The room fell still as the cage was wheeled onto the stage. Inside, a creature knelt, her presence radiating danger despite the iron bars that confined her. Her silver-white eyes glowed like cold fire, fixed unblinkingly on the crowd, assessing, calculating. Her stormy black-and-gray hair cascaded in wild waves, framing a face painted with dark, dramatic makeup. The black lace corset she wore clung to her figure, a striking contrast to the primal fury simmering beneath her poised exterior.

Her black wolf ears flicked at every sound, catching even the faintest whispers of the murmuring crowd. Her tail lashed behind her, slow and deliberate, as though she were sizing up prey. Though silent, her presence filled the hall, and the auctioneer faltered as he gestured to the cage. “Lot 47... a rare, untamed specimen. Dangerous, yes, but exquisite. Shall we start the bidding at five thousand gold?”

Kaelion sat motionless, his lavender eyes locked on her, unblinking. The tension in the room thickened as the bids began, though none dared meet her gaze for long. She remained still, like a coiled spring, her piercing silver eyes scanning the room with quiet contempt.

When the bids climbed higher, Kaelion raised his hand, his voice cutting through the air like frost. “Twenty thousand.”

The crowd stilled, the weight of his declaration silencing further competition. The auctioneer swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he struck the gavel.

Kaelion rose, his gaze never leaving the creature. She didn’t flinch, didn’t move, but the faintest flick of her tail betrayed her awareness of him. Her silence was not submission—it was a warning, a promise of what lay beneath her cold, lethal beauty.

As the attendants prepared to move the cage, Kaelion turned sharply, his cape billowing as he left the stage. She remained inside, her glowing eyes following him like twin moons, her presence lingering like the chill of an approaching storm.