It would have been easy for Jonas to abandon Ralph in his time of need, they barely knew each other, and they had been former enemies; however, he couldn't. Jonas couldn't abandon him because he was experiencing such a strong desire to protect another person that wasn't Drake, and he had never experienced such dread at the thought of losing someone as the dread he was experiencing then.

They may have started as enemies, and they may not have known each other for long, but Jonas thought highly of Ralph, who had not only bounced back from being abandoned by his friends but also stood by Jonas’ side when confronted by those very same people. He had been the grindstone that sharpened Jonas’ martial ability, he had contributed to the growth of both Johnson and Simon, and he had been a great drinking companion.

All of that was enough for Jonas to feel upset that his friend was in trouble, and there was also the fact that Ralph was vital to the escape mission. Truth be told, as Jonas ran haphazardly through the sandy arena and towards the gym, he didn’t quite care about any escape plan, and instead he felt he'd trade a potential escape if it meant that Ralph was okay.

It was a strange feeling, both worrying about someone else’s well-being and feeling responsible for their health and safety. For just a moment, Jonas felt he could truly appreciate what it was like to be a big brother, and he felt the same emotions that Drake had felt anytime someone had messed with his baby brother.

‘Please be okay,’ Jonas thought heavily as he moved quicker than the wind, around a corner, and eventually, he came crashing through the gym doors. Inside he found a large spectacle, and Jonas noticed that dozens of fighters were circled and looking ashen-faced towards a gruesome scene in the center of the gym. Some didn't even turn their heads to see who had made such a loud entrance, the sight was so terrible that they couldn't move their eyes.

Jonas felt a strange sickness creep through his body, it made him feel one part numb; one part nauseous, and two parts furious. He had never felt so wrathful and hateful in his life compared to the way he felt as he stared at that scene in front of him.

At the center of the gym, Wolf used one black boot to stand on Ralph's bloody head, while he mercilessly grinned at his former right-hand man. Next to him, one of the wolves held a large round weight in both of his hands, high above his head, and it was covered in blood.

“Again,” Wolf spoke, and Jonas watched in disbelief as that member of Wolf's entourage took the forty-five-pound weight and threw it as hard as he could down to the floor and let it crash against Ralph’s outstretched hand. There was a sickening crunch, and Ralph let out a terrible scream that was so dry, that it sounded like his vocal cords had ruptured.

“WOLF!” Jonas screamed, and his voice startled the entire room. For a moment, every single person’s expression changed. Ralph’s expression was one of anguish, he didn’t want his new friend to get hurt. The fighters who had been spectating looked eager for a fight, as they had been patiently waiting for the beef between Wolf and Jonas to escalate to this point. Wolf and his cronies wore looks of pure joy and satisfaction, they knew it was finally time to feast.

With one sweeping motion, Jonas tore off his shirt. The anger caused his body to tense, his muscles to bulge, and his veins looked dangerously close to popping as he charged toward the pack of wolves, he was completely unconcerned with how many there were.

Wolf didn’t look very worried. Instead, he wore a smile as he watched the young man run forward, and he stepped on Ralph's head once more as he prepared to take on Jonas' attack.

It was like there had been a thunderstorm in Little Wrath City because a deafening clapping noise echoed through the room, so loudly it felt like it might've ruptured ear drums. Wolf skillfully caught Jonas’ most potent punch, and although his palm felt a bit numb, it wasn't damaged in the slightest. For a moment, they stared at each other. There was hatred in Jonas' blue eyes, and killing intent in the gray eyes of Wolf. Silence permeated the room as the fighters waited with bated breath.

Wolf moved so suddenly that Jonas hadn’t time to react, even if he wanted to. A vicious roundhouse kick hit him so hard in the head that he thought it might've come off, and he felt his feet leave the ground as his body tried to collapse from the impact. However, Wolf yanked the fist that he was still holding, and Jonas felt his entire body pulled forward, completely unable to control himself. Wolf twirled him around, so he was facing Jonas' back, placed his foot on Jonas' spine, and yanked the arm he was holding with all his might. Jonas felt horror as his entire shoulder was ripped from the socket and completely dislocated.

“Ah!” he screamed in fury, but his instincts as a fighter took over. Wolf was still holding his arm, so Jonas used it against him. He threw his momentum back toward his opponent and with it, he swung his good fist toward Wolf’s face, who merely dodged it at a leisurely pace. He quickly counter-attacked and knee’d Jonas in the ribs.

Jonas felt at least three of his ribs crack as he tried to pull his arm free from Wolf’s iron grasp, but it was like trying to free himself from prison shackles. Jonas knew he was going to be forced to try and fight the old dog with one of his arms out of commission. He wasn't bleeding, nor was he feeling very prideful. Instead, he was in tremendous pain and felt so much hate for his opponent.

“Such a bad pup,” said Wolf in a very calm tone, and twisted Jonas by his dislocated arm, causing Jonas to scream once more and the spectators made expressions of disgust. He kicked the back of his opponent's knee, and Jonas felt his entire vision go black, his face was smashed in by the hardest punch he may have ever been hit with in his life.

Jonas’ nose shattered and blood splattered everywhere as he tried to yell but choked on his blood. Wolf twisted that bad arm again and forced Jonas down, like a dogcatcher forcing a wild canine to the ground. Everyone in the room watched as the young slave was stepped on, just like Ralph, who lay unconscious at Jonas' side. “Now when dealing with a bad dog,” said Wolf to the crowd, “You have to show dominance. First, you put him in a position where he can’t bite you,” and he nodded his head toward the writhing teenager whose skull was being held down by Wolf’s foot. “Then, you wait patiently till his anger has faded, and his spirit is broken.”

However, everyone in the room could see that Jonas still had plenty of fight left in him, despite his injuries and despite the fact he was probably going to die. Wolf clicked his tongue and nodded to one of his lackeys, “Crush his good arm with the weight,” and Jonas felt strength flood his entire body as he tried his hardest to break free of Wolf’s imprisonment, and for a moment he wished he could tear off his bad arm, anything to escape being crushed by that huge metal weight.

"Wolf!" Jonas growled, he would have yelled louder, but his face was pressed against the floor. "Let me up, fight me like a fucking man."

"But you're not a man," Wolf sighed, "You never were. You're just a child who bit off more than you could chew. You have no one to blame but your illusions of grandeur and that incompetent idiot, Brow," he nodded his head toward his lackey, "Do it."

The crowd watched with bated breath as that lackey lifted the forty-five-pound weight high above his head, and with all the force he could muster, threw it downwards on top of Jonas’ arm.

It was the worst pain he had ever felt in his life, worse than when Rick had brutalized his chest cavity, worse than when Garth had crushed his skull, and worse than when Ralph had punched Jonas' face until he blacked out. It was a type of pain that would haunt someone's memories, one that would require years of therapy to overcome. His reddened eyes bulged out of their sockets, and a blood-curdling scream was released from Jonas' throat, and for the first time in a long time, a few of the spectating fighters felt an uncomfortable emotion creep up on them, empathy. However, some looked hungry, as the screams of the innocent brought them great joy.

Jonas couldn't even look to see the damage, his head was still being held down with a boot. He didn't need to look to know his good arm had been flattened. It was so bad that the skin around his bicep had nearly exploded on impact, and blood was leaking onto the cold, dirty floor. He should've been unconscious, and the crowd half expected him to beg for mercy, but they could still see hatred in his eyes, and it was rather impressive.

“Again,” said Wolf, he could still feel some resistance coming from Jonas, and he knew it would probably take another hit to suck the fight out of him. He didn't feel guilty, but he did feel a bit regretful that he hadn't taken Jonas into his pack before Brow or Ahmed had gotten to him. He would have honed his talent and treated him like a son, and together they could've done anything, maybe even taken out the gang leadership. However, there was no medicine for regret, Jonas needed to die. “What did you think was going to happen, pup?” Wolf sighed.

“Kill… you,” Jonas croaked.

“Kill me?” Wolf looked offended, “You came running in here, guns blazing, ready to take me down, but you got taken down instead. Son, are you that naive?” It was a rhetorical question that Jonas didn't want to answer. He hated the fact that Wolf was right, almost as much as he hated the fact that he still wasn't strong enough to protect himself.

Jonas was only afforded a few moments of peace before the weight was thrown back down on his shoulder. He felt his body shatter and there was so much force put into the throw that his collar bone snapped from the impact, punctured through his skin and the bone was completely exposed. Jonas wanted to scream, but instead, blood and vomit came rushing out of his throat, splattering the floor, its rancid smell burned his nostrils, while the stomach acid burned his throat. He could feel a tiny bit of flame in his heart that hadn't been extinguished, but he was starting to wonder if death would be a better alternative.

“Once more?” The lackey asked while lifting the weight off Jonas' body. Wolf nodded, and he peered towards the gym door.

“Brow should be here any minute now, throw it on his head,” and when Jonas heard those words, that tiny fire in his stomach exploded with life as he was sent into panic mode. He tried anything to escape, and his body began to wriggle in desperation. Wolf took his boot off Jonas' head and placed it on his mid-back, and the desperate wiggle became futile. The lackey approached Jonas' head while raising the weight back into the sky.

Jonas could feel the pressure and murderous intent hovering above him, and no matter how much his body struggled against Wolf, he knew that it was hopeless, and a sense of dread and regret overtook his body. He desperately looked for salvation, and then he remembered his ability to heal. That's right, his Pride would get him through this; his Pride would ensure his survival. There was a tiny voice in Jonas' ear that told him nothing could heal a skull that had been crushed into mincemeat.

Before he could contemplate his death any longer, he heard the doors of the gym crash open, and when Jonas heard Brow's scream, he had a glimmer of hope.

“DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!” Brow looked panicked, and he charged toward Wolf with Ahmed at his heel.

"Wolf!" Ahmed's eyes were bloodshot as he crossed the room as fast as he could.

“Do it, now!” said Wolf.

It was too late to save Jonas, the weight had been thrown at his skull.