I stood frozen on the auction block, my heart pounding so violently I thought it might burst through my chest. The sheer fabric of my dress offered no protection against the predatory gazes fixed on me. Every bid felt like another nail in my coffin.
"Six point five million," someone shouted from the right.
"Seven million," countered another voice immediately.
The numbers kept rising, each one sealing my fate further. I tried to focus, to think of some way out, but fear had paralyzed my thoughts. My legs trembled beneath me, threatening to give way. The mate marks on my neck burned like fire, a cruel reminder of the triplets who might never find me now.
