Plus-Size Auctioned Mate (Willow Island Mates #3)

Chapter 1 - Zane

It would be a stretch to call the Willow island peaceful, but if anything, it has been quiet ever since Dawson dropped and Hayes took over the pack.

Since then, it’s almost like the whole island has been holding its breath. Alliances have been subtly shifting, wolves are talking, and everyone’s waiting for the new Voss Alpha to make his first real move.

It’s not uncommon for a son to take over after his Alpha father is suddenly killed, but at the same time, he didn’t acquire power just to sit on it. He can’t be trusted, and we all know that.

Standing on the edge of the Ashford wharf, I look back at the island across the water to the shores of Coldreach.

The salty air tries to cut through my jacket, but my natural warmth keeps me well protected.

Regardless of the usual musty smell of the ocean, I can still pick up the unease even from here.

With the island in front of me and the city behind me, it feels strange coming back. Ashford became my home for quite some time, and it served as my escape from Wraith Peak. Even if I don’t love the city bustle, it’s refreshing in a way.

Before I can dwell on it for too long, my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I don’t need to check to know it’s likely one of the guys. That’s the fourth call in the last hour, and I let it continue until it fades out.

The others are back with their respective groups, save for Hunter and Dominic, who have been here and there wherever they’re needed for the time being. Last I saw, they were back in Coldreach again, trying their hand at damage control in their own ways.

Between gathering intel, talking between packs, and keeping an eye on Wraith Peak activity, we’ve been trying to keep the situation from detonating into a full-blown war.

We’ve seen enough conflict already, and keeping our business away from the humans has been enough of a hassle.

But knowing how the Voss family operates, Hayes won’t be one to avoid bloodshed. He’ll calculate how he can use it to his advantage and see just how far it will get him.

Lately, something has been off, and not just with him.

Facing the nearby apartment buildings and warehouses, I pull in a deep breath, catching the same cluster of scents I’ve been after for several hours now. It’s faint, but there, and it’s enough to tell me roughly what I’m working with.

At first, I thought I was dealing with a new pack that had been moving between Ashford and the island, but now I know that isn’t the case.

It’s a mix of wolves, likely from different packs but working together for some reason. That’s what sets them apart, and I need to know why they’re doing it.

Whether they’re true rogues or operating behind the backs of their Alphas, it doesn’t matter. Their mingling will more than likely be for a dangerous reason, not an innocuous one.

From what I’ve gathered already, they’ve been careful enough not to set off alarms with the others. They’ve been moving at odd hours, masking their trail as well as they can, and never stopping long enough for me to catch them. At least, not until now.

Straightening my back, I catch more scents, but focus on the important ones for now. Still, I hesitate before moving.

Something in me knows I should be back with the others, helping to strategize and talk through our next steps, but instead, I’m here, tracking these wolves that have been grating on my nerves lately.

At the very least, focusing on them and their potential motives hasn’t given me much time to focus on the one thing I’ve been avoiding on purpose.

Dawson.

But even before the name can settle in too deeply, I push it away and keep following the trail ahead of me through the buildings.

If I stop moving and focusing on something tangible, then I’ll have to sit with the memories that came with him as my previous Alpha.

Even after years of being on my own, seeing his body lying in the soil while the smell of his blood clung to the air after his fight with Luke made something curdle in me, and the image has stuck with me in ways I never expected it to.

It’s like the faintest flicker of allegiance never fully left, even though I did.

I can’t afford to lose my focus. Not while I’m right behind them.

After catching the last ferry for the day, night has settled in fully now, blanketing the city in shadows and signs that seem dull in comparison to my concentration.

Ashford is not only the mainland where the military operates, but also the kind of place where people can hide with very little effort and where secrets fade into obscurity. It’s too big to fully control, and too busy to keep track of what slips through the cracks.

Grateful for my years of service now, as I slip easily within the darkness, I move like I have every reason to be here. When there’s a crowd, I blend in, and when I’m on my own again, I don’t leave room for questions or curiosity.

The scent trail strengthens as I get closer to the industrial district full of old warehouses and abandoned lots just sitting and waiting.

Slowly, I approach a large, unmarked building that seems like nothing from the outside. To a human, they wouldn’t be able to look past the rusted doors and broken windows. They wouldn’t hear the music and the voices coming from inside.

That low hum speaks of too many bodies packed into a space that shouldn’t be occupied at all, and my jaw tightens.

Circling the building once, I keep myself pressed to the walls and out of sight. I catch sight of two guards at the main entrance, milling around like they don’t know what’s happening inside, but given their scents, they’re shifters too.

Avoiding them, I slip around to the side and find a secondary entrance. It’s locked, but with some time and a bit of finesse, I work the lock undone, and before long, I’m inside.

The smell of sweat, alcohol, and money hits me first, then comes the fear, fresh and rolling through the place in suffocating waves.

My vision sharpens as I step into the main room, and for a second, I assume I must’ve misread the situation, but then I see the stage, and everything inside me goes still as the reality of it sets in.

Individuals, both men and women, are brought out one by one in chains and paraded around the stage while others place their bids, observing the people on display like objects with satisfaction.

It’s an auction.

It’s disgusting.

Gritting my teeth, I squeeze my hands down at my sides to suppress the instincts screaming at me to tear the place apart. Just watching them be strutted around, expressions ranging from blank to furious to broken, it sets off a low, burning rage in me.

Not only is it illegal, but it’s also a bold, unrepentant move from wolves willing to traffic others across pack lines and to present them like objects to everyone else.

It’s hard to say what exactly the clientele is, or what their associations might be, but judging by the crowd, I have the feeling they’ve been doing this for a while.

Scanning the room, I force myself to stay in control and to focus on gathering intel. I might’ve gone off on this mission alone, but that doesn’t mean I’m prepared to return empty-handed.

Losing my mind here won’t help anyone. I need information—I need to understand who’s behind this, and just how far they’re willing to go.

But before I can even do that, I go completely still once my gaze lands on her.

Standing just off the stage, I catch that vaguely familiar scent of hers, and after a moment, she’s guided across the stage just like the others.

Naia.

For a moment, I assume I’m imagining it and that my mind is just playing tricks on me, pulling a ghost from my past to distract me from the horrors around me. But it’s not a trick, and it’s not an illusion. It’s her.

Regardless of how much time has passed, I can still see the girl who used to sit with me at the edge of Wraith Peak territory in her, telling me things she couldn’t tell anyone else. She was the girl who trusted me when I did nothing to earn it.

From under the lights, her dark hair falls over her shoulders, and her eyes are blazing with unmistakable fury and defiance.

These people caught her one way or another, but she’s not even close to being helpless or broken, for that matter.

What the hell is she doing here?

I take her in completely, searching for injuries or anything beyond her restraints. I can’t pick up on anything, but I know there has to be something keeping her wolf buried and stopping her from fighting back. She’d be dangerous otherwise.

She had been full of fire back before I left, but when I saw her again in Coldreach just a few months ago, it seemed like an understatement.

All the while I watch her move across the stage, catching the attention of the crowd, those memories collide with me all over again, and I can’t shake the distant sound of her laughter or the way she would glare at me when I teased her.

Despite the several years between us, she was always fearless while she sat next to me and told me all about her family. About the pressure, the expectations, and the things she couldn’t escape despite wanting to at times.

It made me dread the day I left, even though it was the most important day to me.

Even when she asked me not to, I did anyway. I went away, and I never looked back. But now, it’s like that decision is staring right back at me.

The guilt flickers before settling in my chest, and it takes some effort to push it aside. There’s no time for that when she’s here, and she’s about to be sold.

Like hell.

“Next up, we have a rare one,” the auctioneer says, voice cutting through the noise. When the crowd’s attention shifts again, he smiles. “This one comes from a strong bloodline…Wraith Peak origins, so I’m told.”

Naia stiffens as she’s spoken about like nothing more than a piece of furniture, and she lifts her chin slightly.

Despite the faint shadow of confusion in her eyes, like she doesn’t entirely know how she ended up here, she knows what this is and what this could mean for her.

Before I can second-guess it, I move, drawing closer to the crowd, consequences be damned.

Maybe I should be considering what this might mean in relation to Hayes, the packs, and the fragile balance we’re trying to maintain…but right now, none of that seems to matter.

Positioning myself to have a clear line of sight, I watch as the auctioneer gestures toward her. “She’ll make a fine addition to any collection,” he continues. “We’ll start the bidding at—”

“Five hundred thousand.”

My voice cuts through the room without hesitation, and the silence that follows is near deafening.

Then, the murmurs ripple around me, and interest spikes.

Of course it does, given how valuable Wraith Peak wolves can be, especially to those who might take immense pleasure in seeing one suffer, regardless of what that might entail.

And with Hayes as their new Alpha, if anyone makes the connection of who she is, her value skyrockets.

When Naia’s eyes find me, something flickers across her features. I can’t tell if she can even see me through the lights, but I can only assume the notion of being bid on isn’t a comfortable one.

“Well…an eager bidder,” the auctioneer says after a brief recovery. He grins. “Do I hear six?”

“Six hundred,” someone calls from the left side of the room.

“Eight hundred.”

As the numbers climb quickly, it’s like an electric current is running through me, more on edge than I ever have been, and that’s saying something.

But even as I hold myself back just enough to see how it all progresses, ready to outbid them at any moment, I catch on to the fact that these people aren’t afraid to throw down big sums of money. They have wealth and power, and they want her.

With every bid, something bordering on desperation coils up tighter in my chest, and I can feel those eyes on me each time I counter with a higher number.

I know they’re assessing and calculating, and likely trying to figure out who the hell I am, but I keep my expression neutral and as unbothered as I can make it. I hold it all down like I’m not ready to burn this entire operation to the ground if things go sideways.

I had no intentions of bidding on anyone tonight, but I can’t let Naia fall into the hands of just anyone. I don’t trust these people.

“One million,” I say, not ignorant of the way the room goes quiet again.

“Do I hear higher?”

Given the auctioneer’s expression, he’s having a field day with this.

“One point two,” someone throws out.

My face hardens, knowing I’m pushing far higher than I should be, but I can’t bring myself to care.

“Two million.”

As a collective murmur spreads through the crowd, a bit more interested in me than Naia now, I know I have their attention.

When the other man hesitates, I’m banking on him pushing higher, but after a beat, only silence follows.

“Sold!”

The word echoes in my ears, sounding almost surreal after how hard I was determined to win this.

Just like that, she’s mine...well, not mine, but safe for now, at least.

With a slow exhale, the tension gradually lessens, and I urge my heart to calm. Even if I managed to secure her after all, that doesn’t mean my work is anywhere near done.

As Naia stands there on stage, fighting between defiance and sheer disbelief, I brace myself for what comes next.

This isn’t over. Not even close.