Useless object at the flea market.

“Just a minute, I'm on the phone!” Seth called out, and the knocking stopped.

Whoever stood in front of her front door seemed to be patient enough to wait. Besides, if the person would be in such a hurry - they'd keep knocking with the same force as before.

Thankfully, now, she had enough time to sneak back to the bathroom and look for the phone number.

Seth's index finger swiped through the contact list like lightning, finally reaching the one she needed and double-tapping on the screen.

She let out a deep breath and placed the device next to her ear, getting an answer after one signal.

“Kitten,” Luciano's deep voice sent shivers down her spine.

Seth used to laugh whenever someone spoke about butterflies in their stomachs, but tables had turned for her. If she ever had those butterflies, by now, they were a full-blown army, starting an atomic war in her insides.

The reason why she had to call the Alpha crushed whatever sensations Seth felt - reminding her that they had a problem to discuss.

“Don't you start to kitten me! Luciano, I'm calling you only because of a serious matter, don't get too high in your damn head.” Seth snarled, attempting to sound threatening.

The situation pissed her off beyond limits, but she knew that Luciano would manage to call her cute or adorable even if she tried to claw his eyes out.

That man had lower standards than a trash panda.

“I'm all yours, kitten. Attention? You got it, baby. Someone who listens? Darn, I'll listen to every single rant of yours. Or is my kitten feeling a little naughty? Damn it,” Seth could hear his sudden, sharp intake of breath.

It almost felt as if Luciano paused his words intentionally, testing Seth and her limits. “I wish I were there right now, but you still have a couple of hours to wait. However, I could guide you; some playtime could be equally as fun. Why don't you undress for daddy? I don't mind a visual proof if you'd like to send daddy something to look forward to.” The smirk playing on his lips was way too obvious.

He was so full of himself that his attitude could make many Alphas pale in front of him.

“You sick, narrow-minded prick! I don't need your attention, I don't want you to listen to my rants, and I do not, by any means, feel anything close to being naughty. You're not getting photos even if I'm six feet under, and the police decide to leak the photos. If anything, I'm absolutely pissed! You should be happy that I decided to give you a call instead of leaving you fucking hanging!” Seth wanted to grab her hair and pull on it in frustration.

She made the call to set things straight, not to argue with the man again. Lord knows that the Alpha was a new level of sick - the arguments they had turned him on.

“Slow down, kitten. The fuck is wrong with you? What did I do?” His voice became a little rougher, yet he avoided raising it.

The Alpha was doing his best to work on his temper, and Seth had to notice how big of progress he had made thus far. Everyone knew how explosive the cat shifter was, and it didn't go hand in hand with the stern wolf.

One of them had to compromise, and since Luciano was the one who wanted the relationship to work - he was eager to put more work into whatever Seth wouldn't like about him.

The only problem was that all of his improvement was made based on assumptions; he never asked if she liked particular things about him or disliked any.

“Did you buy me?” Seth questioned Luciano.

Unlike before, her voice sounded weak. She didn't strike for victory; she felt more vulnerable than she ever had been, especially with such a difficult topic to discuss.

“Excuse me?” Seth knew that Luciano might be confused or act as if he had no idea what she was talking about at one point.

It didn't matter if he lied or tried to cover for himself. Unless she had real proof - Seth didn't want to accuse anyone. However, if Luciano admitted that he did, she had no idea how she'd react.

Deep down, she hoped it was nothing but a lie, but she'd never know what was happening behind her back if she acted as she knew nothing about that rumor. It was believable that her father sold her off, but the part about Luciano was still as doubtful as it could be.

“Did you or did you not give my father money?” Seth repeated herself, attempting to sound somewhat aggressive.

For as much as she knew - there was no other way to show Luciano how serious she was if not acting out.

“Excuse me? Could you elaborate?” His words made her feel a little hopeful.

Perhaps the Alpha had no idea what was happening, and her father spread a false rumor?

But then again, how could he know about Luciano? Darn it, how could he find out that Seth was close to a wolf if even the Council members didn't notice them sneaking around?

“Luciano, did you buy me off my father to wed me afterward?” Seth held her breath.

At this point, she had no idea if she wanted to know the truth. It was like she wanted the answer to be no, but didn't want to hear a word if the truth was close to confession.

“Well, I wouldn't quite use the same words as you did. I'd probably think of another way to describe the whole situation, but there is a lot more you should know. Please, stop accusing me before knowing even half of the truth,” the Alpha didn't waste even a second to speak up.

Seth tried to process his words, tears filling her eyes. Maybe it was better if she didn't call him and ignore all the news Anton shared? Living in denial? Seth felt like she was drowning, and someone forcefully held her down the water.

“What is this nonsense about half of the truth now? The question was simple enough to answer with a yes or no. So, did you give him money?” She knew the answer already, but asking again was the only thing Seth could do.

She went too far; there was no way back - either he spoke the truth, or she ignored every other red flag and ended up to be the one, left heartbroken.

“Kitten,” Luciano let out a deep sigh.

Seth could picture the frustration written all over his facial features. The way he furrowed his brows and brought a palm to his eyes, shielding himself from the truth. The vivid image of him biting onto his bottom lip whenever the Alpha felt worried or stressed was burned into her mind.

“Yes, I did, but again…”

She couldn't listen - not anymore. Luciano admitted the one thing she hoped wouldn't be real, crushing everything within Seth.

“I can't believe you could actually do something like that; I just can't. You, of all people. Whatever it was, between us, it's over; I'm done. Don't come looking for me because you won't find me unless I want to. And for your information - I don't.”

Crying, running away wherever he wouldn't be near was easy. Announcing that she would leave, however, was difficult. Seth wouldn't crawl back to the Alpha unless there was a serious reason, and if she let Luciano come near now - it felt as if he'd get a short cut.

All this time, he had acted as if he had some type of ownership over Seth, and his actions only proved that he technically did.

“Will you let me explain?” Luciano snapped, yelling at the frustrated woman.

The reaction wasn't the one he had planned, but Seth had to know why he did the things he did. Not only did the Alpha pay her father to leave them alone, but also because it'd be easier to make her his legally.

Sure, there was a selfish reason for him to take the step, but that wouldn't be a bit he would confess. All she had to know was that the puma leader would erase himself from her life.

“For how long?” Demon added.

The wolf was absolutely against the idea Luciano had while Seth was hiding from him.
Demon warned Luciano that his doing wouldn't end well, not that someone would listen to thoughts of a wolf.

“Sure, keep ignoring me, go ahead. Wait till she finds the papers if someone hasn't managed to leak those yet. Do you remember what they said? There was nothing about him, leaving her alone. Officially and legally, you bought her as your bride, idiot. Seth isn't stupid, even if you lied and said you didn't give that man any money - she would find out sooner or later. I'll gladly watch the worlds collide as you rage after she cuts you out completely. My opinion - you deserve that, moron. I adore that woman, but I would never tie her to someone as dumb as you are. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't bring such suffering even upon my greatest enemies.”

After voicing his thoughts, the wolf faded. Since Luciano signed that document and transferred the money, he and Demon have had quite a rocky road together.

Luciano thought he was doing the right thing while his wolf disagreed. Throwing his money into a pit that greedy man called his wallet wouldn't buy Seth's feelings or happiness.

“Explain what? Perhaps the fact that everyone in the puma pack is aware of a wolf buying me as his bride? Or the fact that my own father was more than happy to take your money without asking what I wanted? The time we spent together was fun, but that's where we draw the line. I don't care anymore, no matter what your excuse might be. And you know why? Because there is no excuse to buy a person, you did that, Luciano, you bought me! Just because you have money, it doesn't mean that you can use it to your advantage in the vilest ways possible. If only you could be man enough and give me enough time to understand what was the thing I truly wanted instead of acting behind my back. If only you didn't make me feel like a useless object at the flea market. Goodbye, Luciano.”

Seth's voice shook in both pain and anger. There was no way to explain how she truly felt - after facing his doings, she didn't see any reason to keep on fighting.

Four men surrounded her, all of them showing interest in her and taking hers. It was her life, future on the line, not just a couple of fun nights here and there.

Seth truly wanted to be with one of those men, but she feared that all of them would let her down, one by one.

“No, kitten, wait - you're not useless! You're the most precious woman that has ever walked into my life; please don't do this to me. Don't do this to us.” Luciano wasn't sure if it was him or Demon begging her.

All he knew was that he couldn't give up, even after fucking up this bad. Seth was a woman like none - others threw themselves at Alphas, while there was no way to get Seth quickly. She was worth the effort and all obstacles he had to step over.

“I'll give you a call if something changes, but for now, please don't look for me. Don't waste your time - I need space, and so do you.” Seth ended the call and turned off her phone.

She washed her face to hide any trace of tears and left the bathroom. She was breaking apart, but there still was someone waiting on her. Just because she faced personal problems didn't mean that she had the right to ignore or disrespect others.

She opened the door with a smile on her face. Seth soon noticed that there wasn't one person to wait on her - two men stood in front of the guesthouse. Dominic and Ryder grinned at her.

“What are you guys doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the games?” She was surprised, but probably not as much as she should be.

Her life was a mess, and every other day a new wave of shocking events washed over her. By now, she managed to get used to surprises.

“Well, we decided to visit you? You know, since you haven't been around for a while - we had to snoop around a little to find out where you went,” Ryder scratched the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly.

“We spied on some Council members to find out where you are. Ryder here is trying to make us look better in your eyes. Anyway, we dropped out of the competition to come here and see you.” Dominic stated, keeping his hands inside pockets, leaning against the doorframe.

“What, why?” Seth wanted to slap some sense in both men, but first - she had to know their reason for dropping out.

Everyone knew how important the games were to Alphas, especially ones with a Royal background. It seemed insane - Ryder didn't get to prove himself before he left the competition. What was wrong with them?

“We had reasons?” Ryder avoided meeting Seth's eyes. He kept acting way too suspiciously, making her roll her eyes.

“Alright, we're grown enough to speak the truth; stop acting like a pussy, buddy. Women don't like men who act like girls, okay?” Dominic bumped his shoulder against Ryders and turned his attention back to Seth.

“We are here because we placed a bet, and obviously, none can win if our prize escapes. We're both interested in you, so we came up with a brilliant plan. Ryder and I want to invite you to a lake house owned by my family. Only a week - that's all we're asking for. Instead of doing shady shit, we thought that asking you out on dates and proving that we are suitable will make everything easier. As the week goes by, you'll have the right to choose which man takes you out on a date and even where, if you want to. We will have some alone time, and some evenings by the campfire. You're not obligated to sleep with anyone, but we have no right to stand in the way if you decide to. If you want to spend the night with Ryder, I can't object and vice versa. We will do anything you want for a week, so take it as a great vacation with friends. I know this is kind of shady, but again - this is way better than any other secretive thing. We promise to avoid putting pressure on you regarding choosing any of us. Ryder and I agreed to stay friends if you don't feel like we are not suitable for you.”