Rose's Thorns || Wattys 2016

A Clipped Bird in an Open Cage

Maybelle's POV

"All done, little Luna." Connor's voice reaches my ears after what feels like an eternity. I don't really register his words at first, not able to process much more than the horrible pain ripping through my body. Even when I try to speak, all that comes out is a guttural choking sound as what tastes like blood drips from the corner of my mouth.

My eyes somehow focus on Connor's standing figure, the bloody knife in his hand looking particularly obscene against his proper stance and clean clothes. He smiles down at me before turning to exit the room. Once in the doorway, Connor looks over his shoulder at me. "Why not take a look around? I'm sure you'll find our suffering amusing, and I'm sure the rest of our rouges would be delighted to meet you." He says enthusiastically. My stomach curls at his proposal, the thought of freedom being so tantalizingly close and yet just out of reach makes me want to vomit. I hear Connor tell his beta to watch me as I struggle to get to my feet.

Every part of me aches in a different way, yet I can't dwell on that now. Connor's right about one thing, I should take a look around. If I'm going to be of any use in this fight, knowing the layout of the rouge base would be a step in the right direction. It takes some trial and error to get my pulsing legs to finally work, but by the time I'm in the doorway I'm leaning most of my weight on the frame.

Panting breaths escape me, and my eyes slowly find their way to the beta set to guard me. I finally get a good look at him. He has blue eyes and dark hair messily falling around his face just like I remember from the arena, but now I notice the smaller details like how he has a slight beard, or how thin he is despite being so muscular.

I look him over with a small puff of laughter before pointing to my own neck with a slight smile. "Sorry 'bout the choke hold." I tell him, but he just breathes a little deeper in response. Pushing myself off of the frame, I take an unsteady step towards him. "What's your name?" He doesn't respond causing me to raise an eyebrow. "You know if you don't tell me your name 'imma call you whatever I feel like, right?" I say, but earn no response. Shrugging, I give him another once over. "Alrighty then, I'll call you...Puck!" I exclaim in a brighter voice. This time, I do get a response from Puck, however small, as he raises an eyebrow. I lean into him. "You know, like Wolfgang Puck? Get it? Wolfgang?" Puck just stares at me with a marginally fed up kind of look. I wave my hand, looking off to the side. "I would've gone with Mozart, but that's more syllables." I say as I turn to limp down the hall. "Let's go, Puck."

From behind, I swear I hear a sigh as footsteps begin to echo my own. I smile, enjoying the moment of peace before the shit storm on the horizon. I don't really have to venture too far before running into rouges, and of course their first impulse is to attack. Luckily, Puck steps in and confronts them. "Alpha Connor has given order not to kill her." He says in a deep, husky voice matching his outer appearance. I stare up at him in curiosity as one of the rouges pipes up.

"If we don't kill her can we do as we please?" They ask in a far too pleasant voice. My fearful eyes snap between the rouge who spoke and Puck, whose eyes find mine before he shifts away from me.

"Just don't make my job any more difficult." He says and slowly takes a step back. My hands begin to shake as my eyes return to the rouges in front of me. They stare at me like they would a meal, and it sends shivers down my spine.

Go to one brutal torment later, I'm lying on the floor, my body trembling and pulsing with new wounds on top of the old. Puck only interfered once when one was strangling me, but aside from that, it seemed anything was appropriate.

My clothes are even more tattered than before, and bruises already cover my arms, legs, and abdomen. I almost fall as I push myself up onto my feet. Avoiding the stare of Puck, I continue trudging forward. I want to at least learn the layout, though it doesn't seem like that'll be too hard given that the house is an older pack house with a simple structural design.