Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
I’m so shaken that I don’t get the first bid out.
Someone hits the green button on their seat before I do. I want to tear his fucking throat out for that.
“Do we have one point five million?”
I slam my fist on the green button before anyone else can.
“One point five. Do we have two million?”
That same fucker bids again. My bear snarls in fury.
I slam my button when she says three, but that fucker keeps outbidding me.
My anger turns to panic when the bidding passes seven million. I only have seven and a half and I can’t lose her.
“Seven,” I cry out as I hit the green button.
“We have seven,” Coco echoes. “Do we have seven point five?”
My hands are trembling as I look at the area where the other bidder is sitting. He stays quiet. He’s not bidding any higher!
She’s mine! I’ll finally have my mate by my side. I’m forty-five years old and I’ve been dreaming of this moment since puberty. It’s finally here. Ava will finally be with me where she belongs.
Tears of happiness and gratitude flood my eyes as Coco counts down.
“Last chance,” she says as she holds the gavel up. “Seven million going once, going twice—“
“Eight million,” a familiar voice shouts out from behind me.
I yank my head around in shock and fury in the direction of the voice. My eyes focus through the darkness—my shifter vision allowing me to see who I really don’t want to be seeing right now. I grit my teeth in rage when I spot Troy Novak grinning in triumph.
That fucker… He planned this all along.
He’s got my ranch and now he’s about to get my girl.
“Eight million,” Coco says as my stomach drops and my bear whimpers. “Going once, going twice, sold to the gentleman in the back.”
I feel like I’m going to be sick.
Novak stands up, straightens his suit jacket, and waddles over to the stage with four huge bodyguards following him. Who the hell are those guys? I can smell whiffs of grizzly bears coming from them.
He knew I was going to be furious, so he hired some shifter bodyguards to accompany him.
The way I’m feeling right now, I could charge through a hundred shifters to get to what’s mine.
I stand up as he walks onto the stage. His bodyguards stand with their backs to him, ready to stop anyone from trying to get up the stairs.
My girl looks horrified as he grabs her hand and pulls her over to Coco.
“No!” I roar as I leap up from my seat and lunge forward. I leave the money and sprint down the aisle, ready to take off the head of anyone foolish enough to try and stop me.
Ava’s beautiful blue eyes snap to mine and it drives me forward. My bear is desperate to come out, but I want to handle this on my own.
The guards get ready as I approach. Yup, they’re all definitely grizzly bear shifters. I can smell them clearly now.
I throw two of them to the side, but the other two each grab an arm. I toss one off, but the other two leap onto my back.
They swarm me. Coco’s lion shifter guards leap onto the pile and pretty soon, I’m bring dragged out by seven huge shifters.
I roar in outrage as the image of my mate gets smaller and smaller while I’m being dragged to the door.
They launch me outside and I land on my back with a grunt. One of the guards tosses my bag of money beside me and then closes the door and locks it.
I leap to my feet with my mind racing.
My mate is marrying my worst enemy.
And there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
Chapter Five
Ava
Before this whole auction ordeal, the worst idea I ever had was trying to steal a box of lip gloss from the store where my aunt worked. My best friend at the time had pressured me into doing it even though I hated lip gloss.
I successfully slipped it into my bag while my friend was on the lookout, but as soon as my aunt saw my burning red cheeks, it was over. It was a whole thing. Everyone found out about it. I was humiliated.
Well, that’s a distant second now compared to the mess I’m in at the moment.
“And do you, Ava Lennon, take this man to be your husband?” Coco St. James asks as she stares me down with those intense light blue eyes.
I cringe as Troy Novak reaches out and takes my hand. His skin feels like alligator scales. I hate it.
This is the guy who bid on me? This is the guy I have to marry?
What happened to the gorgeous guy they dragged out of here? Why couldn’t he have been the one?
I want to scream and run out of here, but those guards are blocking the stairs. I wouldn’t be surprised if Coco shot laser beams out of her eyes if I say no. She’s terrifying.