Page 4 of His Sold Fated Mate

“The bidding goes for ten thousand dollars.”

My eyes widened even more, and I watched as paddles started to go up.

“What the fu…” I whispered to myself, completely frozen.

She stood in the middle of the stage, her eyes looking around, almost afraid. A part of me felt a tug to protect her, but I knew better. I couldn’t think about that. I had to think about the pack rather than whatever mess she’d gotten herself into.

“Twelve thousand dollars.”

“Thirteen thousand…”

I turned and spotted a paddle stash by the door. I walked over and grabbed a paddle.

“Fifteen thousand…”

I turned and held my paddle up. “Twenty thousand.” My voice echoed around the space, and I watched her eyes snap toward me.

I felt that tug deep in my chest differently from before. I raised an eyebrow, waiting to see if anyone would counter, but none did.

“Sold,” the man said, waving a hand. He gave me a disgusting smile. “Come claim your prize.”

Chapter 2 - Aubrey

I stepped out of the shower, still sore from the lack of sleep. This hotel room smelled of Chinese takeout and cigars, but at least Mike wouldn’t know I was here.

I propped myself onto the bed and pulled the towel off my head. I glanced at myself in the mirror, unable to stop the cringe. I had lost weight, and my skin had paled over the past month. I shouldn’t be surprised since I’d been jumping from one hotel to the next. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stayed outside and basked in the sun. I felt like I was becoming a hermit.

I felt my throat go dry thinking about how different my life was just a year ago. I’d been happy and healthy. I had a job I loved and an apartment that was my own. And then I met Mike.

Mike, the guy who destroyed everything.

I turned around and grabbed my brush, running it through my hair. I found myself missing my long hair. I’d chopped it two weeks ago, hoping it would help keep Mike from finding me.

I was at a loss for what to do at this point. I had no family to reach out to. I had no job anymore since Mike fucked me out of it. I had nothing. I was scraping the bottom of the barrel.

I shook my head and tossed the towel aside. I turned and flipped the TV on. I pulled the sheets up and heard a knock at the door. I turned, but before I could even reach it, the door was thrown open.

My entire body stiffened as I stared at Mike. He was a tall, skinny man with deep black hair. He had tattoos that covered most of his body. He had that biker vibe, which had drawn me to him at first. That was all before I knew how deep in debt he was.

He shut the door behind him and tilted his head. “So, this is where you’ve been staying.”

I swallowed. “No, not really.” I glanced toward the door and back at him. “How did you get in here?”

He waved a key, and I scowled. “Isn’t that against the law?”

He gave me a shrug and grabbed a chair, setting it in front of the door. He sat down in it. “Nice hair.”

I crossed my arms, trying to keep myself together. “Mike, just let me go.”

He shook his head. “You don’t get to just run off in the middle of the night. Do you have any idea how hard it was to find you?”

“We broke up.”

“No, you broke up,” he countered.

“I left because you hit me!” I snapped.

He almost winced, but he’d always been good at flipping the script. Each time he’d hit me, he’d apologize. Or, he hit me because I pushed him to react. Mike was good at making you think you were crazy.