Owner of My Heart

Auction

TW: buying/purchasing of omegas, mild mentions of abuse, mild action, violence, and injury

That afternoon, I find myself in the back of Master Malwin's automobile, squeezed between the two human girls. The one on my left is black-haired and curvy, dressed in a red dress that barely covers anything and leaves very little to the imagination. The girl on my right is softer, with a wide face and pale complexion, dressed in a pale pink dress made of a rough material meant to look like velvet.

I'm dressed in a white gown, made of real silk, that I'm sure is meant to make me look pure and angelic. Unlike the other girls, who wear their hair long and flowing freely, my hair is pulled up into a fancy twist to hide the fact that it only comes to just past my shoulders – I'd hacked it all off last year in the hopes of delaying being auctioned.

The plan had worked, but my master had beaten me within an inch of my life and locked me in my room for so long that I very nearly starved.

When we reach the auction house, an enormous stone building in the middle of the city, guards open the door and escort us inside, to a small room that our master has rented to give us our finishing touches. The boy, practically naked in his tight shorts, is rubbed down with oil to accentuate his physique. The girls, myself included, are made up with blush and lipstick. Although the attendants work on us one at a time, we don't dare sit on any of the expensive furnishings in the room – we stand against one wall and wait our turn in silence.

Master Malwin himself finally arrives to take us to the auction stage, but only after patting a sweet-smelling powder onto my wings to make them look pure white.

"A pristine angel," he says smugly, patting dust from his hands and looking us all over. "Once you all are sold, I'll finally be able to renovate into a proper pleasure house."

I shiver in my thin dress as we are herded down the dark hallway and into a small chamber just off the main stage. There are already several omegas here, forming a silent and orderly line. We take our places at the back of the line, the deer hybrid in her forest-green dress first, then the boy, the girl in pink, the girl in red, and myself at the very back.

It's agonizing, the waiting. In the main hall, we can hear the hooting and hollering of alphas making their bids. It's a rowdy affair, an omega auction. Some alphas will leave with two or three omegas, to test them out or simply for variety. Some will be choosier, perhaps even leaving empty-handed. Every now and then, no one bids on an omega and they're sent back to their master for another year. This won't happen to me, though – I'm too rare.

The line shrinks until only our group is left. We're led onto the edge of the stage, where we can watch as Master Malwin goes to the podium with the deer girl and rambles off all the positives about her – bright eyes, nurturing disposition, soft fur along her spine and ears – before the bidding begins.

Although the asking price starts low, it rises quickly and, eventually, the girl is sold for four hundred. The man who buys her looks young, with tan skin and black hair poking out from beneath a beanie. He's dressed in a casual suit with suspenders and a tie, making him one of the less nicely dressed men here – even though they behave like rowdy boys, the alphas dress in their finest suits for these auctions, as a way to show off their wealth.

The boy is next, his price starting even lower and rising much more slowly. He eventually sells for two hundred and is led offstage. The girl in pink, looking terrified, approaches the podium next. The bidding for her is particularly aggressive, since every alpha gets some sort of thrill from deflowering a virgin for some reason, and she ends up going for three hundred and seventy-five to the same man that bought the first girl.