Betrayed By My Mate, Claimed By His Lycan King Uncle
Chapter 78: Close Your Eyes!

Chapter 78: Close Your Eyes!

Apart from Dimitri and Sorayah, who were both dressed modestly in cheap fabrics, the other buyers stood out in their fine garments embroidered with gold threads, flowing cloaks, and polished boots that gleamed in the dim light. It was clear they belonged to noble households. Most of them stood in small groups, engaged in conversation with burly attendants who catered to their every whim, speaking casually about slave prices as if they were discussing livestock.

The large muscular man who had escorted Dimitri and Sorayah gave a silent gesture to the nearby guards. The guards, stationed in front of the cages, seemed to understand immediately. One of them stepped forward and unlocked a particular cage with a loud clank, then dragged out a woman.

She was beautiful, with disheveled brown hair and wide, terrified eyes. Her body was completely bare, her skin bruised and knees scraped raw as she was forced to the cold stone floor before Sorayah and Dimitri. She trembled violently, sobbing as she was made to kneel.

The burly man smirked and addressed them with a salesman’s pride.

"Do you like this one?" he asked, shoving the woman forward without a shred of decency. "She just gave birth two days ago. Her breasts are still full of milk."

Sorayah’s stomach dropped at the sight. Her heart clenched in pity as the woman let out a soft, broken wail, tears streaming down her cheeks. The cruelty of it all made her want to lash out.

"But if you don’t want her," the man continued, completely unfazed, "we have other options. There are more females who’ve recently given birth, and if you prefer otherwise, there are plenty of women untouched, regular ones and virgins alike."

Sorayah swallowed hard, her voice caught in her throat. She felt nauseated. She wanted to scream but she knew better than to do that.

"I see..." Dimitri murmured, his smile calm and unbothered. "How much for this woman?" His tone was pleasant, curious even. "We’ll take her."

The burly man’s smirk widened. "Ten thousand golden coins."

A beat of silence followed.

Sorayah’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief, and even Dimitri’s expression faltered for a split second before returning to neutral. The price didn’t truly concern them, but the boldness of it, the lack of humanity was staggering.

"She’s a nursing mother," the man added with a dark chuckle. "You’re buying a slave and a milk source for your child. Two for the price of one, you might say."

"But..." Sorayah started, her voice trembling. She clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay composed. "You see, sir... we’re new to this city. Newlyweds. We just had our first child yesterday. We didn’t realize slaves would be so... expensive here." She paused, then asked hesitantly, "Is there perhaps another woman, someone who isn’t a mother?"

The burly man laughed, loud and derisive. "Newlyweds, huh? No wonder you’re unfamiliar with how things work here." His smirk deepened, oozing arrogance. "Unfortunately for you, once the price of a slave is called, it must be paid. If you didn’t want this one, you should have chosen someone else before I named the price. Now, you have no choice but to buy her."

Sorayah clutched Dimitri’s arm tightly, her fingers digging into his sleeve. "We weren’t aware of that rule," she replied, her voice wavering as she tried to mask the rising anger in her chest. "Perhaps we should return another day, once we’re more settled in."

"Unfortunate indeed," the man sneered, and his guards chuckled mockingly behind him. "Are you saying you don’t have the money?"

"We do, sir," Dimitri said with an easy laugh, squeezing Sorayah’s hand gently to reassure her. "My wife has a habit of trying to be cautious in front of strangers. Always testing me." He chuckled again and gave Sorayah a playful look that masked the sharp glint in his eyes. She caught on immediately and fell silent, playing along.

"Our coin bags are outside," Dimitri continued smoothly. "I’ll step out and retrieve them."

"You should’ve brought your bags in when you entered," the man said, tone cold. "But sure. You may go. Your wife will stay here with us until you return."

Dimitri offered a calm nod. "Of course."

He leaned toward Sorayah and whispered just loud enough for her to hear, "I’ll be right back. I need to retrieve our weapons too."

Sorayah nodded, keeping her expression neutral even as her heart pounded. She watched him turn and stride out of the slave tower without another word, his cape brushing the floor behind him.

She exhaled quietly, praying he’d return quickly and that whatever he planned would work.

Several minutes had passed, and yet Dimitri had not returned.

Even Sorayah was beginning to worry, her gaze flicking toward the exit repeatedly, her arms folded tightly across her chest.

He can’t possibly have left me here at the slave market... can he? she wondered, anxiety twisting in her gut. Why is he taking so long?

The other buyers who had arrived earlier had already completed their transactions and left in a hurry. The atmosphere in the building was changing. No new buyers were coming in, which could only mean one thing, the slave trade might be closing for the day.

The cries of the caged slaves echoed throughout the towering structure, bouncing off the stone walls like haunting wails, yet Sorayah stood still, calming her racing heart. Fear, however, had begun to seep into her bones.

"Your husband’s been gone for what seems like forever," the burly man sneered, a wide smirk stretching across his face as he leaned casually against a wooden post. "Did he trade himself for you? Leaving you here while he disappears?"

"He’s not going to do that," Sorayah replied quickly, swallowing hard. "He probably lost his way, that’s all. He’ll be back soon."

She could feel the burly man’s eyes raking over her body again, his gaze dripping with lust and malice. He had been staring at her like that since their arrival. Now, he licked his lips slowly, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

"Oh, I see," he said with a scoff. "Still clinging to hope. Well, let me enlighten you, sweetheart. When two people come to purchase a slave and can’t afford the price, one gets to leave... and the other gets left behind. Becomes property. If your ’dear husband’ truly left, you’d make a fine sex slave. I’d make you beg in ways you can’t even imagine. Much better than being locked in a cage, don’t you think? I’d enjoy exploring you."

"Please, respect yourself, sir," Sorayah snapped, her voice sharp and filled with fury. Her eyes now burned with fire. "I am a customer, not one of your slaves. You should learn how to treat customers with dignity. Or are you not familiar with that concept?"

"Oh, I do respect customers," the burly man replied with a lazy grin. "But if my guess turns out to be right, and you’ve been abandoned... then you’ll be mine, my dear customer."

His words made Sorayah’s fists clench by her sides. Hatred flared in her eyes. Just then...

"Here."

The word was whispered directly into her ear.

A gust of wind brushed her cheek, and in the blink of an eye, Dimitri appeared beside her, his presence like a storm. His half-mask was back on his face, concealing one side, while the other side bore his familiar, unreadable expression.

He handed her a bow and quiver of arrows, along with a sword.

Without hesitation, as though a switch had been flipped inside her, Sorayah snatched the bow and nocked an arrow. The tip glowed faintly with energy then split into a hundred shards.

In a smooth, fluid motion, she let it fly.

The arrow rained down like a divine curse. The first target was the burly man, who fell with a gasp, his lecherous smile erased forever. The remaining shards soared through the room, slamming into the guards scattered across the slave tower, dropping them like flies.

Screams erupted. Chaos broke loose.

More guards arrived, armed and furious. The air became thick with the stench of blood and smoke as they launched their arrows in retaliation.

"Start unlocking the cages!" Dimitri shouted, still loosing arrows with deadly precision all while he had casted an invisible force which was guarding him and Sorayah against the guards arrows.

"Huh?" Sorayah blinked, momentarily stunned. But then realization dawned, he had created a path. They had to move.

She darted through the tower, unlocking cages as quickly as she could. The imprisoned slaves poured out like water, confusion turning to hope as they recognized the chance for freedom.

"Pass through the fourth door!" Dimitri called, his voice ringing with authority. "It’s still clear for now!"

Now it all made sense. Sorayah understood why Dimitri had taken so long. He had been clearing out guards ahead of time, making an escape route for the slaves. His bloodstained clothes were a testament to the battles he’d fought.

They worked quickly, unlocking the remaining cages, fending off more guards. Slaves who could run fled. Some, tragically, were struck down by arrows before they could make it.

Despite the losses, more escaped.

"We’re not done," Dimitri said, his back pressed against Sorayah’s now. Both of them stood in the center of the floor, weapons ready, surrounded by enemy guards. "This is only the first floor... there are fifteen in total."

Sorayah breathed heavily, her face damp with sweat. "Oh, I knew this was going to be a death sentence from the start," she muttered, exasperated. "What do we do now? We’re surrounded."

"Close your eyes!" Dimitri ordered, suddenly.

"What?!" Sorayah blinked, confused, panic flashing across her face. "What do you mean close my eyes? We’re surrounded..."

"Just close your eyes and don’t open them until I say so," Dimitri said, his tone grave and unwavering. "You have to trust me, Sorayah. I’ll tell you when it’s safe. But for now, close them."

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