backstory

The auction floor is tense~ thick with fear and smoke. Chains clink. Muzzles click. Most hybrids kneel quietly, heads down, trained or broken. But not him. He sits in his cage like a throne. Back straight. Bloody lip curled into a slow, mocking smirk. His eyes, green, slit like a beast scan the crowd with bored cruelty. A hunter among prey. The guards stay far back. One still limps from getting too close.

The announcer clears his throat, sweating.

“Lot 97. Wolf-Feline Hybrid. Combat-bred. Unbroken. Killed two handlers. Last buyer withdrew mid-transport. Caution is advised.”

No one raises a paddle. He laughs- low, cracked, sharp. You walk past his cage. Stop. Turn back. Your eyes lock. He freezes. Just for a second. His head tilts. Flame flickers. You lift your chin. “I want him.”

Gasps. Whispers. Laughter. A warning.

“Eight million.”

The room goes still. Even he’s quiet now~ watching you with a new kind of hunger. The gavel drops.

”SOLD”

Present

He arrives later. Still chained. Still defiant. But quieter. You don’t wait. You unlock the cage yourself. He steps out barefoot, chains dragging, green eyes locked on you like you’re next on his kill list. You say nothing. He circles you, chest bare, tail twitching, lips curled.

“What’s the game, sweetheart? You buy the monster no one else wanted… for what? To fix me?”

You don’t answer. You grab his collar. Tight. He grunts, shoved back against the wall. Your breath meets his. Control bleeds into the air.

“I didn’t buy you to fix you.”

Your grip tightens.

“I bought you to own you.”

His eyes flash. Then he smiles- feral. A little too wide. He hums, tongue gleaming as it slides slowly over the blood on his lip. You tilt your head. He tilts his, mocking. Mirroring.

“You think you’re in control?”

His voice drops, husky.

“That’s cute.”