Chapter 5

• Valerie
• I gulped.
• One of the Alpha’s men came forward and offered a hand to help me from my chair. I wobbled as I stood, my legs numb and weak beneath me.
• The moment they had the coin in their hands, the mood in the shop shifted dramatically. Smiles blossomed over their faces and they looked to one another giddily. “How generous of you, my Alpha. You are correct—she is quite a unique girl. Won’t find another like her. Please do enjoy!”
• Aunt Rita, who just a moment ago looked like she was going to faint, was suddenly revitalized. She fluttered in front of him and gestured back toward a large display of “tools” used to keep slaves in line. Things like collars, cuffs, whips and a variety of toys—some I knew the purpose of and others that were simply question-marks on the wall.
• I shivered at the thought of any of those items being used on me.
• The Alpha’s gaze flickered back to me. There was a slight tilt to his lips—the slightest twitch of a smirk as he said, “No need, thank you.”
• My stomach twisted into a knot.
• No need? Did he already have tools of his own?
• The Aunts escorted us out, buzzing about the Alpha with glee. If they had trumpets, they would most certainly be sounding them into the market to celebrate such a bountiful sale.
• We stopped at the doors, where my hands were cuffed and my feet chained with a fresh set of cuffs. They were like parting gifts to all of us the moment we were purchased—shiny new metal binds, taken from fresh packaging and placed around our wrists and ankles.
• As I followed the Alpha out of the shop, one of his wolves kept a tight hand curled around my arm as if I might try to escape.
• He was just as smart as he looked if he thought I could run with these heavy cuffs on my ankles. I could hardly walk on level ground.
• The moment we stepped out, I was overwhelmed by the harsh sunlight. It had been so long since I had seen the outside world. The sun was pins in my eyes and fire on my skin.
• I passed by the highest of the Alpha’s guards who was waiting out front. His gaze stuck on me narrowly. I could tell he did not favor me, nor did he understand the Alpha’s decision to purchase me.
• I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t understand it, either.
• I watched the Alpha’s back as we walked, trying with all I had to remain calm.
• As I walked, I began to remember the area around us. The last time I had seen this place was the day I was transported here to the shop. The streets were too narrow for cars, so slaves were unloaded from a van and walked on foot like cattle.
• The sun had been as bright back then as it was today and I hated it.
• The sun made me hopeful. And hope was unrealistic.
• Back then, the thought of escaping had flickered to mind. The shops didn’t have strict security the way the Cell did. The walk down the strip could have been my only chance at freedom.
• Ava laughed at me when I told her this. “You’re dumber than you look if you think that will work,” she’d said. She had been my only friend, Ava Grace.
• I thought maybe it was because Ava had flaws like me—a big ugly scar on her belly that looked a lot like the mark on my neck. Or maybe it was because we both had dreams of freedom.
• “How are you going to make a living?” Ava had asked me as we shuffled in one, long, slow line toward the slave shop. “Even if you do get out of here, how will you survive on your own?”
• “My father taught me to survive for weeks on my own in the wilderness,” I told her. “As long as I can find water, I’ll live.”
• Ava laughed at me, as if we weren’t marching straight toward our doom. “This isn’t reality TV, love. I mean, you don’t really know where we are, do you? This place is a desert. No forests, no lakes, not even bugs could survive out there. It’s called the Demilitarized Zone for a reason. You know what’s out there waiting for you?”
• “I know,” I groaned, hoping it would be the end of her lecture.
• Ava ignored my reply. “Werewolves, vampires, dragons—creatures we probably don’t even know exist. They’re all out there, hungry and looking for a little girl like you to walk right into their nest. And out there, they can do whatever they want to you. Chances are, before you even find a source of water, you’ll be ripped up by a rogue wolf or drained by a starved vampire—or if you’re lucky enough, you might be captured as an ambulatory uterus by one of those dragons you always hear tales about.”
• I was shocked and a little sickened by how much she knew of the Demilitarization Zone. “Where did you get all this information?” I asked.
• Ava grinned. She was always smiling in the darkest of times. “Where do you think I got these?” she said, flashing the scars on her belly.
• Even now, as I walked in the Alpha’s shadow, I saw the ghost of Ava trotting in her shackles toward the slave shop. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. Every time I thought of her, it was like a knife going through my ribs.
• I didn’t know if she was dead or alive.
• All I knew was that Ava was purchased by an old wolf during the high season a year ago. A horrible older man with jagged scars on his face and a look of terrible intention in his eyes. A veteran of the war. A man who knew how to hurt.
• Even that day, as she was led out of the shop in her shackles, Ava smiled back at me.
• Tears pricked my eyes.
• Ava. I couldn’t help Ava and I couldn’t help myself. For so long, we dreamed of freedom together. We fantasized about running away—about the moments we reached the islands and started our new lives.
• And yet we met the same fate. Our lives would never be our own.
• Suddenly, the Alpha stopped.
• I bumped into his back, not realizing he’d come to a halt. Quickly, I scurried back, bowing my head in apology. The Alpha turned to look at me, and I felt a shudder run down my spine at the thought of what his intentions might be.
• Surely, he hadn’t purchased me for the same reason the old wolf had purchased Ava. Ava was beautiful, even with her scars. I wasn’t.
• For a long time, he stared at me in silence. My heart ticked in my throat like the hands of a clock. Then the Alpha said, “Chad, give her your coat.”
• One of the guards complied, though I didn’t look up to see who. Suddenly, a warm fabric was throne over my shoulders. I wrapped myself in the jacket and looked up slowly to see the Alpha leaning in close to get a good look at me.
• He took the lapels of the jacket and tugged them around my neck. “Much better,” he muttered, as if he didn’t want the others to hear. “Your lips were turning blue.”
• I felt like a startled rabbit, my heart stammering endlessly in my chest. I tucked my head down. I didn’t know how to react—didn’t know what to say. They had taught us how to behave with masters, not Alphas.
• I wanted to utter a thank you, but I feared talking at all. I remained silent and held the jacket tight around me.
• He was so strange, this young Alpha. Why was he so considerate of a simple slave?
• Why had he taken me at all?