(ASA)
In the holding chamber, all eyes turned to me, and the remaining omegas began murmuring loudly.
I was in shock at the number Zevran Cross had just bid, assuming I'd heard wrong. No one sane would pay two hundred thousand dollars for an omega. For me. That was madness.
"Dude," Riley grinned at me. "What did you say to Zevran Cross to get him that into you?"
I blinked at him. "I… I barely said two words to him."
"They must have been two very amazing words." He laughed. "Shit, I hope I bring a good price. You're making us all look bad."
I winced. "There has to be a mistake. I think we all misheard what he said. I… I'm not worth that amount of money. No one is."
A female omega wandered over, looking me up and down. "I mean, you're cute and all, but that's an insane amount of money. Did you secretly blow him while on the podium or something?"
My face warmed. "God, no."
"Hmmm." She studied me closely. "Zevran Cross doesn't usually come to the Auction, and the few times he has, he never once seemed interested in the omegas. This is very odd."
"I don't know why he bid on me. I really don't," I murmured. I was too shocked to really even feel excitement. I definitely felt relief. Of all the alphas I'd seen tonight, he was the only one who'd made me feel anything other than dread.
The female alpha from earlier came into the room. She looked tight-cheeked and slightly frazzled. "334, please follow me."
I swallowed hard. "Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?" "
Just follow me, please." She left the room without another word.
"It'll be fine." Riley's gaze was sympathetic. "Zevran Cross is a good alpha, from what I hear."
I'd have to take his word for it. I definitely knew nothing about Zev. He'd seemed more respectful than the other alphas, but if he'd bid on me, how much respect did he really have for omegas?
He obviously thought buying one was acceptable. Not that I had any right judging him, or any of the alphas here tonight. Nobody had forced me to auction myself off to the highest bidder.
The woman poked her head back in the room. "334, come on. I don't have all day."
"Oh." I jumped and moved toward her. I shot Riley a grateful smile. He'd truly been the only kind person I'd run into in the last few weeks. I hoped he ended up with a good alpha, too.
Giving me an impatient look, the woman gestured for me to follow her. She led me down a winding hall that seemed to go deeper into the bowels of the building. The air was cool and damp, and I shivered. I wore only the thong and a thin silk robe that had been provided by the auction.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice reverberating off the thick walls.
"To the greeting area, of course. You'll have exactly five minutes to talk with your prospective alpha and decide if you're a good match or not." She gave me a smirk.
"Obviously, you made out like a bandit. This is really just to give Zevran Cross a chance to figure out whether he has buyer's remorse or not."
My face warmed. "You mean, the s… sale isn't final?"
She cackled. "Oh, goodness no. We always give the alphas a chance to look over the omega up close and personal before the sale is final."
"But not the omega?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you don't care if the omega is happy? It's just about the alpha's happiness?"
"Listen, kid. If you didn't want to be sold, you never should have applied to be here to begin with. I mean, seriously, your ungrateful attitude is tiring. You should see being here as an honor, but I swear, you seem to think you're doing us a favor."
Embarrassed, she felt the need to lecture me, I grimaced.
"I don't mean to come off that way. Of course, I'm grateful you accepted me when I applied. It's just that this is a delicate situation. I would hope the omegas should be equally pleased at who claimed them."
She sighed. "Relax. In the thirty years we've been doing The Auction, only twice has an alpha rejected the omega on sight."
My stomach swirled with nerves. "Why were they rejected?"
"I'm not sure I should be talking about this with you."
I frowned. "What does it hurt?"
"I don't generally gossip with omegas."
"I won't tell anyone anything you say. I'm just curious." I really, really hoped she'd tell me more. I couldn't help worrying that Zev would regret his purchase.
She glanced at me. "Hmmm."
"Come on, talking helps me relax," I coaxed.
She seemed to relent. "Well, the first time it was because the omega was drunk. We give you guys food and beverage in the holding chamber, expecting you'll use restraint. This particular omega was so drunk he couldn't even walk or talk. Who could blame the alpha for rejecting him?" She laughed.
"I guess that's true. But maybe he was just nervous, so he overdid it."
"Either way, this is no game. These alphas are paying good money to breed you boys. You have to be worthy of their trust."
And they ours?
I didn't bother saying that out loud. I knew she wouldn't sympathize with me or the others. She was an alpha. Omegas were lesser, in her opinion. "Why was the second omega rejected?" I asked.
"That one was a little different." She grimaced. "We don't tell the alphas anything about your past. If you choose to tell them, that's your right, but we simply inform them of your ability to breed and that you have no criminal record."
"Yes, I'm aware of that."
She shrugged. "But there are what we call Gliders. They're omegas from the outside who are secretly hired by the alphas to dig up any dirt they can on the omegas being auctioned off. Once the alpha has won an omega with the highest bid, the Gliders usually descend and offer the information they have on that omega, for a price."
"Is that allowed?" I frowned.
"Not really, but we tend to overlook it."
"Because you want the alphas… happy," I grumbled.
She looked a little uncomfortable. "Yes. It's just how it is, kid. Omegas are always going to be at a disadvantage in this situation. The alphas are the ones with the money. That means they have power. It means they're the ones catered to."
Resentment simmered in my gut. "Yes, I'm well aware of that, seeing as I'm an omega. I've lived with that my whole life." I swallowed my irritation. "What did the Gliders find out about that rejected omega?"
"Apparently, the omega's family had a history of late-term miscarriages. Naturally, the alpha didn't want to risk breeding with him. Family history is very important when taking an omega as your mate."
I stiffened, wondering if one of the Gliders had dug up anything about me.
I'd never even heard of the Glider's existence before. Had they discovered my dirty little secret about my father's shameful behavior? If so, would that be enough for Zev to reject me? Would he assume that if my father was immoral, I must be? Would I pay once more for the sins of my father?
Fear rippled through me at the thought of being publicly vetted.
How would I overcome something like that? My name would forever be infamous in these circles. I'd never be given another chance at the Auction. I'd be banned in disgrace. I'd be cast out on the streets.
What would become of me if this safety net were taken away?