Chapter 2 : Afraid

I woke up in a cage—not a cell, but an actual cage built for some oversized bird. It had that classic dome shape on top with crisscrossing bars along the sides. There was a wire door just barely wide enough to squeeze through if it were open. From the scratches covering my hands, it looked like I''d been shoved through pretty roughly.

I was still wearing my black scrubs, though they were only damp now instead of soaking wet, so some time had definitely passed.

The cage sat in a dimly lit basement. All around me were other girls in identical cages. Most were either sleeping or knocked out—probably chloroformed like I''d been. I called out to a red-haired girl with freckles in the cage next to mine. She was one of the few who was actually awake. Her fearful green eyes met mine.

"Hey! Do you know where we are?" I asked, fighting back tears. I needed to stay focused if I was going to figure out how to get out of this mess.

She sniffled—she''d been crying. "In the holding bay," she said, her tone way more informed than I''d expected.

"Do you know why we''re here?" I gripped the bars of my cage.

"For the auction," she said matter-of-factly.

"I''m Orchid," I said, hoping that introducing myself might get her to open up more. She clearly knew what was going on.

"Rose," she replied.

"We''re both flowers," I said softly, trying to find some connection.

She gave me a sad smile. "We''ve been plucked," she joked, reaching for humor even in this nightmare. I liked her immediately.

I managed a smile back. "Hopefully we don''t wilt."

I took a deep breath. "Who would buy us?" I asked, dreading the answer.

She looked at me strangely and moved closer. That''s when I noticed the thick silver collar around her neck—it looked like it was irritating her skin. Her eyes went wide and she gasped.

"You''re human," she whispered, staring at my bare neck.

Chills ran down my spine. "Of course I am," I said automatically. "What else would I be?"

The girl burst into wild, hysterical laughter like she''d completely lost it for a second. Then she pulled herself together.

"I''m... not. And neither are the buyers," she said.

Ice ran through my veins.

"What are they?" I breathed. Was she trying to scare me? Was this some sick joke? This was definitely not the time for pranks.

"Werewolves," she said simply.

Now it was my turn to laugh. I giggled, then laughed harder, my shoulders shaking.

"That''s not funny," I said, even though I was still laughing. The same craziness that had hit Rose was creeping into me too.

"Orchid, this is an auction where werewolves buy girls," she said, keeping up her act. I leaned back against my cage.

"The buyers are the richest and most powerful wolves—pack leaders from the biggest, most brutal packs. The girls aren''t usually picked randomly. Most have been specially ordered by some Alpha who has specific requirements. The girls are usually from small, defenseless packs, or poor families, or they''re rogues and runaways. Most of us are she-wolves. I''ve heard of humans being sold too, but you''re the first human I''ve actually met," Rose explained.

She had one hell of an imagination, even in her breakdown. I stared at her in amazement and decided to play along.

"Rose, how long have you been here?" I asked.

"About a week, maybe," she said.

My heart sank. A door opened above us at the top of some stone steps, letting more light into the basement. I recognized the gray-eyed man immediately. I glared at him. He was wearing an eye patch now. Despite everything, I felt a small spark of satisfaction.

He looked around the room as he came down the stairs. When he spotted me, he smiled like a predator.

He walked over to my cage. "Payback''s a bitch, and so are you," he said.

I glared back, putting every ounce of hatred I had into that look.

He opened the cage and yanked me roughly through the narrow opening.

"Ow!" I screamed as a loose wire scraped across my cheek.