Chapter 3

Chloe's POV

The moment Alpha Gideon disappeared from sight, I finally allowed myself to breathe.

I had barely taken a step toward the exit when Balthazar's voice cut through the room.

"Leave her."

My stomach dropped as one of the guards pulled me aside.

Balthazar waited until the others were gone before turning his full attention to me. His eyes traveled slowly over my face, then down my body, studying me so closely that I instinctively folded my arms across myself.

"Interesting," he murmured.

I swallowed. "What?"

Instead of answering, he stepped closer and caught my chin between his fingers, turning my face slightly from one side to the other as though inspecting something he'd purchased and couldn't understand the value of.

"What did he see in you?"

My heartbeat quickened. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I." His eyes narrowed. "Gideon Blackwood doesn't ask unnecessary questions. He doesn't touch the women brought before him, and he certainly doesn't waste time examining one."

My mind flashed back to Gideon's boot beneath my chin and those cold eyes studying me.

Balthazar released my face.

"Yet today, he did all three."

A chill crept down my spine.

"I didn't do anything."

"I know." His gaze sharpened, making the words somehow more frightening. "That's what makes it interesting."

He circled me once, his scrutiny making my skin crawl.

"Keep her separated from the others," he finally ordered the guards. "Until I understand what caught Gideon Blackwood's attention, nobody touches her. Also. I'll have her broken in properly before she's sent to him."

The relief I should have felt never came.

Because from the way Balthazar continued staring at me, I had the terrible feeling that Gideon's attention hadn't saved me at all.

It had only made me more valuable.

I didn't know exactly what being broken in meant, but after everything I'd witnessed since arriving, I knew enough to be terrified.

The guards took me upstairs and locked me inside a room that was surprisingly better than the cage. There was a bed, a small bathroom, and even a window overlooking the compound. It should have felt like an improvement. Instead, I only felt more afraid.

Balthazar wasn't being kind. He had simply decided I was valuable enough to be treated better before being handed over.

I tried the door first and then the window, but both were secured. With nowhere else to go, I pulled the curtain aside and looked down into the courtyard.

A scream made me jump.

Two guards were holding a woman while another struck her repeatedly. She cried and begged them to stop, but her pleas only seemed to make them angrier. Beyond them, several frightened women stood in a line waiting for whatever punishment was coming next.

I quickly stepped away from the window.

My hands were trembling.

Was that what Balthazar planned to do to me?

The door opened sometime later, and a female servant entered carrying food and clean clothes. She walked in with a cheerful expression, completely unfazed by the screams outside.

"You must be very lucky," she said while setting the tray down. "Catching Alpha Gideon's eye isn't something that happens to just anyone."

I stared at her. "He said he wasn't interested."

"Lord Balthazar knows what he saw."

"Other Alphas don't provoke Alpha Gideon unless they're prepared for the consequences," she said, lowering her voice. "Even the powerful ones are careful around him."

She spoke about him with something dangerously close to admiration.

Apparently, there were very few people willing to challenge him, and even fewer who survived doing so.

A chill ran through me. I had already known Gideon was dangerous, but hearing that men powerful enough to command entire packs were wary of him made me realize just how little chance someone like me had against him.

The admiration in her voice was almost laughable.

Lucky.

That word seemed to have acquired a completely different meaning since I entered this place. To them, a kidnapped woman catching the attention of a powerful Alpha was considered fortunate, and because Gideon had looked at me differently, they acted as though I'd won some wonderful prize.

I didn't bother arguing with her.

My body was worn out, and all I wanted was to close my eyes and wake up somewhere else. After the servant left, I forced down a few bites before lying down. The screams outside slowly faded, and despite my efforts to stay awake, I soon fell into a deep sleep.

The same servant woke me the following morning.

She had brought breakfast, but the excitement she'd shown yesterday was gone.

"Alpha Gideon didn't ask for you."

My heart skipped.

"He didn't choose you after all."

For the first time since arriving here, relief flooded through me.

Maybe Gideon really had meant what he'd said.

"But you're not free."

My relief faded.

"Lord Balthazar has another buyer. You're being presented to him this morning."

My stomach dropped.

Another buyer.

Of course.

Gideon's interest changed nothing. I was still merchandise waiting to be bought.

Two guards arrived shortly afterward. I was ordered to get up and follow them, and this time I didn't waste my strength fighting. The punishments I'd witnessed through the window were still fresh in my mind.

We had barely made it downstairs when a commotion erupted near the entrance.

A guard hurried into the main building and went straight to Balthazar.

"Lord Balthazar, someone has arrived."

Balthazar frowned. "Who?"

I stopped walking.

The guard glanced toward the surrounding guards before stepping closer and whispering into his ear. Whatever he said wiped the frown from Balthazar's face. His gaze immediately found me, and the satisfaction spreading across his face made my chest tighten.

"Forget the other buyer."

He pointed toward me.

"Take her back. Wash her properly and get her ready."

The guards immediately turned me around.

Balthazar's voice followed us up the stairs.

"Bring her to the main building when you're done."

My heart began pounding again, fear twisting painfully in my stomach.

Gideon hadn't selected me yesterday. He had simply walked away.

So why had Balthazar suddenly changed his mind?

Heavy footsteps approached the door, and my blood ran cold.

Whoever was on the other side of that door, I had a feeling my life was about to change again.