DEREK'S POV

The throbbing ache in my head was the first sensation that pulled me back to consciousness. As my eyes slowly fluttered open, I found myself lying on the cold, hard ground, the remnants of the knock-out punch still resonating through my skull.

My neck felt like it would snap into two at any moment. The noises of the people surrounding the arena echoed in my ears, a mixture of cheers and jeers that seemed distant and muffled.

Blinking away the haze, I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The last thing I could vividly remember was laying sprawled on the ground in my wolf form before being...