"Oh God… please," Alexa whispered to herself, clutching her trembling hands in her lap as the dark car purred to a stop.
She didn't know where they were exactly—only that the drive had been long, silent, and suffocating. And now, they were here.
Someplace dangerous.
"Don't worry, Alexa," Luna her immediate step sister drawled from beside her. "They don't bite."
Alexa turned sharply, but Luna was already stepping out of the car, her heels clicking confidently against the pavement. There was amusement in her tone, like this whole thing was a game. Like Alexa wasn't about to be thrown into a den of wolves.
Her feet felt nailed to the floor as she slid out of the backseat, her breath catching in her throat. The building ahead loomed like a mansion from a nightmare—dimly lit, guarded, and echoing with a kind of quiet that screamed of secrets.
The air felt wrong.
The kind of wrong you couldn't explain, only feel.
Alexa looked around as she stepped forward, the men gathered near the entrance casting casual glances her way—some curious, some cold, others far too hungry.
She swallowed hard.
"They look terrifying," she muttered under her breath.
Luna smirked. "Not as terrifying as the man you had a night with and can't even remember."
Alexa stiffened. "That wasn't—"
"Relax," Luna said, cutting her off with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not judging you. You're not the first girl to fall into bed with a stranger."
"I didn't fall," Alexa snapped, but the bite in her voice felt hollow.
Because the truth was, she didn't remember falling. She barely remembered anything—just fragments of heat, a voice like gravel and silk, a touch that scorched and claimed.
She'd woken up alone. Bruised. Empty.
And now... now she was here.
Led through a set of tall black doors, Alexa followed Luna into a lavish, candlelit interior. The place shimmered with wealth—crystal chandeliers, gold-gilded walls, velvet lounges. But beneath the glamour, there was something else.
A chill.
This wasn't just a club. It was a pit dressed in diamonds. And tonight, it reeked of something worse than money.
Men in suits were already gathering, laughing, placing wagers, sipping from glasses that shimmered red like blood.
And then Alexa saw it—the stage.
A low platform. A single spotlight. Velvet ropes. And an auction list on a silver tray.
Her stomach twisted.
She turned to Luna. "What is this place?"
Luna smiled, not cruelly—almost sadly. "It's where rich men gamble, Alexa. Sometimes for money. Sometimes for women."
Alexa's chest tightened. "You didn't say I was—"
"You were the deal tonight," Luna said softly. "Someone placed you in."
Alexa stumbled back a step. "You what?"
"Look—" Luna grabbed her wrist. "You want your life to be yours again? Then this is the price. One night. One winner. One bet."
Alexa's breath caught as her eyes scanned the room. Dozens of men. Wealthy. Powerful. Predators in tuxedos.
And she was the prize.
"You'll be fine," Luna whispered. "Just... don't run."
Before Alexa could respond, a voice cut through the room. Calm. Commanding.
"She's the one?"
Alexa turned.
A man stood at the far end of the room, half in shadow. She couldn't make out his face, but the way everyone straightened when he spoke told her enough.
Power oozed from him like poison. Cold, deliberate, dangerous.
"No name," another man said beside him. "Just fresh meat."
He chuckled. "Interesting."
Alexa's hands were shaking.
She didn't know who he was.
She didn't know what tonight would bring.
But she had a feeling...
This night belonged to someone else.
Mr. Young her father raised his hand as the men bantered loudly, their voices thick with lust and greed.
"Wait, one round of solitaire first. Winner pays and takes," he declared, a sly grin spreading across his face.
The room erupted with cheers and laughter as the men settled around the circular table, shuffling cards with eager fingers.
"I'm taking the chick first," one young man boasted.
"No way, I'm going for her," argued another, eyes gleaming.
"She's got skin like silk," an old man added with a leer.
Alexa's stomach churned as she couldn't shake the irritating, leering faces staring her down. The shadows around them felt suffocating, the darkness thick like a trap.
The cards were dealt, and the solitaire game began. Quiet clicks and flicks of cards filled the smoky room. The men's eyes darted between their hands and each other, calculating, scheming.
After a tense few minutes, the old man threw down his final card with a triumphant laugh.
"I told ya!" he crowed, rising and stepping toward Alexa. He reached out to cup her chin roughly, but she quickly turned her face away.
At the far corner of the room, a man dressed in a black coat sat silently, a wide-brimmed hat shadowing his face. He tapped his fingers on the table in a slow, steady rhythm.
"Why don't we play another round?" his hoarse voice cut through the noise. He tossed a heavy bag of cash onto the table with a soft thud.
"The higher the stakes, the better," he added with a crooked smile.
The room fell quiet for a moment, all eyes on the bag of money.
"I won her, mister," the old man said stubbornly. "She's mine now."
"But the rules are the rules," the unknown man replied smoothly, voice cold and final.
Reluctantly, the old man nodded.
The silent man began to play. His fingers moved with a graceful precision, flipping cards and arranging his hand like a master. His lips curled into a faint, sinister smirk as he studied his cards, never looking up.
Finally, he raised his head slowly and said, "Check."
He placed his cards face up. He had won.
Shock and disbelief rippled through the circle.
"You cheated! You... you—" the old man stammered, his face flushing.
But the man's calm gaze didn't waver.
"No lies here," he said quietly, voice like a razor's edge.
Mr. Young stared at the unknown man, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water before he finally bowed slightly.
"Can I know your name, mister?" he asked, voice low and cautious.
The man didn't flinch. Crossing one leg over the other, he replied in a hoarse, almost mocking tone, "Mister is fine."
"I won the woman," he added, eyes locking fully onto Alexa. "That's all I need to hear."
Mr. Young swallowed hard, glancing nervously at the pile of cash still on the table. It was far beyond what anyone had expected.
"Y-yes… of course," Mr. Young stammered, voice trembling. "But there's something you should know…"
"What?" The man's patience snapped thin, his voice sharp.
"She… she's painted by the streets as a disgraced woman," Mr. Young said, bowing his head in shame.
The man stood up, cold and dismissive. "I've heard the rumors," he said flatly. "Sounds about right."
Without another word, he stepped toward Alexa. "I'll have my men accompany you."
A shiver ran down Alexa's spine. That aura. That scent. It was familiar. But now was not the time to let her mind wander.
As they stepped out of the gambling room, the cold night air hit Alexa like a slap. The grip on her arms tightened, rough and unforgiving.
"Let go of me!" she protested, struggling against their hold.
"You're sold now, to our master. Behave," one man sneered, his fingers digging in deeper.
The man who had won her halted and turned, raising a hand to silence the others. His gaze was sharp and commanding.
"Let her go a bit. I don't admire disabled women—even if they're disgraced," he said coldly, before turning away and continuing down the hall.
"I'm not disgraced!" Alexa shouted after him, her voice cracking with defiance.
He didn't bother to look back.
"Pathetic," he muttered under his breath, his footsteps steady as he walked on.
They stood before a massive black gate, electric fences humming quietly above it. He pressed a sequence of buttons, and the gate slowly swung open. A fingerprint scanner gleamed on the door nearby, and with a quick touch, it clicked and swung inward.
Alexa's eyes flicked around, taking in the dark walls and cold metal. Disgusting... this place is so disgusting, she thought bitterly.
"Your house is so disgusting," she said aloud, unable to stop herself from provoking him.
He smirked and sighed, not bothering to look back. "Is that what you say to your old friend?"
They stepped inside, the heavy door shutting silently behind them.
Alexa's gaze caught on his golden hair, glowing softly under the moonlight streaming through a window. Levi... she whispered to herself, heart pounding.