JUSTICE
Justice
I was on my feet. Theo had gone off to look for Mackenzie, and there she was in the middle of the stage. She was not okay. This was not what she wanted. I spotted Rose backstage cackling.
Aria was reading off her stats, interesting tidbits about her. First of all, none of it was true. She didn’t have a BA in Communications. Second, gross. This whole concept of auctions was demeaning and disgusting. A part of our history we should never revisit.
I didn’t want to put any more pressure on Mackenzie by storming on stage and removing her myself.
Ren was suddenly at my side with Theo. The look on his face? I’d never seen anything like it before.
“Buy her,” he said.
“What?”
“Justice, please,” Theo begged.
“No, this is demeaning and gross. I’m not participating in this.”
Ren grabbed me by the back of the neck and turned my head. “That’s her ex-boyfriend and his pack. He groomed her and raped her.”
I searched for truth in Ren’s face. He wouldn’t lie about this. He’d push my buttons, tease me, enrage me. But that was not this.
“You can’t consent during heat.” Theo hissed.
Ren growled. “She went into heat. He invited his buddies over to help.”
“You don’t know what it’s like. You’re not one hundred percent there. You’ll say and do almost anything during heat.” The look of pain in Theo’s eyes. He’d known this the whole time.
“She was fourteen when they started dating. He was already an alpha. Sixteen when she perfumed,” Ren added. “He dumped her and left her with nothing. She doesn’t have a bank account.”
“She didn’t graduate high school. She doesn’t know how to drive.” I whispered. I closed my eyes and part of my world collapsed. It happened less and less now, but there were still alphas who sought out freshly perfumed omegas so they could train them up to be little more than toys.
I opened my eyes. That pack was high five’ing.
Abso-fucking-lutely not.
“Five thousand.” I called out.
Aria’s eyes slid to me and then to Mackenzie. “Justice Twill has entered the chat.” She held the mic away and whispered something to Mackenzie. Aria snaked an arm around her waist like they were packmates.
“Mmmmm,” she purred into the mic, “so boys, who wants a chance at beating Justice Twill and taking what he wants.”
Paddles went up all over the room.
“They have Disco. They’re gonna spike her drink and bite her when they win.” Ren simmered to me.
The word “mine” echoed through my head.
Ren’s hand was on my back. “Just. bring it down a notch.”
And Aria, being fucking Aria, was eating this up. Making alphas pay for their egos was her favorite sport.
Bob, from dinner, shot his paddle in the air for $8,000. Oh, my fucking God. I should have thrown him overboard.
“Oh Bob, is that seriously all you can do? Last quarter really that bad for you, baby?”
With each tease, with each taunt, a new paddle went up.
She pointed at one alpha. “Honey, sit down. Willow won’t let you sit next to another omega, let alone buy one. Even if it is for charity.”
She went around the room, picking on every alpha, hitting where it hurt most, their wallets. I looked up at Mackenzie. She had a stunned smile on her face, like she couldn’t quite believe what was happening. She even managed to laugh at Aria’s last insult.
I’d had enough. Mackenzie had had enough.
“Five hundred thousand.”
The room went dead silent.
“Oh, Justice does know how to make a girl wet.” She purred. “I’m throwing in a spa day for you and your pack.” She leaned heavily on the word “pack.” “Reservation tomorrow at nine. Don’t be late.”
She whispered something to Mackenzie and gave her a gentle nudge down the walkway.
I held my hand out to help her down the three little steps, surprised that they didn’t shake with the rage coursing through me. I wouldn’t even look at that pack’s table.
“Justice, what are you doing? That’s so much money,” she whispered.
“You missed dinner last night. And it’s no fun angry flirting if you’re not there.”
“Justice, seriously.” She pulled me to a stop.
“You’re beautiful.” I traced her bottom lip.
“Justice,” she tried again, but her voice was much more breathy.
“I’m hungry.” I kissed her knuckles and pulled her to our table. Theo took her other hand.
As we approached, Ren grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. He pressed against me and put his lips to my ear. “She hasn’t realized yet.”
“I know.” I slid my hand around his waist and turned him toward the exit, pushing him in front of me. “We need to not be here right now.”
After about a dozen feet or so, he paused and stepped aside, letting me get ahead of him. He slung his arm over Theo’s shoulder, like he was bringing up the rear. Weird.