Then the doors opened, and a figure walked in. The newcomer studied me for a long moment before curling their lip in disdain.
"Tch. Alpha Selene thinks highly of you, bringing me—the Tidefang King—to wager against you."
"The new Tidefang King is here!"
"Kael Nightthorne's fate is sealed now."
Selene didn't rise from her seat. She simply watched me with that amused expression.
"Kael Nightthorne, I'll say it once more. If you want you and your foster-dam to leave this sea-den alive, beat them."
The moment she finished speaking, the crowd erupted.
Some laughed that I could never defeat the Tidefang King. Others cursed me as a worthless Alpha whose mate had taken another wolf to her bed while I was bound here like prey.
Facing all their humiliation and insults, I turned to look at my foster-dam, tears streaming down her face.
"Mother, don't worry. We will walk out of here safely."
But the moment I spoke, the wolf beside her received a signal from Darian. He reached out and tore away her outer robe.
"Well, well! This old she-wolf still has some charm!"
"Look at that smooth, pale skin—no worse than a female in her twenties."