Sci-fi from early 2000s? This book is about a bear like alien that gets adopted by a imperial princess. They fight and the bear becomes a gladiator that then leads a revolution of the other enslaved aliens

[Brett]

This book is about a bear like alien that gets adopted by a imperial princess. They fight and the bear becomes a gladiator that then leads a revolution of the other enslaved aliens.

The main character was this golden bear like alien. The empire aliens were like lizards, and their empire controlled a bunch of other aliens species. Eventually the golden bear alien realizes she's basically a slave even though she thought she and the princess were friends. Then the bear gets sent to gladiator school but then ends up leading a secret rebellion against the empire.

Read this book and I think it was part of a trilogy around 1998 early 2000s and trying to find it again.

Thanks for everyone's help!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Where is it set?