"He was my first love. My first everything. I did everything he wanted. I messed up lives for him. I brought down girls for him. I turned into a monster because he told me to."

The tears flowed freely.

"And now he’s going to kill me for that," Selina sobbed. "For being loyal. For doing what he wanted."

Maksim wrapped his arms around her. "You’re not alone. I won’t let him hurt you."

Selina buried her face in his chest, crying harder.

But beneath those tears and her broken voice, her mind was working.

Playing Maksim was easy. He wanted to think she was weak, that she needed him to protect her.

So she gave him what he wanted.

But the tears were real.

Because Alpha Dark had used her, manipulated her, and turned her into someone she couldn’t stand.

Deep down, under all the acting, Selina hated herself.

She hated what she’d become.

She hated that she had been part of trafficking those girls.

She hated that she deserved every awful thing coming her way.

Leo deserved better.

Leo deserved someone good. Someone clean. Not someone like her.

Someone who hadn’t ruined lives. Not a monster like her.

"You’ve got me," Maksim murmured, stroking her hair. "You’re not alone in this world. I’ll protect you."

Selina nodded against his chest.

I hate you both. You turned me into this. But I will get out. One day. Even if it costs me my life.

*****

In his room across town, Leo was at his desk with headphones on.

On his screen, there were sound waves, live transcriptions, and a video feed from a hidden camera.

He was tuning in to every word that Maksim and Selina were saying.

He’d been listening for weeks, wanting to make sure she was safe and to keep them from finding her.

He heard Selina crying.

It hurt his chest.

Because he knew a lot of what she said was just manipulation; she was playing Maksim to gain his trust for later.

But her tears were real.

The self-hatred was genuine.

The pain was true.

Leo wanted to save her.

He wanted to get her out of that life and tell her she didn’t have to be what they had made her.

But he also understood she wasn’t ready yet.

Good things take time.

Saving Selina was going to need some patience.

"Just hang in there," Leo whispered. "I’m coming for you."

Selina kept crying.

And Leo was there for every second of it.

*****

Back at the warehouse, Alpha walked down the stairs with Linda next to him, their footsteps echoing on the concrete. The basement was bare and functional, made for one thing: storage.

Two guards stood by the heavy metal door, both armed and serious.

"Sir," they both said at the same time, stepping aside.

One of them unlocked the door, going through three different locks and heavy bolts.

The door swung open.

The sound hit them first.

Crying, soft, muffled, and scared.

Alpha stepped into the room.

It was a big space, surrounded by concrete walls and a concrete floor. Fluorescent lights buzzed and flickered above. Lined up against the far wall, sitting on the cold floor, were fifteen girls.

They all looked pretty young, around fourteen to sixteen, Alpha guessed. That was the perfect age, old enough to be useful but still easy to manage.

They were all blindfolded, their hands cuffed in front of them. Chains connected the cuffs to bolts in the wall, allowing just enough room to sit but not to stand or move around freely.

Most of them were crying, with some quietly soaking their blindfolds with tears, while others were sobbing openly, their shoulders shaking.

All were totally terrified.

Alpha walked slowly along the line, inspecting each captive. He stopped in front of one girl, blond and maybe fifteen, who was shaking so much that her chains rattled. Bruises covered her arms, and dirt smudged her face.

"This one," Alpha said, stopping before her.

Linda looked at her tablet. "She arrived from Romania two days ago. Trafficked through Turkey. No one’s looking for her, and she has no papers. Perfect."

"Good."

Alpha moved on to the next girl. Dark-haired and probably sixteen but looking older, she wasn’t crying. Her jaw was clenched so tight that he could see the muscles working.

"She’s a fighter," he noted.

"She was tough during transport," Linda said. "We had to sedate her twice."

"She’ll figure it out," Alpha said. "Otherwise, she’ll be gotten rid of."

He kept moving down the line.

A girl with red hair, probably no older than fourteen, stood there shaking. She was so small and young, crying so hard that it seemed tough for her to catch her breath.

"Where’s she from?" Alpha asked.

"Poland," Linda replied. "An orphan. No one’s gonna miss her."

Alpha knelt in front of her. She flinched at his movement, pressing herself against the wall.

"Don’t be scared," Alpha said gently.

The girl whimpered.

"You’re going to have a fresh start," Alpha continued in the same soft voice. "A new purpose. You’ll be useful. Isn’t that great?"

The girl just sobbed more.

Alpha stood back up. "Are they all marked?"

One of the guards, a big guy with hollow eyes, stepped in. "Yep, sir. All stamped."

"Show me."

The guard went to the first girl in line and roughly grabbed her arm, turning it to show a mark. On her inner wrist, barely visible in the low light, was a brand: a little symbol representing Alpha’s personal mark.

Proof that she belonged to him.

The girl cried out from the harsh handling.

"Be gentle," Alpha said quietly. "Damaged goods aren’t worth as much."

The guard quickly let go.

Alpha walked along the line again, checking out each girl. Each one was marked. Each one was his.

"The auction is in three days," Linda said. "Buyers are already placing bids early."

"How much?"

"About four million so far. The final amount is expected to be between eight and ten million."