Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 62: The Gambling Room, Part III

As if having read her mind, the host grinned at Rhaegar, tapping his gloved hand on the thick bars of the cage. The man inside it must have been heavily sedated as his only response was a slow, lazy movement of his narrow eyes.

"A pure-blooded lycan. A true werewolf," the host noted, still grinning. "The most expensive item for tonight, the prize for the last game. Raised in captivity, he was trained to be the perfect gladiator and he has already proven to be unmatched."

Rhaegar was not listening. With his lips pursed tightly together, he continued to stare into the caged lycan's eyes, desperately trying to find at least an ounce of understanding.

'He has lost it,' he noted to himself, his fists tightening as he pressed Lorelai's body closer. To her, it seemed as if he wanted to get comfort from being next to her. 'His eyes are empty. He is nothing but a trained fighting toy now. This human form... is just an empty shell.'

A low, quiet grumble escaped the caged man's chest and Rhaegar blinked, jolting back from his internal musings.

"What is the price?" The man next to them asked, caressing his female companion on the back, his thick fingers playing with her hair.

"One hundred thousand," the host declared as if such a sum meant absolutely nothing to him.

A blend of bewildered murmurs moved around the gambling table. Having gone through so many games and lost a fortune each, the guests were not ready to let go of such a hefty bet again.

"It was an intense night," another masked man commented as he rose from his seat, discouraged. "But we all know who is going to win him anyway. At this point, we should just let the man pay the money and take the slave."

The rest of the guests seemed to be thinking the same thing as one by one, they all began to leave the gambling table.

Lorelai felt a little anxious. On one hand, it was indeed better to just pay the price and leave, but on the other... If that slave was indeed so expensive and had no match among the others, Duke Kalder would not be so eager to let him go so easily.

And to the princess' great dismay, she was right.

Once all the guests left the gambling room, Lorelai's heart fluttered like a frightened bird as her big green eyes looked at the man sitting across the table. He was the only one still willing to take on the challenge.

She could not understand why she had not paid much attention to him during the entire night. He was tall and lean; his ebony suit shimmered with elegant precious embroidery while his mask, unlike those of others, covered only the lower half of his face, flowing down like a waterfall of dark sheer fabric.

Even though his disguise was not perfect, something about him still managed to allow him to stay unrecognized; perhaps a magic spell or a change of aura.

The stranger shifted in his seat and placed his hands on top of the table, joining them together in anticipation. The host smirked and clapped a few times, excited about such an unexpected turn of events.

"Very well, it seems we still have a brave gentleman who wishes to test his luck till the end."

Rhaegar's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Lorelai leaned closer to him and whispered, "Do you recognize this man?"

The king shook his head discretely, his eyes still focused on the man across from him. 'It's weird... I cannot smell him at all. I could have brushed it off because of that lycan's overbearing smell but... No, something's wrong here.'

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"Shall we begin then?" The host interrupted the awkward silence again, shuffling the cards.

Rhaegar nodded and the final round was dealt.

Lorelai froze in anticipation, barely able to breathe. She watched as the game progressed, the tension in the room almost palpable. Somehow, it felt like Rhaegar was beginning to feel nervous too.

'Perhaps that man's bravery really did throw him off his course... Or maybe..?'

Another unfortunate bull's eye.

Whether the king's luck had finally run out or something else decided to interfere with the flow of the final game, but Lorelai knew it now––Rhaegar had bad cards. He was about to lose.

"It's time to open your cards, gentlemen," the host declared as he fixed his mask. He turned to the stranger across from the king and smiled. "Would you like to go first, My Lord?"

The man leaned back in his chair, his dark gray eyes narrowing as he smiled behind his mask. And he had a reason to.

He won.