“Your daughter is worth quite a fortune. How much are you willing to give her up for? She’d make a fine gift for a nobleman.” The man’s voice dripped with arrogance, his lips curling into a smug grin.
The woman, Luna’s mother, shifted her gaze to her child—her expression cold and distant. “I didn’t even want this child!” she spat, her voice laced with bitterness. “Look at her, with that strange hair and those freakish eyes. How could she possibly be mine?” She sneered and ran her fingers through her luxurious white hair, leaning across the counter to show off her sharp blue eyes to the salesman. “Do you see the difference, sir? She looks nothing like me.”
The salesman flinched at the woman's sudden breach of his personal space but quickly regained his composure, his impatience simmering beneath the surface. “I don’t care about her looks, lady. Just tell me how much you're selling her for. Stop wasting my time.”
The woman paused, calculating. “Fine. I’ll sell her for... five silver coins.” She held up five fingers, her excitement over the prospect of easy money betraying her cruel indifference.
The salesman blinked, dumbfounded by her ignorance. “Five coins? That’s all you—?” He cut himself off, a sly smile forming as he suppressed a chuckle. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
As Luna’s mother walked away, her steps light with relief, the salesman’s eyes gleamed. He had just secured a rare prize for a bargain. Both had gotten what they wanted.
The salesman turned to Luna, his tone shifting from smug to commanding. “Can you speak, child?”
I stayed silent, my lips pressed tightly together, fear rooting me in place.
“I asked you a question!” His voice rose sharply, his hand curling into a fist, ready to strike. But before his knuckles could find my skin, a shadowy figure emerged from behind him.
“Rowan,” a low, gravelly voice said, “you’re not supposed to damage the goods. It lowers their value.”
Rowan spun around, his frustration plain. “Damn it, Damon! Stop sneaking up on me like that!” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Damon, a tall man with a haunting presence, lowered his head in apology. “Sorry, boss.”
Rowan rubbed his temples, then pointed at me. “Take her to the back. Don’t let her out of your sight. If she escapes, you’ll wish you were never born.”
Damon gave a stiff nod and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me to the dimly lit back of the building. I was thrown into a cage so small I could barely move. Hours passed, maybe more. Time was meaningless in the suffocating darkness.
The Next Day
The jarring sound of metal against metal jolted me awake. Jingle, jingle, jingle. Rowan was rattling a cup against the bars of my cage. “Rise and shine, little rat. Breakfast’s here.” He tossed a plate of foul-smelling mush at my feet, grinning like a wolf. “Better eat while it’s hot.”
He began to leave, but then paused. Turning back slowly, his voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Oh, I almost forgot. We have a buyer coming today. So listen closely, because if you ruin this sale for me, I’ll make you regret every breath you take. Got it?”
I nodded quickly, heart pounding.
“Good. Now, don’t let me interrupt your little meal.” He laughed and left, his footsteps fading into the distance.
In the suffocating silence that followed, a soft voice broke through the darkness. “Hey... you. Kid.” It came from the cage opposite mine. Through the shadows, I could make out a girl with sharp, leopard-like features. Her golden eyes glowed faintly, and when she grinned, her mouth was full of pointed teeth.
“What’s your name?”
I tried to answer, but my throat was too dry, the words barely forming. “L... L...”
“Lu?” she guessed, her head tilting to the side in confusion.
I tried to continue pronouncing my name, but no words came out.
“Elize,” she said with a fierce pride, her voice low. “From the Leopard Tribe. Listen, kid. I’ve been here longer than most, and I’ve survived because I don’t break. That’s the trick. You can’t let them break you.” Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous intensity. “I’ve killed every master who thought they could own me. I end up back here, sure, but I keep fighting. And so will you.”
"Oh, and remember, if you ever end up back here, just know you'll always have someone to talk to," she says with a grin full of teeth.
Her words were a lifeline in the darkness, but doubt gnawed at me. I wasn’t like her. I had no strength. No fire. How could I fight?
I nodded, swallowing the fear that threatened to choke me.
Moments later, Rowan’s voice echoed through the building as he greeted someone. “Ah, Nobleman Augustine! Right this way. She’s the rare wolf hybrid I wrote to you about. Isn’t she something?”
A tall, imposing figure stepped into view, his presence suffocating. His voice was cold as ice. “Shut up, Rowan. I’ll decide if she’s worth my time. Take her out of the cage so I can examine her for disease and whatnot."
"Yes, of course, sir. Asshole," Rowan whispers to himself
"She is quite obedient. Most slaves would have made a break for it; those are the ones I like the most," Augustine licks his lips
His eyes glistened with dark intent, and my stomach turned with disgust. I wanted to disappear.
“So,” Rowan asked eagerly, wringing his hands, “will you take her?”
"Yes, I will buy her; she's a little too young to work at my brothel. No man would find pleasure in taking advantage of a slave so obedient, so I will put her to use working my fields of wheat for now until she is older, make sure she is chained up well.
They bound me tightly in chains—around my neck, my wrists, my ankles. Every movement felt like a struggle against suffocation. I was dragged outside and tied to the back of Augustine’s carriage like a dog. The streets of Ox Fort passed by in a blur. No one even glanced at me. It was as if I didn’t exist.
As the carriage dragged me, I didn't notice before, but my clothes had been completely torn and battered in the past few days. I was a little embarrassed walking through the streets of my small hometown, Ox Fort, with barely any clothes on. But no one seemed to pay attention to me, It was like this was a daily occurrence.
I was starting to feel like there was no hope left
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To be continued
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