Page 6 of Omega Captive of the Golden Dragon (Alpha Dragons #3)

CAYLEN

I t was my turn. A hand shoved me to the center of the auction stage. My robe flapped open in front. Applause fell around me. Laughter.

Mortified, I smoothed the material flat.

I looked out over the patio, seeing nothing but shadows and sunlight. The alphas at their tables were a blur. Rough voices called out. Numbers. They meant nothing to me, though they did sound as if they were going higher and higher.

My mind was a jumble. I couldn’t focus. What was going to happen to me? Who would win me as their prize? I blinked hard. The room wavered. Something in the air changed. I couldn’t define it, but it was almost like a too-long pause of silence amid all the chaos.

Then came a smooth, strong voice, the same one that had said into my ear, “I have you. Don’t worry.” That voice resonated off the slatted roof and makeshift walls. It came from the shadows, forceful yet calm.

“Double the last bid. Paid in pure gold.”

After that, true silence fell like a curtain blocking reality for long seconds. No more bids came.

Beside me, the slaver stuttered. “P-pure gold, you say?”

“That is the offer.”

“Sold. This auction is over.”

The gavel fell. Murmurs and hisses came from the crowd. Chairs screeched back on terracotta tile. The alphas who lost their bids were leaving. I stood frozen, not knowing what to do.

Was it really over?

Finally, the liar came and led me to the side of the stage to stand with the other omegas.

“When payment is made for you, your alpha will come to collect you,” he said.

I looked over my shoulder back at the huge patio where a table was set up.

An alpha with a computer and tablet sat behind it making transactions.

One of the client alphas placed a briefcase on the table.

When he opened it, a flash of yellow caught my eye.

I saw the dark suit and the hair and realized this was the alpha who’d won me with a bid of pure gold.

I didn’t understand why he would do that. He hadn’t even touched me like the others to check me out.

When he came over to the liar and showed him the receipt, I was practically shoved into his arms. He frowned, his dark eyes glaring at the liar. Quickly, I assessed my new owner. He wasn’t bad-looking at all. And obviously, he was rich. But he barely even looked at me.

“I’ll need a private room for him to change,” the alpha said.

“Of course.” The liar led the way.

Once the door was closed, the alpha placed a neat duffle bag on the table in the center of the room.

“Please change into these.” He pulled out fur-lined boots, thick gray trousers, a white sweater, a scarf and a thick down jacket.

Everything looked new. The jacket was dark purple, my favorite color.

“Why?” The beach and sunshine offered moderate if not hot temperatures.

“Where we’re going, it’s cold.”

I stared right at him, trying to imagine what he might be like. He didn’t look cruel, but who could know? Was I supposed to change right in front of him. I had nothing on underneath the flimsy robe.

He turned away as soon as I had that thought and headed for the door. “I’ll be right outside.”

The door closed in front of me. It took me a minute before I could even touch the clothes. When I did, I realized they were new. The sweater still had tags. They were also fine quality.

I slipped off my robe and began dressing. There was even a single pack of new underwear. And another with thick socks.

The clothes fit okay but the boots were a little big. The socks helped my feet not slide around too much. When everything was in place, I left my awful robe in a puddle on the floor and opened the door.

The alpha stood right outside. He looked me up and down once, then said, “Better. Now, follow me.”

He did not take my hand. He seemed to trust me to follow. Which, of course, I did. Where else could I run? There was nowhere to go in a strange country without money, a map or anything else I might need.

The alpha led me to a sleek, black car and opened the passenger door for me. I slid into a comfy, bucket leather seat.

This is it, I thought. The moment I’m taken for good. No looking back. My past is an impossible reality now. Gone for good.

I reached for the seatbelt and fastened it over my warm, bulky outfit.

The alpha got into the driver’s seat and quickly took off. The road stretched out before us. The beaches passed by in a flash. I hadn’t slept and in that moment exhaustion hit me to the core. But how could I sleep? A stranger was next to me driving me into the unknown.

“This is a long drive,” the alpha said. “You should get some sleep.”

I stared straight ahead. I couldn’t find any words to respond.

The alpha continued. “I should have asked sooner. Have they fed you?”

Food? My stomach was one big cramp. I shook my head.

“We’ll make a stop soon. I forgot road trip snacks.”

How could he talk about something as ordinary as snacks at a time like this? I didn’t even know his name. But minutes later, true to his word, he stopped for gas and came back to the car with a bag of sandwiches and wrapped cakes and fruit. He handed me a large bottle of soda and another of water.

How long was this trip going to be?

In seconds, we were back on the road. I ignored the food and opened the soda, realizing I was quite thirsty and drinking in noisy gulps. It was good but also made me feel sick. I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

When I opened them again, we were driving on an uphill curving road. The terrain had changed from coastal to valleys and fields. Ahead of us lay a mountain range frosted in white snow.

I woke to highway passing by at a high speed. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. How much time had passed?

“I see you’re awake now,” the alpha said.

I slowly nodded, keeping my eyes on the road ahead.

“Your paperwork says you’re from a wolf pack in Darkland. And that your name is Caylen and you’re nineteen.”

“Yeah.” I finally found my voice.

“First, I want to say I’m sorry for your, uh, experience.”

“What?”

He glanced quickly at me. “Your loss, I mean. Your family, your pack, your country.”

“That’s what happens to set-omegas where I’m from.” My tone was level, hollow.

“Yes. I know.”

I felt like he needed more explanation. “If the pack can’t scent you as a wolf, you’re considered persona non-grata. Useless.”

“Hmm. Sounds like a continuation of the old ways without considering you might have other abilities to offer.”

My defenses flared. “What does it matter to you? You paid for a set-omega. Bought me outright. That means you approve despite my other abilities .”

“I should explain myself.”

“Why? It’s not a requirement.” I frowned at him, looking so cool as he drove one-handed.

“I should explain to you why you’re here. It’s because of family. I didn’t buy you for myself. I’m taking you to the mountains. To my brother.”

A slow horror grew inside me as I replayed his words in my mind.

What was I? A gift? To someone high in the mountains who’d—who’d been abandoned?

I thought of ice crags and abominable snowmen and bottomless pits where no one would ever find the bodies.

My mind came up with the worst-case scenarios.

This man’s brother was possibly a reject.

An outcast. And no doubt a monster. I was the offering.

I let out a slow breath, my fear building silently. “Wh--what’s wrong with him?”

The alpha’s voice remained calm. “Nothing as far as I know. Except he shares a history of misfortune quite like your own. Your journey is just starting. His has gone on since he was fifteen. Twenty long years.”

And then, he began to tell me the story of Varik, a boy whose parents sold him to an evil fate, and the brother, Valcor, who found him again.