Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan

interest in me diminishing with each passing second. However good the Sertorians were at propaganda, the emperors were always the masters of bread and circuses. The fate of Accala Viridus Camilla was already fading into an amusing footnote in the history of the tournament, a story told to feisty daughters by their fathers when they stepped out of line—the girl who tried to play at being a man.
    Attendants escorted us off the stage. I went without a fight. My father strode ahead of me. He’d won his victory, what more was there to say? Well, I had plenty to say.
    â€œHow dare you do this,” I called out after him. “You think I’m a mare to be bridled? Mother would never have let you get away with spouting such narrow-minded rubbish. You’re devolving into some primeval ape without her.”
    The mention of my mother stopped him. His anger was gone, replaced by dismay. “I’ve let you play fight here long enough, despite the embarrassment it has caused our house. I thought this fighting would help to contain your violent tendencies, keep you from making even more foolish choices. That’s what your mother would have had me do, and I tried to follow her way in her absence, but I was mistaken. You’ve forced me to publicly petition the emperor. Some of the Viridian senators want me to disown you, to banish you from our house! Hear me clearly. This is the last straw. Your life as a gladiatrix ends here.”
    â€œThe arena is my life. I won’t live outside of it.”
    â€œAre you threatening suicide over this? Pah! Don’t be ridiculous. I’m trying to manage our house in the midst of war, I have important duties that must be carried out. You carry on like a drama queen, like the whole universe revolves around you.”
    His words stung deeply because there was a truth to them, but at the same time, I knew he was wrong.
    â€œIf I rail at your authority, it is because I am not permitted to exercise any of my own. I am an adult and the gods have given me intelligence and skills. How could I not use them to fashion my own destiny? Not doing so would be a sin to my own creation as well as the memory of my mother and brother. By cutting me from the Golden Wolves, you’ve doomed the Caninine Alliance to failure.”
    â€œThere’s no talking to you. I’ll have your aunts find a suitable man immediately,” he said, walking on impatiently. “Once you’re married off and have some babies to care for, you’ll see what life’s really about. Children will ground you, and I’ll be free of a daughter who uses words like ‘authority’ and ‘destiny.’”
    â€œFather! I won’t stand for this. I won’t—”
    â€œControl your gods-be-damned tongue!” He seethed, turning on me suddenly, his anger barely contained. “Do you wish to force my hand? No house, no name, abandoned to the winds of fate. The life of a stateless exile. Is that what you seek? A status no better than that of a slave? One more word and I will do it, do not mistake me. Use what brains your mother gave you. See sense, or I will be forced to let you feel the consequences of your actions. I can shield you only up to a point. You’re right that you are an adult, a citizen. Now you must learn to be responsible and behave like one.”
    â€œI do not seek your protection. If you wish to exile me, then do it.”
    His eyes widened with surprise that I should test him so. I expected him to disown me then and there, but he only shook his head in disappointment. “You speak as a child speaks, without thinking things through. Your words are tinged with hysteria. This is Rome. Family is everything. Without our protection, you have no idea how dangerous this empire would be for you. You would be devoured in an instant by the forces that are unleashed at this time. Learn your place. Serve your family and you will find, in time, a way