Page 3 of Ruthless Alpha (Nightfire Islands Alphas #3)

“And what else does Ensign have to offer?” It was a loaded question.

Arbor might be an island of lush grasses and tall trees, where the soil ensured they wouldn’t starve, but Ensign had no such luxury.

Our forests were sparse, and our soil was hard, hiding no strong stone or precious silver.

We had nothing but our bodies and our blood, and all the ways we knew how to kill.

What Arbor didn’t consider was that we—unlike them—had friends on other islands.

“You’re still on Ferris’s blacklist,” I said, which was putting it mildly. “I have a wagon full of steel here. I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.”

I could get another load from Ethan within a week. It would cost us, but we could afford it. If we pulled this weapon off, Telaxis would give us enough grain to keep the whole Pack fed through the winter.

The trader eyed my wagon greedily—clearly, I’d been right to think they were in need.

“How much you got there?” he asked, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.

“That depends,” I said, before turning to the girl. “How old are you?”

“She just turned twenty-one,” offered the trader. I didn’t look at him.

“I was asking her.”

The girl trembled under my gaze, her deep blue eyes flitting between me and her—was he her father? God, I hoped not.

“I—I’m twenty-one,” she stammered. It was clearly a lie—but why did I care, anyway? It didn’t matter how old she was, because I wasn’t buying her to keep for myself. I was buying her to stop someone more unscrupulous from doing the same.

“Sure,” I said, pretending to believe her. “And you’re unmated?”

She nodded. No hesitation this time. Probably the truth.

“I’ve got a hundred pounds,” I told the trader. It was everything I had, but I wanted this over. I needed to get her out of here.

“Nothing more?” he prompted, and I felt a growl start to build in my chest.

“I’ve got what I’ve got. You can take it or leave it.”

“I’ll take it,” he agreed immediately. He was such a coward—I knew that humans had been paying tens of thousands of dollars for the brides that Arbor had offered in the past. A few pounds of steel was nothing in comparison, but he’d accept whatever I offered because he was desperate and because my reputation preceded me.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” I lied. “You can take the wagon, too.”

I reached forward, circling the girl’s wrist with my hand.

Her skin was cold, and I realized she wasn’t only shivering from fear, but from the chill fall wind.

The dress she was wearing was clearly designed to entice potential buyers rather than keep her warm: the deep scoop neck of it put her generous breasts on full display, as well as leaving her chest and neck exposed to the elements. No wonder she was cold.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm,” interrupted the trader, “but I can’t let her go without the ceremony.”

“The ceremony?” I echoed, confused.

“We don’t sell whores and slaves, Alpha. We sell brides.”

I didn’t see much of a difference. The trader clearly didn’t consider there to be much of one either, because he winked at me as he pushed the girl closer, coming to stand between us as if his words held any power.

I remembered what Ethan had told me about the ceremonies at the auction: they meant nothing, but the Arbor girls were conditioned to believe it made them beholden to their buyers.

It made them more pliable. I didn’t need the girl to be pliable, but I’d do the damn ceremony if it meant I could get her away from him.

“Get on with it, then,” I snapped, and he nodded with faux benevolence.

“Do you take this woman to be your wedded wife?” he asked. “To keep her under your care and consider yourself bound to her?”

“I do,” I said. This was such a farce, yet those two words seemed like physical blows to the girl standing before me.

No doubt she expected to be thrown over my shoulder the moment the deal was done, to be taken away and brutalized.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t yet disabuse her of that notion.

“Do you take this man to be your wedded husband?” the trader continued, turning to the terrified girl. “To be kept under his care and be obedient to him?”

To her credit, she didn’t trip over the words, and her voice trembled only a little. Terrified she might be, but she was brave, too.

“I do.”

The trader grinned, showing every one of his yellow-brown teeth.

“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife,” he said. “You may kiss your bride.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I said quickly, trying not to look at the girl I had just purchased. Fuck. I’d just bought a person.

“Suit yourself,” the trader said, picking up the handles of the wagon with evident effort. Under any other circumstance, I would have found it amusing to watch him huff and puff as he dragged it south toward the Arbor bridge. Instead, I pushed him immediately from my mind.

My attention was entirely fixed on the girl before me; barely more than half my age, shivering with fear and cold, she was so beautiful it was hard to look away from her. She was my wife, and I didn’t even know her name.