"So Liam," Scott turned to him, "How has your first month been?"

Liam had been dosing on Scott's couch, but jumped awake. "Alright. I have a biology test tomorrow that's gonna suck."

"Do you want help studying?" Scott asked.

"Nah, that's ok."

"Are you sure?" Scott pressed: Liam wasn't taking this nearly seriously enough. "I don't want any of this - " He motioned around to where Stiles, Lydia, Malia, Kira, and the rest were laying around his room. "To get in the way of school. Do you need to stop coming to all of these pack meets?"

"NO!" Liam answered hurriedly, panicking. "No, it's okay, even if I don't do good on the test, I'll do all the extra credit, okay? Please, I'll be fine, it's not that big a deal."

"Whoa, hay, relax -" Stiles butted in. "Scott wouldn't make you stop coming to the pack meets."

"'Course not. I just don't want you to feel like you have to make everything happen. Why don't I take you home so you can go ahead and get some extra studying in?"

Liam knew Scott wouldn't let this one drop. He sighed and grabbed the sweatshirt he'd discarded beside him. "Yeah, okay."

Liam said goodnight to everyone else and followed Scott outside, putting on the helmet Scott handed him and climbing on behind the alpha. Once home, he gave Scott the helmet back, thanked him for the ride, and went on inside. The older werewolf always insisted on waiting until Liam had made it into the house before driving away, even though the beta had told him on numerous occasions how much of a dork that made him.

Dropping himself into bed next to the textbook and notes he had abandoned earlier, Liam rubbed his face and really did try to study. His efforts carried him through for about another ten minutes, before he fell asleep against the pages of his book.

When Liam woke up again, it was only part way. He felt like he was swimming. Everything was bleary and he couldn't finish any thought. After a few minutes, his groggy state slowly began to worry him, and he forcefully tried to wake himself up. Eventually he was able to focus his eyes, to find that while he was in a bed, it absolutely not his bed. Or room. After another minute, he became aware of a sharp pain coming from his wrists. After a brief, panicked jerk, he determined that they were tied in front of him. He managed to conclude that this was probably not a good thing, and that if he could start thinking straight he would probably start freaking out.

A brief pause, and he pulled it together enough to close his eyes and shake his head.

"Aw," A voice began, sounding like it came from a funnel. "Is the puppy waking up?"

Liam squinted, and barely made out someone's form above him. Agonizingly slowly, he was able to focus and think more quickly. As soon as he could, he jerked a bit. This led him to discover that he was also bound by his thighs and ankles.

"Don't squirm so much, sweetie. Those are chains coated in wolfsbane: I put some cloth underneath them so you don't get burned if you sit still. The silver is just a fun little touch. And don't worry, it's just a little wolfsbane in your system. You'll be just fine."

"Wh-what?" Liam managed. "Who a-a-are you?"

"You don't have to worry, honey bun." The person answered. Liam thought it was a woman. Tall. Heavy set. She looked like a heavy weight lifter. With silver and wolfsbane, apparently, which made for one very scary character with an affinity for nicknames. Which was so gross.

"What do you w-want?" Liam slurred.

"Just a safe, uninterrupted chat with your alpha," She answered, chipper. "Did you know that Mr. Scott McCall is a very popular person who is very difficult to find?"

He was having difficulty tracking what she was saying. "Wh-why - ?" He began slowly.

"Why is he difficult to track? Or why am I tracking him at all? Well, you're a curious little pup, aren't you?"

Liam looked up at her, annoyed. "Shut-up," He said slowly, and thought 'You're a creep'. The woman laughed.

"And feisty! Well, lambchops, I'll call up our alpha friend in just a few hours and all your questions will be answered. Plus, if everything goes to plan, you'll be free to go on back unscathed." She walked out of the room, which was really small. It was a bedroom with one window which was covered by curtains.

Yeah, he was officially freaking out.

Liam sat for ages before he finally felt like he was thinking clearly again. When that time came, he immediately began trying to wiggle out of his bindings. There was a silver chain wrapped around his wrists, thighs, and ankles. Under the chains on his wrists and ankles were thick pieces of cloth that looked like ripped up sweatshirt material. The chains hadn't been wrapped too tightly, but the ends had been joined by a padlock. Looking down, he also noticed that his claws were out, and part of the reason he was so confused was because his senses were on high alert: there was so much he was hearing, and smelling, and practically tasting that he couldn't make anything out of it at all. More clumsy than he had been since he was first turned, he grasped at his wolfy parts and started focussing.

Highly doubtful that the padlock had been coated in wolfsbane as well, he bent over to reach the lock at his thighs. Grabbing hold of the padlock, he wolfed out just long enough to break it. It was difficult to control, and he felt like it kept slipping out of his grasp, but it must have been the remains of the wolfsbane. Thankfully, he was able to accomplish what he needed to. He carefully pulled over the blanket and pushed the chain to the other side of the bed. Then he bent down further to try to work on his ankles. Soon, they were free as well. Unfortunately, however, he couldn't get a good grasp on his wrist padlock. He knew he was also being cautious about moving the chain too much, afraid it would slip off the pads underneath. Soon, he gave up, and scooted himself off the edge of the bed.

He tiptoed to the window, and found it sealed shut. He seemed to be in a motel room, or an apartment, possibly. It was in the middle of the day. Slowly, he moved toward the door of the bedroom. If he was able to sneak close enough to the exit, he could most likely make a break for it. If his captor was any form of supernatural, she'd have been able to hear his heart beat. Hell, he could smell his own fear distinctly.

Slowly, Liam opened the door. Even more slowly, he inched down the short hallway. At the end of it, he saw an open space (which was probably a kitchenette) and the door he had been looking for. After making it to the end of the hallway noiselessly, he didn't even risk peaking his head around the corner. He ran.

He made it about five steps and suddenly there was an arm around his neck pulling him back so sharply that his legs flew out in front of him.

"Sneaky little mutt, aren't you?" His captor hissed in his ear. His hands flew up because he couldn't breathe, and as he tugged at the arm around his throat the chain he had left at his wrists slipped loose.

The chain slid onto his bare arms and started burning his skin with a hiss. Immediately, he felt the change taking place and the hold he had on his wolf form grew wobbly and hard to grasp. Liam yelped at the startling, overwhelming pain.

"Ow- OW! Oh p-please, take it off, stop it, it hurts, please -" He begged, squirming ferociously.

The woman sighed. "Now look what you did." She carried him over to a small couch tucked in one corner of the room and threw him down, digging his claws out of her arm like they were splinters. She dug into a pocket and found the key to the padlock, and threw off the chains. He collapsed on the couch holding his hands out gingerly to keep them from touching anything, sucking in deep, shaky breaths and strongly fighting back tears.

"Now, have you learned your lesson? Or am I going to have to collar you?" The woman asked. She sounded... amused. "Come on, back to your room." She grabbed his arm, so - so close to his fresh wounds, and he panicked again.

"Oh no, please," He said, twisting away desperately.

"Well, do you want the collar or do you want me to tie your wrists again?" She asked. Liam grew quiet. Definitely neither, but if she even tried to touch his wrists again he would probably pass out. "That's what I thought," She answered herself, taking his silence as approval. "It's a good thing it's time for us to take our trip, or else you would have been going right back into those chains whether you liked it or not, buttercup."

next chap: Scott to the rescue! hurt/comfort and cute beta Liam to come! guilty pleasures all over the place as I enjoy a weekend at home by myself. Reviews/constructive criticism always welcomed and loved and craved etc.