personality trait was being filthy rich.

If his Alpha King fell into my hands as a plaything, it would be a disgrace to the entire kingdom.

"$500 million once!" the auctioneer shouted excitedly.

He could not wait any longer.

Lucas straightened his tie and walked up to my second-floor box. He had a fake smile plastered across his face, though his eyes carried a warning.

"Miss, I'm the original buyer of this 'collectible’. This is a friendly warning that he isn't some docile puppy. He’s a northern wild wolf, untamable by nature.

"Someone like you couldn't possibly handle him. Why not let me take him for your own safety?"

I propped my chin on one hand and smiled after listening. "Can't handle him?"

I did not bother looking at him as I raised my paddle again.

In front of Lucas's widening eyes, I said, "$600 million."

The entire hall fell into dead silence. The smile on Lucas's face completely crumbled.

Earlier was a slap in the face. Now, I had added insult to injury

His mouth hung open. "You..."

"Can't handle him?" I laughed, my gaze sliding past him to the male wolf in the cage who was staring at me obsessively. "That's because you people are incompetent.

"If it caught my interest, I could chain up even a dragon."

"$600 million once!" The auctioneer was so excited he nearly threw his gavel.

Lucas looked desperately toward the cage and made one last attempt through the mind-link, his mental voice breaking. "Alpha King! Do something! Bare your fangs, at least! Are you really going to go home with this woman as her pet?"

This time, there was a response.

Lucian's voice was low and husky, yet it carried a disturbingly pleased tone. "Lucas, take your men and get lost. Don't interfere while I'm looking at my mate."

Lucas's mind went blank.

"$600 million going thrice! Sold!"

The gavel struck down.

I stood and walked toward the stage in my heels, passing Lucas, who looked like he was questioning his entire existence.

The scent of cold cedar grew stronger in the air. My chronically insomniac nerves actually relaxed slightly.

As I approached the cage, staff members rushed forward with shock batons and tranquilizers. "Ms. Sterling, for safety purposes, we should administer a muscle relaxant first, then fit him with electronic shackles..."

"Get lost."

I swept the shock baton aside. "He's my pet. I don't want to see another mark on him."

The staff members backed away in fear.

I reached out, my fingers slipping through the bars.

"Ms. Sterling! He'll bite your hand off!" Lucas shrieked.

He knew Lucian too well. Anyone who dared provoke the Alpha King like this would already be six feet deep in their grave.

However, everyone's jaws dropped in the next second.

The male wolf in the cage, who had been radiating murderous intent moments ago, saw my hand and slowly retracted his aggression.

He obediently lowered his head and moved closer to my palm. His lips brushed feather-light against my skin, like a silent kiss or a hidden plea for affection.

I narrowed my eyes in satisfaction and ran my fingers through his hair. It was so soft and smooth.

I turned to the petrified staff and Lucas, raising an eyebrow. "What was that you said? Untamable by nature?"

I scratched under the chin of the wolf who was now as docile as a dog, my tone leisurely. "It looks like he just picked his owner. Have him cleaned and sent to my bedroom, immediately!"

Ten minutes later, my attention was completely fixed on the giant ‘gift’ wrapped in a dark red velvet ribbon in front of me.

The auction house staff knew exactly what they were doing. They had changed Lucian into a new outfit.

An unbuttoned black silk shirt hung from his broad shoulders, exposing his abs. His hands were bound behind his back with soft leather cuffs as he knelt on the carpet, looking up at me.

His face was too perfect.

Sharp cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and a nose like it had been carved from stone. His most striking feature was those eyes. Those dark gold pupils hid a wild side as they watched me quietly in this moment.

This man was checking off every single one of my aesthetic preferences.

I walked closer, and the scent of cold cedar instantly enveloped me.

"What body wash do you use?" I leaned close to his neck and took a deep breath. "Tell me the brand. I'll buy out the production line."

Lucian's throat bobbed. "It's my natural scent."

"Natural?" I raised an eyebrow, lifting his chin with my fingertip. "What's your full name?"

"Lucian Frost."

"Lucian Frost..." I savored the name and laughed softly. "Remember this. My name is Vivian Sterling."

"Vivian." He repeated it.

"What, you won't call me master?" I teased, sliding my fingertip from his chin to his throat and pressing lightly. "Didn't the auction house teach you the rules?"

Lucian narrowed his eyes. I was making him, an Alpha King who ruled tens of thousands of wolves, call a human woman ‘master’?

In the past, I would already be dead. However, now…

"Master..."

He said it earnestly, the final syllable rising with a husky rasp.

It did not sound like submission. It sounded like pillow talk.

My ears tingled, and half my body went weak. This wolf was too skilled.

I avoided his burning gaze and removed the bite-prevention muzzle from his neck.

There was a click, and the black leather mask fell to the floor, revealing his sharp jawline and pale lips.

With my movements, his silk shirt slipped halfway down.

My gaze froze.

His perfect muscles were covered in countless scars. Some had healed, while some were still bleeding.

I remembered the shock batons at the auction house. It had to have been those animals. They had beaten him nearly to death trying to break him.

"They beat you?" I touched his bleeding wounds with distress, my fingers trembling.

Lucian froze. Those were superficial injuries he had deliberately inflicted when pretending to be captured. The wounds would have healed already if she had asked any later.

However, seeing the obvious distress and misunderstanding in her eyes, his mind turned.

"Mm... It hurts a lot..." He frowned slightly, his dark gold eyes misting over like a wronged puppy’s. "It'll only get better if you blow on it, Master."

Dear god. A cold, fierce wolf acting cute was absolutely lethal.

"Okay, okay... I'll blow on it for you." I clutched my racing heart and clumsily grabbed the first aid kit, kneeling in front of him.

"Don't move. It might hurt a bit."

I dipped a cotton swab in antiseptic and carefully cleaned his wounds. After each application, I lowered my head and blew gently.

Warm breath brushed across his skin, raising waves of shivers.

I focused on treating the wounds, completely oblivious to how the gaze above my head was growing hotter.

Lucian felt no pain at all. He only felt tingling currents rushing through his entire body wherever I touched it. He stared at me greedily.

He stared at my trembling lashes as I applied the medicine, at my red lips pouting in concentration, and at my pale neck left completely unguarded.

That look showcased his desire to devour me whole.

"Lift your arm," I commanded, completely unaware of the danger.

Lucian obediently lifted his arm. To reach his back, I had to lean forward until I was practically pressed against his chest.

"Don't move, the gauze is tangled," I muttered, trying impatiently to untangle it.

At that moment, Lucian's knee shifted ‘accidentally’. I lost my balance and fell forward.

"Mmph!"

I crashed headfirst into his hard, burning-hot chest. The next second, my waist tightened.

The world spun.

The man who was supposedly 'pinned down’ by me gripped my waist with one hand and flipped us over smoothly, pressing me firmly into the soft carpet.

Lucian had broken free from the handcuffs at some point, or perhaps those things had always been useless on him.

He braced himself above me, his dark gold eyes so deep they were like whirlpools ready to suck my soul in.

"You're quite bold, Vivian." He suddenly spoke, his voice low and husky.

That large hand that had just been bound was now shamelessly gripping my waist, his calloused fingertips rubbing lightly through the fabric.

This reversal left me dazed. My heart was racing wildly, but I refused to back down. I forced myself to stay calm. "Know your place, Lucian. I'm the one who paid for you... Mmph!"

"Is that so?" He chuckled softly, his knee forcefully pushing between my legs. His scorching body heat seared through the thin fabric of my clothes, making me shiver.

"Weren't you the one who threw yourself into my arms just now, Master? But..." His tone shifted as his gaze swept lazily over my hands pinned beneath his weight before settling on my lips.

"Since you're so enthusiastic, I should be on top to serve my master properly."

The air heated up. We were less than two inches apart, our breaths tangling together.

His gaze slid slowly from my eyes down to my lips, then to my neck and collarbones.

That look was too hot. It made my entire body go weak.

My mind started racing. What did he want to do? Kiss me? Maybe he wanted to...

I should have pushed him away. Even if I bought him for $600 million, he was still a dangerous male stranger. However…

The scent of cold cedar was too intoxicating, like a powerful hallucinogen. It made me completely unwilling to refuse.

In fact, my body was secretly anticipating him getting closer.

Lucian slowly lowered his head. I instinctively closed my eyes, my lashes trembling lightly, but the expected kiss never landed on my lips.

He simply buried his head in the crook of my neck and took a greedy breath. His burning exhale sprayed across my skin, triggering waves of shivers.

"Vivian..." He murmured in a low voice, filled with grievance and long-suppressed desire.

"You smell so good..."

The domineering yet gentle scent of cold cedar filled my mind. I had been completely caught up in the moment, but suddenly, my eyelids grew too heavy to lift.

Years of family power struggles and high-pressure work had given me severe insomnia. It had been so long since I could feel drowsy without sleeping pills.

However, in the arms of this dangerous werewolf I had just met, I felt an unprecedented sense of security. I felt like a ship that had drifted for ages, finally returning to harbor.

"You can only... Hold me for a bit..." I pushed at him groggily, my voice growing softer. "If you dare try anything... I'll turn you into a stew..."

The next second, I was completely knocked out. Lucian maintained his position with his head buried in my neck, his entire body frozen.

He listened to the steady breathing by his ear, completely dumbfounded.

She… fell asleep? At a time like this? In the arms of a hot-blooded, ready-to-go adult male like him?

She actually used him as a body pillow and fell asleep?

"Ha!" He laughed helplessly as he looked at the woman sleeping so defenselessly beneath him.

"You really don't see me as a wolf at all."

He resignedly propped himself up to go take a cold shower in the bathroom, but the moment he moved, the woman who had been dead asleep suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Don't go..." Like a cat guarding its food, she pressed her entire body against him. She nuzzled her face against his burning chest, found a more comfortable position, and continued sleeping.

Lucian froze in place. How the hell was he supposed to leave now?

As he looked at the defenseless sleeping face in his arms, the possessiveness and adoration in his eyes finally transformed into a reverent kiss on her forehead.

"You were the one who provoked me first, Vivian. Now that I've caught you, don't expect me to let go for the rest of this lifetime."

He stretched out his long arms and tightly wrapped her in the blanket with him, leaving no gap whatsoever.

At that moment, Lucas, who had been preparing to climb through the window to rescue his Alpha King, slipped and crashed into the bushes below with a thud.

It was over.

The Alpha King, who could kill without batting an eye, had sold himself off so cheaply to a human who used him as a sleep-aiding body pillow!