Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 108

ISOLDE'S POV

The suggestion hung in the air like a grenade with its pin pulled. I could feel everyone's eyes shift between Nyssa and me, waiting for our reactions. My stomach knotted as I realized this was exactly what someone had planned—to pit us against each other.

Leo stepped forward, his face flushed with indignation. "The idea of settling this with a duel is absurd!"

Marcus completely ignored Leo's objection, turning instead toward Orion. "Gamma Orion, what's your take on this?"

Orion stood perfectly still, carefully observing everyone in the room. His eyes moved methodically from face to face, analyzing reactions. My gaze locked with his, silently pleading for him to shut this down. We both knew this wasn't about training or skill ranking—it was about humiliating me.

To my horror, Orion's lips curved into a slight smile. "It will be settled by duel," he confirmed.

My heart plummeted. I wanted to scream, to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until he came to his senses. How could he do this? He knew exactly what was happening here.

"This is ridiculous!" Leo exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration.

Orion ignored him, addressing all of us with an impassive face. "Good luck, ladies," he said, then began jogging slowly, signaling everyone to follow.

As we fell into formation behind him, I shot daggers at Orion's back with my eyes. If looks could kill, he'd have dropped dead on the spot. My heart hammered against my ribcage as fear, anger, and betrayal coursed through me.

*Don't worry, we can handle this,* Lyra growled in my mind, her voice low and determined.

During our run, I kept stealing glances at Nyssa. Her usual friendly demeanor had completely vanished, replaced by a hard, determined expression. She looked genuinely angry with me, though I couldn't fathom why. Had Evanthe gotten to her somehow?

I recalled how others praised her skills, she'd beamed with pride. The realization hit me like a cold wave: Nyssa would fight with everything she had to win this duel.

*Her right side defense is weak,* Lyra reminded me. *We can use that to our advantage.*

But by the tenth round of our duel, I was in agony. "Yield!" I shouted, slapping the mat with my left hand.

Nyssa immediately released my right arm from the painful hold she'd locked me in. This was her seventh win of the match.

"That's it! Nyssa is the winner!" someone announced, and cheers erupted around us.

Several people rushed forward to lift Nyssa onto their shoulders in celebration. Their faces were triumphant, as if her victory somehow proved that high-ranking werewolves were inherently superior to common ones like me.

*We could have won that!* Lyra roared in my head, her frustration mirroring my own. *You weren't fighting at your full capacity!*

I pulled myself up from the mat, my body aching from the punishing holds Nyssa had subjected me to. She hadn't held back at all, confirming my suspicion that she truly was upset with me. What had I done to deserve this sudden hostility?

Across the room, I caught Evanthe's gaze. She was blinking at me repeatedly, clearly relishing my defeat. Her smug expression made my blood boil, but I forced myself to look away.

*Don't pay attention to that self-important bitch,* Lyra whispered. *She's not worth our energy.*

I was heading toward my seat when Orion caught up with me. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle given his earlier betrayal.

"Yeah," I answered curtly, not slowing my pace.

"You didn't fight like yourself," he observed, keeping step beside me.

I stopped abruptly and turned to face him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Orion's amber eyes studied me intently. "You took punches you could have blocked or dodged. You went down too easily. You didn't throw a single powerful strike." His voice lowered. "I've watched you fight countless times, Isolde. I've sparred with you myself. You're a strong, clever, resilient warrior—but that's not what I saw today."

"I did my best," I lied, avoiding his penetrating gaze.

"No, you didn't," he countered firmly. His lips curved into a knowing smile. "I know you, Miss Blackwood."

The familiarity in his tone caught me off guard. He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Did you let her win on purpose?"

"What? No, of course not!" I denied, perhaps too quickly.

"Then you were distracted," he concluded, his eyes never leaving mine.

"What does it matter anyway?" I snapped, my patience wearing thin.

Orion's gaze intensified, silently demanding an answer.

"Fine," I relented with a sigh. "I was distracted."

"And look where that got you," he said, gesturing toward the celebrating crowd. "You lost a very important match."

Something inside me snapped. Weeks of pent-up frustration, humiliation, and anger came bursting forth. "I don't care!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the Battle Arena.

Every head turned in our direction. Complete silence fell over the room.

"What matters is that I know what I'm capable of," I continued, too furious to care about the audience. "I'm not a common werewolf. I'm an Alpha's daughter, and I didn't just start training a few weeks ago like that guy said. I've been learning to fight since I was five years old. I came here to learn new skills, not to compete with anyone."

I took a deep breath, my voice growing even louder. "If they want to use my werewolf status to put me down so they can feel better as high-ranking werewolves, feel superior to me, they can go right ahead, but I know who I am, and that's what matters most!"

The star-shaped birthmark on my shoulder burned hot against my skin as my emotions surged. My chest heaved with exertion and anger. I was sick of the Silver Moon Group's high-ranking werewolves constantly emphasizing their superiority.

Everyone stared at me in stunned silence. Not a single sound could be heard throughout the Battle Arena.

"Excuse me, Mr. Hawthorne," I said to Orion, who appeared somewhat shocked by my outburst. Without waiting for his response, I turned on my heel, walked to my seat, grabbed my backpack, and headed for the door.

*Careful, Evanthe is watching us,* Lyra warned as I approached the exit.

Just as I was about to leave, Evanthe stepped into my path, her blue eyes gleaming with malice. "How does it feel, debt girl?" she taunted.

My anger, already at its peak, boiled over. "Get your ugly face out of my way, bitch!" I snarled, shoving past her and storming out of the Battle Arena.