31. Alexis

31

I'm disoriented and confused as I slowly blink my eyes open, unsure of my surroundings. Gone are the familiar comforts of Damian's home. Instead, I find myself in a stark, windowless room, the only light filtering in from the hallway.

As my gaze sweeps the space, a sinking feeling settles in my stomach. The other women in the room are all dressed in skimpy, provocative attire, heavy makeup caked on their faces, likely to conceal any bruises or marks.

And to my horror, I realize that some of them appear to be barely more than children. One girl in particular looks no older than sixteen, while another is so small, she could be mistaken for an elementary school student.

Glancing down, I see that I'm also dressed in a short, red dress that barely covers my ass.

And then it hits me—the attack at the mansion, Scarlett finding me and tying me to a chair in another unknown location, Vincente coming into the room and bragging that he killed my mother and is the reason Damian's parents and sister are dead.

My stomach churns, nausea threatening to overtake me.

A gentle touch on my arm makes me jump, and I turn to see a young woman with red hair crouched beside me, her expression full of concern.

"Hey, you're awake," the woman whispers. "I was worried you might not come around. They just dumped you in here unconscious."

My brow furrows at the woman's words. "Where am I? What's going on?"

The woman glances around nervously. "We're in a hotel, I think. There are about a dozen of us here, all being held until…" She pauses, swallowing hard. "Until they sell us to the highest bidder."

My heart pounds in my chest as the realization dawns on me. I've been taken by The Brotherhood, just as I feared. These women—these girls—are being trafficked, and I'm trapped right alongside them. The realization makes my heart pound in my chest as panic rises in my throat.

"Oh, God," I breathe, panic rising in my throat as I take in the terrified faces around me. "How long have I been here? What are they going to do to us?"

The woman shrugs. "I'm not sure how long. A day, maybe two? But I know they're planning to auction us off soon. The door only opens when they bring in a new girl or food, and we're heavily guarded."

I swallow hard, mind racing. Damian, Edo, Nat—they must be searching for me. But will they find me in time? I can't bear the thought of being sold, of suffering the unimaginable horrors that await.

And then a terrifying realization hits me. I'm pregnant. My unborn child's life is now at stake as well.

The woman gives my arm a gentle squeeze. "I'll leave you to rest. We'll need to keep our strength up for what's to come."

As the woman moves away, I feel an overwhelming urge to break down, to give in to the paralyzing fear. But I force myself to take a deep, steadying breath. For my baby's sake, I have to remain strong. I can't let The Brotherhood break me.

Be the wolf.

Steeling my resolve, I force myself to take a deep, steadying breath. Damian must be coming for me, I'm sure of it. All I have to do is hold on a little longer.

Pushing past the nausea and fear, I begin to carefully observe my surroundings, searching for any possible means of escape. I have to get out of here, no matter what it takes. The lives of these girls, and my own unborn child, depend on it.

As I survey the other women in the room, I can't help but shiver at the sight of their vacant, haunted expressions. Some look absolutely terrified, their eyes filled with raw panic. Others appear strung out, their eyes dead and devoid of any trace of humanity.

The sight of them chills me to my core. Is that my fate as well?

Pushing past the crippling fear, my gaze lands on a small figure huddled in the corner, face streaked with tears. It's a little girl, no older than seven or eight, her once-vibrant eyes now dimmed with hopelessness, her mousy brown hair plaited into French braids going down her back.

The sight of her instantly tugs at my heartstrings. She reminds me of myself when my mom first died—scared, alone, desperately wishing for an adult to tell me everything would be alright and keep me safe. I know exactly how she feels, the overwhelming sense of vulnerability and the crushing fear of the unknown.

I'm filled with a fierce, protective instinct. This child should never have to endure such trauma, such violation of her innocence. I won't allow it. Somehow, some way, I have to get her out of here, to shield her from the horrors that await.

Forcing myself to move, I make my way over to the child and crouch down beside her.

"Hey there," I say softly. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

The girl sniffles, looking up at me with red-rimmed eyes. "K–Katie," she manages, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Katie," I repeat, offering her a gentle smile, hoping to convey that she can trust me. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Alexis. Are you hurt at all?"

She shakes her head, but the fear in her eyes is palpable. "I–I want my mom and dad." She hiccups, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

My heart aches for her. "I know, honey. I know." I reach out, gently brushing away her tears with the pad of my thumb. "But I promise, I'm going to do everything in my power to get you back to them, okay? You're not alone."

The girl clutches my hand, her small face fearful. "I was playing in my yard," she whispers. "Mom called me to come back inside, but a car pulled up and asked if I wanted to see their puppy. I love puppies. Mom and Dad say I can't have one yet."

Fresh tears spill down Katie's round cheeks. "Mom and Dad always told me I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, but he sounded so nice! But there was no puppy. T–they took me. T–they said I'll make someone else v–very happy."

As Katie buries herself in my side, sobs shaking her small shoulders, a swell of pure, unadulterated rages rises up within me. How dare they—The Brotherhood, Scarlett, all of them—prey on innocent children, tearing them from their families and selling them off to the highest bidder. It's repulsive, it's despicable, it's the very embodiment of evil.

For now, I'll be the adult she needs, the protector she deserves. I won't let anything happen to this child, no matter what it takes.

My blood boils at the thought of the horrors these women and girls have endured, and the utter violation of their childhoods. They should be carefree, playing in their yards, tucked safely in their parents' embrace—not huddled in fear, waiting to be auctioned off like cattle.

And Scarlett…

The mere thought of that vile woman makes my skin crawl. To think she and her father orchestrated this, that she takes pleasure in the suffering of these victims… it's enough to make me want to scream.

If I make it out of this alive, I vow to hunt her down to make her pay for her crimes in the most brutal way imaginable. No other woman or girl will ever suffer such a nightmarish fate at her hands, I'll make sure of that.

Clutching Katie tightly, I feel a renewed sense of purpose and determination. I have to get us out of here, no matter what it takes. This child—these women—deserve a chance at the life that was stolen from them, and I'll be damned if I let The Brotherhood or anyone else take that away.

With a deep, steadying breath, I pull back slightly to meet Katie's frightened gaze. "It's going to be okay," I tell her again, willing my voice to sound confident and reassuring. "I won't let them hurt you, I promise. We're going to get out of this, and I'll make sure you get back to your mom and dad, okay?"

Katie nods shakily, her small hand gripping mine. I know I'll do whatever it takes to protect her—even if it means going up against the full force of The Brotherhood itself.

They've made this personal, and I'll show them the true meaning of a mother's wrath.

The door suddenly bursts open, a Brotherhood soldier standing there with a gun in hand. "Line up, all of you!" he barks, his voice laced with menace.

Katie clings to me, her small body trembling with undisguised terror. I wrap a protective arm around her as the women slowly file out, herded toward a brightly lit stage at the front of the room.

As we take our places, I strain to make out the faces in the darkened audience, my heart pounding. There, in the front row, I spot Scarlett's cruel smirk and the vicious glint in Emma's eyes.

This is the revenge Emma has been waiting for.

A booming voice echoes through the hall, and I turn to see a slick-looking man step up to the podium. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our exclusive auction tonight!" he declares, his tone dripping with false charm. "We have a wonderful selection of merchandise for you, all ready to be claimed by the highest bidder. Let's start the auction with Lot 1."

My stomach churns as women are brought out one by one, paraded like cattle as the auctioneer rattles off their "attributes" in a sickening display. White bidder cards flash as prospective ‘owners' bid on the woman of their choosing.

I watch in horror as the women are sold off, each woman's future now in the hands of a stranger. Katie and I are the only two left.

When Lot 44 is called, a Brotherhood soldier moves toward Katie. She screams and turns to me, her fingers scrabbling against my body as if I'm her lifeline, her eyes wide with terror.

Be the wolf.

White-hot anger roars through me, and I can't stop myself from lunging forward, using some of the self-defense techniques Edo taught me to land a solid blow. As the man grabs me from behind the waist, I quickly and brutally jab my elbow into his nose.

A sickening crunch fills the room as the man screams and lets me go, clutching his nose as blood runs down his face. The audience murmurs, all interested eyes turned in our direction, watching me fight off this soldier as if we are a spectator sport.

Two other Brotherhood soldiers swarm me. I do my best to fight them off, but they're stronger and quickly overpower me, dragging me to the stage as I fight and claw at them, doing everything I can to defend myself.

Hopefully, any prospective buyer will see that I'm not some docile woman who will do whatever he or she wants. The old Alexis would have done that, but she's gone now.

The new Alexis is a fighter, and I will not submit to anyone. I will not bow.

It doesn't even occur to me that some spirit—some fight—is exactly what some buyers are looking for, that breaking someone brings them delight.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" the auctioneer says, his beady eyes glinting with malice as his gaze roams my body. He turns back to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what a treat we have for you! As you can see, she is a feisty one and you will have an excellent time breaking her in."

Rough hands grab my waist and force me to turn around, showcasing my body to the interested crowds.

"Look at how well-proportioned she is, ladies and gentlemen! Long legs, perky breasts. Look at the curls on her, too!"

I glare at the audience, willing them to see my defiance even as panic claws my throat.

Damian, please hurry. I need you.

"Lot 45 is an extra-special artifact," the auctioneer says, lowering his voice theatrically. "As such, we will start the bidding at one million dollars. Not only is she from good breeding stock if that's what you're into, but if you've been recently fucked over by Invicta, just know you'll be the proud owner of Bobby Shields's daughter."