Chapter 4

4

Alluresh

A ll night, Allure hounded me about going to the auction.

We want an omega. We want to mate. To have an heir. Let's go!

I'd taken lovers only three times in my life. With alphas. Their dragons made Allure competitive and jealous. As a result, no relationships ever formed.

Allure, as the controlling force inside me, was a loner and unsentimental. He didn't like others to shift in his presence and even though he had no interest in mating, no one but he could be on top. He definitely wasn't a cuddler.

Technically, a set-omega was perfect for us. He wouldn't have an animal for Allure to combat, and he would be someone we owned.

It made me a little nauseated to think that we were perhaps only good enough for a set-omega, someone we didn't have to think of as a partner or lover. Someone who wouldn't question my own flaws, and whose only job would be to obey.

I lay in my bed and stared through the clear ceiling at the stars.

You will buy me the omega. We will mate. After we make him lay our eggs, you can re-sell him. We will have heirs.

He kept up his grumbling until the early hours until he finally slept. I followed him into unpeaceful slumber.

Noah met me at the entrance to the private event.

"Glad to see you could make it, Al." His smile was sly, but happy. "You hole up in your castle too much. Never come out. Today's the day."

Daraja's had set up a huge outdoor patio complete with tables and waiters. A large, curtained stage faced the tables.

He waved his hand at the stage. "I haven't seen any of them yet in person. I bought them from seeing their photos. Beauties. All of them. There are eleven for bidding. You can outbid anyone here if you want. You could have your choice."

We'd both done well for ourselves after our rocky childhoods, but Noah still couldn't match my own wealth. Few could. I was a whiz kid at commodities trading, and I'd gotten in on the ground floor of gaming and apps companies. I'd invested every cent I made when I was young, starting out in a studio apartment and rising fast. It was a dragon cliché that we hoarded money. Not all dragons were rich. But the flight Noah and I belonged to through our fosters were. When we came of age, we each got a small, one-time sum, then were ordered to go forth and make our fortunes.

We both took that order literally.

Noah led me to an empty table with a sign on it that said, "Reserved." He really had gone all out. Obviously, the table was his, but he let me sit at the head knowing I could afford a high bid.

To my surprise, Noah sat right beside me, talking away. We ordered drinks.

The area filled up; all the tables taken. There were chairs along the back and sides for extra shoppers who came at the last minute.

Noah waited until the place was full—about five minutes past the starting time—then got up and practically skipped up the steps to the stage.

He had a presence and a charisma despite his sly personality. He started in on a speech that had everyone leaning forward, waiting to get their first glimpses of the set-omegas. He leaned back from the podium and announced them.

A line of young men in white, flowing robes walked onto the stage.

Allure stirred, interested. His back was up—that's what I called it when his inner mood made my muscles tighten. I sat stiffly, looking on.

Choose one. Buy him.

I was here to look, not shop. At least, that's what I told myself.

The one on the end with the curls. No. Wait. The one in the middle with the shining brown hair. We want him.

Of course we had the same gaze. I was already staring at that particular omega. He had big eyes and straight long hair that moved like liquid against his robe. Allure wanted every shiny thing he saw. And this omega was very shiny. Magical in appearance.

"He's too small," I murmured.

He was the second shortest omega in the lineup. I couldn't see his body yet, but the way the fabric moved across his arms and legs, he looked skinny, too. That wouldn't do. If—and I used that word emphatically—if I purchased one of them, I needed a healthy breeder who could easily form and gestate eggs until it was time to lay them.

Dragon DNA was always dominant. An omega who was not a dragon but crossbred to one, would react to dragon sperm and develop eggs. It was always the case with dragon alphas and omegas that the dominant animal DNA would produce that sort of shifter.

If I were to consider an heir, the brood omega needed to be larger.

Allure knew it, too. But his own reasons for wanting the shorter omega weren't rational. Truthfully, I thought he was lonely. He might not like other dragons, but these weren't dragons. He was already sending happy vibes into me as he gazed at the shiny boy.

Buy him. I want him.

I shook my head to clear it. Owning another being? I didn't like the idea. I'd never agreed with the law in our culture about brood slaves.

Yet, this omega drew both of us in, my dragon forcing my gaze not to look away.

Noah had removed the mic from the podium and slowly made his way down the line, starting at stage right. He asked each male's name and age and where they were from.

When he reached the one in the middle, a soft voice replied, almost too whispery to hear. "Tavi. I'm 19."

Noah repeated the answer to make sure everyone understood him. "And where are you from?" he asked.

"Denton. Pack Agato."

He was of wolf blood. A sad misfortune for him since wolves were known to hold little value for set-omegas except what they could sell them for. He would have been doomed from the moment he'd failed his last shifting class.

His voice is like music.

Allure let out a shiver that went through my body. For a moment, I thought I was going to lose control to him. That he'd shift right here, right now. But he didn't. He wanted the omega, and he needed me to get him. He would not make trouble unless I defied him.

My mind quickly pondered various scenarios of how I might get through this. I could buy him today and sell him tomorrow. I could stand up to Allure and take the consequences. I could acquiesce to Allure and keep an omega slave.

I didn't like any of my choices. If I did buy him, I'd feel responsible for his well-being even after he went elsewhere. The second choice meant I would definitely face more repairs on my house and possibly here at the resort if Allure shifted, became aggressive, and broke things like roofs and walls. The third choice was the one where I held the most control, but repugnant in the fact that the omega would be an unwilling breeder.

Unwilling?

He had read my thoughts.

Unwilling matters in mere breeding? Nature and need for heirs take precedent. There is no such thing as willing or unwilling.

He might be a somewhat intelligent beast, but he wasn't human. The purity of the beast didn't have a human conscience.

I waved a waiter over and ordered another strong drink.

After all the omegas finished introducing themselves, the bidding began. Luckily, Noah didn't start with Tavi. I still had time to get up and leave.

But will, or lack of will, kept me in my chair.

The waiter delivered my drink. I stared at it, the beads of condensation on the glass glimmering like the sea. My focus left the stage. It was as if the air pressure changed. My hearing still worked but became somewhat muted. A few minutes passed.

Dimly, I heard the name: "Tavi."

I blinked.

The first omega had already sold. I had no idea who bought him.

Tavi now stood with a cold spotlight on him. Even in the daylight, it washed over him making him look more ethereal than he already was.

Noah spoke but his words sounded like gibberish. All I could see was this young man, his hands clasped in front of him, his head down to show more of his gleaming fall of hair. I wondered what he was thinking. I wondered if he was afraid. Or angry. Or most horrible, broken.

The air pressure slowly returned to normal. There was a scent on the breeze running through the patio like the sweet tang of orange blossoms.

Suddenly, alphas were shouting out numbers. Furiously. I realized they were dollar amounts. High ones.

The blood in my veins surged. I felt oxygen deprived and took deeper breaths. I watched and listened as the bids went up and up.

My fingertips grew hard as claw tips threatened to break through. But Allure remained silent.

He was like a rock inside me, a hot rock in a white-hot fire waiting to burst into killer fragments.

The shouted numbers grew higher. Someone called out, "Raise his robe. Show us the merchandise!"

That sort of thing was allowed at omega auctions, objectifying them almost more than the price on their heads.

Noah bent to lift the hem of Tavi's robe.

I stood so fast my chair fell behind me with a loud crash to the floor. Time froze for one second. Noah paused, hand on Tavi's robe, looking out at the audience.

I spoke in a calm but firm voice, doubling the last number called.

Noah met my eyes and smiled.

"No need for this display, then." He spoke loudly, his authority final. "Any more bids?"

Silence.

The number amount was nothing to my bank account, but still a small fortune. More than I had needed to bid. But I wanted my point made. And my dragon demanded the last word.

"Going, going." Noah drew out his words. Finally, "Sold! To Alluresh." He again named the dollar amount. This time I heard a few gasps.

Tavi never looked up as he was led from the stage.