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."

"Sounds good." Alpha stopped at the end of the line. "These three," he pointed at a group of girls who were all about fifteen and crying, "keep them out of the auction."

Linda took notes. "For what?"

"Personal use. I have clients who like... custom orders."

Linda kept a straight face and just kept typing. "Got it."

One of the girls let out a sound — not quite a scream, but full of terror.

Alpha smirked.

He turned to leave, but then came back to the girl with dark hair, the fighter.

He reached over and took off her blindfold.

She blinked in the light, her eyes adjusting before she focused on him.

And there it was: a flash of defiance, a spark of anger.

Alpha liked that.

"What’s your name?" he asked.

The girl stayed quiet, just giving him a glare.

Alpha’s grin got bigger. "Doesn’t matter. You’ll get a new one anyway." He put the blindfold back on. "Break her. But don’t hurt her. She’ll sell for more if she still has some fight left."

One of the guards nodded.

Alpha turned to Linda. "Boost security. Double shifts. I want guards in here around the clock until the auction."

"Got it, sir."

"And Linda?"

"Yes, sir?"

"If any of them die before the auction, someone’s gonna pay for it. Understood?"

Linda’s face didn’t change. "Crystal clear, sir."

Alpha took one last look around the room, at the fifteen girls who were going to make him millions, who would serve his clients, and who would disappear into terrible lives, never to be seen again.

He felt nothing.

Just satisfaction from a job well done.

"Let’s go," he said to Linda. "We have stuff to do."

They walked out.

The heavy door slammed shut behind them, the three locks clicking into place.

And in the darkness of that basement room, fifteen girls cried.

*****

Alpha and Linda stepped out of the basement.

Alpha’s hands were clean. He looked satisfied.

Fifteen captives. Eight to ten million expected. Everything was going smoothly.

"Let’s ramp up security," Alpha said as they walked over to the SUV. "I want that basement watched around the clock until the auction."

"Already set up, sir," Linda replied.

They drove back into the city.

*****

Back in the penthouse, Alpha poured himself a whiskey.

Linda stayed close by his desk, waiting.

"So, about the Virelli situation," Alpha started. "I want to keep tabs on Zayn. I want to know everywhere he goes, everyone he meets, and everything he says. I need the full picture."

"That might be tricky, sir. The Virellis have pretty solid security," Linda warned.

"I don’t care. Get it done," Alpha insisted.

"Got it, sir."

"And keep an even closer watch on Alexander. He’s starting to crack. I want to know the moment he breaks."

"Understood."

Alpha swirled his whiskey, watching the amber liquid catch the light. "You know what’s wrong with Alexander, Linda?"

"Sir?"

"He actually cares about her. His daughter. He genuinely loves her." Alpha took a sip. "Love is a weakness. Target that, and even the toughest guys can fall."

Linda smiled. "So, is that our game plan? Using his love against him?"

"Exactly."

"And what if he picks Emma over us?"

Alpha’s smile turned cold. "Then we take him out. After that, we get rid of her. Then we’ll deal with whatever mess the Virellis make."

"A war with the Virellis is going to be expensive."

"Anything that’s worth it comes with a price, Linda."

Alpha downed his whiskey and set the glass down purposefully.

"Maksim is our main goal," he said. "We need to take out that traitor before he does any more damage. Hazard King is next on the list. After we deal with both of them, handling Alexander and the girl will be a piece of cake." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"What about the Virellis?" Linda asked.

"If they get in our way," Alpha replied slowly, "we’ll take care of them too."

Linda nodded. "I’ll start getting things ready."

"Great."

She turned to walk out.

"Linda."

"Yes, sir?"

"What’s your dad’s role with Maksim?"

Linda’s face stayed blank. "Solid. Maksim trusts him."

"And where do your loyalties lie?"

"With you, sir. Always."

"Good." Alpha smiled. "Because when the time comes, I’ll need your dad to do something for me. Something that will eliminate Maksim Karza for good."

"He’ll do whatever you need, sir."

"I know." Alpha picked up his phone—the burner still sitting on his desk. "But first, let’s see how young Virelli reacts under pressure."

He checked the phone.

The message was sent, and the read receipt showed it had been seen.

But there was no reply.

Interesting.

Zayn Virelli was either smart enough not to get involved or was already showing the message to people who could help him out. Either way, Alpha would find out soon enough.

"Keep me in the loop about everything," Alpha said. "Alexander. Zayn. The shipment. Maksim. Hazard King. All of it."

"Absolutely, sir."

After Linda left the room, Alpha stood alone in his penthouse office, looking out over the city.

Somewhere out there, Alexander Kane was in a hospital bed. Somewhere out there, Zayn Virelli was with Emma Kane. Somewhere out there, Hazard King was plotting his next move. And somewhere out there, Maksim Karza thought he could double-cross Alpha and get away with it.

They were all wrong.

Alpha Dark always came out on top.

Always.

He smiled into the shadows and began mapping out their downfall.