Forbidden by Liliana Carlisle
CHAPTER 28
AMELIA
You will survive this.
I chant the words in my head as Vanya leads me down a dark hallway and opens the door to a dressing room. A vanity sits in the corner with cosmetics and perfumes littered on the counter.
“You will sit here,” she orders. “And wait until I come get you.”
“Please don’t do this,” I whisper to her, one last desperate plea.
She raises her eyebrow in disbelief and snorts at me.
“Stupid girl,” she chuckles, then shuts the door behind her, the lock clicking into place.
I collapse in the chair and study my reflection.
The dress she put me in leaves little to the imagination. A black corset top pushes my chest out obscenely and makes my waist pencil thin. The skirt of the dress, a sheer black lace, barely covers my bottom.
Vanya smoked my eyes in black kohl and painted my lips a dark red. She also curled my hair, and it cascades down my shoulders in subtle waves.
I look like an escort.
I put my head down, fighting the tears that threaten to spill.
You will survive this.
A speaker crackles to life over my head, and my mouth opens in horror as I hear the announcement.
“Omega…eighteen years…”
Numbers are read off quickly, and the male announcer’s voice keeps escalating, speaking in different languages until finally—
“SOLD!”
There’s a shrill cry, followed by roars.
“Omega…virgin…SOLD!”
More cries. More cheers.
Different announcements in numerous languages.
I don’t have time to process what I’m hearing. I sit in shock until Vanya opens the door, snapping her fingers.
“Omega. Up. Your turn.”
But I can’t move. My body won’t cooperate. I’m frozen to the chair, my mouth hanging open as she commands me again.
Then she produces her weapon, and I hop out of my seat.
“You’re a strong girl,” she comments as we walk down the hall. “You don’t cry and scream like the others.”
I remain silent as she leads me to the back of the stage, placing me in line with two other Omegas. Both are sobbing, their cries muffled by gags.
Behind the side of the curtain, I catch a glimpse of the audience.
I’m frozen in terror, despite every instinct to run.
The audience is full of male Alphas, all wearing black masks. Their faces are indiscernible, just one blur of bloodthirsty stares.
It’s a nightmare.
“Omega, eighteen years old! Lesbian!”
Laughter fills the audience, and the Omega in front of me doubles over, shaking.
One by one, they’re sold to the highest bidder. They’re dragged out of the theatre, their screams echoing until they fade into nothingness.
Finally, it’s my turn.
Vanya shoves me to the front of the stage, the spotlights illuminating me. The crowd falls silent, and I stare into the eyes of hundreds of unknown men.
“A rare one, indeed!” The Beta announcer says into his microphone. He stands next to me and waves a hand across my body. “Twenty-four years old, gents.”
A few growls of approval fill the air, and I’ve never felt more exposed.
“Never had a Heat!”
The room erupts in cheers and whoops, Alphas standing up to roar in excitement.
You will survive this.
Their arousal is overwhelming as it hits my nostrils. It’s a dissonant chord, every one of their fragrances blending together into something intolerable.
I squeeze my eyes shut and whimper, which only makes them rowdier.
“Turn around,” the auctioneer orders, slapping my ass. “Show them what they’re buying.”
Humiliated, I spin around quickly, fighting the shameful tears that fill my eyes.
“With a college degree!”
More laughter.
My womb clenches involuntarily.
Oh no.
The pain from before reappears, onstage.
You will NOT go into Heat now.
The bidding starts, and it’s all I can do to stand still and clench my fists together.
Please, not now.
“One hundred, two hundred, three hundred thousand!” The auctioneer yells.
My skin overheats as the number rises.
“Four hundred, five hundred—”
My clit throbs and I grit my teeth to keep from screaming.
“Six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred—”
Slick dribbles out of me, down my thighs, and onto the floor of the scuffed black stage.
“SOLD FOR ONE MILLION!”
A roar shatters the air, piercing my eardrums. I’m ushered off the stage, practically tumbling into the arms of a masked Alpha.
And just like the other Omegas, I scream and fight.
But the Alphas in the audience just clap and whistle, cheering on the man who bought me.
His hand on my arm is immovable. He shuffles me quickly down the aisles and out of the theater, into the main hall.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
Shock kicks in, along with the pain of my Heat. It takes me a moment to register what’s happening.
There are shouts and roars as bullets whizz past me, small holes exploding into the walls of the theatre.
Like last time, I think, as the Alpha pulls me to his side, shielding me with his massive body.
Well, at least he’s thoughtful.
I finally catch his scent, mixed between my fear and confusion.
It’s incredible.
Even in the chaos, between the yelling and buzzing in my ears, I marvel at his aroma.
It was made for me.
He growls something to me, but I can’t quite make out the words as I drown in his essence of pepper, oak, and smoke.
My mouth waters.
I moan, and he curses under his breath.
“We have to move,” he barks, and for a moment, I swear I recognize the low voice.
But my senses are overwhelmed. I’m barely coherent.
He shoves me into a room down the hallway. I stumble into a chair, staring at his masked face in confusion.
“Do not open this door,” he growls. “For anyone.”
I look up at his face, catching blue eyes and blonde hair.
It makes me miss Jakob.
He slams the door behind him, and I burst into tears.