The Gladiator Fight, Part IV

The moment the lycan slave stepped out of his cage, still shackled, the crowd roared with anticipation, the excitement crackling in the air like the charged moments before a storm.

Lorelai's heart thudded as she watched Rhaegar move in the sandy arena, facing the gladiator he had failed to win at the gambling table. The tension on the lycan king's face was unmistakable, his powerful amber gaze darkened as he studied his opponent.

Her thoughts churned bitterly, her mind circling helplessly in the maze of all the negative outcomes that clouded her sanity.

She hated to think that the king had no choice but to willingly step into this calculated trap; this twisted game to degrade him—Duke Kalder's cruel scheme to show that no matter how strong Rhaegar was, there was always a human who could control him.