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Defeated, I could only lay there, bitter resentment coiling around my heart like a venomous snake. The laughter and catcalls from the crowd kept washing over me, and I felt the crushing weight of humiliation.
So the lesson for today was humility?
Man, I fuckingfeltit.
I felt anxiety rise up in me, the same awful feeling I had when my little sister Bianca gave me the heads up that I was being dragged online.
Unlike the fiasco with Remy and the shoe company using child labor in appalling sweatshops, I hadn’t burst into tears and run away from this situation.
I had actuallytriedto do well at these Bunny Bondage Games.
I could’ve refused, could’ve sat in my cage all day and all night, could’ve gotten spanked or edged or dealt with whatever punishment Ransom gave me.
But I had fuckingtried.
I’d tried so hard, pushed myself beyond my limits, only to humiliate myself in front of everyone in The Rabbit Hole. But beneath the shame, a tiny spark of defiance still flickered, refusing to be completely extinguished.
Maybe I didn't win this time,I thought, clenching my fists as I was escorted off the platform by one of the Tweedles.But I'll show them all what I'm made of. No matter how many times they knock me down, I'll keep getting back up!
“You did rather well tonight, bunny,” Ransom whispered in my ear, his warm breath like soothing silk against my aching skin. I longed to pull open the zipper hiding my mouth, but I didn’t dare defy my king in front of all these people. I was too busy trying to blink back tears of happiness.
I didwell?
He was actuallypraisingme?
He clipped my leash back onto my collar and I almost threw my arms around him. He gave me a stern look, gathering the slack into his hand. "Learn from your moment of defeat. Failing is what makes us stronger. It will make your eventual victory that much sweeter. Do you understand?"
I hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly.
With cautious fingertips, he unzipped the mouth of my mask. I shuddered when his thumb ran along my lower lip. I hated him, yet I wanted him.
“Say it so I can hear you.”
“I understand, my king. Failing is what makes us stronger.”
"Good girl,” he said with just a hint of affection in his tone.
It was all I needed.
All I wanted.
“These challenges aren’t only about winning. They’re about pushing your limits and growing stronger from each experience."
I looked into his eyes, feeling the ache of soreness melt into an ache of longing.
“But winning is what matters the most, right?” I gestured to the casino guests who were already spending the chips they’d won from him. “They’re not here for personal growth. They’re only here to win.”
Ransom gave an offhand nod of acknowledgment.
“They can try as long as they like,” he murmured in my ear. “But everyone knows that the house always wins.”
* * *
ChapterNine
ALICE
“Say it so I can hear you...”
