Catalina POV

“You're a f*cking bastard Rodri, you know that right?" A man, donned with Cuban links around his neck and a diamond wristwatch, released a chuckle as he twisted his head at Papa.

The bald-headed man, presumably an Alpha, laid back on a long red-leather loveseat with a glass of bourbon in his left hand, took a long swig and crushed the glass with the same hand. The shards cut into his palm and blood trickled down his arm. Then, he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and pointed his finger at me. “But, you know how to make a beautiful f*cking child."

A wave of ice shot through my core, freezing me in place. The beads of sweat that formed on my forehead even seemed to turn to tiny ice cubes. It was blistering in this underground hideout, the air suffocating between the smell of cigarettes and sweaty vigilantes, however goosebumps laced my arms.

The room was littered with bricks of cocaine, spare ammo spewed about, a few leather couches, a metal stripper pole presumably for this Alpha's dirty pleasure, and a bar stocked with every liquor one could ever need.

The Alpha wrinkled his nose and nodded his head as if it was on a constant bobble. He took a blow of his line of cocaine. When the powder flooded his nose, he pounded the wooden coffee table with his bloody hand. “F*ck, son, you're a lucky man!" The man looked over to the stocky, muscular, top-heavy man standing next to him.

I grabbed at my sides in discomfort, my fingers making contact with the jean shorts I was wearing. It reminded me that I wasn't prepared for the occasion. I should have been on a daddy-daughter lunch date at this time, but instead I was with Papa meeting with men in his mafia ring. If I'd known any better, I would've covered my body; I loathed these slimy a*sholes scanning me up and down.

“You know, I pull women like this all the time, Dad," the young man, outfitted in an open, short-sleeved dress shirt and black jeans, threw back at his father.

The man's father slowly rose from the loveseat and nearly fell over in his drunken stupor. He clung to the concrete wall to maintain his balance and worked his way to his son. “Oye, Efrain, eres desagradecido, cabron. You must have learned that from that c*nt of a mother of yours. Ungrateful f*ck."

The younger man, apparently named Efrain. took a step towards his father who was walking slowly. Efrain wasn't the tallest, but he sure was heavily built in his upper body, and he clearly wanted people to know that via his open shirt. I followed his muscular shoulders all the way down to his rigid hands which he had clamped into fists.

“At least she acted like a mother. Unlike you, who never knew how to be a father," Efrain spat at his father, who now was a few steps away from his son.

I glanced over at Papa whose face was expressionless, but his whole body was shaking. He had told me we were going out to lunch but had to stop to take care of some 'business' first. He still hadn't looked at me since we came down here.

I wanted to grab him and run out of there, but I knew any sudden movements would land us in more trouble. There were two burly men watching the door armed with semi-automatics.

The older man hobbled right up to his son and braced his fall using his son's shoulder. Efrain's eyes narrowed, and he looked sickened by his father's touch. He shook his father right off of him.

“To think I offer you such a sexy young woman, and this is how you repay me. You should be bowing down to me!" Then the man reached out violently and grabbed his son's tank top. “You WILL take take her," he commanded fervently.

A loud gasp escaped my mouth, and I quickly used my hands to cover it, but my reaction was too late. I drew attention to myself, the worst possible thing I could have done: to show my fear.

Efrain's father's dark eyes darted right over to me, his pupils dilated, robust with lust. He released his hold on his son and started trudging towards me. All I could think of was why my dad wasn't saying anything. Why wasn't he protecting me like he always had?

The grizzly, drugged up man inched closer and brushed right past my dad's arm; Papa did nothing to stop this fiend.

I swallowed deeply and tried to keep from shaking uncontrollably, but it was too late. I couldn't hide the terror building in me.

The man reached my side and put his arm around my waist. I flinched at his touch, and he only tightened his grip. His hands had needle pricks, and dead skin lined the fingertips. They were coarse, scaly, like a snake's sloughing skin. He moaned lasciviously. “Son, I'm offering you a proper woman, for once. If only you could tell the difference between a whore and a fine lady."

Next, he raised his hand slightly to meet the end of my waist-length, curly, black hair and twisted the lock around his finger. He leaned in to sniff it. “Oh, how beautiful you smell, darling. Sweet like a pineapple." Then he trailed his nose up the back of my blouse and slowly walked around me until he worked his way to my collarbone where he touched his lips to my delicate skin.

I could hear Papa's heartbeat pounding, but he didn't look back at me. His eyes were focused straight forward, and his nails were digging into his sides.

The man stuck his tongue out and began licking my collarbone up to my neck. I was disgusted and couldn't hold back a dry heave as I felt his slimy mouth on me. I pushed away from him, but he quickly pulled me back. I did my best to resist. “Ah, a fighter. Even better!" he exclaimed, laughing devilishly.

His hands were like anvils as he threw me against the concrete wall, pinning me against the cold surface. His black, cavernous eyes glared directly into mine, and a sadistic grin was plastered across his face. I felt his finger work its way up my exposed thigh right between my groin and my leg. I knew where he was going.

I spat the little saliva I had right in his face, but instead of backing off, he brought his finger to touch it, and put it right in his mouth. “Delectable."

His body was pressed firmly to mine now, and he tightened his other hand on my arm like a clamp. I wriggled and tried kicking his groin, but surely, the drugs had him feeling invincible. He rotated his head towards his son and growled, “Last chance, son, before I'm the one to take her virginity."

Efrain sauntered forward and pulled his father off of me. “Ai, dios, papa! Eres loco!" God, Dad! You're crazy! “Fine, I'll take her." He was so forceful in his pull that his father was thrown to the ground. His dad, who was in khaki pants and an unbuttoned Hawaiian dress shirt, sat on the ground laughing until he started gagging dry coughs like he was choking.

I saw Efrain's eyes, and although they seemed far from chivalrous, it did seem like he didn't want his pathetic father to have me for himself. He muttered under his breath, “Don't think I'm doing this for your sake. I'll have my fun with you later," he sneered.

Like father, like son.

The two men at the door quickly approached, and he waved them off after he regained his breath. “So it sounds like we have a deal then, Rodri." The man gathered himself from the floor and approached my papa who was still in the same position. “Any last words you would like to say to your precious daughter who you so graciously sold to us?"

Sold?! Papa, he knew about this the whole time? He led me into this trap?

Papa didn't make a move to look at me. He shook his head ever so slowly.

“A true coward, I see," the man muttered and then ordered, “Gentlemen, show him the way out."

All I wanted was to see Papa's eyes, look him in the face and see, did he really do this? Why did he do this? How could he do this? After Mama died, he promised he'd always take care of me. The fact he wouldn't even speak to me.... I felt the ultimate form of betrayal by the person I trusted the most.

Papa purposely turned away from me so as to not meet my eyes. His face was pointed down, and I noticed a tear cascading down his cheek. I didn't know how to feel at this moment. I was terrified, confused, and betrayed.

As soon as I heard the door close behind me, I truly felt alone, but now I realized maybe I had been alone even with Papa there.

“I don't believe I got your name yet." The vile man extended his hand towards me expecting me to shake it. I didn't move. Then, he took his free hand and clasped it with the other. “Yes, nice to meet you too, Agustin."

So, this beast's name was Agustin. Not that I planned staying here for long. As soon as I could find a way out, I would. I didn't know where I'd go, but anywhere would be better than with these filthy scum..

“Skipping the pleasantries doesn't bother me." Agustin, slightly sobered up, walked over to the bar counter and grabbed some chewing tobacco and plopped a wad in his mouth. As he smacked his carcinogen, he stepped back towards me and Efrain who was standing next to me.

“I don't care what the h*ll ends up happening to you, my precious, but, I expect you to provide me a grandchild with my son. I'd f*ck you myself but my puta ex-wife had me castrated." Fucking ex-wife! “ Apparently, I was too much of a sex maniac, but I loved her, and I did it. The worst decision of my life." With the wad of tobacco forming a bulge in his mouth he spat a chunk out violently. “She still tortures me even from her grave."

He continued, “After that, I don't care what the h*ll happens."

There was no way I was going to have sex with Efrain if that's what he was implying. He looked like an absolute a*shole, playboy with short man's syndrome: buzzcut, well-manicured chinstrap beard, and two diamond earrings.

Efrain huffed and didn't seem pleased about this ultimatum either. It seemed like Agustin knew his son's disobedient ways and ordered, “And don't get any funny ideas, son. You don't deliver my grandchild, and you will be cut off from the pack and the family fortune."

His son wasn't fazed and I noticed his eyes looked deadset at his father, his face stiff, “Don't worry, father. She's only a minor inconvenience I can f*ck today and throw away tomorrow."

Agustin seemed to soften at his son's words, and he patted Efrain on the shoulder. “Very well, mijo. I know we don't see eye to eye all the time, but I know you have the pack's best interests at heart."

A grunt released from Efrain's mouth, and his father told us to leave and 'get down to business.' I knew exactly what business meant, and I knew Efrain wouldn't waste any time to get this arrangement over with so he could go back to f*cking every slut in Miami as it seemed he liked to do.

Efrain grabbed my wrist to lead me out, and his touch sent a shockwave of ecstasy through my veins leading directly to my heart. My eyes rolled back at his long, rigid fingers making contact with my skin.

I wasn't aroused, or excited, but I also wasn't afraid. My chest tightened, and I felt something rising in me. I thought perhaps it was bile coming to my throat but instead of food, it was something else. Something I'd never felt before and only heard about from my peers. Something I waited my whole nineteen years for.

My wolf cried out in me, from my soul.

MATE!