I struggled to blink back tears as he pulled the thin robe off of my body, exposing me to the room full of alphas. Loud, lewd cheers erupted from the crowd and sent shivers up my spine. Even as the auctioneer jerked my head up, I kept my eyes down. My teeth clenched so hard around the gag in my mouth that my jaw ached and trembled. I tried to imagine myself being anywhere else, but the nagging burn of the silver shackles around my wrists and throat kept me grounded in the freezing room. The lump in my throat grew as I thought of the home I had left behind. Oblivious or uncaring of the distressed scent seeping out of my pores, the auctioneer grinned out at the sea of wolves. "Let's start the bidding, shall we?"