Dark Blue Eyes

LUCE.

"Wear that."

The harsh, demanding voice violently yanked me out of my lingering memories of the Moon Goddess. A crumpled paper bag was aggressively shoved directly into my chest by Cora, the older, chronically bitter female in charge of wrangling us. I stumbled back a half-step, my fingers reflexively curling around the rough brown paper before the bag could drop to the floor. My eyes darted down to the pathetic package in my hands for a long moment before I finally lifted my gaze to scan the chaotic room.

I was currently crammed into a claustrophobic, windowless dressing room with nine other captive Omegas, all of whom were being unceremoniously handed identical paper bags. The air in the room was thick, suffocatingly heavy with a disgusting mixture of cheap hairspray, nervous sweat, and blind, sickening excitement. The other females were practically vibrating with anticipation, chattering loudly amongst themselves as they eagerly ripped open their bags and enthusiastically compared the skimpy, degrading scraps of fabric they were expected to wear.

I closed my eyes tightly, forcing myself to take a slow, deep breath to steady my racing heart. A bitter wave of self-hatred washed over me. Why didn't I just run away at some point in the last five days? Why in the world did I foolishly convince myself that it would somehow be easier to plot an escape after a pack had already officially claimed ownership of me?

Among the nine other females trapped in this suffocating room with me, only one actually shared my profound, gut-wrenching dread. Her name was Olivia, and like me, she absolutely did not want to be a part of this degrading Omega Feast. The rest of the girls were sickeningly eager. They openly gossiped that since they had absolutely nothing left to lose in this brutal world, it was fundamentally better to just surrender everything to a wealthy Alpha or some filthy rich elite who could put a roof over their heads.

I stood there in utter disbelief, silently wondering what they actually thought about the sacred bond of fated mates, because they never seemed to care about it at all. It was just a fairy tale to them. But to me? I would gladly endure any torture, walk through actual fire, and do absolutely everything in my power just to be given a single, fighting chance to find mine.

"What are you two waiting for?" Cora barked, her shrill voice cutting through the mindless chatter. She planted her hands on her hips, aggressively shifting her glaring, impatient eyes back and forth between me and Olivia. "Do you want me to call Cesar in here to put those damn clothes on for you? Because he would love the opportunity."

I rolled my eyes hard, completely unfazed by her pathetic threat. I turned to look at Olivia, giving her a tight, reassuring nod. She let out a deep, trembling sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat before we both reluctantly reached our hands inside our respective bags to rummage through the contents.

My mouth instantly twitched into a hard frown as my fingers brushed against cold, cheap metal. I slowly pulled the garment out, holding up a ridiculously shiny, gold metal bra that I was absolutely certain was at least a full size or two smaller than my actual breasts. Below it in the bag was a matching, microscopic thong. I already knew the routine. I knew the specific, humiliating dance they had forcefully made us practice for days was incredibly seductive, but I had never really allowed my mind to dwell on the actual outfits we would be forced to wear—if these pathetic scraps could even be legally classified as clothes.

I tilted my head, casting a side-glance at Olivia. She was staring down at her own outfit, perfectly mirroring the exact expression of absolute disgust that was currently plastered across my face.

"Move!" Cora snapped, clapping her hands loudly to draw our attention. "Don’t act like a precious little princess in here. Put the outfits on right now, or I swear to the Goddess I will push you both out onto that stage without any clothes on at all!"

My hands instinctively coiled into tight, shaking fists at my sides. A dark, violent surge of adrenaline rushed through my veins. I really, truly wanted to just step forward and brutally punch this awful female squarely in her face.

"Just put it on, Luce," Olivia whispered softly, stepping closer to me. "Let’s just pray and hope the person who ends up buying us just needs a quiet house helper."

My jaw clenched tight. My hand reached down to the hem of my plain t-shirt. I pulled it over my head and tossed it aside before unhooking my regular bra and tossing it directly into the paper bag. I pulled out the shiny gold monstrosity and aggressively strapped it onto my chest.

"If they only needed simple house helpers, they would never go to an exclusive underground auction and spend this kind of massive money," I told her in a low, fierce whisper the absolute second Cora finally turned her back and stomped out of the room to harass someone else. "I am pretty sure they came here to kill our pussies, exactly like what I’ve been telling you for days. We shouldn't be putting these on. We should have run away when we had the chance."

"You know I can’t do that, Luce," Olivia replied, her voice cracking with raw desperation. "If I run, my family will be the ones to receive the pack's wrath."

"Your family sucks," I shot back, unable to hide the venom in my tone. "How could they just sell you off to an auction like a piece of livestock?"

"When you have absolutely nothing to eat, and you have four younger siblings who just keep crying from hunger the entire day, then you will understand why you would want to sell yourself to save them," she whispered, her eyes welling with unshed tears.

Her heartbreaking confession immediately extinguished the fire in my chest. My defensive posture dropped. "If I had absolutely nothing to eat," I said, softening my tone considerably as I looked deeply into her tear-filled eyes, "I would just never reproduce and make my kids suffer in the first place."

Olivia remained quiet, unable to argue with my logic. She just sniffled, turned away, and silently slipped on her sexy auction outfit. Unlike my glaringly bright gold disaster, hers was a deep, shimmering blue. It featured long, elegant beads that somehow managed to provide a tiny bit of cover for her exposed midriff. I only had the shiny bra and the tiny thongs, but thank the Goddess it at least came with a sheer, wrap-around skirt. Though, knowing the sickening nature of this auction, I was pretty sure the skirt would be forcefully taken off soon enough.

"I'm sorry if I was harsh..." I murmured, letting out a heavy sigh as I tied the sheer skirt tightly around my waist, trying to cover as much of my skin as physically possible.

"You’re right though," Olivia said softly. "But then, what can I honestly do now? The deal is done." She sat down heavily on a rickety folding chair, dropping her defeated gaze straight to the concrete floor.

I let out another long sigh. I stepped over to her, gently curling my index finger right under her chin and tilting her head up so she was forced to look directly at me.

"Listen to me," I said with fierce sincerity. "You will go out there tonight, and you will absolutely kill that dance. And by the Goddess’s grace, your true fated mate is sitting somewhere out there in that crowd. And if he's not, I sincerely wish to the Goddess that your buyer is a handsome, gentle man who will actually be worth looking at as he takes you every single night…"

"Or every hour…" she added softly, a tiny, genuine smile finally breaking through her misery.

We both let out a quiet giggle, the small moment of shared levity acting as a temporary shield against our impending doom. The other Omegas in the room immediately paused their vain chattering, turning to shoot us annoyed glares and violently rolling their eyes at our laughter.

"Just ignore them," Olivia whispered, waving a dismissive hand.

I just turned my back on them entirely, staring blankly at the peeling wallpaper. If I wasn’t actively spending every single ounce of my energy suppressing the violent, demonic side of my bloodline, every single one of these pathetic females would be burning in hell right now. I could physically feel the demonic heat boiling just beneath my skin, begging to be let loose. But I absolutely couldn't let my hidden rage take over. Showing my true nature would be a death sentence. These annoying Omegas were truly the absolute least of my problems right now.

"Should we fix our hair?" I asked Olivia, eager to change the subject as I walked over and stood directly in front of the large, cracked mirror mounted on the wall.

I raised both of my hands, gathering my thick hair all together and lifting it up off my neck. I leaned in close to the glass, inspecting my reflection. A sudden, paralyzing jolt of pure panic struck my chest. I stared in utter horror at the roots of my hair. My natural strawberry-blonde color was betraying me. It kept getting visibly darker with every passing year, and now, right at the scalp, it was shifting into a glaring, fiery demon red. It was a deadly, undeniable physical manifestation of the monster living inside me.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I only had one single box of hair coloring left hidden in my meager belongings. I desperately hoped whoever ended up buying me tonight would allow me to purchase my own personal hygiene stuff, because I had absolutely no intention of ever showing this damning red hair to the entire world. I had never, in my entire life, encountered a werewolf Omega with red hair. Of course, my interactions with other shifters had always been strictly limited, but it was far better to be incredibly careful than to raise deadly doubts about my bloodline.

"Cora said earlier that someone from the staff would come in to do our hair and makeup before we go on," Olivia said, stepping up behind me. "But I honestly don’t think you need any makeup at all, Luce. You’re already beautiful just the way you are."

"You too," I replied, quickly dropping my hair to hide the red roots. "But I honestly hope they come in here and put the absolute ugliest makeup in the world on us so no one wants to buy us."

Olivia opened her mouth to reply, but the words died in her throat as the heavy dressing room door was suddenly violently kicked open. Cesar, the burly, massive pack guard with a disgustingly dirty, unkempt beard and a perpetually violent disposition, practically stormed into the cramped room.

"Line up right here against the wall!" Cesar bellowed, his deep, aggressive voice rattling the small mirrors. "Let me inspect your clothes before you go out!"

All the giggling females instantly scampered to their bare feet, their faces draining of color as they scrambled to place themselves into a neat line. Olivia quickly grabbed my hand, her fingers trembling against mine, and practically dragged me with her to stand at the very end of the lineup.

Cesar slowly paced down the line, his dark, predatory eyes raking over the exposed bodies of the Omegas. When he finally reached the end, he stopped dead in his tracks, his massive frame towering over me.

"Take that off!" Cesar barked suddenly, his voice echoing in the small room.

My head snapped up, my eyes wide as I looked directly at him. He was glaring menacingly at me, making my brow furrow in genuine confusion.

"What?" I asked, looking down at my body to check if I had somehow put the ridiculous gold bra on backward.

"Your necklace," he snarled, pointing a thick, calloused finger directly at my chest.

"No." My hand instantly flew up, my fingers aggressively grabbing the opal stone that hung securely from my neck. I shook my head adamantly, clutching the stone against my skin. It wasn't just a piece of jewelry; it was my only protection, the one thing actively suppressing the demon side from completely taking over my body.

He didn't hesitate. Cesar took a heavy, threatening step forward, closing the distance between us in a fraction of a second. He reached his massive, hairy hand out, aiming to violently rip the necklace right off my throat.

Without even thinking, pure, unadulterated instinct took over. I aggressively swatted his massive hand away, smacking his wrist hard.

He was momentarily taken aback by my brazen defiance, his eyes widening in shock. But that shock instantly morphed into explosive rage. Before I could even attempt to step back or defend myself, the world violently shifted. In a blinding flash of brutal, unstoppable violence, his heavy hand swung through the air and struck my jaw with the force of a battering ram.

The sickening crack echoed through the room. The sheer momentum of the brutal slap sent my entire body crashing backward. I hit the cold concrete floor with a loud, painful thud, my vision exploding into terrifying bursts of white stars. A sharp, metallic taste of fresh blood instantly flooded my mouth.

I was so dizzy I wasn't even able to attempt to get up. Before I could catch my breath, Cesar crouched down beside my crumpled body. His massive, rough fingers forcefully grabbed the bottom of my face, his grip painfully digging directly into my already bruised jaw.

"Who the fuck told you that you could disobey and disrespect me?" he snarled, his hot, foul breath washing over my face as he squeezed my jaw tighter.

I glared up at him, my blood boiling, my demon screaming to tear his throat out, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of a vocal response.

Suddenly, the frantic sound of rapid footsteps rushed into the room.

"What the hell is happening in here?" Cora’s shrill voice pierced the tension. She rushed over, her eyes widening in absolute, terrified panic as she saw me bleeding on the floor. But she wasn't scared for me; she was scared for her profit. She aggressively slapped Cesar’s broad back. "Take your damn hands off her right now!"

Cesar let out a low, rumbling growl before finally releasing his painful grip on my face. He stood up slowly, backing away. I slumped my aching body against the cold ground, keeping my mouth slightly open to keep the intense, throbbing pain at bay.

"What the hell have you done, you stupid bastard?" Cora shrieked at him. "The bosses will absolutely kill us if her face ends up covered in bruises! She's merchandise! Let me look at that!" She knelt beside me, her face pale with pure panic. "Oh, Goddess! Come here, Bruno!" she yelled toward the open doorway. "Take her to the makeup room immediately to cover this up! And you," she pointed sharply at another guard standing in the hall. "Get some damn ice right now!"

⇜ ♡♡♡ ⇝

In the chaotic aftermath of the assault, I was swiftly dragged out and separated entirely from Olivia. With almost fifty different Omegas swarming around the massive backstage corridors, I had absolutely no idea where she had been taken. But since we had spent days rehearsing our specific dance choreography together, I was desperately hoping we would at least be sent out onto the stage at the exact same time.

As I sat alone in a secluded corner, holding a freezing bag of crushed ice against my throbbing jaw, my eyes nervously glanced up at the large wall clock hanging overhead. It had already been ten agonizing minutes since the host had officially opened the grand event. I could clearly hear his booming, charismatic voice echoing through the massive speakers from the main floor where the auction stage was set up. He was currently stating all the strict bidding rules to the audience. And no matter how much I actively wanted to pay attention to his words, my anxious eyes just kept darting around my surroundings.

The building itself absolutely screamed impossible elegance. I had never in my life seen, let alone touched, fine, luxurious furniture like the intricately carved wooden tables and velvet chairs scattered around this backstage holding area. It only meant one incredibly grim thing: the people sitting out there in the audience could really, truly afford to spend staggering amounts of money on us. And I thought that was fundamentally, utterly sickening.

Suddenly, the heavy double doors leading to the immediate backstage area swung open, and the crowd noise from the venue became significantly louder.

Applause. Loud, polite, wealthy applause.

What was happening out there? I stood up, dropping the ice pack as I realized the other females were currently being forcefully ushered into a single-file line. Was it already time for our group? My stomach tied itself into a painful knot. But where the hell was Olivia?

"Luce!"

I quickly turned my head toward the sound and saw Olivia practically sprinting down the corridor toward me. A massive, radiant smile was stretching from ear to ear across her face. My eyes widened in absolute shock as my gaze dropped to scan her clothes. She wasn't wearing the degrading, shimmering blue beads anymore. She was fully dressed in a regular pair of denim jeans and a simple cotton shirt.

"What happened?" I asked, completely baffled by her sudden wardrobe change as she crashed into me.

Her eyes watered with overwhelming joy as she threw her arms tightly around my neck, hugging me fiercely. "Your prayers for me, Luce… they actually came true."

"What do you mean?" I asked, gripping her shoulders, my heart fluttering with a desperate spark of hope.

"Mr. Zaxton, the billionaire organizer of this entire event... his son is here tonight to officially check on how the event is running," she explained, swallowing hard as she tried to catch her breath. I kept nodding rapidly, wanting her to hurry up and finish because the guards were already gesturing for me to get into the lineup. I was absolutely sure we’d be entering the final backstage curtain soon. "He smelled me, Luce. He’s my fated mate."

My mouth dropped completely open. My chest instantly swelled with an overwhelming, brilliant burst of warmth for her. It was a genuine miracle. At the very least, she was officially getting out of this horrible shithole. She was safe.

"Oh, Goddess! Isn’t that absolutely amazing?" I practically yelled, genuinely, fiercely happy for her miraculous escape.

She kept aggressively nodding her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I am going to pray for the exact same thing for you, Luce…"

"Go now, Luce, move your feet!" Her beautiful words were violently cut off by Cora, who suddenly grabbed my bare shoulder and aggressively shoved me forward, forcing me to fall into line behind the female in front of me. The violent push made me completely lose my grip on Olivia’s hands.

"...that your true mate is out there right now, and that he will save you!" she shouted over the noise, offering her final, desperate prayer just before I was aggressively ushered through the dark curtains and into the final staging area.

My heart fiercely clenched in hollow pain. I deeply knew that I would absolutely never find him tonight. A wolfless, broken female like me, harboring a demonic secret, would never just magically find her mate in a crowd of elite monsters.

But despite my own crushing dread, I was truly happy for Olivia. And I flatly refused to lose every ounce of hope for myself. I just desperately needed to find a way to strengthen my wolf blood and finally connect with my inner wolf. One day, she would finally come out when she was truly ready. Until that impossible day arrived, I just needed to fiercely hold on to my sanity.

I raised my trembling hand, tightly clutching the cool opal necklace that rested against my collarbone as I numbly followed the long line of half-naked females. We made our way slowly across the dark backstage floor, heading directly for the stairs of the main stage. I squeezed the stone. It was entirely worth taking a brutal, bone-rattling beating from Cesar. Because after the chaos of the slap, absolutely no one had bothered to ask me to take my protective necklace off again.

The massive crowd out in the venue slowly started to get noticeably noisier. It was that specific, low hum of arrogant chattering and slow, measured applause that the wealthy elites usually exhibit. It wasn't the rowdy, deafening, and loud hoots you would normally get from regular, cheap concerts and public events. It was a terrifyingly refined hunger.

I knew it was officially time. My bare hands started to sweat profusely, which was absolutely not a natural occurrence for my body, not even when I was incredibly nervous—which I definitely was feeling right now. I could physically feel my empty stomach violently churning, twisting itself into painful knots.

What was happening to me? Was this sudden physical sickness a bad omen? I gritted my teeth. I could take absolutely anything they threw at me tonight, as long as it wasn't a punishment regarding my absent father.

Suddenly, the heavy curtains ripped open. The entire main stage lit up with blinding, pulsing lights. I walked forward in a total daze, suddenly finding my barely-clothed body positioned directly in the dead center of the massive stage, entirely surrounded by the rest of the females in our assigned formation.

And then, the heavy, seductive bass of the music began to play.

I squeezed my eyes completely shut, absolutely refusing to look out at the terrifying sea of faces in the crowd directly in front of us. Muscle memory took over. I forced my tense body to begin to sway downward to the slow, provocative rhythm of the heavy music.

Sway. Sway slowly. Down. Sway.

The polite applause from the crowd quickly mutated. It got drastically louder. Foul curses and hungry shouts flew around the grand room. Little by little, the refined, polite ways of the high-society elite were completely forgotten. They rapidly devolved, transforming into a pack of wild animals throwing rowdy, primal, utterly degrading hoots and loud whistles as the choreography of our dance got increasingly sexier and far more provocative.

I forced myself to endure it, keeping my eyes squeezed shut until the exact, precise moment in the routine where I was required to execute a sharp turn and physically move away from my center position.

I finally snapped my eyes wide open to make the turn. And the absolute second I did, my gaze instantly locked across the massive, blinding room with the darkest, most mesmerizing blue eyes I had ever seen in my entire life.