Chapter 2
A few days had passed and Kian was still in the same cell as her. Since that first night, she noticed that he had been getting closer and closer to her when they slept. He was also trying to talk to her more. She found herself accepting his presence and almost feeling fond of the boy. She knew that was a dangerous feeling to have while you lived in the ring, but she couldn't help herself from feeling it. Fondness. A feeling she would have never thought she would feel again after hardening her heart, but here the boy was, having chipped away at the walls and worming his way into her heart. The more she felt for the boy, the more anxious she became. His presence in her cell was unusual. Fighters were never paired up in their cells, so the boy being placed in hers was something that made her uneasy. What was the plan? Why put him in her cell?..... She hadn't been in any fights during his time in the cell so this further confused her. She was their prized winner. They liked to flaunt her off to those who would dare bet against her. What was the point in keeping her in her cell now?... Nothing made sense and this caused her to grow suspicious.
The sounds of several footsteps grew closer and the scent of the vampire responsible for keeping her as a champion caused her to tense. Ushering Kian behind her, she stood in front of him, body ready to fight. Her so called master arriving at her cell never ended well, and this time with Kian in the mix, it certainly wasn't a good sign. His blonde hair hung down to his shoulders, his piercing red eyes stared at them both in amusement and deathly pale skin deeply contrasted with the dark cells and hallway. Four of his henchmen were stood behind him which didn't sit well with her at all.
"Well hello my champion. Been enjoying your company?" He smirked, his eyes focused on the way she was stood in front of the boy. She said nothing, only shifted her gaze between the five of them, ready to pounce should one of them make a move. "We've got another fight for you. But this time you'll have company to test you...." He informed her, eyes trailing to the boy. He chuckled sadistically as he saw realisation in Mara's eyes which was replaced by worry then followed by anger.
"What's the meaning of this Victor?" She demanded. His eyebrows rose in surprise at the rage that was evident in her voice. She had grown boring with her endless winnings so he had devised a way to get more amusement out of her. Give her something to worry about and bond with, then make her become more dangerous by making her protect it in a fight where her opponents had been given orders to go straight for the boy. If she failed, her forlorn and agonised expression would bring him pleasure. But if she succeeded then the side of herself she didn't know she had would emerge and that would also bring him amusement. She was already strong, but they always say that someone with something to protect is stronger than someone with nothing. He had decided to test this theory using the boy they had captured.
"Just trying something new." He answered vaguely. "Are you coming willingly or will these boys need to hurt the boy?" Letting out a growl, her hand latched onto Kian's who was trembling behind her.
"No matter what happens, stay behind me and do as I say." She whispered to which Kian nodded in understanding, moving closer to her side. He may not know her well, but during their brief time together, he knew she was his only chance at survival and felt like she would protect no matter what, even if there was no blood pink between them. Or so he hoped...
They walked down to the ring where Mara began to strip off, earning her wolf whistles from the spectators before shifting into her wolf form. She nudged Kian behind her after he picked up the clothes and watched the other entrance of the ring to see who her opponent was. A thunderous growl sounded from nearby followed by another growl beside it. Two opponents?! Eyes flashing towards where Victor was sitting in the crowd, they narrowed when she saw his sadistic smirk. He had done this on purpose to test her! Two opponents were to attack while she protected Kian and fought them both. It was to test her capabilities and how dangerous she could become. If the odds were against her it would bring in more profit if she won.
"Mara....." Kian murmured nervously as he watched two wolves bigger than her emerge into the ring. She backed up slightly, pushing him backwards against the edge of the ring protectively and let out a warning growl to both the opponents and Kian. A warning to him to stay still behind her and a warning to them to leave the boy alone. The warning had no effect on her enemies as the grey and brown wolves glanced at each other before focusing their eyes on Kian. Well, looked like the warning didn't work...
A few minutes passed with the three of them just staring at each other before the grey wolf made a move. Lunging forward he went straight for Kian behind her. Turning in time, she grabbed his neck and threw him away. The brown wolf had used the distraction to sneak up on the other side and ram into her, knocking her sideways away from Kian. Crashing into the side of the arena, she quickly jumped up and lunged at the brown wolf who was approaching him. Jumping on top of him before he got too close, they went rolling away, biting and scratching at each other before she threw him off and rushed into the side of the black wolf, ramming him away as his mouth almost reached Kian. She could hear Kian's heart racing in fear as she placed herself in front of him again, causing her anger to bubble beneath the surface and her bloodlust to emerge. She let out a loud roar before lunging at the brown wolf who was looking rougher than the black wolf, aiming to kill him first. She bit his side causing him to let out a yelp then swiped her claws across his face, catching one of his eyes. He stumbled back a bit but she wouldn't stop, jaw open and ready she lunged at his neck, sinking her teeth in to kill. Pinning him beneath her, she watched the brown wolf become panicked as he tried to scratch at her stomach and sides. She was having none of it and twisted her head, causing his neck to snap. Withdrawing her fangs from his neck, blood covering her muzzle as she turned her attention to the remaining black wolf who was watching her closely. She didn't look at Kian as she could practically feel the horror and shock coming off him as his eyes were glued to the dead body she had just left. They began to circle each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Deciding to avenge his fallen friend, he let out an angry growl and rushed towards her, his jaw latching onto her front left leg and knocking her over. Pinning her down, his jaw snapped at her in an attempt to get to her neck while she held him off with her legs. She heard Kian's gasp as he worried for her life but she didn't allow herself to be distracted. Twisting her neck slightly, she managed to catch him just beneath the jaw and bit down hard. He yelped and tried to jump back but she wouldn't let him and instead held on, kicking him off her so they changed positions. Pinning his head down with her paw, she sunk her teeth into his neck and didn't let go until she saw the life drain from his eyes and his body had stopped moving altogether.
There was a moment of silence from the crowd before they all began to cheer in excitement. Moving towards Kian, she saw his eyes widen before he took a few steps back away from her. His eyes were focused on the blood covering her fur and muzzle. She felt her heart squeeze at the fear in his eyes but she pushed it aside, knowing that while she was immune to death and the smell of blood..... He was just a child and had never been exposed to the reality that of being forced to fight in the arena from a young age. Shifting into her human form, she took the clothes from him and put them on before going to walk back down towards their cell. However, as she was about to walk down, Victor entered the ring with four minions and stopped her. Glancing over at Kian, she saw that his mind wasn't focused on what was going on, but reliving what had just occurred in his mind. The look that Victor was giving her made her body tense and heart squeeze in panic. She knew that look and it wasn't a good one. His eyes gazed at her with lust which made her mind flash to the times when she'd been forced by him before... It was his way of relieving his excitement from the win and what he considered her 'treat'.
"Take the boy below to the cell. Its time for your 'treat' my dear." He chuckled, seeing the disgust evident in her eyes. Without a glance her way, he was led down back to their cell. "You know what will happen should you resist." He grinned, eyes flicking towards where Kian had just disappeared then back to meet hers. Swallowing the bile at the thought of being forced again, she reluctantly followed after him. God help her....