I stared at the mate I had once cherished above all others, and a wave of bitter self-mockery washed through me.
This was the female I had loved with everything I had. She had turned herself into a blade and driven it straight through my heart.
"Oh my! Kael Nightthorne's eyes have gone red! It seems he really does love Sister Selene so much!"
"Ha! Too bad his precious Selene threw him away long ago—and plotted against him too."
After Darian Frostveil finished mocking me, he splashed his goblet of blood-wine across my face.
"Pathetic. Back then, I drank a few extra cups of your wine, and you nearly tore me apart."
"Now look at you—trussed up on this silver-bound slab like a gutted deer, waiting for me to carve you up."
Selene Frostveil watched my humiliated face with an amused smile. "Why are you looking at us like that? We're simply returning the favor—your methods turned back on you."
"I'm being merciful, really. I haven't ordered your legs broken. You just have to win your way out, if you have the skill."
At her words, the pack elders who had betrayed me and the other wolves gathered in this sea-den burst into laughter.
"Ha! How could he possibly win his way out? To make sure he dies here, Alpha Selene invited the new Tidefang King to be his opponent."
"That one has never lost a dominance wager. Kael Nightthorne is just a territory holder—how could he possibly beat him?"
"Alpha Selene is so cruel. She gives him hope on purpose, then crushes it."
Only then did I understand. Her so-called mercy was nothing but a poisoned blade. She had calculated everything from the start—to make me lose here, to have my foster-dam stripped of her dignity and thrown out naked before the pack. Now she controlled my territory and tribute networks. I had nothing left. There was no one I could call upon for help.
Rage made me thrash against my silver-threaded bindings. I roared at her, "Selene Frostveil! Search your heart and tell me—how did I ever treat you?"
Selene let out a cold laugh. "Wonderfully, of course!"
"But what does that have to do with me? I never asked you to love me. You're old now, and your body can't compare to a young Beta's. Did you expect me to live like a widow for the rest of my days?"
Hearing her heartless mockery, I clenched my fists until my claws drew blood from my palms, forcing down a fury I had never known before.
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."
"Come on, I'm placing a wager. They say older Omegas have the most spirit—experience counts, after all!"
"Ha! Yes, yes! We'll bet too. All on the Tidefang King winning. When he wins, that she-wolf is ours."
Those vile, unbearable words reached our ears. My foster-dam tried to end her own life, but the male holding her seized her wrists with brutal force.
My face drained of all color. I had no more useless words to waste. Begging Selene Frostveil would do nothing.
