Chapter 4

After the second month, things start to change. Stiles feels like he should do something; he has so much energy. So he starts to work out. Every day, as soon as his captors leave, he lies on the floor and starts doing sit-ups, push-ups, and so on.

Even when he's bloody from the administrations of the witch. He doesn't care. He needs to get in shape. Even with his improved stamina, he needs to get in shape. It's also partly to keep sane. He knows that.

This goes on for a month and a half without that his captor's notice anything. When the door opens, he hears other noises coming from the hallway behind the door. It seems like a fight, and hope flares through him.

Did someone found them? Is someone trying to break out? Stiles is ready to get out and go back home. He wants to see his dad so much. Wants to see his dad, his pack, hell he even would like to see Peter.

But mostly, he wants to see Derek. Oh yes, he wants to know how the Alpha will respond to him. Derek, who wouldn't even look at him when he was a human, but how will he look at him when he's an Alpha?

Stiles feels anticipation coil inside him. Waiting to get out. Get out and go home. He wants to go home so much.

''Ah, you look like such an eager puppy.'' The witch coos when she steps into the door.

Stiles is taken aback. He didn't even hear her coming, and she is talking for the first time he's seen her.

''Why are you here?'' Stiles rasps out, his voice failing a little from the lack of use in the past months. He still talks to himself, but not as much, not anymore.

''I'm here to guide you to the ring, sweetie.'' She says in a sickly sweet voice. But there is a glint in her eyes that tells Stiles that he needs to listen.

All the alarm bells go off in his head. He has been here for three and a half months at least. Maybe even four. What kind of ring is she talking about?

''You were puffing yourself up so good, like a good little dog. Well, we need to use that, don't we?'' Her eyes take a dangerous glint, and Stiles recoils and pushes himself up against the bars at his back. Wanting to have as much distance between himself and the witch on the other side of the cell door.

She only smiles and laughs. She traces the air with her fingers, and Stiles feels himself stiffen. Like literally, he can't move. He already knows that he again has no control over his own body.

''Good boy! Let's take you down to the ring. They are waiting for you.'' She purrs, and Stiles wants to throw up.

He feels his body move of its own accord, and Stiles wants to scream and scramble back inside his cell. But his body isn't listening to him. Stiles feels like a puppet whose master is moving him with strings attached to his limbs. The witch leads him out of his cell and into the hallway. It's the first time he is out of his cell, and he's soaking every bit of information in, while growling and snarling at the witch.

They walk for at least five minutes through a lot of hallways with even more doors. Inside some doors, he hears whimpering, or snarling, or howling. There are more wolves here, and Stiles wants to help them, get them out to safety. If only he gets the change.

He keeps growling but doesn't talk to the witch. Well, he is mostly silent these days, only talking to himself sometimes and slowly losing his mind. He is a full werewolf now, so he knows he isn't possessed, not like in high school when void took him over, but still, he counts his fingers every day, afraid that he is descending into the dark, again. He already killed again, and if he counts the guy, he was forced to bite more than one.

His hair is the longest it has been since ever, falling down in waves on his head and next to his face. He even has little bangs, and he can feel that he has scruff on his face. He never had scruff, but not shaving for almost four months is apparently time enough to get at least scruff. He doesn't know if he wants to see himself at this moment.

The woman slows down at a wooden door. The sounds of fighting reaching Stiles's ears. Stiles now knows that it isn't someone rescuing them, but someone fighting, and Stiles now understands that he will be forced to participate.

The door opens when the witch knocks, her high healed booths looking uncomfortable against the uneven tiles, but she doesn't seem bothered.

They get in, and Stiles still doesn't have any control over his body, and he's getting more frustrated with the minute.

He sees a cage within the room they walked into. The cage is reaching the ceiling, and it's surrounded by yelling men who are waving money in their closed fists.

''Place your bets here! Place your bets! New meat in the next round!'' Stiles hears someone yell. It seems like ice has been thrown over him because he just knows that new meat means him.

Stiles tries to look into the cage, but he can only hear grunting and flesh hitting flesh. He really hopes that they are fighting. He doesn't even want to know what it will be otherwise.

He is lead to another smaller cage by the entrance for the ring. He only can turn around, so little space is in the cell. He sees another cell opposite of him and sees that it's empty. Finally, he hears cheering and the final bell of the fight that was just happening. He looks at the ring and sees someone coming his way, limping like he was hurt. The guy snarls at Stiles when he walks by, and Stiles snarls right back. Not going to be intimidated by foreign wolves.

The guy flashes blue eyes at him, and he flashes red back. The guy whines and tilts his neck towards Stiles. A clear act of submission. Stiles is taken aback for a moment before he grumbles low in his throat. The other wolf seems satisfied and walks further until he is locked inside another cage, waiting for something.

Two men walk inside the ring and come back with someone dragging in between them. The guy that is being dragged is still alive. Stiles can hear his stuttering heartbeat, but he seems close to death. Stiles swallows heavily.

The cage where the other werewolf is standing opens up behind him, and he is lead away. After just a couple of moments, another guy is getting inside, snarling and roaring, his eyes shine red, and the guy is big, like bigger than Derek. Stiles's mind flashes back to Ennis from the Alpha pack. This guy is at least that big.

Stiles's cage is opened, and he hears the audience roar. He walks woodenly to the ring. Still not by his own accord. He is snarling again, looking at the men outside the ring in disdain.

''New meat! Let's find out if he survives against the BOULDER!''

Stiles can't help himself. He snorts. The Boulder, really? The dude was big. Stiles would give him that, but the Boulder? Pfft..

He hears the cage of the Boulder open, and he stiffens when the man enters the ring. He can smell the anger rolling off the other Alpha.

''Get ready! Place your bets now!''

Stiles clenches his jaw, determined that he is walking away from this.