This Animal I Have Become (A Negan/Bitten Fanfic)

Part 3: Still Caged Inside

For the first few days after Bree was brought to the Sanctuary, she followed Negan so close that she was practically running into the back of his legs. The sanctuary was so big and there were so many people, it was very over-whelming for her. Her senses were flooded with all of the new and different smells of everyone and it took some getting used to.

She was taken off of the lead the moment she was brought through the gate and Negan was impressed with how she clung to him so he let it stay that way.

 Many people stared her way which stroked Negan's ego more than hers. She found it to be a little intimidating being so new there but she didn't blame them. It's not every day you see a wolf running around and more so being kept as a pet like herself.

 Yes, everyone viewed her as Negan's pet, much to her disapproval. If they only knew she was so much more than that.

She began to fall into a routine at the Sanctuary after the first few nights. She was at Negan's side pretty much night and day. She slept on the floor in his room, she ate when he ate, would go wherever he would go, including to his wives' room.

 Yes, she got to meet the infamous wives of Mr. Negan. It did not surprise her that a man like Negan would have a harem but she still found the whole multiple wives concept odd and very boisterous. It was obvious that it was all about image with this guy.

By the way they interacted with him, she could tell that each one of those girls were getting something out of their marriage and that there was no real love relationship there. Every time they arrived the girls were all dressed in short and skimpy black dresses and it was like they were all putting on a show for him.

 He would spend a little time with each one and then bring the one that he chose for the night into one of the rooms. Of course, Bree never went in with them, she would always make it a point to lay down and stay away from everyone. Majority of the wives were afraid of her anyway. The only one who really paid her any mind was Sherry, a skinny brunette who she could tell that she genuinely just liked animals. 

The nights where he came to them would always end with Negan and Bree going back to his room. He never brought any of the wives up there and would never stay the night in any of their rooms. Every now and then someone would knock on his door to alert him about something but from what Bree understood, his room was off-limits.

From the way that the people of the sanctuary acted, Negan was bad news. He was very nice with her but she would see him get rough with his men when he gave out orders and she had come to learn that he was like the mafia of the apocalypse. The people of the Sanctuary would kneel whenever they walked by like he was some sort of king.

Or an alpha...

Like most of his business, she over-heard him talking with his right-hand man Simon about a bunch of other communities that he had underneath him and how they gave him supplies for his so called protection. She knew he was brutal because of how he talked and she knew that he had killed people. He was very intimidating and she was sure that the world between people had changed drastically since the dead rose. 

She knew that there were probably people out there worse than him and even though she had only been there for a little while, she had to give it to him that his people were taken care of and he did have rules in place to help keep everyone safe. 

Was she lucky to have landed on the top at the sanctuary or was this the worst place she could have ended up?

Bree hadn't gone with him to any of these communities yet but he kept talking about a place called the Hilltop that was his next place to conquer. As much as she feared to witness just how brutal he could be, she was also curious to see a new group of people and how they lived. Up until before she came, she had no clue that people actually existed. It felt reassuring knowing that she had a potential out if things with Negan went sour.

And maybe, just maybe...Her family might be with them.

Knowing the man that he was, she still didn't want to leave him because she feared what the world turned into after the dead took over. Even though it was run by a dictator, the Sanctuary was still the safest place she had been since she split from her pack and fearing the unknown kept her there.

 Plus, from what Bree had been observing, the Sanctuary was on the top and in a world like today's it was probably better to be on top then on the bottom because who knows what kind of people made up the bottom. 

She felt safer with Negan.

Changing back was still her first priority. She still had no clue how to accomplish this. There were a few times where she tried since she had been there and still no results. She didn't understand it. No one had told her about there being consequences for staying wolf for too long and if she couldn't find a way to change back soon she would go mad! It was getting to her more now that she was constantly around people and no way to converse with them after being by herself for so long.

It had been about two weeks since she arrived to the Sanctuary and today was the day that they were going to visit the Hilltop. She was down at the loading station with Negan while everyone ran around to get ready for the trip. From what Bree understood, it was going to be about a two-hour drive to the Hilltop and there was a lot of talk about a man there named Gregory. 

Though Negan had never been there, he sure knew a lot about the place.

Bree sat behind him as he went over the game plan with everyone and what was to be expected. She was nervous on how this whole thing would go down and she knew it was a long shot but she was praying that no one was going to get hurt.

 After he dismissed everyone, they started loading up in the vehicles. Bree followed Negan to his truck and walked around the side to jump in the bed. She sat up and went to leap in the back but abruptly stopped when she heard a sharp whistle. "Ace!" Negan called out to her.

Bree internally rolled her eyes and cringed.

Ace was what he had been calling her. At first, she thought it was a term of endearment but then she slowly began to realize that this was the name he gave her.

Wouldn't have been her first choice but it could have been worse.

Negan moved to the passenger side door and opened in. He clicked his teeth together a couple times and pointed at the entrance. 

"In" he ordered as he held the door open for her.

 Without hesitation Bree jumped in up front. She was happy that she could now be up in the cab, comfortable and with air conditioning. She was dreading having to do this journey in the back, hot, miserable, and holding on for dear life. Bree took this as a sign that she was moving up in the world.

Negan spoke few words to her. He didn't really speak to her like a dog (which she was thankful for) and he mostly used sharp one-word commands with her. When no one else was around he would sometimes talk to her about things that happened in the day or stuff that was going on.

 This was refreshing for Bree because she was not a dog and she often would just walk away when people treated her as such. This was one of the things that Negan did that made her feel human again and she appreciated these rare moments with him.

The drive to the Hilltop was pretty quick and Bree spent most of her time looking out the window and getting to know her surroundings. When they rolled up to the front gates Negan rolled to a stop and started calling out positions and orders through the radio.

 Bree took in her surroundings.

 It looked like an old plantation house with part of a neighborhood and a farm all in one. It was big and she wondered if there were as many people here then there were at the Sanctuary.

 Negan hung up the radio and let out a deep sigh. He stayed in the truck for a moment and Bree looked to him for what was to come next.

 "Well girl...Here we go. Make sure you watch my back okay?" he said rubbing her head and giving her a little smile. He grabbed Lucille and Bree jumped out his side and followed him close by.

 She was ready to see what the Hilltop was about.