Vanished Sisters: The Lycan King's Slave Island Chapter 97

Natasha's POV

The rest of the day passed in a haze of mounting panic.

I sat on my cot in our small room, my mind racing through every possible scenario for tomorrow's auction. And every single one ended in disaster.

*They'll examine us. Make us strip. Check our bodies for defects or diseases. And the moment they see me naked—*

"There has to be a way out of this," Davelina was saying. She'd been pacing the small room for the past hour, wearing a path in the already worn floorboards. "There has to be something we can do."

"Like what?" Lucy asked from where she sat on her own cot. Her voice was flat. Resigned. "We're slaves. We have no power. No resources. No options."

"We could run," Davelina said desperately. "Tonight. Before the auction. Just—just run and hide somewhere in the fortress. Or outside it."

"And go where?" I asked quietly. "We're on an island. Surrounded by ocean. Even if we could somehow get off the fortress grounds, there's nowhere to go. We'd be caught within hours."

Davelina stopped pacing and slumped against the wall, her face in her hands.

"This can't be happening," she whispered. "After everything we've survived. After all the horrors. We can't—I can't lose you like this."

"There has to be something," Davelina said again, but her voice lacked conviction now. "There has to be—"

"There isn't," Lucy said softly. "I'm sorry. But there isn't. We're trapped."

Silence fell over the room. Heavy and suffocating.

I sat back down on my cot, my mind churning.

*Think. There has to be a solution. Some way out of this that doesn't end with all of us dead.*

And then it hit me.

*Caelan.*

Lord Caelan.

*What if—what if I asked him to buy me?*

The thought was simultaneously brilliant and terrifying.

*He's nobility. He could afford to purchase a slave at auction. And he already knows I'm female. Already knows I'm an Endurer. He wouldn't be shocked by the revelation.*

*And he said he wanted to help me. This would be helping.*

But the idea of asking—of basically begging him to buy me like property—made my stomach churn.

*Do I have a choice? Is there any other option?*

I ran through the alternatives again. Running—impossible. Hiding—futile. Hoping whoever bought me wouldn't discover the truth—laughably naive.

*Caelan is the only option. The only person with both the means and the possible motivation to help.*

"I need to go out," I said suddenly.

Both Lucy and Davelina looked at me.

"What?" Davelina asked. "Go where? We're supposed to stay in our quarters until tomorrow morning when they come to prepare us for the—"

"I know someone who might be able to help," I interrupted. "Someone who—who has resources. Influence. Who might be willing to intervene."

Understanding dawned on Davelina's face. "The Lycan. The one from the arena. The one whose estate you visited."

I nodded.

---

Getting out of the fortress at night was easier than I'd expected. The guards were complacent, used to slaves being too terrified or beaten down to attempt escape.

I slipped through the same drainage grate I'd used before, then made my way through the darkness toward the creek.

The path was familiar now. I followed the water downstream, moving quickly despite my nervousness.

*What am I going to say? How do I ask someone to buy me without sounding completely desperate?*

*Because you ARE desperate,* a voice in my head answered. *And he'll know it the moment he sees you.*

The lights of Caelan's estate appeared through the trees. I approached more slowly now, my heart pounding.

Thomas was at his usual post by the front door. He looked surprised when he saw me emerge from the forest.

"Miss—I mean, Nathan," he corrected himself quickly. "Lord Caelan wasn't expecting you tonight."

"I know," I said. "I'm sorry to come unannounced. But I need to speak with him. It's urgent."

Thomas studied my face for a moment, then nodded. "Wait here."

He disappeared inside. I stood in the cool night air, trying to calm my racing heart.

Minutes passed. Each one felt like an eternity.

Finally, the door opened again.

"Lord Caelan will see you," Thomas said. "This way."

I followed him through the familiar corridors to Caelan's study. The door was open, warm light spilling out into the hallway.

Caelan stood by the fireplace, a glass of wine in his hand. He turned when I entered, his expression surprised but not unwelcoming.

"Natasha," he said. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. Is something wrong?"

Thomas left, closing the door behind him.

I stood there, suddenly unable to find words. Unable to figure out how to ask what I'd come here to ask.

Caelan set down his wine glass and moved closer. "You look terrified. What happened?"

"They're—" My voice cracked. I swallowed and tried again. "They're holding a slave auction tomorrow. And I've been selected."

Understanding flashed across Caelan's face. "Oh. Oh no."

"When they sell us, they'll examine us," I continued, the words tumbling out now. "They'll make us strip. Check us for defects. Make sure we're healthy and—and presentable. And when they do—"

"They'll discover you're female," Caelan finished softly.

I nodded, tears burning in my eyes. "And then they'll torture me to find out who helped with the deception. They'll kill my sister. My friend. Everyone who knew."

"Natasha—"

"Please," I interrupted. I stepped closer to him, my hands clasped in front of me like I was praying. "Please, I'm begging you. Buy me. At the auction tomorrow. Claim me as your property. I know it's asking a lot, I know you barely know me, but I have nowhere else to turn and I—"

The words died in my throat as I looked at his face.

Desperation made me reckless. Made me do something I never would have considered under normal circumstances.

I reached for the ties of my tunic with shaking hands.