Cage Me Like An Animal

"So there he is, naked in Louis’ bathroom with a ruined phone next to the sink as proof that all of that really happened. He feels embarrassed, like a little puppy doing something big for the first time - except it's not really the first - and part of him feels proud of himself and good about it.
But there’s the other part, probably the sane one, that tells him this can’t happen again."
In which Louis is a true alpha and Harry suffers an accident in the woods, finding himself an omega amongst four other werewolves and a dangerous alpha harming packs. His life is twisted and to make it even harder, he goes through his first heat.

Notes:

For exhibit.

This fic was made to fit on the following prompt: alpha!louis and omega!harry, louis helps harry out learning about being an omega and going through his first heat.
Thanks to Sabrina who beta'd the fic for me even though it was a late call <3 and Viki who helped me through it.
Title is from Of Monsters and Men' song "Human" from the album Beneath The Skin that gave me inspiration through the story.

Work Text:

Harry should’ve known something bad was coming from the moment Niall came up at him at 10pm with two lanterns and an excited face. He has class in the morning and has literally no interest in going out for whatever reason his best friend has in mind.

"Absolutely not," is the first thing he says, and Niall is quick to jump to a story about what he heard while visiting his father at work that afternoon.

“Remember that girl who disappeared a few weeks ago? Lilah? They found her body in the woods and they’re thinking the Maliks have something to do with it.”

“Why would they?” Harry frowns. The Malik family is well known by almost everyone around for having a lot of money and properties all over England.

“She was near their house. I guess that Zayn guy was dating her or something; they had a big fight and some neighbors saw and got worried.” He then moves on to talk about how the investigations are moving and how they have to go out that night and take a look around.

“Look for what?” Harry asks in confusion.

“Thing is… they only found half of her body, and we are gonna look for the other half.” And that’s how Harry finds himself walking through the woods, sweating a bit from the hot air that announced summer was soon approaching. He knows this was a terrible idea, but the thing is, he always ends up by Niall’s side on his crazy adventures, that’s how they work and that’s how, most of the time, they end up at a police station getting angry looks from Bobby.

“Quick question, which half of the body are we looking for?” he asks, noticing they're approaching a house.

“The lower half… I think.” Niall shrugs as if it's nothing and keeps walking, looking right at the mansion a few feet away now.

“Niall, where are we going exactly?” he asks worriedly.

“We're just gonna look near their property, silently of course. They can’t find us here.” He suddenly turns off his lantern and gets behind some bushes, pulling Harry with him and turning his lantern off as well. Right in front of them is the guy known as Zayn, digging something in his backyard with a shovel.

“This is such a bad idea,” Harry whispers, watching the man rub the back of his hand on his forehead with a sigh.

“If the upper half was near here the lower one can’t be too far, right?” Niall whispers and Harry feels nauseous. Then the most inconvenient thing happens: his phones starts ringing. He curses while trying to turn it off and Niall ends up doing it and then throwing it far away from them. “

"What the fuck?!” Harry whisper-shouts and his friend puts a hand over his mouth right away. They go completely silent after that. Between a few leaves, Harry can see the other boy frowning at the direction Niall threw the phone in and then walking back inside his house. He gets up and quickly brushes some of the dirt off his pants when he thinks it’s safe to.

“What are you doing?” Niall asks.

“I'm gonna find my phone and get out of here before he comes back and kills both of us with that bloody shovel.” He snaps, walking away and turning his lantern on the direction Niall threw the phone. He finds it next to a tree and sighs in relief at seeing that it’s intact, with no cracks on the screen that he wouldn’t be able to afford to fix. He’s about to leave when he notices something not too far from where his phone was. It's a shoe, coming from under the ground and he can already see bits of an ankle. “N-Niall,” he calls, voice shaky, and Niall comes right away.

“What’s- oh, shit,” and there the two of them are, staring at what most possibly is the other half of a dead body. Harry thinks he might have to throw up now. Suddenly, Niall walks away and comes back a few seconds later with his sleeves covering his hands that are now gripping the big shovel Zayn was using before.

“Niall, are you insane? We can’t do this! We shouldn’t even be here.” But Niall ignores him and starts digging quickly.

“Text my dad,” is all he says, throwing his phone for Harry to catch. He sends a desperate message and when he returns the phone - there they are, two legs with jeans covered in blood and ruined sneakers, what looks like a thin rope wrapped around them, the waist still covered with dirt but they can see enough to know that there’s nothing else attached to it. “The police will get here soon, so now all we gotta do is wait,”

A howl is heard in the distance and Harry feels a shiver running through his spine.

“We cannot stay here. Zayn’s gonna come back and see that the shovel is gone, and, Jesus! He might already know someone’s been here because of my bloody phone, this is a mess and what if we get killed or-“ he’s panicking when a third voice interrupts him.

“Shit,” they both look around to see Zayn, staring at the girl’s legs, wide-eyed, his face going pale under the moonlight. “You need to get out of here, shit- they’re gonna find it.”

“What?” Niall looks confused but Zayn only shakes his head.

“Go! The two of you, you need to go away now!” he looks scared and that makes Harry even more terrified than he already is. He grabs Niall by the wrist and they both start running as fast as they can. Niall has always been faster though, so soon enough he’s way further than Harry.

“To my car!” Harry hears him shout. He tries running faster but ends up hitting something and before he can think, he’s on the ground. His head hurts and he screams when something sharp goes through his arm, like he’s being bitten. He gets dizzy all of sudden and it’s like the trees are moving around and growly red eyes are staring at him from somewhere. Then he starts running again, feeling something wet running down his body from where he feels the pain. He stumbles into Niall’s car and gets in; his friend is yelling something at him but it’s like his voice gets muffled and pain and confusion take over. That’s when he passes out.

Harry wakes up with a terrible headache and a stomach that is screaming for food. He has no idea what time is it but he’s pretty sure he's missed his lectures already.

“Hey, man,” he hears Niall’s voice and sits up to see that he’s in a hospital room.

“Ugh, why am I here?” he mumbles and Niall blinks back at him.

“You got into my car covered in blood and apparently hurt your wrist. Nothing too serious though, you’re all good. They just had to check for seizures,” he explains. “None as well, but i don't know where the blood was from.”

“What do you mean?” Harry frowns.

“You didn’t have any open wounds, it might not be yours after all.” He feels scared and vulnerable all of sudden, not being able to remember much as if he got drunk and a lot happened without his knowledge, not even knowing what went on with himself. What if it really wasn’t his blood? Whose could it be, then? His pain increases and Niall calls a nurse for him that gives him some medication and a tray of food.

After she leaves, Niall sits by his side on the bed, looking at what she brought with expectation.

“Fine," Harry sighs. “You can have the pudding.” His friend smiles widely and eats the chocolate pudding happily. “Anything from Bobby?”

“Yup," Niall says around a spoonful. "Zayn got arrested later on, they found him still near the body after we left.”

“But that’s not fair! He didn’t do it, it wasn’t him,” Harry exclaims with too much confidence.

“They dropped the charges against him this morning, after analyzing the whole body and noticing signs of an animal attack, which was said to be the cause of death,” Harry sighs in relief. “Might be a wolf, or a bear.” He suddenly sees red eyes.

“Never heard of wolves in England,” he comments and Niall shrugs.

“Me neither, but anyway, someone else’s fingerprints were found in the shovel and Zayn had wounds so the story now is that he got attacked by someone and that person was accused of actually hiding the body and trying to incriminate him.”

“Wait, who? I think I stumbled across something, or… someone, but I couldn’t see their face.”

“Shit… I don’t know, man, no matches were found.”

“This is too weird. I’m so confused.” Harry whispers, staring at his own hands. Who would try to incriminate Zayn, and why?

"It's all our fault,” he whispers.

“Harry- “ Niall starts, but Harry interrupts him.

“No, listen! We need to go explain ourselves to him, we’re the reason that whole thing happened last night.”

“The police knows enough, they don’t need two curious teens in a crime scene! We can get arrested too, you know.”

“We don’t need to talk to the police,” Harry says. “Let's just talk to Zayn and tell him why we were spying. He saved us, Ni. Whoever attacked him… he knew this person was coming, that’s why he told us to run.”

“Ok, I guess, that sounds fair.” Niall says, sighing around his food. “What a mess.”

“Indeed,” Harry mumbles, and they go silent after that.

The first time Harry met Louis was a few months before the incident in the woods. It was quite a sunny day but still windy. A woman had left her dog on the pet shop for him to give it a bath but, well, he was having problems with it. He never really had much trouble handling small dogs; animals usually liked him - it was probably the treats - but that little Pomeranian decided to immediately hate him.

Somehow between high pitched barks and pulls on the leash the dog ran away from the store, bolting down the street. Harry got desperate and went after him right away, calling the pet’s name. He was running out of air and had to stop for a moment, with his hands on his knees and body bent over. How could that little dog be so fast and leave him behind? Jesus. If he didn’t find the dog his boss would skin him alive, if the owner didn't first. He’d be totally fired. He’d be ruined-

“Are you alright, mate?” he heard someone say suddenly and stood straight, just to find a man in front of him, with the dog in his arms. “I believe you’re looking for him?”

“Yes, thank god! My boss would kill me if I lost him, and if he didn't the owner definitely would.” he breathed out “How did you get him?” the man smiled.

"I was just walking around and found weird how the little one was with the leash hanging and all, so I called him." he explained, handing the dog to Harry. “Thank you so, so much, I owe you one.” “

"Nah, don’t worry about it… Harry” he said, looking at the Harry’s name tag. “I'm Louis, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you,” Harry smiled. " But really, if you ever need a favour I work in the pet shop three blocks down.”

“Alright,” Louis smiled back. Harry was sure he had sunlight coming out of his face. “Well, I have to go. See you around, Harry.”

“See you, thanks again.” Louis walked away, still smiling, and Harry went back to the store the same way. He wasn’t expecting meeting the man again, not at all and definitely not at Zayn Malik’s house on a wednesday afternoon.

“Uhm… hello, we are looking for Zayn?” he says after Louis opens the door.

“Sure, come in,” he nods, and steps aside. Both boys walk in and Louis closes the door behind them. The house is big, with a fireplace in the living room and an astounding amount of books. Harry takes off his jacket, leaving it by the hanger next to the door. “Oh, I remember you! Harry, right? From the pet store?” Louis asks. Niall rises an eyebrow at him.

“Oh, yeah, didn’t think you’d remember that” he says with a soft smile. “I still owe you one.”

"Don’t worry about it,” he shrugs, then looks Niall. “And you? What’s your name? Don’t think we’ve met before.”

“I’m Niall Horan, and no, we haven’t.”

“Horan? I see… your dad is the sheriff, Bobby. Good man, he is.” Louis says politely and Niall nods. “You guys can sit, I'll go call Zayn.” He then walks away and Niall glares at Harry.

“What?” he frowns.

“'I still owe you one’," he whispers in a ridiculous voice. “Really? Your face couldn’t be more obvious,” Niall rolls his eyes.

“What are you talking about?” Harry whispers back.

“Oh, please.” Niall smirks. “You definitely want to get in his pants.” Harry's about to come up with a reply when he hears someone clearing their throat. Both boys turn towards the door, where Zayn and Louis are standing.

“You want to talk?” Zayn sits across them on another couch and Louis excuses himself, heading to what must be the kitchen.

“We wanted to apologize, actually.” Harry says. “For the other night, and the mess we got you in. We shouldn’t have been in the woods and we shouldn’t have messed with the…the…”

“The body, is what he wants to say.” Niall says.

“Yeah, that.” Harry nods; his friends has always been more straightforward. “You got arrested because of us and we’re just really sorry.”

“Alright," Zayn nods. “I understand.”

“You do?” Niall asks confusedly.

“You're not the first teens to come around trying to find out about Lilah. I guess you just went further than the others, but don’t come across my family’s property again like that.” He warns, sobering up. “Understood?” Both boys nod quickly.

“We wanted to ask a few questions, if that’s not a problem.” Niall then says, and Harry looks at him in confusion. He hears footsteps in the kitchen and his attention focuses on a smell coming from the corridor, sweet and strong. Zayn answers something but Harry can't bring himself to really listen to it. He hears a few cabinet doors opening and closing and then the smell growing, the footsteps getting a bit louder, but he has to look back when Niall asks the question.“What happened with Lilah?”

Harry freezes as Zayn rises an eyebrow. That sweet smell fills his nose once again, this time present in the room. He looks around to see Louis standing at the entry.

“Excuse me?” Zayn asks dryly.

“You heard me. We want to know what happened, why her body was cut in half and buried near your family’s house.” Niall crosses his arms in front of his chest, Harry nudging him with his knee.

“I’m sorry, he shouldn’t ask that, we-” he starts to say, but is cut by his friend.

“No, I want to know. After all we got involved in already, I want to hear the story.”

“I already said enough to your dad.” Zayn replies.

“Maybe you should leave,” Louis then says with a serious expression, and Harry nods.

“Yes, we’re going already,” he gets up and pulls Niall by the arm. “Thanks for having us.” And he walks out of the house with his hand tight around Niall’s bicep. “Are you insane?” he asks when they get far enough. “You can’t just go and ask those questions!”

“As if you didn’t want to know! We’re involved in this shit already, we should have an answer to what the fuck went on there.”

“No,” Harry shakes his head. “We shouldn’t be involved in first place, this is madness and he doesn’t owe you anything.” Niall sighs deeply. A cold breeze hits them, and Harry realizes he's forgotten his jacket in the house. “Damn it. Go to the car, I’ll go get my jacket. I left it in their hanger.”

“Alright, be quick,” Niall says with a tired voice and keeps walking away. Harry jogs towards the house and opens the door without knocking; his jacket's right where he left it and he grabs it before looking in the direction of the corridor. The back door's open and bright yellow eyes are blinking back at him. He goes back to the car as quickly as he can and doesn't say a word.

They're haunting him. The smells, the sounds, everything around him seems stronger; he feels his own system stronger. Harry goes for a morning run, does more laps in less time than ever before and all the scents around his neighborhood reach his nose in a abnormal way. Later that night, he sits by his desk and turns on his laptop. Flashbacks from that night in the woods coming into his head: red eyes, elongated teeth, black fur and a deep pain.

He types ‘wolf bite’ on Google and browses for hours before getting up, grabbing his coat and sneaking out of the house. He takes a taxi, ignoring the driver's odd look at him, and chants to himself 'don't panic' while sitting in the backseat. The full moon's shining and Harry avoids looking at it, feeling like he's being judged under its searching light. About twenty minutes later the car stops in the road. Harry can see the house not much farther away among trees. He pays the taxi driver and gets out, throwing a hoodie over his head and walking quickly towards the door.

He knocks and it opens soon enough, revealing a guy Harry hasn't seen before, staring back at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Hello. Can I help you?" The man asks slowly, frowning at Harry.

"I need to talk to Zayn immediately," he snaps. He wouldn't normally be that rude but right now he can feel nothing but frustration, anger and most of all confusion.

"Sure, mate, come in." the man steps aside as Harry makes his way into the house. "Are you alright?" The sound loses itself in Harry's brain; instead, he focuses on a sweet scent that smells rather familiar. His thoughts're heading back to Wednesday when a hand lands on his shoulder, making him jump slightly and come back to the moment. "Harry? Are you ok?" the man asks.

"H-how do you know my name?" he asks in confusion.

"You were here Wednesday, with your friend," the man says but it doesn't explain much. Zayn might have told him about everything. "My name's Liam, by the way."

"Ok," Harry nods, his hands trembling as he tries to hide them inside his pockets, but the sweat on his forehead must give him away anyway. Well, something does, because Liam's looking at him with worry and what smells a bit like fear; Harry doesn't like it one bit.

"I'm going to call him. Stay here, alright?" Harry can only nod again as Liam walks away and runs up the stairs. Harry, left in the living room, looks around, noticing details of the place he hadn't noticed before. Like a framed picture above the fireplace that shows Zayn with Liam and Louis, the three of them with football uniforms and smiles on their sweaty faces. There are a few books on the bigger couch and a pair of glasses on top of them.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" He turns around to see that Zayn and Liam have now joined him.

"Was it you? You did this to me, didn't you?" Harry accuses, his jawline clenching.

"What are you talking about? Did what?" Liam asks, looking at Zayn expectedly.

"I already know what you are, it didn’t take much to click in," Harry says, watching as Zayn closes his hands into a fist. "You bit me, didn't you? Was it you that night? Was it you the animal that killed Lilah?!"

"You got bitten?" Liam asks. "Zayn, you knew? You should've told me," Harry lets out a growl, his nails getting bigger and sharper without him noticing. The other two do though. "Shit," Liam says. "Listen, Harry, what happened to you-"

"He did this! He turned me into this monster it's all his fault!" Harry yells, not realising the way his own eyes are turning yellow. A third presence steps into the room right away, Harry's eyes going back normal for a second when he sees Louis, but soon enough glowing again.

"Hey, what's going on here?" he asks. "Why are you yelling at each other at bloody eleven p.m?"

"Zayn, you better speak up, seriously." Liam says harshly at his friend, whose silence is frustrating them all. "It's not my fault! I told him to run, he was in the woods that night and happened to be unlucky and incredibly stupid if I might say so," as soon as the last few words leave Zayn's mouth Harry feels anger take over him, stronger than ever.

"Ok, I think it's better if we-" Liam's interrupted mid-sentence by a furious Harry throwing himself at Zayn with all his might. Both boys crash to the floor, Harry's claws scratching at Zayn's forearm in front of his face, blood running down right away.

“What are you doing?!” Zayn yells, Harry’s fist meeting his jaw the next second. Liam and Louis are quick to jump and try to pull them apart, Zayn trying to hit Harry back. The boys hold him and lift him as he tries to free himself, his teeth getting bigger and turning into proper fangs.

“He's turning!” Louis says alarmed, both men struggling to contain the boy, trying to pin him down on the floor, his grunts of anger turning into screams of pain. “We need to give him something before it gets worse,” Liam rushes.

“Zayn, go get the sedative!” He nods and runs upstairs to get it, while Liam and Louis take Harry to the couch, the boy shaking uncontrollably. His features keep changing back and forth, fur coming out on his face and nails changing their size. Liam looks like he's in verge of panicking, looking at Louis for help and the man sighs, holding Harry’s face with both hands.

“Listen to me, Harry, you need to let it go, alright?” he says, trying to get the boy to look at him. “Harry, stop fighting or it’s gonna kill you! Look at me,” their eyes meet, Harry’s green irises getting bits of yellow around the edges. “Breathe, ok? Just breathe with me.” Harry nods, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth, his hands trembling against the couch.

Zayn comes back soon enough with a small syringe; Harry doesn't even notice he's back until he feels the needle in his arm, his eyes leaving Louis’ for a second before coming back.

“There you go...all good.” Louis says, his voice calm as the boy lets out slow breaths. “Let it take it over you, alright? It’s gonna be fine.” Harry tries to focus on the blue shining through Louis’ eyes, on the sound of his voice and the gentle touch on his face. He feels like he's drifting, slowly slipping away into his dreams. And that is it.

The wolf gets up from the ground, stretching his four legs and feeling a slight pain coming from one of them, bloodstains on his grey brown-ish fur from the open wound. Another wolf figure walks towards him, bowing its head down to lick at the place where it hurts, the pain being taken away slowly. The youngest wolf looks at the alpha, his shiny red eyes not as scary as the other he saw just a few days ago. He bows his head and wiggles his tail playfully, waiting for the alpha to accept his offer.

A soft whine comes from him and they both take off into the woods, chasing after each other. After a while they walk back to the house, the youngest grabbing what seems to be a piece of cloth from the floor and they fight for it for a few minutes, both pulling at it. Soon enough, the omega gets tired and decides to lie down for a nap. The older one lays beside him for a few minutes before getting up, looking back at the other wolf before walking away.

Harry wakes up with his back sore. He notices he's laying on a couch with only pants on and a blanket thrown over his body. His right arm hurts a lot and he lets out a quiet whine at seeing the big scars below his elbow. “Shit," he whispers to himself, sitting up and examining the injury. He shivers slightly from the cold air when it hits his bare chest. Somehow he can't remember how he got them or who gave them to him. He can barely remember anything clearly, just a few spare moments he can’t quite find a way to connect to each other.

“That was quite ugly,” he looks up and sees Liam walk into the room with pajamas on and two mugs in his hand. He hands one to Harry, who takes it happily.

“Thanks,” he takes a sip. “I don’t really know what happened...” he says confusedly.

“You scratched yourself with your nails when you were turning. It didn’t heal very fast because of a medication we gave you that kind of slows down the werewolf side of you,” Liam explains. “Don’t worry, though; soon enough it’ll look like nothing happened.”

“I…” Harry shakes his head. “I'm sorry for showing up at your house late at night all weird, and for whatever I might have done… I don’t remember much but it must’ve been bad.”

“No worries, man, the first full moon is always bad. My first wasn’t the greatest either but you didn’t attack anyone… except Zayn- don’t worry! It wasn’t that bad! You didn’t hurt him.” He says quickly when Harry’s expression changes dramatically.

“Oh, well, thank god,” Harry sighs deeply. “But I’m genuinely sorry. This whole… thing is confusing.”

“I understand,” Liam nods. “I just want you to know that you can come here whenever you want if you need help. When it happened to me I luckily already knew Zayn and his family and they explained everything to me, it was much easier. So, yeah, if there’s anything you want to know don’t be afraid to ask.” Liam’s warm smile brings one to Harry’s face too and he accepts the offer, instead of running back home like he perhaps should.

“Yeah, that… that would be great, mate. To be honest I know barely nothing, pretty sure the stuff I found on the internet wasn’t very accurate.” Liam chuckles.

“No, can’t trust those websites much, but Zayn’s mom has a bunch of books that can help and we’ll have to take you to them and to talk to his dad as well.”

“What? Why?” Harry frowns.

“What happened to you isn’t really common here. I mean, not like that. We haven’t had any attacks like yours in a long time, and besides we’re not sure who turned you. There’s a code not to attack people between packs from around this area. It’s an odd occasion.”

“That doesn’t sound very good,” Harry says. “Should I be worried?”

“No," another voice pipes up before Liam can open his mouth. Harry looks around to see Louis walking into the room. “You don’t have to worry about anything right now,” he shrugs and gives the boy a small smile. Harry smiles back, not noticing the face Liam's making at his friend.

It's a lot to take in: the packs, the different types of werewolves and moons, how to turn back and forth. The pictures are probably the worst part, all drawings of creatures that look like they could kill anything that came in their way. Harry hopes to never look like that. He closes the book, placing it besides him where he's sitting in the front porch of Zayn’s house, sighing and closing his eyes for a second. It's too much information to process, how one day all he had to worry about were his finals and now his biggest problem isn’t his grades but trying not to murder someone.

How is that possible? And what will he tell Niall? Should he even open his mouth? What about his other friends and family, his mom and sister and stepdad. What will he do with his life now that he's divided between being a human and a beast?

“Hey, mate, are you alright?” he turns around to see Louis walking out of the house with a green jacket making his blue eyes stand out. Harry suddenly has flashbacks of blue eyes turning red, but he pushes the memory away.

“Yeah… ” he clears his throat “It’s just a lot, ’s all,” Harry shrugs as Louis sits beside him.

“I know it’s scary at first, but you get used to it," he reassures him. “In the end it isn’t that bad.” Louis sounds so genuine and sweet that for a moment Harry actually believes him.

“I don't--,” he sighs. “I don’t know if I want to get used to it.” His eyes start to tear up and he turns his face away from Louis, trying to hide it. Suddenly he feels a warm hand on his shoulder.

“Hey," Louis whispers. “I'm sorry but you’ll have to get into your head that this is not your choice anymore, that there’s no cure. That this is what you are and fighting it will only make it worse. You can’t end it but you can control it. Lots of werewolves live normal human lives."

“How? How can I do that?” He asks, still not looking at Louis. “You just need to learn how to control yourself, and with time you won’t have to fight the wolf," the man says and Harry finally looks at him with wet eyes. “Hold onto the Harry you are now, cause it’s very easy to get lost.” Louis' the one who drops his gaze then.

“How was it for you? When you were bitten, I mean.” Harry asks, not wanting to intrude but letting curiosity take him.

“I wasn’t,” he says, much to Harry's puzzlement.“I was born like this. My dad was a werewolf and got my mom pregnant accidentally, so it wasn’t anyone’s choice in the end. He ran away, because he was young and didn’t want to raise a child.” He lets a humorless laugh escape. “I was lucky I found Zayn’s family, or well, technically they found me, and taught me everything so it was quite easy to fit in, but… there are always consequences. It can’t be 100% good for everyone.”

“I'm sorry about that,” Harry says. “Must be hard to grow up without a father.”

“Nah," Louis shrugs. “I managed just fine. My family is amazing and I have a lot of people on my side, so why bother with one that decided to leave? Too bad for him, missed all the fun.” Harry smiles softly at the man sitting next to him.

“You’re very optimistic, and that’s good,” Harry says with a small smile, Louis smiling back at him.

“Well, I have to be. It’s either that or living in a constant fight with myself, and what good comes out of that?” and it's true, Harry realizes; he's gonna have to let go at some point.

“I'm scared,” he whispers. “Is that bad?”

“No," Louis says softly. “It just means you’re human. You should focus on that part.”

When summer recess starts Harry is incredibly glad to have a break from college, but on the other hand he’s also incredibly bored. Most of the time Niall is out on dates, thanks to some dating app he download on his phone, which Harry thinks it’s stupid but perhaps that’s just him being bitter over the fact that whenever he comes home he’s left to watch Scrubs alone.

Then again, Liam constantly texts him and he even receives news from Louis once in a while, usually pictures of him putting pieces of bread on Zayn’s face while he’s asleep. They only make small talk but at least it’s something and Harry enjoys it. One particular weekend he receives a text from Liam inviting him over for “games". He’s not sure what it really entails, but it can't be that bad, right? He’s seen their X-BOX and it looks pretty cool. When he arrives at their house a while later, though, he’s greeted by a shirtless Liam with red boxing gloves on.

“We're not playing video games, are we?” he asks, and Liam laughs with a head shake and closes the door behind him.

“Not unless you wanna call it RPG, no,” he says as they walk towards the back of the house. In the backyard Zayn is sprawled in a chair with a cigarette hanging from his mouth as he watches Louis attempt to climb a three.

“Hey, guys,” Harry says.

“Louis! Be careful, or you’re gonna break your bloody neck!” Liam shouts at the other boy who only laughs loudly as he gets higher.

“Nice to see you here, Harry,” Zayn greets. “We were gonna train as usual and Louis insisted to invite you over, y’know?" A playful smile reaches his lips and Harry blushes.

“I heard that, you tosser!” Louis yells, getting down from the three and jogging towards them. “What’s up, Harry?” he puts a hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“Well, you invited me for ‘games' but I’m guessing it isn’t about anything I imagined.” He says with a chuckle.

“I don’t know about that,” Louis says wiggling his eyebrows. “Depends on what kind of games you thought of..."

"Jesus Christ, Tommo," Liam groans and Zayn rolls his eyes, but laughs when he sees how red Harry’s face looks.

“Shall we start, then?” Louis asks with a smile.

“Wait, what are we doing exactly?” Harry asks, still confused. He’s not sure if the smug looks Zayn and Louis are giving him are trustworthy.

“Let's start it, boys!” Zayn shouts, turning up the volume on his I-Pod player as he sips on a bottle of beer, some AC/DC song playing.

“C’mon, mate, show me your moves!” Liam says from his spot a few feet away, giving little jumps as he shields himself with the boxing gloves. The wolf in front of him growls and it sounds as sassy as it can be.

“Are you guys sure this is a good idea?” Harry asks Zayn, who laughs quietly.

“Yeah, we do this all the time. Besides, all the wounds heal fast anyway.” He shrugs.

“Wounds," Harry whispers, shaking his head as he watches Louis walk in circles around Liam, never turning his back at him. They stare at each other and then Louis makes the first move by throwing himself at Liam with all he’s got and they both fall to the ground. Harry’s eyes widen when Louis is thrown away, falling on his back and then rolling over on his paws, letting out a bark. “What are the gloves for?”

And as Harry asks that Louis’ mouth closes around Liam’s protected left hand. He twists his body with enough force to make Liam spin and be thrown over his shoulder.

“Oh, wow.”

“Points to Louis!” Zayn shouts. Harry isn’t used to seeing him talking so loudly and freely, and he likes it. He slowly starts to see the fun in it; Liam always laughs when he gets thrown on the ground and he makes little dances to which Louis always replies with growls or short barks. He’s never really seen the alpha in action, and despite this being just a game Louis’ moves are quite impressive. He easily tackles Liam to the ground and bites him, always making sure not to really bite so Liam doesn’t get too hurt. They end the first round and Zayn declares Louis the winner, Liam jogging towards them sweaty and with dirt all over his shorts.

“Wanna try out, Harry?” he asks, taking off his destroyed gloves.

“I’m… not sure if that’s a good idea,” Harry replies apprehensively.

“Let's go, mate, you can do it,” Liam pep-talks, patting his back. “Louis will go easy on you, won’t you, mate?” They all look at the alpha who barks at them.

“Great. I would give you the gloves but I guess you’re better off without them now.” Harry nods and walks closer to Louis, stopping a few feet away, not sure of what he should do exactly. He stares at the wolf awkwardly and Louis bows his head down. Harry’s not sure what he means.“You start, Harry,” Liam says from where he’s sitting next to Zayn, a beer in his hand as well.

“How?!” They don’t answer him and he huffs in frustration, turning back to Louis and trying to remember how Liam did it. The alpha’s red eyes glow at him and that seems to set him off somehow, bending his knees a bit and unconsciously his nails grow and his yellow eyes glow right back at the other werewolf. Louis barks and Harry runs towards him but Louis gets out of the way just in time and pulls Harry by the leg with his mouth, making the boy fall on his ass.

He uses his strength to launch into Louis and falls on top of him, pressing his furry body down on the grass floor. Zayn and Liam cheer from where they’re sitting and Harry laughs. As he’s distracted looking at them, Louis pushes him away and gets up on his four legs. Harry gets up too, jeans with a few holes in already and his t-shirt dirt-stained all over with a few leaves. He doesn’t pay attention to that, though, when he tries to scratch Louis in one of his legs.

“Calm down, mate! You need to immobilize him, not make him bleed!” Liam warns and Harry nods.

“Sorry," he apologizes to Louis, who just blinks at him before starting to walk in circles around him like he did with Liam before. Harry, feeling more confident now, hits his own chest with both of his hands. “C'mon, puppy!” he taunts with a smirk and he can hear the other boys laughing. Louis seems to narrow his eyes (at least it’s what it looks like) and then he attacks Harry’s legs. The younger boy yelps as the wolf bites his shoe and reaches to grab him anywhere he can - which turns out to be his shoulder - and pulls him in instead of pushing him away this time.

They’re pressed together suddenly, the alpha’s back against his chest while Harry’s arms are wrapped around his chest. Louis twists around, trying to shake him, off and Harry hisses in pain from what feels like little pointy rocks scratching at his skin. It heals soon enough so he doesn’t worry, and Liam shouts something about him being the winner but his attention is far away. The wolf that was in his arms is suddenly human, and with a quick move he has Harry pinned down on the ground, hands holding his wrists with enough strength to probably leave marks.

They’re both sweating and panting and Harry tries not to look at the man’s naked chest, because shit, he’s naked on top of him. Oh, well.

“That was good,” Louis says, breaths coming out quickly “For an omega.” He points out and Harry laughs.

“You're not so bad yourself, puppy.” Louis narrows his eyes - literally this time - at him, and before Harry can say anything else, he’s gone. Harry gets up from the floor and starts brushing the dirt away from his clothes, and when he looks up again Louis has pants on and Liam is handing him a tank top and a bottle of water. “How was that?” he asks, approaching them with a small smile.

“It was great, mate! You should join us more often. We need someone to help kick Louis’ ass.” Liam says.

“Too bad you can’t do it yourself, Payno,” Louis smirks and Liam flicks his tongue at him.

“No, seriously, come around whenever you want. It’s nice to have someone else over.” Zayn says and Harry smiles widely.

“That would be cool, yeah.” They go inside again, and Zayn takes off a whole pack of beer out of the fridge and opens it up as they gather around the living room.

“So how about some actual games now?” Liam suggests, already turning on the X-BOX. Louis grabs a control and jumps on the couch excitedly.

“Now let’s see who kicks ass.”

Meeting Yaser Malik is one of the scariest experiences of Harry’s life. Little does he know worse things will come to him later, but that day he's almost shitting his pants. At first he introduces himself, shaking Yaser’s hand and not even noticing the three other boys laughing quietly behind him.

“Nice to meet you, Sir.” He says, polite as ever.

“Nice to meet you too, Harry. Let’s go to my office, yes? So we can all have a proper conversation.” Harry nods.

“Let's get to it, then, boys!” Louis says, shouldering past them with a smile, Yaser giving him a tap on the shoulder. They all head to a room with a big desk and hundreds of books. Yaser sits in a chair and the boys on a leather couch.

“So what we know is that someone turned you, Harry, but no one is sure who did it.”

“For me it seems pretty obvious.” Zayn says.

“Son," Yaser snaps in a harsh tone, voice deeper than before, which makes Harry shiver. His alpha voice. “We don’t know who did it, but it’s very possible that it was the same werewolf who killed Lilah.”

“I’m confused right now.” Harry says. “It was really a werewolf that killed Lilah?"

“Yes. We have been investigating and a new pack arrived probably around month ago; there’s been attacks all around England and they finally got to London. We believe some kind of power must be on their side.”

“So the theory of the witches is still up?” Liam asks and Yaser nods. Harry starts to feel dizzy. Witches, he repeats to himself.

“Such odd attacks aren’t very common for werewolves. That night when Lilah’s body came up from the ground they sensed it and came after it,” Yaser explains. “That’s the theory so far.”

“Isn't it possible that someone we know might’ve done it?” Liam suggests and the other boys frown.

“What do you mean someone we know?” Zayn asks.

“Not a new pack, but one that has been here already for the past years. That’s an option, isn’t it?” Liam asks.

“Yes, that could be one of the possibilities.” Yaser then adds, “One that I'd rather not believe in, but those are the options so far. All we can know for sure is that there are bad wolves out there planning something with magic we do not know about. We must be wary and protect ourselves.” The tension in the room is so heavy Harry can barely breathe.

“If it’s someone we already know, then they’ve broken a rule. It’s been settled that no new wolves can be turned without the whole council’s agreement,” Louis states. "And they turned Harry."

“A… werewolf council?” Harry frowns, the idea sounding quite bizarre in his mind.

“Sort of, yes. We’ve been preventing attacks like this for years, it’s been a long while since a new werewolf was made.” Liam explains to him, then looks at Yaser who has his lips pursed and his eyes on the big window besides his desk. “What do you think we should do exactly?”

“If the attacks are coming from a local pack, a council reunion won’t do any good. We need to investigate the area and talk to each alpha. I think that’s a good idea for now, if we try to avoid making it seem as if we’re in a hunt.”

“Are we though? Going after them?” Harry asks, not sure if he's a part of this ‘we’, and not sure if he wants to be.

“We can hide, of course, but sitting inside while other attacks happen isn’t the best choice, I wouldn’t say,” Yaser says, the boys all nod. “I say we talk to the other packs and find out who’s doing this before we get to the next step. But first I need to know if you are all up for it; this is a tough mission, a very dangerous one at that if our predictions are right.”

“We understand that.” Zayn nods.

“So are you all ok with this?” Yaser finally asks.

“Absolutely.” Liam's the first to answer and Zayn hums in agreement.

“Harry,” he hears Louis say and he turns his head to look at him. “Up for it?” Harry would say ‘no' right away. It's madness, after all; going after werewolves and witches that kill people for whatever reason. He can’t do something like that, can he? He looks around, at these boys with their eyes on him expectantly and Louis who seems to trust him somehow.

“You don’t have to come, and we understand if you don’t want to be part of this,” Liam says softly. “But we’d like it if you joined us.”

“We could always welcome another soldier, right, boys?” The others agree.

“Alright," Harry nods. “I’ll come with you.” The boys grin tightly at him.

“Great. Now, if you excuse me," Yaser says, walking towards the door of the office. “I have something very important to attend, but we’ll discuss this again later.”

“I’m just gonna introduce Harry to the rest of the family,” Zayn says.

“Do that,” the man says and then looks at Harry before walking out, calling out “Welcome to the pack, kiddo.”

The rest of Zayn’s family turns out to be a lot of fun and Harry spends a good while talking to Zayn's younger sisters before their mom arrives to make them lunch and invites all the boys to join. Before Harry notices he’s in the kitchen, helping her with recipes and seasoning salad.

“You’re great in the kitchen, darling. How did you learn so much?” She asks and he smiles at her.

“My mom has always taught me a lot, and when I was younger I used to work in a bakery for a while, wanting money for concert tickets,” he grins and she laughs slightly.

“Well, feel free to come here whenever you want. I’d love to share recipes with you, darling.” She smiles warmly at him and Harry helps her take the food to the table, where all the boys are already waiting along with with Zayn’s sisters. Harry likes being there more than he can admit.

In the following week Harry ends up spending even more time with the boys. See, it’s not really his fault, because on Monday before going to the gym he just drops by to give them the books back and Liam ends up inviting him to stay for some time and work out together instead of going to the actual gym. They run around the woods and laugh at how fast they go and end up scaring birds and squirrels when they pass by. On Wednesday he bumps into Zayn in a bookshop and they have a chat before going to grab coffee together, on Thursday he goes working out with Liam again and on Friday Louis texts him and invites him over to have dinner and watch werewolf movies so they can mock the laughable costumes.

Tons of spaghetti, two movies and a few episodes of The Originals later Zayn and Liam are asleep on the floor with a blanket thrown over them and Harry can barely keep his eyes open, his head falling to the side and onto Louis’ shoulder, who’s watching TV and sipping on his beer quietly.

“God this show is terrible,” Louis says laughing, his body shaking. That brings Harry awake. He looks at their position confusedly and pulls away, rubbing at his eyes.

“Sorry, I slept on you.” He murmurs, shivering slightly from the cold air in the room.

“Hm?” Louis turns his head at him, leaving his beer on the table next to the couch. “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s actually pretty late, I think,” he checks his phone. “Yep, almost one a.m.”

“Jesus, are you used to being up so late?” He asks, resting his head on the cushions and letting his eyes focus on the way the TV light reflects on Louis’ golden skin.

“Lately I’ve been, yeah” Louis shrugs. “Haven’t had that much sleep.”

“Something wrong?” Harry asks with a small frown, noticing just how close they are and how long Louis’ eyelashes look.

“Nothing relevant, I guess, just can’t get comfortable,” his lips twitch and Harry’s eyes accompany the movement. “It's probably the heat, our fan is broken."

“Oh, I'm sorry.” He then says, “You could drink some tea, it helps.”

“Liam always makes me some but he can’t get it right. It does works a bit when I do it though,” Louis admits. “I still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes."

“I'll make you some, then,” Harry says, getting up and stretching, his limbs hurting from how long he stayed in the couch. He doesn’t notice Louis’ eyes on his exposed tummy.

“What?” he brings his eyes up to Harry’s face.

“Tea.” Harry says as he heads towards the kitchen, “I’ll make you a perfect one.” He puts water on the kettle and turns on the stove before grabbing milk and tea on the counter. It’s a surprise when he hears Louis’ soft steps on the wooden floor; he still has to get used to his werewolf hearing. Louis sits on the kitchen counter and watches in silence as he prepares the tea. It takes him a few minutes to speak up.

“Finally someone who knows that milk comes first and then you add the tea,” he says and Harry smiles at him.

“Yeah, everyone always seems to get it wrong for me too.” He makes himself a mug as well and pulls one of the kitchen chairs to sit on. “So I guess I should call for a cab or maybe take the bus back home. I don’t have class tomorrow but I’m pretty knackered.”

“Stay over,” Louis blurts and Harry freezes. “We'll make you some space, it’s too late for you to leave anyway.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I don’t want to intrude.” Harry says, sipping on his tea as Louis arches an eyebrow at him.

“You’re not intruding, I’m inviting you. It’s so late there’s no reason for you to go out right now, so stay over,” Harry purses his lips, unsure if he should accept the offer or not. “C’mon, stay with us,” Louis whines.

“Alright,” Harry agrees finally with a smile. “Since you want my company so badly, I guess it won’t do any harm.” Louis rolls his eyes.

“Whatever. I just want you to make me breakfast.” He hops out of the counter and leaves the mug by the sink before walking back into the living room, leaving Harry alone in the kitchen grinning at himself. He goes back a while later and sits next to Louis on the couch, pulling a small blanket over their bodies. Louis switches channels and lets some cartoon on, it's not long until Harry falls back asleep with the heat of the other man's body against his.

Harry comes to to the sound of a heartbeat against his ear and his body incredibly warm. He refuses to open his eyes at first, but he can tell it’s morning already. His nose picks up the smell of bacon and eggs coming from the kitchen and soft voices talking quietly, though he doesn’t make an effort to hear what they're talking about. He tries burying himself deeper in the couch and his nose ends up rubbing against something soft, the smell of cologne taking over the one from the food. He frowns and opens his eyes finally, blinking a few times to get used to the light coming from the windows, and that's when he notices that he’s not alone, that there’s a body next to his. Louis'.

The man is still asleep and Harry pulls away slowly, looking at his soft expression, his lips slightly open letting out small breaths. His fringe is messy in his forehead and he couldn’t look more adorable. He decides to get up, careful not to wake Louis, and walks to the kitchen only in his socks. When he gets there Liam and Zayn are in a discussion over a movie they want to see while Liam cooks their breakfast.

“Morning, lads,” he greets them with a yawn and they both look at him giving him soft smiles.

“Hey, mate, how’s the couch for you? I know how it can ruin your back sometimes.” Liam says, putting a big omelet on a plate and handing it to Zayn.

“It was good, actually. Do you need any help cooking?”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’m almost done but another day would be nice,” Liam dismisses. “I can’t do much, my skills are very low."

“That's true," Zayn says and Liam throws a piece of eggshell at him, making him laugh. Harry watches them with a grin.

“Hey, help me put all this on the table?” Liam asks him, pointing at all the plates that are ready. Harry nods and starts bringing all the stuff to the table in the middle of the kitchen, while Zayn hops off the counter and goes to the fridge to get milk and juice.

“Ugh, why are you guys so loud in the morning?” A grunt comes from the door and Harry turns his head to see a sleepy Louis walking in, his shirt all crumpled and his hair messy. He walks straight to Zayn and buries his head on the man’s neck, sighing deeply.

“Sorry, bro, we’re just getting breakfast ready.” Zayn says, rubbing his back.

“Besides, it’s already ten p.m. You would have to get up eventually,” Liam pipes up. “But look at the bright side, you get to eat an amazing food prepared by Chef Payno.”

“Do we still have the cupcakes Harry brought the other day?” He asks and Liam pulls his tongue out at him.

“You love my food, mate, stop trying to pretend you don’t. Cupcakes are only for dessert and that happens after lunch, Tommo.”

“God, you’re so annoying in the morning,” Louis complains, pulling himself away from Zayn and walking quickly to the table. He stops next to Harry and places a hand on the boy’s lower back. “He always cooks the same stuff.”

“The eggs seem great, though.” Harry says.

“If you don’t stop complaining I’m going to stop feeding you,” Liam threatens, sitting at the table as the other boys do the same.

“I don’t need you to feed me. I have Harry now and he makes bomb ass cupcakes and better tea than you.” Louis jokes sassily and Liam rolls his eyes, sharing a look with Zayn.

“This is actually really good! My roommate always puts too much salt on our food, it’s crazy.”

“Who's your roommate?” Liam asks, shoving a forkful of eggs in his mouth.

“Uhm, it’s Niall, actually,” Harry answers, not wanting to bring up the subject due to how their first meeting went.

“Oh, the blond from the other day?” Liam asks and Harry nods.

“Yeah. I'm sorry for what went on there; he’s just too curious and wants to be like his father, so I guess he just goes in deep in those cases.” He shrugs.

“Does he know about all of this?” Louis asks and Harry shakes his head, feeling guilty that his best friend has no idea about what has been going on.

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea to tell him. I mean, he’s my best friend since we were in diapers but I don’t know how he’s gonna handle it.”

“Well, you don’t have to tell him just yet,” Liam says. “Maybe when you feel like it’s the right time, just go smoothly. It’s really not the most normal news to give.”

“Thanks, guys,” Harry says with a small smile. “You're being really nice.”

“It's just that you spend a lot of time with us, not that we don’t enjoy it,” Zayn points out. “But we don’t know how he feels about it and since there’s sort of a conflict between us…”

"We just want to make sure the situation doesn’t get too bad,” Liam says and Harry nods. And now he feels totally awful; these three guys who barely knew his friend and met him in bad circumstances are concerned about him when Harry himself, being best friends with Niall for years, hasn’t even replied to his texts. He's such a terrible friend.

After helping the boys and washing the dishes Harry thanks them for everything and grabs his stuff before heading out, sending a quick text to Niall apologizing for not replying earlier and getting in a bus to town. He goes back to his flat and takes a brisk shower, putting on fresh clothes and fixing his hair before heading out to meet Niall in a nearby coffee shop. When he gets there he sees Niall has already claimed a table, and Harry joins him.

“So what have you been up to? You've barely gone back to our flat... met someone special?” Niall asked.

“Nah, not really,” he said laughing. “I've just been here and there, studying and stuff. Nothing really interesting, sadly.” What a lie. Harry kind of hates himself at this point.

“What about you?”

“Was planning a quick trip to Ireland so I can see my brother and the rest of the family, ya’ know? I miss them lots,” he says, sipping on his milkshake.

“That's nice, how long are you going to be out?”

“Just a week and a half, my flight is next Tuesday at 5 o’clock. That’s gonna be the worst part of it all, definitely.” Harry laughed.

“Good luck, mate. I wish I could see mum and Gems but they’re going to Florida for the summer so I'm all alone this time.”

“Don't worry, I’ll be back soon enough and you’ll have your favorite Irishman with you!”

“Can't wait,” Harry says with a smile.

“So, I heard my father talking to Jim the other day at the station,” Niall then comments. “And apparently another two girls were found just a few miles away from here. Animal attacks, they believe.” Harry freezes. “It's so weird, isn’t it? Like a serial killer, but…an animal.”

“Yeah… that’s really weird,” he frowns, then he decides to ask, “What did they say about it? Or was that all?”

“Something about both happening with young girls, bodies cut in half and parts of them missing, like hands and legs or a few organs.” Harry feels nauseous and starts regretting having asked about it. “Oh, wait, there’s something else.”

“What is it?” he asks, even though part of him doesn’t want an answer.

“They got boys too. I thought it was a pattern but apparently it has happened before far from here and it came closer to London,” Niall says. “But, I mean, I’m not sure, cause the boys weren’t found yet, just pieces of their clothes and stuff like that."

“It doesn’t make sense, animals doing this… they don’t follow patterns.” Harry says, trying to play along as if he knows nothing. “Does your dad have any idea of what kind of animal did all of this?”

“A wolf,” Harry avoids his friend’s eyes, staring at his own hands. “But then they checked with a vet and they’re considering maybe a bear or a mountain lion.”

“Makes sense,” Harry says and Niall nods.

“I still think it’s not an animal, that it has to be a person.”

“Please don’t tell me you still think Zayn Malik did it.” Niall glares at him.

“Don’t tell me you think he didn’t do it, the girl’s body was indeed buried in his backyard.”

“How could he kill those people if he’s always around here, in town? I always see him! That’s bullshit.” Harry says, getting slightly annoyed.

“Did you? Where?” Harry sighs. “Just… around here. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Let your dad take care of it,” he says, finishing his drink.

“Sure, whatever.” They chat for a bit after that and pay the check before Niall heads to the station to bring his dad a sandwich and Harry decides to go home. It's barely noon and it's felt like a long day already.

“So that makes two boys and three girls in a period of four months,” Yaser frowns. Harry decided he had to pass the information so later that same day he went to the man’s house to have a conversation.

“It's not a pattern, then, right ?Niall said he was unsure about it.” Harry says, feeling nervous.

“We can’t be sure just yet, we don't know who did it and why.”

“So what’s the next step?” Louis asks. “You said that we need to check out the other packs around.”

“Yes, sure,” Yaser nods. “That’s the plan. I was thinking we could wait a bit more but with the way things are going we better get this started already.” The boys nod their agreement.

“Wait, how are we doing this exactly?” Harry asks.

“I'll give you a detailed map to where each pack is located, and I’ll give you a few... toys, of course, but I'm definitely not letting you boys take the big guns out.”

“Aw, I was so hopping for a shotgun,” Louis jokes.

“Not for you, kid,” Yaser chuckles. “But even though I have to give you something, don’t forget that the goal here is to not need any of it, ok?” They all hum in agreement. “Do you think Monday is a good day for you to go?”

“Can we do it on Tuesday instead?” Harry suggests. “Niall is traveling that morning so I won’t have to make up excuses as to why I’m going away suddenly.”

“Sure, I don’t think that would be a problem,” Liam says and the others agree.

“Perfect!" Yaser claps his hands. “Then let’s get to the details.”

They plan everything for the next few hours, Yaser showing them a complete map and teaching them how to get there. They decide to go in Harry’s Range Rover because it is big enough for them to be comfortable and it’s good for the long road trip they’re making. They discuss how each pack works and how they are gonna talk to them. Harry finds out Yaser is actually in charge of all packs around London - chosen by the official council, which still sounds silly to Harry but it definitely comes in hand - and then they move on to the aforementioned “toys”.

Yaser opens the garage and Harry’s jaw almost reaches the floor when he sees all the guns, bows, arrows and other weaponry.

“Some would think you’re hunters instead of werewolves,” he comments. Yaser shows them the simpler things; just small pistols and how to use them. They have a small training session after that in which Harry definitely isn’t the best but Zayn’s dad assures him that they’ll get more practice and will get better with time. He wishes he didn’t have to.

“Don't worry,” Yaser reassures him. “Hopefully you won’t even need to touch them. Most packs are very peaceful so this is just in case of an emergency.”

Later on they all head back to Zayn’s house, tired and worried about everything that is going on.

“God, I’m starving. Let’s order some pizza,” Zayn says, lying down on the couch with a sigh.

“Not pizza again, please, we’ve been eating junk food for like two weeks straight.” Louis groans.

“I can cook,” Harry shrugs and three pair of eyes land on him. “This boy is a blessing, can we keep him?” Zayn asks the others, at which Harry laughs.

“I'll see what you guys have in the kitchen and work something out, be right back.” He says before walking out of the living room. He doesn’t find much but they have enough to make a simple dinner consisting of red meat with barbecue sauce and vegetables. The boys love it anyway.

“You are a true blessing, Harry. This is delicious,” Liam declares. “

Since when did we have vegetables in this house?” Louis asks.

“I have no idea when I got them, but thank god I did.” Liam replies and Harry chuckles.

“You guys are adults now, you need to manage your food stocking.”

“Isn't he so responsible for a college boy?” Louis teases and Harry rolls his eyes at him.

“I try my best,” he says. “Will you guys need anything else or can I go home?”

“Well, I would like to keep you here for the next few months for sure, but feel free to go, mate,” Zayn jokes.

“Why don’t you stay over?” Liam asks with a frown. “We have an extra room.”

“Nah, thanks. I better head home or Niall is gonna be right pissed.”

“Sure, we don’t want to cause you any problems,” Liam says .“But come over again whenever you want.”

“Yeah, mostly when you want to cook,” Louis says with a playful smile and Liam elbows him. “Ouch!”

“Alright, I’ll go, then. And don’t worry, next time I’ll bring more cupcakes,” Harry gets up from the table and leaves his plate by the sink.

“That’s why you’re the best, Harold!” Louis shouts and Harry smiles at him before saying goodbye to everyone and walking out. He gets home soon enough and Niall is waiting for him in his pj’s and bearing two tea mugs.

“You're a great roommate, did you know that?” He says and Niall grins.

“Get in here, Curly,” Niall beckons him, tapping the place next to him on the couch. “We have a whole season of Scrubs waiting for us.” Harry smiles at him widely and cuddles next to him, grabbing the mug Niall hands him. They end up falling asleep six episodes later, and the next morning Harry wakes up with his back aching but at least he’s got his best friend beside him. He’s quite content.

Stevie Nicks' voice fill Harry’s ear as he runs through the track, the trees turning into green shadows as he speeds up. He's sweating a lot already but can’t bring himself to stop even when his legs start aching. He runs a few more miles and suddenly has to stop next to a big tree, propping against it and trying to catch his breath. He starts to feel dizzy, like his body isn’t big enough for him, like he has to tear his skin apart and free himself.

He has to kneel on the ground, trying hard to get as much air as he can as the pain takes over his body. He coughs, his throat feeling tight and desperation taking over him. What the hell is happening? He falls on his hands and knees, his nails getting bigger and his body twisting as it changes, his clothes getting torn apart as the fur grows out, making his skin feel itchy. The boy twists his head with a scream of pain, his body fighting the transformation but the wolf winning, getting stronger with each accelerated heartbeat that rang through his ears like a drum. He bites his lip hard enough for it to start bleeding.

“No," he thinks. “This is not who I am." His whole body aches as it changes its form completely, his face turning into something wholly different, sharp teeth and green eyes switching to a yellow glow. He lets out a scream, but it comes out as a howl of pain, loud enough for the other wolves who are a few miles away to hear him. Harry can’t think of bigger pain than the one he's going through right now, the pain of losing himself completely for a beast that has made its way into his body, intruding without permission and claiming it for itself.

The pain of having his body destroyed and made up again in a different form, the pain of turning into an animal. The total opposite of what he is, of what he was. Calling for a battle Harry doesn’t know if he wants to fight in. He thinks about running away and leaving all of his stuff there, finding a place to hide in the woods, run away from everything that's happening but he knows he can’t do that. He can’t let it claim his body. He grabs his phone carefully, not worrying too much since it survived the million times Niall ended up throwing it somewhere, and starts running away as fast as he can. It takes a few minutes to cross the forest and reach Zayn’s house, before he notices he’s already in their backyard and Louis comes out of the door, walking quickly towards him.

“Jesus! Are you ok? We heard you and Liam was already looking for his car keys to go after you.” He says, almost out of breath.

Sorry, Harry thinks. He doesn’t have to say it because he knows Louis will hear him like this.

“It's ok, we just… panicked for a bit.” Louis sighs. “Come on in, let’s get you some clothes.” They walk inside and Harry goes to a bathroom, and after a few minutes he’s able to turn back into himself.

So there he is, naked in Louis’ bathroom with a ruined phone next to the sink as proof that all of that really happened. He feels embarrassed, like a little puppy doing something big for the first time - except it's not really the first - and part of him feels proud of himself and good about it. But there’s the other part, probably the sane one, that tells him this can’t happen again.

His eyes start to water and he breathes in deeply; no, he can’t cry about this. But his body seems to be completely against his brain today and a few tears start to fall down his cheek. He feels like a complete mess. Before he can think of anything else there comes a knock on the door.

“Harry? I brought you some clothes! The shirt is mine but the pants are Liam’s cause I don’t think any of mine would fit you, but I got you one of Zayn’s sweatpants too just in case.” Louis calls from the other side of the door.

“Alright,” Harry clears his throat and rubs the palm of his hand against his face to stop the tears. "Thanks a lot.” He opens the door slightly, hiding himself behind it. He was never the type to be ashamed of his body, god knows how much Niall suffered in their first year together when Harry would act like he barely knew what pants were. But this is different, this is not Niall, it’s Louis and it’s not his house and he’s not in the best state.

He takes the clothes and then closes the door again. Harry puts on Liam’s underwear - ignoring the Batman print - and Zayn’s grey sweatpants that are incredibly comfortable. Lastly he puts on Louis’ thank top and then grabs all the stuff and leaves the bathroom. Louis is waiting for him outside, leaning against the wall and toying with a loose thread in his shirt. He looks up the minute Harry walks out and smiles.

“You look good,” he says and then bites his lower lip and makes a face as if he regrets saying that. “I mean... the clothes fit you well.”

“Thanks," Harry smiles shyly at him. “So where are the lads?”

“They're downstairs. Zayn got us some bagels with cream cheese.” Louis says as they walk together towards the stairs.

“Zayn is a saint,” Harry says and Louis hums in agreement. “I never came upstairs, it’s nice up here.” He points out, signaling to the vintage pictures hanging on the walls.

“Yeah... Zayn likes to bring a lot of art stuff to decorate, we just don’t stay in our rooms too much.” Louis says as they make their way downstairs, the other boys already waiting in the living room.

“Harry!” Liam smiles at him. “How are you, mate? We thought something bad was going on, was in my way there already.”

“It’s all good, I just…sort of lost control while I was out for a run.” He admits, feeling a bit ashamed. Louis puts a hand on his shoulder and gets closer, the warmth of his body invading Harry’s space.

“It happens to all of us, mostly when you’re still learning how to control yourself, but as I said, I’ll help you,” he promises. “We all will, right, boys?” The others nod and smile at him.

“Thanks, guys. It’s just… not very fun,” he lets out a humourless laugh and Louis’ hand squeezes his shoulder. Liam gets up from the couch and walks towards him, pulling him into a hug.

“You're with us now, mate, and we’ll help you get through all of this.” He says and Harry nods.

“Thank you. I’m just gonna get back home and I'll bring the clothes back as soon as possible.” Harry says.

“You sure you don’t want to stay here and eat with us?” Zayn asks.

“No. I’m really tired, but I appreciate everything you guys are doing. Right now I just need a nap, really.” Harry explains.

“Don't worry about it, we’ll see you soon.” Liam says. Zayn gives Harry a bro fist from his spot on the couch and Louis taps his back as he walks out. He takes the bus back to the flat and Niall is nowhere to be seen, which is good since he'd much rather be alone right now. He decides to take a shower, taking off all of his (the boys’) clothes and walking into the bathroom, turning the water on and getting in.

He lets his head fall down as the water gets warmer and runs down his back. Harry closes his eyes with a sigh. He feels like a mess at this point, and Tuesday only keeps getting closer and closer; he has no idea of what's waiting for him. Other werewolves, witches, or whatever other things there could be, he isn’t feeling ready at all. But he realizes he has to take control over this, to stop being a coward because this is what he is now and there’s no turning back, so he has to live with it and overcome those boundaries. It won’t be easy but he isn’t going to let himself give up.

He has those three boys looking up to him and damn, he barely knew them; they were just starting a friendship - pretty sure he could call it that now - but he trusted them with his life at this point. He gets out a few minutes later and puts on his best sweatpants. He ends up putting on Louis’ shirt again before getting in bed but tells himself that is only because he hasn’t done all his laundry yet.

"We've got news from up in Yorkshire," Yaser says and Louis freezes in his place, body going completely still. “A 16 year old boy was missing during camp, his name was Tyler.” The man places the local newspaper on the table, showing them a page with an article about the sudden cases of teenagers disappearing. "Don't worry, Louis, there've been none close to Doncaster yet."

"Alright, that's good, then." Liam exhales while Louis stays quiet with a frown on his face.

"We're still not sure if there's really a pattern here. I talked to my dearest friend Malcon from one of the packs around Leeds and he said things are getting weird there, too. They noticed some black magic activity, it isn't very pretty."

"Shall we start there, maybe? I'm sure Malcon can help us; he's got experience with witches." Zayn says and Yaser nods.

"Certainly. He will give out all the help you need while being there, so we're changing the route and starting with Sheffield." Zayn's dad says.

"It seems fine," Louis finally opens his mouth, eyes fixed on the newspaper. "Let's just go straight up to West Yorkshire, I think we can jump Leicester and just go straight to Sheffield then Manchester and Leeds."

“Sure, or maybe you boys can stop in Doncaster and then head to Leeds later." Yaser suggests but Louis shakes his head.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea." He says, the boys sending him a concerned look. "Let's just stick to this route, alright? Thanks for the help, we will pass the information on to Harry as soon as possible."

"Sure," the other alpha nods. "About the boy... I was going to bring him up soon enough. Are you all sure it's a good idea to bring him? I mean, he sure seems smart but he's untrained... a puppy, in a way."

"We're gonna get him ready, Harry is part of this pack now." Louis says firmly.

"Louis, I've known you long enough to know you're protective towards your pack like family and I really admire that," he says. "It's great, don't get me wrong, but this kid... he's an omega. He doesn't belong here."

"So what?Is it so wrong that we want him around and he wants to help?" Louis says, keeping his tone steady but already getting irritated with the topic.

"Don't give me that look, kiddo," Yaser snaps, clearly angry now. "I'm older i know what's better."

"Bullshit," Louis rolls his eyes, Yaser sending him an angry red look. "He's been with us for a while already and it's settled, he's part of this pack."

"I'm not saying you can't add him, I’m just saying that this omega boy can be a burden for the mission." Louis gets up from the couch, his body strong and present in the room, suddenly seeming too big for that space even when he wasn't that tall or muscular.

"If you're so worried about the mission, then fine, he's not going, and we aren't either. Good luck doing this yourself." He commands, his alpha voice invading his throat and taking in before he shakes his head and sends it back in. "This conversation is over."

He walks out before anyone can say anything else and gets in the car, turning the engine on. He doesn't have to wait too much for the boys, because they catch up with him soon enough and they all enter the car and Louis drives them home. Liam keeps sending him looks from the passenger seat and it doesn't take long for him to sigh deeply and hit the steering wheel.

"Alright, jesus!" he says. "I'm sorry for speaking to your dad like that, Zayn, it wasn't a very smart move."

"It's fine," Zayn says from the backseat, looking at him with a blank expression and not sounding mad at all. That’s good, Louis thinks in relief. "He was a bit of a prick anyways." Louis laughs humourlessly and soon enough they arrive home. They're unsurprised to see Harry standing at the door, typing something on his phone.

“Oh, Harold’s here already,” Liam says with a smile and they get out of the car as soon as Louis parks. He stays in for a few more seconds, though, and sighs deeply before getting out as well and walking towards the door where the boys are greeting each other.

“I’ll be in my room if you guys need me,” is all he says as he walks past them and into the house. He can still hear them talking.

“What's wrong?” Harry asks in concern.

“Don't worry about it. We had a tough day and he just needs some alone time.” Zayn calms him down and after that Louis stops paying attention; he just walks up the stairs and into his room. With a sigh he takes off his shoes and jacket before falling into bed. He throws a blanket over his head and curls into himself, shutting his eyes and trying to fall asleep. He doesn’t even want to think about it, how fucked up everything is.

He just wants to sleep forever and wake up when things are sorted out. It doesn’t take much for him to drift off, but after a while he wakes up again. His head feels a bit dizzy and one of his arms is numb. He tries to find out why he woke up and as soon as his eyes reach the door he sees Harry standing there with his hand on the doorknob.

“Hey, I made you some tea,” the boy says and Louis sits up in bed.

"Oh," his voice comes out so quiet he can barely hear himself. He clears his throat, “Thank you, c’mon in.” Harry walks up to him with a big mug in his hands and sits beside him, eyeing him cautiously as if he could break down or snap at any moment. Louis takes the mug and doesn’t say anything else.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Harry asks.

“Liam told you already, didn’t he?” Louis refuses to look at him for a while.

“No, he just told me you had a discussion with Zayn’s father and about the changes in the mission, and that there’s something with your family, but he said that’s up to you to tell me if you want to,” he answers. “So… do you want to?”

“I don’t know,” Louis sighs. “It's stupid.”

“It's made you upset, so whatever it is it can’t be stupid.” Harry says, and he’s so genuinely nice Louis doesn’t know what to do with his own thoughts. He’s a mess.

“I just… I miss them, a lot,” he finally settles for, Harry watching him carefully. “I haven’t seen them since Zayn’s birthday in the beginning of the year, and when Yaser suggested that we change the route and visit my hometown… I realised I don’t want to do that. This is a dangerous mission and I don’t want to drag them into my mess."

“I understand why going there doesn’t sound like the best idea, but I thought you said they were supportive?” Harry asks after he goes silent.

“They are, fuck, they’re amazing,” his voice comes out shaky and he doesn’t want Harry to see him like that. “The problem is me, Harry. I try my hardest to be normal and to be good to them, but… I lied to you.”

Harry frowns, not understanding what the man's talking about, but he doesn’t speak up. Instead, he lets Louis tell things at his own pace, glad that he’s trusting him.

“We’re werewolves. That’s what we are, and there’s no way to have a normal life and act like we’re humans. There are some who push their wolves as much as they can, but still, I lied, ok? We never get to have a normal life. Damn, I even went to college and now I have a job and these boys are my family. I do my best, I really do,” he pauses, taking a deep breath. “But every damn full moon I feel it twitching inside me, trying to free itself and it hurts so much I just can’t hold it in.”

His eyes water and his throat is burning and he feels like he can’t do this anymore, can’t do any of this, the werewolves, the mission; he wishes he could disappear.

“I don’t trust myself,” he whispers, staring at his own hands as they grip the sheets. They both go silent for a few seconds and then Harry finally speaks up, his voice quiet and soft and somehow comforting.

“Louis, I know that we don’t get to be proper humans again… I accepted that already,” he starts. “But you are not something bad, even if you’re a werewolf… I read that we and normal wolves as well have this sense towards the pack, that we protect each other like family and never let go. You have a bond with them, not only by blood but by heart, and I know they’re everything to you and I get where you’re coming from, but you… ” he pauses with a hand on the man’s shoulder. Louis lifts his head and looks him in the eye.

“You're not a beast, you’re not a monster. Your heart is pure and full of love for those people, for your family and your boys downstairs. “You should never be afraid or ashamed of yourself, because even the parts that you don’t like help build who you are entirely and you are amazing, you’re a good person and you give your best towards things you’re passionate about. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Your family loves you and needs you and it’s a mutual feeling, so go see them. It doesn’t have to be now, just don’t shut yourself down because of this, alright?”

Louis breathes in deeply, rubbing the back of his hand against his face quickly to make the few tears go away. He hates crying. “Thank you,” he whispers to Harry, meeting his eyes. “I do have strong feelings for all of them, and sometimes I don’t know how to handle them, but I protect my family like I protect my pack… and that’s not only the boys; it’s you as well.”

“Me?” Harry asks, sounding surprised. “Yeah, that’s… kind of why I fought with Yaser. He was saying this stuff about how you might compromise the mission and the pack, just a bunch of garbage.”

“Well," Harry doesn’t sound angry or hurt, which is odd. “Do you think that? That I could compromise things?"

“Of course not!” Louis frowns. “You're part of this too, because we want you to be, I-do you want to be? I want to make sure you’re completely into this with us.”

“I am,” Harry nods. “Of course I am! I just don’t want to go if you and the boys don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Louis rolls his eyes, then throws an arm around the boy’s shoulders to bring him closer. Harry rests his head on Louis’ shoulder and he murmurs, “Having you around could never be a bad idea.”

Harry isn't staring. Or, well, he's trying not to, but it’s kind of hard not to let his eyes focus on anything that isn’t Louis. The man is just so handsome, and it’s like light shines right out of his face every time he smiles. They're currently setting everything up in the car, or actually, the others are; Harry is just leaning against it and watching as Louis brings some bags in and chats loudly with Zayn about some guy from work. Harry recently found out Louis works with Liam in a office downtown and Zayn is studying to be an art teacher.

As the boys walk inside the house one more time to get the last of the bags to the car, Harry is left alone outside, and he can't help but wonder what this trip is going to mean for them. He lets out a sigh and is in the process of stretching his arms when a noise coming from somewhere in the woods catches his attention. Harry frowns and looks around before walking towards the general direction where it came from. His ears pick up another sound as soon as he steps into the woods; he walks for a few minutes trying to find its source, until everything goes silent all of sudden, only a few insects to be heard apart from his own steps.

Harry abruptly stops, looking around curiously, and once again the noise reaches his ears; it sounds as if something is walking among the bushes quickly. He tries harder to listen to it and picks up heavy breaths. Something is out of place. He feels like he’s being watched by someone or something though he can’t quite tell what it is. He tries harder but it slips away, and then it's like everything vanishes and he's alone again.

"Harry?" Hearing a familiar voice instead makes his heart beat faster, and he doesn't notice it's happening until something else does.

"That's weird, where is he?" Liam asks.

"Harry!" Louis calls out again and Harry walks back towards the car.

"I'm here," he says, and the boys turn to him.

"What were you doing out there?" Louis frowns.

"I... I thought I saw a cat or something, and... uhm... went to look for it," God, he is a terrible liar. Zayn looks at him weirdly but Liam seems to buy it somehow.

"Mate, we're not the kind of dogs that chase cats, chill out with the stereotypes." He jokes, and Harry forces a smile.

"Shall we hit the road, then, lads?" Louis asks and they all nod. He gets into the backseat with Liam while Harry goes to the driver's seat and Zayn sits beside him. It’s a three hour ride and they spend the first two and a half hours filling the silence with banter and teasing until Louis and Liam end up both falling asleep. Harry can instantly tell when it happens by the way their heartbeats slow down to a peaceful rhythm. Everything is silent for a while except from the soft music coming from the radio, until Zayn speaks up.

"You know, about a week ago I was walking home from college,” Harry looks at him for a few seconds to show he’s paying attention before looking back to the road. “And I had this weird feeling, as if someone was stalking me. I just kept on walking for a while to see if it would go away, thinking maybe it was nothing,” Harry stiffens his hands on the steering wheel. “But after a while it only got stronger. It was really getting to me, but I couldn’t really see anyone there, so I walked into this alley and waited for whatever was there to come at me...” Harry starts to get nervous. Liam and Louis remain asleep in the backseat as Zayn speaks, but he can tell that he knows that what Harry went to look for in the woods wasn't just a cat.

“What happened then?” He asks, almost afraid of the answer.

“Nothing," Zayn sighs .“No one came and then I just continued on my way home. It was weird. I really thought whoever was following me would take the chance, but they didn’t.”

“Maybe you just thought someone was following you but it was nothing?” Zayn shakes his head.

“Here's the thing,” he then says “It wasn’t the first time I'd felt a weird presence, and I started to wonder if maybe… something is following us.”

“You know, I felt… I felt like I was being stalked by something in the woods, but then nothing happened,” Harry tells him. “Do you think it’s a trap? Why wouldn't they try anything?”

“Maybe they’re trying to play with us, and I don’t like it at all.”

“Does Louis know?” Harry asks after long seconds of silence.

“No,” Zayn shakes his head. “I don’t want to worry him. We have to focus on this right now.”

“But he’s the alpha, shouldn’t he know about everything going on?” Harry asks with a frown. He’s certain Louis wouldn’t like it if they hid a potential threat from him.

“He might be, yes, but we’re a family, and sometimes me and Liam have to protect him too. Even if we’re just betas and even if that means lying.” He says. “So let’s not say anything for now, ok? Let's wait until we have more knowledge over what’s going on here.” Harry nods, and nothing else is said.

When they arrive to Sheffield, Harry drives straight to the motel they're staying in. It's supposed to be only for one night and they will already be on the road again tomorrow. He's trying his best not to think about his conversation with Zayn earlier, but the possibility of something going after them has scared him.

“We'll go visit some of their betas first,” Louis declares after they finish unpacking a few of their things, leaving most of it in the bags since they won’t be staying for too long. “They have this shop not far from here, so we’ll just go as usual costumers.”

“Won’t they recognize you?” Harry asks.

“They only met me in some of the occasions where our families brought us together, but O don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Zayn explains.

“Alright. Let’s do this, then.” They walk to the store and the boys let Zayn lead them since he knows the place better than them. It’s just a simple record store, and Harry gets entertained by the vinyls as he walks through the aisles. It’s quite a friendly-looking place; Harry wasn’t really sure what to expect, maybe a shady warehouse. But then again, what’s shady about a record store?

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” someone says and Harry turns to see a man standing behind the counter, his arms tattooed and his lip pierced. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Oh, hi,” Harry greets, taking a few steps closer. Louis watches him from his spot behind a shelf while Zayn and Liam go to another section of the store. “I see you got some nice vinyls there.”

“Sure do, what are you into?” He asks with a friendly smile.

“Old stuff, to be honest; Eagles, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones,” Harry shrugs.

“So you have good taste, then. We just got some from The Stones; if you want one, you should get it now, cause the first time they sold out really fast,” the man tells Harry, then he walks to one of the sections and grabs a vinyl. “This one is great, have you heard it?”

“Not yet, I don’t think,” Harry frowns at the unknown name of the band.

“Here, I'll show you," the guy says, guiding him towards a corner where there's a player and some headphones. “You can listen to any of our vinyls if you want," he offers. "Those guys are really cool, and judging by your taste I think you’ll like their music.”

As the employee helps Harry Louis walks around the store, subtly looking for any traces that could indicate black magic. After looking around, he decides there's nothing that has that particular smell and sighs.

“Louis," he hears Liam calling him, and walks to the other section of the store before sending a quick glance to Harry and the employer.

“What's up?” He asks, and Liam mouths ‘clean’. The alpha nods. “Do you wanna buy anything?”

“Not really. Zayn is getting a Pink Floyd CD though,” Liam says, and they walk back to the main area, where Zayn is paying for his CD and Harry is still talking to one of the employees. He walks up to them and put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Ready to go?” He asks.

“Yeah, I just got a vinyl.” Harry shows him the item in his hands.

“You can come back whenever you want to check out the products, we’re always getting new stuff,” The employer says.

“Sure! Thanks, Dave,” Harry smiles, and Louis clears his throat.

“Let's go, then, Harry," he says, already pulling Harry away. Liam and Zayn join them as they get to the sidewalk.

“So, was there anything suspicious?” Harry asks when they’re far enough from the store.

“Nothing. The guys were just ordinary betas, really, and I think they’re new... I haven’t seen them before,” Zayn says.

“Are we just gonna go around and look for traces? We should do something else.”

“Like what? Flirt with the werewolves and get CDs?” Louis asks in annoyance, walking ahead of them. Liam and Zayn exchange a confused glance as Harry frowns at his alpha.

“What are you talking about? We literally only talked about bands, and Zayn got a CD too!” He points to the beta, who doesn’t pay any attention to him.

“Whatever, let’s just go eat something." Louis huffs as he walks towards a coffee shop, the boys following him. Harry is still confused.

“Why did he flip like that?” He asks Liam, checking they aren't being heard, while Zayn and Louis are making their orders.

“I don’t know. Louis is confusing sometimes, but I guess he just didn’t like you interacting like that with another beta,” Liam says with a shrug.

“Ok, but why? Does he think I’m gonna switch packs or what?” He says with an eye roll.

“Just relax, mate. It’s nothing.” They watch as the others talk to some waitress. Harry gets up with a sigh and walks to the cake section, looking at all the different colored frostings in the cakes. They look great, and remind Harry of when he used to work in a bakery and prepare desserts like these himself. Perhaps when they get back he can make some for the boys. He calls a waiter and asks for a slice of a chocolate one before turning around and looking at the place.

Harry notices a man beside him reading the newspaper, the front page showing a picture of a teenage girl and big black letters above it announcing her name and that she went missing.

“Excuse me, Sir,” he says, and the old man looks at him with raised eyebrows. “Would you mind me asking what's this article about?"

“Oh.” The man turns to the front page. “Haven't you heard? This young lady went missing a while ago. The police found her body in a house just around here, poor girl.”

“I haven’t, what happened? What house?” He asks in confusion. Before the man can answer the waitress from behind the counter speaks up.

“It happened not much far from here, in an old, abandoned house. The girl was found dead in the living room; she was shot, unfortunately.” She says. The thought of it sends chills through Harry’s body.

“That's horrible.”

“What is really sad is that even after the police shut the place down, those teens keep going there. They have no respect for others,” the man says, shaking his head and sipping on his coffee.

“Oh, yeah, I heard that a few high school kids got caught by the police when they snuck into the property.” The lady brings Harry a plate with his cake, but he feels too nauseous to eat all of it.

“Why would anyone want to go there?” He asks, frowning. It was all too weird.

“They always go after those witchcraft rumors, think they’re actually gonna find something out there,” the waiter rolls her eyes. Witchcraft, great.

“Do you happen to know where exactly this house is?” Harry asks and the woman nods, giving him the address. He eats a few bites of the cake before leaving money on the counter. “Thanks, guys. I have to go now. Have a nice day! It was nice to meet you.” He smiles at them before walking to the table where the other boys are. They don’t say anything and Harry knows they probably heard his conversation.

“We gotta go. The lady told me about a place we could see,” he says and they all nod before getting up and walking out.

 They get to Harry’s car and he drives to the address the waitress gave him. It’s an old house located in a faraway neighborhood that looks pretty much deserted. They barely see anyone on their way there. They all get out of the car, walking behind Louis, and Harry doesn’t feel good at all when he opens the door and steps in. It’s dark inside and the lights don’t turn on when Liam tries flicking the switch.

“This is creepy,” Harry whispers. Somehow it feels inadequate to speak normally in here. The place stinks, and when they walk straight to the living room where the girl was supposedly found it just looks normal, as if nothing's happened.

“Are you sure it was here?” Liam asks.

“Yes, absolutely,” Harry scowls. He doesn’t know what he was expecting, some kind of satanic ritual maybe, but he doesn’t know if this is better or worse than that. Louis walks around the place and Zayn heads to the kitchen to give it a look. “This house has got some… terrible energy,” Harry comments, and Liam seems to be the only one paying attention.

“Yeah, I kind of feel it too,” he says.

“Well, it definitely needs some redecoration, the furniture is hideous,” Zayn comments from where he is and Louis snorts. “I mean, some feng shui is never a bad idea,” Harry shrugs, looking at the dirty walls and floor covered in marks. “Does anyone get that smell?" he asks and then opens the fridge with a groan, covering his face right away. “God, it’s like a raccoon died in here.”

He closes the fridge and moves back to the living room. Harry notices Louis staring still at one of the walls, phone in hand with the lantern pointed at it. He walks towards him, standing next to him and trying to see if there’s anything out of place.

“What’s wrong?” He asks.

“There are marks on the wall, right here,” he points the light to a spot at the height of their knees. “Like something scratched it with claws.”

“Like… werewolf claws?” Harry asks .

“I don’t know, might be a cat or a god… or even human nails,” he says, and Harry shivers.

“Lads," Liam suddenly says, sounding concerned. “Come take a look at this.” The three of them walk to where Liam is standing beside the couch, and they notice a single string of what looks like a plant, growing from between the cushions. He pulls at it and a bit comes off, revealing it to be-

“Wolfsbane?” Harry asks, and they all nod.

“Look how weird...” Liam trails off, tapping the soft cushion on the right and then the left one, which produces a knocking sound when his hands make contact with it. As if it were wood.

“So someone took the filling?” Harry asks. In a quick move, Louis takes something off his pocket - a pocket knife -, flicks it open and stabs one of the sides, opening the left cushion, and then tears the rest apart with his hand, revealing a bigger amount of wolfsbane and a bunch of other weird artifacts where the filling is supposed to go.

“Shit," Liam whispers, grabbing a black candle. A few objects Harry can’t make out what they are, but all he can focus on is the rifle that Louis reaches out to grab.

“She was shot,” Harry states. “That's how she died.” They’re all staring at the gun now, and Harry isn’t sure if he likes how it looks in Louis’ delicate hands, so out of place, a weapon that might have killed the poor girl.

“Why would they leave evidence in here, if this was used to kill her? It’s not a very smart move. The police could find it,” Liam says.

“Unless they want it to be found,” Louis suggests, hiding the gun in his pants quickly before putting the other stuff back into the couch and throwing a few pillows on top of it. “Let’s get out of here, that’s enough for today.”

“Don't you wanna check upstairs?” Liam asks at the same time as they hear someone shout.

“Hey! What are you doing here?!” They all look out of the window, to where a man is approaching the house angrily.

“Let’s get to the car,” Louis says, rushing out of the house as the others follow him. They get into Harry’s car quickly and he drives away, seeing the furious man enter the house through the mirror.

“Shit,” he sighs deeply. “Who was that guy?”

“Probably some neighbor that takes care of the place, since there’s people trying to sneak in for fun.” Liam says.

“What are we gonna do with the gun?” Zayn asks Louis, who’s kept quiet and has a serious look on his face.

“We better call your dad and ask about it. I saw some marks on the wall as if it was scratched, and… after seeing the wolfsbane and this, I think that girl might have been one of us.”

“Do you think that’s why they killed her?” Liam asks. “Because Lilah was one, too, so maybe they're really following something.”

“It's a possibility,” Louis nods.

“Fuck," Harry curses under his breath, trying to focus on driving. Zayn and Liam go quiet on the back and Harry feels something warm touch his thigh, looking down to see that Louis has placed his hand there. They don’t say anything but Harry is glad anyway. He smiles tightly before looking back at the road. When they arrive in front of the motel, Liam hops off the car with a sleepy Zayn leaning on him; Harry is ready to follow them when Louis reaches for him, grabbing his arm.

“Come take a walk with me?” Harry nods and Louis warns the other two, who don’t respond, only walk into their room. Then the two of them head out of the parking lot, side by side in the sidewalk. The sun had set already and the sky's getting darker and darker. They are quiet for a while until Harry speaks up.

“Do you ever feel scared?” He asks Louis. "Or is it easier as an alpha?”

“I think… ” The older man sighs. “I think it’s harder, actually, because I’m scared, though not for me: for the pack I have to protect. I feel like I have this obligation as the alpha and if I mess up you’re going down with me. I can't let that happen. I don’t want to cause you guys any harm.”

“I don’t think you would do that. You’re the best alpha I’ve met,” Louis rolls his eyes as Harry grins at him.

“I'm the only alpha you’ve met, apart from Zayn’s dad.”

“True, but you’re still a great one,” Harry says. They find a bench and sit next to each other. There’s not many people walking by but it’s still very noisy and bright from the stores and buildings around.

“I didn’t want to be an alpha at first. When I turned I looked for ways to go back to my beta form,” Louis admits and Harry eyes him curiously, not saying anything and giving the man a chance to open up. He appreciates the moments Louis trusts him. "I didn’t think I was capable of guiding a pack, but with time and some… events that were kind of important I got more confident. Still, the fear of screwing everything up didn’t go away.”

“Don't put all the weight on your shoulders, you’re not alone,” Harry assures him. “We might be a small pack, but we all protect each other and that’s what matters. You’re still our leader.”

“Yeah, but will I lead you in the right direction?” Louis asks, looking down at his own hands as he plays nervously with his own fingers. He hadn't thought someone like Louis would have insecurities about being an alpha. He just moves with such ease, like he's the Sun, and Harry feels like him and the boys are orbiting around him. What does it take to be an alpha, though? Strength, bravery, leadership, being protective towards your pack. Harry could see that on Louis; a true alpha, someone he could probably follow to the end of the world.

“What is it?” Louis whispers, meeting his eyes this time. Harry's too distracted by the streetlights reflecting on his cheekbones to notice how Louis’ gaze goes down to his lips.

“Sorry,” Harry says, trying to focus on Louis’ eyes properly. “I've got-“ Before he can finish, Louis leans in quickly, pressing their lips together. He feels warm and Harry barely has time to kiss him back properly because soon enough he’s already gone and staring back at Harry with an unsure expression.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that," he apologizes.

“No- hey,” Harry holds his arm out before Louis can get up. “No need to be sorry,” he shrugs. “It's fine.”

“Alright," Louis nods. “Let's just… go back, we should get some sleep.”

“Sure." They both get up from the bench and walk back to the motel in an uncomfortable silence. Harry doesn’t like this tension at all. When they reach their room they stop in front of the door, facing each other.

“I'm really sorry about that, it was stupid and-“ Harry is the one to interrupt Louis’ rambling this time.

“Louis, I told you, it’s fine. It’s not like I’m mad or anything.” Louis frowns at him.

“Why not? I kissed you and we’re friends, that’s wrong.” Louis says.

“It didn’t feel wrong,” Harry shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets. Louis tilts his head to the side with a confused look.

“What?” Louis’ lips twitch, forming a smile, and Harry’s sure he can see mischief in his eyes. “What are you trying to say, Styles?”

“Just that it wasn’t bad, you’re a good kisser," he says nonchalantly, trying to keep a blank expression, but the grin that takes over his face gives it away.

“Thanks,” Louis laughs, shaking his head. Then it’s all silent again. Harry’s got his eyes focused on Louis’ pink lips and he can’t help but want them all over again. He can’t deny the fact that this man is attractive. He licks his own lips and Louis’ eyes flick to follow the move. “Fuck," he breathes out. “Fuck it.”

That’s what he says before grabbing Harry by the neck and pulling him in, their lips meeting once again. This time it lasts longer, they move faster and it’s a bit messy, but Harry gets himself lost in it anyway. He brings his hands up to Louis’ waist, tilting his head to the side and licking Louis' lower lip, his tongue making its way into Louis' hot mouth. As their tongues move together Louis brings a hand to Harry’s curls and slightly pulls at his hair, making the younger boy let out a moan.

“Fuck," he whispers once again, catching up on air before meeting Harry’s lips again. He presses Harry against the wall next to the door and he groans. They end up pulling apart a few minutes later, both about to run out of air.

“Definitely not bad,” Harry breathes out. Later that night, he lies in his bed with Louis on the one across him. They don’t say anything, accompanying the sounds of Liam’s breaths while he sleeps, but Harry can still feel Louis’ warmth in his lips.

Next morning they pack everything and put it back in the car; Louis pays the motel bill and they drive to the nearest place to have breakfast.

“So what’s next?” Liam asks, smiling widely at his pancakes. “Should we just go straight to Manchester?”

“Actually, I was thinking about taking a quick look at the house again before we leave, just to check on the couch again and maybe see if we can find something else. Then we’ll get on the road and call Yaser about the weapon,” Louis suggests, and they all agree. After eating they return to the house; for some reason, the place doesn’t feel as creepy as it had the day before. The difference, though, is that now the couch is sewn where Louis had ripped it apart with his pocketknife. Louis raises an eyebrow at it.

"Should we open it up again?” Zayn asks.

“There's no point. That guy must’ve taken all of the stuff already,” Liam says. They end up taking a quick look around, but as they find nothing else, they eventually leave and go back to the car.

“Alright, lads, time to visit Manchester!” Louis announces. He’s driving this time, with Liam at his side while Harry and Zayn are in the backseat. Zayn passes out soon enough and Harry is left to watch Louis and Liam loudly singing along to the Jay-Z songs that play on the radio.  He has a good laugh with Liam’s dance moves but ends up falling asleep as well not too long after. He's somehow woken up a while later by the sound’s of Liam’s voice, but he’s not sure if he’s fully conscious. He decides to keep his eyes closed and relax, trying to reach sleep again, but he still catches a bit of the boys' conversation.

“So what happened to you and Harry last night?” Liam asks.

“Nothing. We just went for a walk and then came back to our room,” Louis replies, still a nervous tone in his voice.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it, Payno,” Louis says.

“Cause it didn’t sound like it.” Shit, Harry thinks. He's getting nervous himself now, and he knows he has to calm down or they'll notice he’s awake. He’s lucky there’s a speed bump that Louis doesn’t see and when the car passes over it Zayn’s body jumps upwards, bringing him awake.

“What the fuck?” He groans.

“Sorry, boys!” Louis apologizes, glaring at Liam as he laughs. “Won't happen again!” Zayn rolls his eyes before pulling his hoodie over his face and cuddling into a pillow he brought. As Liam’s laugh turns into rapping once again, Harry giggles and Zayn lets out a small groan.

“Why did I agree to come with you to this stupid trip?” He mutters to himself before going back to sleep as Biggie plays on the radio.

Manchester turns out to be a much different city. It feels a lot like London when they arrive. Louis drives straight to a hotel. They get two different rooms this time, Louis sharing one with Zayn and Harry with Liam. After unpacking, they all meet in the lobby.  

"So I called my dad and he told me to keep the gun in a safe place. He’ll give it a look when we get back,” Zayn informs them.

“Alright, we’ll do that,” Louis nods “Anyway, there are about five packs here, so I think we should split up and talk to the betas. Some of them are young and in college, we could sneak inside the campus.”

“That sounds good. Should Harry and I do it, then?” Liam asks.

“Yes. Meanwhile Zayn and I will reach to one of Yaser’s friends; remember not to be too upfront! We’ll meet back here later.” They all agree with the plan and Harry lets Louis borrow his car since the place he and Liam are going is closer and they can just walk there.

“Alright, Harold, it’s just us now,” Liam says as they leave the hotel. Harry can't lie, he's feeling a bit apprehensive about going out with Liam, afraid that questions about him and Louis will arise, questions he doesn't know how to answer. The questions don’t come though. They chat normally and a few minutes later they're in the campus. Liam walks to a random student with some story about being new and wanting to find their friends around. While they talk, Harry busies himself looking at the place. It looks like the usual old building surrounded by grass and teens soon to be fully adults.

He notices quite a few overexcited freshmen and tired seniors, but surprisingly it isn't as crowded as he thought it would be. Then again, it is indeed summer and not everyone enjoys summer courses. Something is out of place, though. He notices a man not too far away standing next to a bench with his hands in his pockets, staring at them. Harry can’t really read his expression or even see his face properly, but he feels nervous as the man just stands still. They stare at each other for a few seconds before he turns around and walks away. Maybe that guy spent way too much time under the sun.

“Hey, she said those guys are actually in a frat house?” Harry groans.

“Yeah, I know, and they’re actually having a party tonight. Apparently a lot of people are coming, so… what do you think? Ready to party with Delta Psy?”

“Great! A bunch of werewolves drunk in a frat house, what could possibly go wrong?” He says sarcastically. Liam shrugs.

They decide to go sightseeing since there's no point on staying around, which involves basically going to Nando’s for lunch and then to the park for a quick jog. The boys return to the hotel covered in sweat but feeling relieved. Liam heads to their room to take a shower and Harry decides to use the one in Louis and Zayn’s room, since they're out and he doesn't want to wait when he feels like he could drown anytime in his own sweat. It's quite gross.

He takes a cold one, taking his time and trying to clear his mind as he closes his eyes and leans his head back, letting the water take the shampoo away. His hair is slowly getting longer, already curling around his ears a bit, and he thinks maybe he should get a haircut when they get back to London. Somehow, in the mess of thoughts going around his head, blue eyes and a smirk pop up and Harry feels weak at the knees. His cock starts to fill up and he rubs himself lazily before taking his hand away. No, he can’t do that; Louis is his friend, for god’s sake. And his alpha.

Though that was something that didn’t help make his boner go away. Louis' a considerably small guy, shorter than all of the others and thinner in a certain way, but he still has great biceps and thick thighs and an ass that could be the cure for all of Harry’s problems, most likely. But despite his size, he's still an alpha and still has an empowering presence whenever he's around. Sometimes Harry feels so small around him, like Louis could just crush him with his bare hands, and he would totally let him. The thought of Louis dominating him just makes him even harder and he wraps his hand around his cock once again, thinking about Louis’ strong body holding him down and owning him in all ways possible.

He leans against the wall, pumping his fist quickly and letting moans out, not worrying much since he's alone anyway. It doesn't take long for him to come, his toes curling as he throws his head back, shooting all over his own chest with a low moan of Louis’ name slipping out of his lips before he bites them. Harry lazily cleans himself up before turning the shower off and drying himself. He wraps the towel around his hips and takes another one to dry his hair quickly, before grabbing his clothes from where they are folded in the sink and opening the door.

To his surprise, and huge embarrassment, Harry realizes he isn’t the only one in the suite as he had previously thought. Zayn is typing something in his phone from where he's sitting in one of the beds while Louis stares at his own hands awkwardly.

“Oh, hi, guys,” he says. Zayn just hums without looking up from his phone, while Louis’ eyes flick over Harry’s exposed chest, trying his hard not to be too obvious.

“Had a fun shower time?” Zayn asks. Louis coughs awkwardly, while Harry’s face turns beet red.

“It-it was, uhm… normal, I guess,” he shrugs. “I should just go to my room. Did you talk to Liam yet?”

“Yeah, he told us about the whole frat thing.” Louis nods as Harry walks towards the door, nervous under the older boy’s gaze.

“Great, well… I’ll see you guys then, uh… bye,” he gets out quickly and closes the door behind himself, cursing under his breath and trying not to wonder just how much of his shower shenanigans the boys might have heard. God, what if Louis heard him moaning his name? No, no, no, that couldn’t have happened. It would be just too weird to look him in the eye again if he knows what goes on in Harry’s mind when he’s naked and hard. Even though part of him is kind of hoping for this, it isn’t exactly how he wanted it to go. No, definitely not.

“Hey, mate, how was your shower?” Liam asks as soon as Harry steps into their shared room. “I found out the one in here has like a few different settings! How cool is that? Does the boys’ one have it as well?”

Harry blinks at him confusedly before remembering that Liam doesn't know about what went on, or at least he hopes Liam doesn't. He still feels incredibly embarrassed and there Liam is, all excited about shower settings.

“No, uhm... I don’t think so. I didn’t really pay attention to that,” he tries to shrug it off, grabbing some clothes before going into the bathroom to change into them. He plugs his phone on the wall, checking the time. It's four p.m, which means he still has five hours before the party starts and before he has to face Louis again. It's going to be an odd night.

There are lots of reasons for Harry - and anyone really - to hate fraternities, mostly because they were originated by brainless men who only had party and sex in mind and had the great talent of being annoying. One thing he can’t disagree with, though; they knew how to throw the best parties. The house is large, with the usual Greek letters hanging up above the door, and the music is loud enough to be spilling from the inside. Multiple teenagers are walking in and out all the time, some dancing, others drinking beer from a barrel and some already throwing up in the grass.

It's nasty but it’s been a while since Harry’s been in parties like this. He and Niall used to go all the time in their first years, but now that they are graduating soon they've stopped. He has to remember that he's on a mission, and he has to stay focused. Him and Liam dress up and get a cab there; they are supposed to meet with Zayn and Louis later, who planned to check with the families of those who went missing. “Wow, this is wild,” Liam says, looking around them when they get to the living room.

“Do you want a drink?”

“Can we even get drunk?” Harry frowns as Liam hands him a red plastic cup.

“Of course, it just takes a lot more booze to get going,” he shrugs before drinking his own. Harry takes a sip himself, looking around at all the people talking loudly and dancing in the dark house.

“I think we’re off theme, Liam,” he says, pointing at the huge number of people wearing white and covered in neon paint. Before Liam can answer, a guy approaches them from behind, throwing his arms over both of their shoulders.

“What's up, boys?” he shouts. “We need to find you fellas some paint!” They look at each other and Liam raises an eyebrow.

“Sure, why not,” he concedes, and the boy grins before calling some girls who are wearing white dresses that could barley be seen with all the paint over them. “Girls, why don’t you prep the lads?” They smirk before nodding and the boy taps their shoulders before walking away. Harry's wearing all black, so he can’t do anything with his outfit at all. He watches as the girls rub neon paint all over Liam’s white tee and arms, probably enjoying themselves way too much.

“Thank you, girls,” Liam smiles at them before they walk away.

“I think the blonde one liked you.”

“Not really my type," he shrugs. “Besides, I think I’m kind of into someone right now.”

“Oh, really?” Harry smirks.

“Who is it?”

“A girl from my class, I'll tell you more sometime,” Liam promises. “Now it’s time to party.” He goes to the dance floor and soon enough there are girls around him. Harry rolls his eyes but smiles at himself before walking to the kitchen The house is crowded but he finds himself a proper drink quickly before walking out. He stands next to a wall, watching the people around him, and his jaw almost reaches the floor when he sees Louis and Zayn walking in.

Of course, no one could deny how good looking Zayn was, wearing a Bob Marley tank top. In jeans and boots he still managed to look like Adonis, but he wasn’t the one that made Harry’s heart stop. It was Louis. He has the tightest jeans on, probably tighter than Harry’s own which up to now he thought it was impossible, with a white tee and a leather jacket over it. His hair is done in a quiff and Harry suddenly has the urge to run his hands over it. They spot him eventually and for a minute Harry forgets the embarrassment from earlier at the hotel room.

“Hey, mate,” Zayn says.

“Hi! I’m glad you’re here already, I thought it would take you longer to arrive.”

“Yeah, we did as well,” Louis shrugs. “But we didn’t find much information. We’ll discuss this later though, in private.” Harry nods.

“Where’s Liam?” Zayn then asks.

“Dancing in the living room, I guess. Some girls painted him.” Zayn nods before walking towards a table full of beer. “I guess I was the only one who didn’t get the white outfit memo,” Harry says, and Louis chuckles at that.

“Damn it, Harold, can’t get it right, huh,” Louis jokes. “We could still paint your abs, that guy is having fun.” He points to a shirtless boy with neon green splattered all over his torso.

“Oh, can we?” Harry says jokingly. Louis laughs, staring at his own feet with raised eyebrows.

“Maybe later. Have you spotted any of them yet?” he asks. Right, the mission; Harry shouldn’t forget about that.

“No, not really,” he says, feeling a bit ashamed. Yaser had shown them pictures, so he knows how the boys look like, which makes things easier for sure.

“That's alright, we have time,” Louis shrugs. “I’m gonna get a drink and take a look around, be right back.” Harry nods, watching him walk away. He decides to walk around a bit and see if he can spot any other werewolf. He finds himself going outside where the pool is. A lot of people are jumping in and others are just dancing around, the DJ stand right in the middle of the grass. Harry sees Zayn talking to him with headphones around his neck.

Harry sighs. He isn’t in the mood for dancing - he'd need a lot more alcohol for that - and there isn’t anyone to talk to. He pulls a chair and sits down next to the pool, watching some girls wrestling with each other while a couple of boys hold them by their shoulders. God, does he miss the time where he could be like them. He’s not old, of course, still twenty-three and with lots of opportunities in front of him, but his life has given a big turn at this point and the future seems uncertain somehow. With a deep sigh he gets up and decides to go get a drink. It is a party after all, and he refuses to be sad.

Three beers and a few shots later Harry finds himself dancing in a sea of people, sweaty bodies grinding against each other while the music comes out of some huge speakers in the corners of the room. He feels small hands in his hips suddenly, and smiles to himself, thinking about whose they can be. But the smell isn’t Louis', he notices. Harry turns around to face the man. It isn’t Louis but a ginger, muscled, shirtless boy, his pecks covered in neon paint.

“Oh, hello,” Harry says, receiving a smile in response.

“Hey,” the man replies. Harry raises his eyebrows at him when the man’s hands reach his bum and squeeze it strongly.

“Alright… you have a strong grip,” he says with a small laugh. The man steps closer, whispering in Harry’s ear.

“I saw you dancing and had to come here, you’re very hot.” He says in a raspy voice that makes Harry shiver a bit. “What’s your name?"

“Oh well, thanks.” Harry continued to dance. “It's Harry, what’s yours?”

“Shane. Where’s your pack, Harry?” Harry freezes under Shane’s grip.

“What?” he asks in confusion.

“Aw, c’mon, I know what you are, darling. There’s no need to hide,” Shane says. “Such a young omega... are you a lone wolf?”

“N-no,” Harry says, swallowing nervously.

“Oh, but that’s a shame! How can an alpha leave such a beautiful omega like you alone? When I could just have you all for myself so easily,” Harry steps back with a frown, but Shane's grip is too strong and he pulls him back closer.

“I think I should go,” Harry says. Shane's eyes turn red and Harry gets nervous. He knows he’s not strong enough to fight an alpha. "Just- let me go, please.”

“Why? You're all alone, I can be your alpha,” Shane smirks at him and Harry feels a bit nauseous. “There are rooms upstairs. Why don’t you come with me?” And before Harry can answer, someone else does it for him.

“He's not going anywhere with you.” They both turn around to see Louis standing there with an angry expression.

“And who are you?” Shane asks, keeping a strong grip on Harry.

“It's not your fucking business. Now you can walk away or I can kick you out,” Louis threatens, his eyes turning red as well.

“Oohh, is this your alpha, then?” Shane asks, shaking his head. “Shouldn't leave him all alone, you know what an omega in heat can cause.”

“What?” Harry frowns in confusion. Heat?

“He's not a child, he doesn’t depend on me to go anywhere. Now fuck off.”

“Nah, I think I’m keeping him.” Shane decides, and Harry notices Louis’ hands curling into fists, his knuckles turning white.

“Let him go, or I swear I’m gonna snap your damn neck.” He says, his voice coming out rougher than normal. Shane turns to Harry, ignoring what Louis said.

“I'm sorry, sweetie, I’ll just have to solve this and then we can fu- “ he's interrupted by a fist in his mouth. People around them step aside, gasping, while Shane holds his face with both hands and groans in pain. “Oh, it’s gonna be like this, then?” Shane rolls his shoulders before trying to throw a punch at Louis without success. “You fucking- “ he throws himself at Louis and both of them fall on the floor.

“Stop!” Harry yells as people make a circle around them, watching the two men roll around throwing punches at each other. Louis somehow pins Shane down on his torso, pulling him by the collar of his shirt before hitting his smashing on the floor. Harry looks around wide-eyed and finds Liam and Zayn pushing through the crowd. They look at each other before running towards Louis and pulling him away from Shane.

“Let's get the hell out of here,” Zayn says and they all run out of the house. There is no one outside anymore, what with most of the people having run inside to watch the fight.

“Oi!” They turn around at that, just to see three guys standing in the doorway with furious expressions. “We don’t need you people here! Our packs were harmed enough already, so whatever it is you have in mind, quit it and stay the fuck away.”

“You're crazy,” Harry sighs. Louis is sitting on top of the sink with a swollen lip and a bloody nose and Harry is in between his legs trying his best to help with the injuries, even though they will heal soon enough. They'd walked a few blocks and caught a cab back to the hotel. Liam and Zayn had given Louis a lecture about fighting before hugging him and leaving the room to talk in private. It's past midnight now and they are all tired, but since Louis had refused to go to the hospital there the two of them are.

“That guy was an asshole. He deserved it, anyway,” Louis says.

“Yeah, he wasn’t very nice,” Harry murmurs, dabbing a towel on Louis' lips. Louis lets out a humourless laugh.

“I really don’t get you sometimes, Harry,” he said.

“And why’s that?” Harry asked, looking at him in the eye for a second before concentrating on his injury again.

“A guy was forcing himself to you and all you have to say about him is ‘he wasn’t nice’,“ Louis says. Harry rolls his eyes.

“Well, what do you want me to say? Can’t really do anything about it, he’s just a very rude man,” Harry shrugs.

“Yeah, ok, and what would you have done if I didn’t appear to kick his ass? What would have happened, Harry?” He asks, annoyed. Harry drops the towel by the sink with a sigh.

“Let’s not- “

“Jesus, I don’t understand how you’re so calm about this,” Louis says. “You need to defend yourself."

“What am I supposed to be, Louis? Aggressive and impulsive like you?” He asks in annoyance. “Well, sadly, not everyone is the badass alpha who can go around punching whoever he wants. I’m not saying I'm not thankful, because of course I am, but I don’t like violence so I'm sorry if I didn’t jump in your arms like a rescued damsel.” His hands are slightly shaking with frustration and Louis just stares at him in silence. “Whatever,” he mutters, grabbing the towel and proceeding with the task.

After a few seconds of silence Louis speaks up again.

“I'm sorry,” he apologizes.

“Just be quiet so I can finish this.” Harry puts a band-aid on a cut right on Louis’ cheekbones. “There, done,” he says before starting to walk away, but Louis hops off the sink and grabs his wrist.

“Wait." Harry looks at him with a raised eyebrow “I'm really sorry, alright? I know what I did wasn’t the best thing. I kind of fucked us all up, but I couldn’t help it! The way he acted toward you just brought this… anger in me, I just wanted to throw him off the window. I didn’t mean to offend you. I mean, it’s kind of clear that you’re way better at dealing with stressful situations than me. You’re not a princess waiting for rescue, but I still want to protect you.” Harry sighs in defeat, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around Louis.

“It's alright,” he says. Louis wraps his own arms around Harry's waist, resting his chin on Harry’s shoulder.

“God, I hate that you’re taller than me,” he murmurs and Harry laughs.

“You’re probably the smallest alpha in all Britain,” he jokes and Louis groans.

“Shut up.” They pull apart and Louis smiles at him softly.

“Can I ask you something? It’s a bit, not personal but… yeah,” Harry says, blushing a bit.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Uhm, the guy said something to me… about a omega in heat? I didn’t quite understand what he meant with that. At least, I don’t recall reading anything about it in those books you guys gave me.”

“Oh, right,” Louis is blushing a bit as well. “Only female werewolves used to have those. Cycles of heat are periods of the year when the… uhm... the werewolf in question has a strong desire to have sex or, like, procreate, in case of normal wolves. But with time male werewolves started to get them too. Sometimes it comes only in one specific season of the year, or just randomly.”

“Oh, that’s… interesting.” Harry says, feeling embarrassed. “I had no idea. And, I mean, how did he know if I have no idea myself?”

“Werewolves let out a particular smell during heat. Don’t worry, it’s nothing terrible, and humans can’t sense it, but other werewolves can and it’s very appealing to us- others. I mean, the other werewolves who smell it, it’s appealing to them,” Louis says, stumbling through his words. “You probably didn’t notice because it's just started, and the smell can be sensed sometimes even when you’re not… in the mood for it, but usually it’s when you’re, well, horny.”

“Ok, alright. Uhm… that makes sense. Thanks for explaining,” Harry says, nodding in understanding.

“It's alright,” Louis shrugs. “I’m going to sleep, it was an exhausting night, but… I will see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Sure, yes, goodnight,” Harry smiles at him before leaving the room and entering his shared one with Liam.

Next morning they all get together in Louis and Zayn’s room after breakfast to discuss the situation.

“We talked to the families, pretended to be investigators, which I still can’t believe they bought, but they didn’t say anything really relevant. We got to take a look at the room of one of the boys, but there were no traces. If anything was found the police has got it already.”

“So, what? Should we break in a station and look for evidence? Maybe talk to some cops,” Liam suggests.

“No, it’s not worth risking ourselves,” Louis shakes his head. “I guess we’ll just have to move on and call Yaser to inform him about everything.”

“What about what those boys said last night?” Harry asks. “Do you think they know what we’re up to?”

“I don’t think so,” Louis says, frowning. “But it’s better to just leave already. We still have to check on Leeds and Liverpool.”

“Alright! Time to get back on road, boys,” Liam says. “Let's hope Malcom has some good stuff for us.”

They check out and leave the hotel, getting into Harry’s car and back on the road. Liam is the one driving this time, while Zayn falls asleep on the passenger seat and Harry and Louis sit in the back. It's a very quick one hour ride without much traffic, so it doesn't take long for them to arrive. Liam drives straight to the house where Malcom lives with his family; it’s big and very welcoming. Malcom is already waiting for them at the door and Zayn gives him a big hug.

“Hello, boys. It’s nice to have you here,” he says, shaking hands with the others.

“It's a lovely house you’ve got here,” Harry tells him with a smile.

“Thank you.” Malcom smiles back at him before calling his wife and kids to come greet them. He has a five year old and a teenager. The older one doesn't seem to be too excited to see them, but she blushes when Zayn and Harry shake her hand.

“Well, boys, Malcom will show you your room upstairs,” his wife, Christina, says. “Kids, come help me in the kitchen. Lunch will be ready soon!” The three of them walk out and the boys follow Malcom upstairs.

“Already have teens crushing on you, Styles,” Louis whispers to Harry, who blushes slightly and rolls his eyes. Malcom shows them a room with a bunk bed and a big mattress on the floor.

“I'm sorry we didn’t have any more beds, but we found an extra mattress and thought it would work,” Malcom explains.

“That's perfect. Thank you, Sir,” Harry says. The others thank him as well.

“It’s all good. I’ll leave you to unpack; lunch will be ready soon and we can discuss business later,” the man says, walking towards the door. “Make yourselves home.”

“So… ” Liam murmurs.

“I’m getting the bunk!” Both him, Zayn and Liam yell at the same time. Harry watched the comedic scene as three men fight to get the bunk and Louis ends up being kicked out into the extra mattress.

“You idiots!” He flicks his tongue at them. “Well, I guess it’s you and me, then, Harold.”

“Guess so,” Harry says, leaving his bags on the corner before sitting on the mattress next to Louis.

“Good luck, he'll drool on you,” Liam says and Louis throws his shoe at him.

After unpacking and setting everything up the boys go downstairs to have lunch with the family. Harry talks to Christina about the food and helps her clean up the table and wash the dishes while they exchange a few kitchen hacks. He then goes to the living room with the others to talk about their situation when Caitlyn disappears upstairs and Christina takes the youngest one to play in the pool outside. They tell Malcom all the information they got in Sheffield and Manchester, about the house and the people and even the gun.

“Yaser had told me about the gun,” Malcom says. “We believe there is a connection between all of the victims so far, because they’re all werewolves.”

“Wait, really?” Liam frowns. “I mean… I guess that would make sense.”

“That's why the boys said what they did after the party,” Harry realises. “The guy said ‘our packs were harmed enough already’. Do you think that’s what they were referring to?”

“We think so,” Malcom nods. “Just like Lilah was a werewolf. I’m trying to see if I can somehow contact the police in Sheffield, because if it was a silver bullet that the gun shot it would make even more sense, coupled with the wolfsbane you found.”

“There was something in the wall as well,” Louis adds. “I noticed what looked like stretch marks. Maybe she did that to the wall as a werewolf.”

“God, this is terrible," Liam buries his face in his hands. “That means those witches are working with werewolves to capture other werewolves and cut them in half.”

“This is great," Louis says sarcastically.

“What should we do, then?” Harry asks Malcom, who has a thoughtful look on his face.

“I'm sorry. I know it’s a very complicated situation, but as it's a very dangerous one I think maybe the best option would be for you to stay somewhere safe and far from all of this.”

“We're not giving up," Liam shakes his head. "We can’t just ignore all of this, not after it happened with our friend.”

“I don’t think it’s good for you to proceed. It's witchcraft we’re talking about, and you’re not prepared to deal with such things. Besides I have all packs here in Leeds ready to go after whoever is doing this.”

“Well, then we’ll help,” Harry says. “We want to.”

“Louis?” Zayn calls his friend, and they all look at Louis, who is staring at his own hands.

“What do you think, bro?” After a few seconds of silence he speaks up.

“I think Malcom’s right." Both Harry and Liam frown at him, while Zayn just keeps a blank face. “It's dangerous and I think you should drop it. You, not me, I’m staying to help.”

“Wait, so that’s it? You’re kicking us out and dealing with this by yourself?!” Liam exclaims, outraged.  

“I’m not kicking anyone out, Liam, I'm just saying what I think is best,” Louis says.

“I'll let you boys decide. If you want to stay that’s ok, I'll be glad to have your help, but if you want to leave I will respect and support your decision.” Malcom gets up from where he was sitting before walking upstairs and leaving them alone.

“This is ridiculous! We’re not leaving you alone,” Liam exclaims.

“I just don’t want any of you to get hurt with the way things are going," Louis says, staring at his, now healed, knuckles. Liam sighs, walking to his friend and wrapping his arms around him.

“Don’t worry too much about us, bro. We are all gonna be fine and we’re all gonna stay here by your side, right, boys?” Both Zayn and Harry nod and the subject is dropped. Malcom comes back downstairs a while later with a map to talk to Louis about a few more details. Liam stays with them and Zayn decides to go take a nap while Harry walks outside where Christina and the younger kid, Erik , are playing by the pool.

“Hello," he waves at them.

“Hello, Harry," Christina smiles at him. “Do you want to join us, darling? The weather is great for a swim.”

“Thank you, but I don’t think I have a proper outfit in my bag,” he says with an apologetic expression and she nods.

“That’s alright, you can still play with me and little Erik here."

“Do you know how to play football?” The boy asks him, carrying a ball in his small hands. Harry nods.

“Of course, but I'll tell you I’m not the best.” He admits, looking down at the little boy with a smile. “I am good! I can teach you, Hally.” Erik pulls him towards the grass.

“It's Harry, honey,” Christina corrects from her spot on the pool.

“That's alright,” Harry laughs. “C’mon, then, let’s see what you can do.”

They play for about half an hour, kicking the ball to each other around the backyard while Christina cheers for them. A while later Louis walks outside wearing a tank top, jean shorts and sunglasses.

“Hello there, what are you guys doing?”

“Playing football!” Erik shrieks excitedly. “Do you want to play?”

“Oh, can I?" Louis asks, supporting his hand on his knees so he can look at the little boy properly. “I would love to!”

“Are you good? Because Hazza is bad!” He says and Louis laughs.

“Heey! I’m not that bad,” Harry protests from where he stands watching them with a smile.

“Well, I’m actually very good at it. What do you think?” Louis asks Erik, who looks at his mom. “

What's his name, mommy?” He asks and Louis chuckles.

“That's Louis, darling,” Christina says.

“Alright, then, Louis, you can play with us!” Erik says, pulling Louis by the hand to the middle of the yard.

“Nice, I’m being replaced," Harry says jokingly with a pout.

“Aw, don’t be upset, Harreh,” Louis says, running a hand through Harry’s curls and messing them a bit before pinching his cheek with a wink and walking away. Harry sits down at the outside table with Christina, who is now reading a magazine and watching as Louis plays with Erik.

“Are you thirsty, darling?” She asks. “I’m thinking about making some lemonade.”

“That would be lovely, thank you,” He nods and she smiles at him before getting up and walking back inside. He watches as Louis passes the ball to Erik, definitely more agile than Harry himself, who'd had to be careful not to fall face first on the grass every time he'd got the ball at this feet. The sun is slowly starting to set, he notices, but the weather is good enough for them to stay outside a bit longer.

Louis ends up tackling Erik to the ground at some point and they start a tickle fight, Erik laughing loudly. Harry smiles at them, grabbing his phone from his pocket and taking a picture of the two of them, capturing Louis with a wide smile and crinkles by his eyes as he layis in the grass with a happy Erik. Just then Christina steps outside, holding a tray with four coups of lemonade.

“Thanks, Christina,” Harry says, grabbing one for himself and taking a sip.

“You're welcome, Harry.” She goes back to reading her magazine while Louis and Erik go back to kicking the ball. Erik ends up going too strong though, and the ball flies straight to the pool.

“Oh, no! Looks like we lost the ball, pal!” Louis says.

“Go get it for us!” Erik says, pulling at the bottom of Louis’ shirt.

“What? You want me to get wet, you crazy kid!” He shouts and Erik laughs.

“Go get it! I want to play.”

“Hmm…” Louis hums, bringing a hand to his chin and pretending to be thinking about it. “Why don’t you get it? I’m sure you’re a great swimmer!”

“No, no, you do it!” Erik cheers, pushing Louis slightly in the direction of the pool with a mischievous smile on his face.

“C'mon, Lou, help the child." Harry calls from his spot. Louis narrows his eyes at him. “

"I can’t believe you’re on his side! You just want to see me wet, you perv!” He shouts and Harry laughs.

“Maybe!” He allows, and Louis flicks his tongue at him before walking to the side of the pool that isn't as deep and has stairs. He takes his shoes off and steps in, walking down the steps.

“God! This is cold!” He squawks, and the others laugh. Harry watches fondly as he dives in and comes back up in the middle of the pool, grabbing the ball. “Alright! I got it!”  Erik is laughing a lot when Louis comes out of the pool soaking wet, his clothes clinging to his body and his fringe glued to his forehead. “Alright, there we go,” he says, handing the ball to Erik.

“Thank you, Louis!” Erik smiles at him and Louis smiles back.

“Well, now I’m all wet. Gotta get meself dry, huh!” Erik pouts. “It's ok, we can play a little bit more.”

“There are towels here for you, darling. Be careful not to catch a cold!” Christina warns as she gets up from the table. “I'm going to start cooking dinner. Would you like to help me, Harry?” Harry nods and they both walk inside. They decide to make tacos and Harry teaches her his special recipe he always makes for Niall. It doesn’t take long to prepare and a while later, as she is seasoning the meat, Louis walks in with a towel around his hips and another around his shoulders.

“What are you guys doing? Erik decided to take a nap on one of the lounge chairs," he says as he approaches them.

“This smells great!”

“Thank you, honey,” Christina says with a smile. “Harry here is the one who came up with the recipe.”

“Oh, nice! He’s an amazing chef," Louis compliments, winking at his friend.

“He really is. I’m sure this will be ready in a few minutes; you can take a shower and go find the others.”

“Yeah, better do that, Lewis, because you’re wetting the floor,” Harry says jokingly, grinning at the other man.

“Alright, then, Harreh,” Louis says, flicking his tongue out at him. “You work on that food.” He slips the towel off his shoulders and whips Harry’s thigh with it playfully. Both boys laugh before he walks away to go take his shower. Harry chuckles to himself as he prepares the sour cream.

“You two are adorable,” Christina coos, and Harry blushes a bit.“How long have you been together?”

“W-what?” Harry looks at her in confusion. “Oh! No, we aren’t dating. We’re just friends.”

“Really?” She asks. Harry nods. “Alright, well. I’m sorry, I’m just a bit surprised.”

“Why?” He asks.

“I don’t know. I kind of got the feeling that you’re together... you just seem really into each other, I guess. Oh, look, the chili is coming off perfectly.”

Harry stares at the bowl of sour cream in silence, biting his lower lip and thinking about what Christina said. He knows he's into Louis, of course; he can't ignore the feeling that reaches him every time Louis smiles at him or even touches him. It's like a natural pull between the two of them, like gravity. But he didn't ever really take time to properly think about it. Obviously Louis wouldn’t feel the same for him, right?

Erik comes back inside and Christina turns on the TV for him in the living room, before returning to help Harry set up the tacos and lay everything on the table. At around six thirty everyone gathers in the dining room, praising the smell of the meal.

“It's all thanks to Harry here," Christina says.

“This is great, son, we’ll have to keep you around," Malcom says.

“Sorry, Malcom, but this one is already the official chef of our pack," Liam says and Harry laughs.

“We’re not giving up on our boy.” Louis puts a hand on Harry’s shoulder, smiling at him. Harry notices the look Christina gives them. They all eat the tacos and Harry helps to wash the dishes before retreating to the living room and laying on the couch between Louis and Liam.

“God, I’m so tired," he huffs.

“Yeah, that five year old really kicked your ass at football," Louis jokes. Harry kicks his leg.

“Shush, he literally made you get in the pool to get the ball.”

“What else could I do? He’s cute,” Louis shrugs.

“Yeah, he is," Harry agrees, getting closer to Louis and throwing an arm over his waist.

“What are you doing?” Louis asks, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“Cuddling you?” “Hmm,” Louis hums.

“By all means, go for it.” Harry grins at him, resting his head on Louis’ shoulder and tightening his hold a bit. He tries to focus on the TV while some weird cartoon is on, but his attention keeps going back to Louis. His socked feet rubbing against each other, his small hands playing with the fabric of his shirt, his face concentrated on the TV with the lights reflecting on his blue eyes. Harry wonders how they would be together as a couple, if that would even be possible. He doesn't think so, and considering it suddenly feels foolish.

“What's up?” Louis asks, turning his head to look at him during commercials, catching Harry staring at him.

“Nothing,” Harry shrugs, looking away.

“Do you think if I run fast enough I can steal Liam’s bunk?” He asks.

“Don't even think about it, Tommo,” Liam replies from where he is sitting at the other end of the couch.

“I guess you’ll have to keep up with me tonight, Harold," Louis says. “Just so you know, I like to spoon.”

“It can’t be that bad,” Harry shrugs.

As it turns out it is bad. Not the act itself, because Louis turns out to be a great big spoon, but the problem is that Harry’s heat starts to make a more noticeable appearance, and he only realizes that when he wakes up in the middle of the night with a ranging boner and Louis’ crotch pressed against his ass. His hands are sweaty, and as he tries to adjust himself he lets out a small whimper.

Harry slowly pulls away, trying not to wake Louis up, and walks out of the room. He finds a bathroom at the end of the corridor and goes inside, locking the door. Unfortunately he couldn’t do such a thing as masturbate in a house that wasn’t even his, least when there were kids around and other werewolves that could definitely hear him.

So he gets in the shower and turns on the cold water, letting it wash the sweat away and trying to get his erection to disappear without having to do anything inappropriate. He thinks about anything as far from Louis as possible, and soon enough his body cools down. He puts on his pj’s again and tiptoes back to the room, sliding next to Louis quietly.

“Where were you?” Louis asks suddenly.

“Went to take a shower, was a bit sweaty,” he replies. “I thought you were asleep.” Louis hums in response, taking a few seconds to form an answer, his voice coming out tired.

“You woke me up," he yawns. “It's three a.m."

“Sorry," Harry whispers.

“S'okay," Louis murmurs, bringing up his arm to circle Harry’s waist. “Wanna get rid of the blankets?”

“Nah, it’s fine,” he says and Louis nods, keeping his eyes closed as he gets comfortable.

“You smell good,” Louis then whispers, rubbing his nose on Harry’s neck. Harry chuckles lightly.

“Let's go back to sleep, love.” Louis only hums before drifting away again, and Harry is glad he didn’t get caught.

The next morning, Louis, Zayn and Malcom drive off to visit other werewolves and discuss the current situation. Harry ends up staying back with Liam to help Christina around the house; he knows the boys hadn't wanted him to come, that's why he didn't really object to it. He understands that a werewolf in heat could end up ruining a few things, and he doesn’t want to mess up with the mission. He’s trying his best to control himself though.

“Do you ever get these?” Harry asks Liam while they're having sandwiches in the kitchen. “Cycles of heat, I mean.”

“Nope,” Liam shakes his head. “Zayn doesn’t either, but Louis does sometimes. Omegas are usually the ones who get them; betas very rarely do but alphas get them more often. They can be either positive or negative.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like… alphas tend to get aggressive, and sometimes during heat it can get really bad. Even worse than during a full moon sometimes.” Harry’s eyes widen. “Yeah. Luckily, Louis learned how to control himself, and now he just stays in his room and we pretend not to smell or hear anything.” Harry chokes on his tuna, grabbing a napkin to clean his chin and trying not to think of Louis masturbating during heat.

“Well, so far I don’t feel angry, but it definitely isn’t fun.” Liam laughs.

“Omegas are rarely angry werewolves. They’re usually docile, which I guess suits you. You’re caring, respectful and all of that.”

“Thanks,” Harry says. “I can’t get pregnant, though, can I?”

“No, oh my god,” Liam laughs. “Your need to mate is more like a need to shag, really. You can’t have babies. Don’t worry.”

“Ok, good,” Harry says with a laugh. “Do you ever think about having kids?” He asks, giving another bite to his sandwich.

“Yeah, definitely,” Liam nods. “I would love to. I want to get married to a nice girl and eventually move out and have a couple of little children around.”

“That's nice," Harry smiles. “I've always wanted to get married and have kids as well. It’s like my goal in life, coming even before my job expectations. Even if I don’t get the perfect job I still want a family.”

“I can see you as a housewife,” Liam jokes and they both laugh.

“Oh, please,” Harry rolls his eyes. “Do you think it would work, though? I mean, aren’t you scared of the dangers of living with kids when you…you know.”

“No, not really,” Liam says. “I mean, of course sometimes I think about the risks, but look at Louis and Zayn’s families! They’re werewolves and they are very happy, and the children are just fine. I mostly worry about my kids ending up being born werewolves, like Louis did.”

“Wouldn't want such a thing for them,” Harry says and Liam nods.

“Exactly,” he sighs. “It's nice to talk about this with someone. Louis doesn’t really like the subject.”

“Why? Doesn't he want kids?” Harry asks with a frown.

“Oh no, he definitely does, he loves them,” Liam says and Harry smiles at that. “He just doesn’t like me and Zayn talking about the future. He knows we won’t always live together, but he likes to live in the moment. Don’t tell him I told you this, but I think he’s scared of being alone.”

“He won’t be. I'm sure he’ll find someone.”

“Yeah," Liam smiles slightly. “I think he will eventually, hopefully someone who can keep up with his craziness. And I say that in a good way.” Harry laughs.

“He’s just lovely,” he lets out accidentally, and Liam keeps smiling at him while he clears his throat. “Uhm. I was thinking about going to the market to buy some stuff to help Christina make a special recipe. Would you like to come with me?”

“Sure," Liam shrugs, cleaning his hands and getting down from the counter. “I think the boys will be back soon.”

“Alright. We’ll be quick, and then we can discuss everything.”

They decide to walk there, because it isn’t very far away. They chat all the way there, Harry telling Liam about his childhood and a few things about his family, whom he really misses. He’s glad he can share these memories. Yes, he does talk about them with Niall, but it isn’t about not having someone to talk to, it is about being able to talk with the new people in his life, getting closer to them each day.

“God, your sister is crazy!” Liam laughs out loud.

“I know, right! And, like, my shoes smelled like cat piss for a week!” Liam keeps laughing and then suddenly stops, a frown taking over what used to be his cheerful expression. “What's wrong?” Harry asks.

“Did you hear that?” They both stop walking, standing in the sidewalk.

“Hear what?” Harry frowns, looking around quickly.

“Like, someone screaming,” Liam says. “Something's wrong, come on.” He starts running and Harry follows him in confusion. He has no idea what's happening until he hears a girl shrieking.

“Where is she?” He asks Liam.

“There,” he says, pointing to an alley just a few blocks down. They run toward it, and when they get there, Harry is in shock. There's a girl on the floor, her body twisting while she coughs and groans in pain. They kneel down at her side and Harry takes off his jacket, putting it over her shoulders.

“Hey, what’s your name? Are you ok?” Liam asks. She only groans and shakes her head. Harry reaches out a hand and she looks at him, wide-eyed.

“It's alright, I’m not gonna hurt you,” he says. “I promise we’re here to help, alright?” She nods hesitantly and they both help her get up. They manage to get her in the house and sit her in the couch.  

“What's going on?” Christina asks in confusion.

“We found her in an alley, I think she got attacked.” Liam explains just as the girl murmurs something.

“What's that?” Harry asks. “What did you say?”

“W-wolfsbane,” she whispers with a cough and Liam and Harry look at each other.

“What are we gonna do?” Harry asks, trying not to panic.

“I have something for that, wait here,” Christina says, running upstairs.

“Do you know who did this to you?” Liam asks the girl, and she shakes her head.

“I don’t… I don’t know who they were,” she chokes out, tears streaming down her face. “I was just walking around and they… dragged me into the alley, I was so scared.”

“Thank god we were around,” Harry sighs. Christina comes downstairs soon enough with a first-aid kit.

“Step back, please, boys. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.” Malcom had told them earlier that Christina's a nurse, so they leave the girl in her hands and walk to the kitchen.

“God, this is a mess,” Liam says, rubbing his hands on his face in frustration.

“Do you think she’ll be ok?” Harry asks.

“I hope so,” Liam sighs. “I mean, what was that? Do you think she was about to be taken but when we approached they ran away?”

“Why would they leave her behind?” Harry asks with a frown. They stand there in silence for a few minutes, thinking about the whole situation. It was just too weird, and after a few minutes he decides to voice his thoughts

“Maybe… they weren’t taking her at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think, maybe, they wanted her to be found and that’s why they didn’t take her.” Liam makes a face. “No, listen, think about it. Consider all the people who were taken, even the ones in easy areas like in the middle of the street or the mall. All of them disappeared so easily and no one was able to rescue them. Why would this one, right here, a few blocks down from the house we’re staying in, be different from the others?” Liam stares at him for a few seconds.

“That actually makes sense,” he sighs. “Let's hope the others come back soon enough so we can deal with this.”

The other boys come around a bit later. The girl, who's named Daya, is sleeping on the couch with a towel on her forehead after Christina gave her medication. It isn’t very pretty; she'd screamed a lot and was obviously in deep pain, but luckily she was in the right hands. Liam and Harry sit down outside with the others and explain everything. Malcom listens them with a blank face and when they finish he remains silent.

“So…what are your thoughts?” Liam asks him.

“I don’t want to alarm you boys,” Malcom sighs. “But at this point it feels like we’re being played with. You finding her was definitely not accidental.”

“Why would they do this to us?” Zayn asks with a frown.

“They know what we’re doing, they know we’re going after them,” Louis says and Malcom nods. "They're either teasing us or trying to distract us... or both.” And there they are, the cards spread on the table. It isn’t just a drive somewhere and a look around anymore, it's getting serious and at this point they all know it's a dangerous ground they're stepping in.

“I have dealt with black magic a few times, but this time is different and I can’t quite figure out what it is that they’re doing with all the kids,” Malcom says, shaking his head. “I'm gonna send the girl back to her pack and talk to their alpha about it.”

“What should we do, then?” Louis asks.

“Our hands are a bit tied at this point, but I’m gonna interrogate Daya, see what she’s seen and tomorrow morning we’re visiting one of the other packs who I think can help us. They have a few witches with them; trustworthy ones, don’t worry. All I can assure you right now is that things are getting dangerous and I need you all to be 100% in this.”

“We will,” Louis says and they all nod.

“Good. Stick together, boys, you’re gonna need all the strength you’ve got,” he says, before getting up and leaving.

“I don’t like this at all,” Zayn groans.

“I know,” Liam sighs. “Me neither, but there’s only so much we can do at this point. Let’s all try to rest and tomorrow we’ll do what Malcom said. It’s gonna be tough from now on.”

The pack they're visiting has a big house in a far away neighborhood. It isn’t a very crowded place, being away from downtown, so it is good enough for them to run the whole thing. There are already a few people waiting for them at the door when they arrive.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Louis groans as he gets out of the car.

“What’s up?” Harry asks, noticing Liam and Zayn are trying not to laugh.

“Louis Tomlinson!” A guy calls out before Louis can answer. “What a pleasure to have you here.”

“Nick,” Louis says shortly.

“Don’t pretend you’re not happy to see me. You look great, by the way; better than last time I saw you,” Nick says. “I'm glad you switched haircuts, the last one was hideous.”

“Well, you kept the same hideous one as always; why am I not surprised?” Louis says with an eye roll. Another guy, who seems to be in his mid thirties, walks towards them and shakes their hands.

“Hello, boys. I’m Dean, the alpha, and I see you already know one of my betas,” he says and Louis nods.

“Yeah, we’ve had some unpleasant encounters,” Louis sniffs. “But it’s nice to meet you. Let’s get to business, shall we?” They all head inside and Harry notices the look Louis gives Nick.

“What's up with the two of them?” He whispers to Zayn.

“They used to date a few years ago,” he answers. Harry almost chokes on his own spit. “Let’s just say the break up wasn’t very amicable,” Liam says as he walks past them.

It’s a big pack, all in all: two alphas, six betas and two omegas, most of them relatives. Dean introduces everyone before leading the boys and Malcom to his office to talk about the situation. He explains a few things about black magic, but even after that they still feel lost.

“I’ve never seen something like this, but our friends who work with witchcraft will come around soon and they might be able to give us a few answers,” he says. “So far I believe it might be an empowering spell.”

“What do you mean?” Liam asks. “I think they might be using all of those werewolves to drain their powers,” Dean explains.

“It would make more sense if we know who they are.” Malcom says. “All we know for sure is that Harry’s alpha is with them."

“What?” Dean stared at the boy. “Really?”

“Yeah. I was attacked by one of them in the woods, when they came after a body they tried to take away, but Zayn and his family kept it underground,” Harry explains.

“I didn’t know that,” Dean says. “That means we’ve got both an advantage and a disadvantage."

“How?” Harry asks, frowning.

“Well, when your alpha is around you’re gonna sense his or her presence; it might come after you or you can go after it.”

“I don’t understand what you’re implying here,” Harry says.

“He wants to use you as bait,” Louis answers before Dean can say anything. “Which is not happening.”

“I'm afraid you might not have a choice, Louis,” Malcom says. “Technically, you’re not Harry’s alpha, and if it comes after him there’s not much we can do.” Harry feels chills running downs his spine. He doesn't like the way this conversation is heading.

"Harry’s not a puppet,” Louis says. “And you better not be planning to use him to attract the alpha! He might not be genetically linked to me, but he’s still part of my pack and I'm not letting him be taken like this.”

“That's right,” Liam says. “None of us are. He’s staying with us as long as he wants to.”

“I’m not switching packs,” Harry shakes his head. “I don’t care who turned me, this is where I’m staying.”

“Alright, then,” Malcom nods. “Don't worry about it. I wouldn’t put any of you in danger on purpose, otherwise Yaser would snap my neck.” The boys leave the room a while later, leaving Malcom and Dean to talk in private.

“I'm going for a walk,” Harry says, walking towards the door.

“Are you sure you want to go alone?” Louis asks. Harry nods.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he answers, even though he doesn't believe his own words. “Just need to be alone for a while.” Louis stares at him for a few seconds and Harry feels vulnerable under his gaze.

“Okay," Louis nods. Harry walks out.

The sun is shining but there's still a chilly breeze that makes Harry shiver slightly. He walks a few blocks, thinking about the whole situation. He's scared and tired and in a way he wishes he could just go back to that night and not go out, maybe bribe Niall with some pizza and video games. But then again, if he hadn't gone he would never have met Zayn, or Liam, or Louis. Somehow they've become a important part of his life. It is weird to think about how things were before he met them. Definitely not as weird as they are now, of course.

He realizes he has changed himself, not only the environment around him. A while ago Harry would never do such insane things as going on the road to go after killers, he would never have broken into houses where dead bodies were found. His view on the world is changing as well, somehow, but for the better, he thinks. Once in a while he still has to stop, sit down and remember to stay true to himself. It’s like Louis said; when in a situation like this it’s easy to lose yourself, and he would never let that happen. After a while he returns to the house, sitting on the front porch with a sigh. It's quiet all around, but then the door opens around him and he turns his head to see Zayn walking out with a bottle of beer in his hand.

“Hey, mate,” he says, sitting next to Harry. “Do you want some?” He offers Harry the bottle of beer, who shakes his head.  

“No, I’m fine, thanks.” Zayn nods. “What are you doing out here?” He asked.

“Just thinking,” Harry shrugs, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his chin on his knees. “About life and… everything that is going on. Needed to clear my mind.” Zayn only noda.

“It's fine, bro, I understand,” he says. “Sometimes it’s a bit too much; gotta remember who you really are.”

“Yeah," Harry hums in agreement. He enjoys his conversations with Zayn; usually they don’t say much, not getting too deep into things, but it's still enough. Zayn just seems to get him somehow, and he doesn’t freak out whenever Harry tells him something, just listens to him and lets him open up when he feels comfortable, giving his opinion when he feels like it matters. “I think I have an idea,” Harry purses his lips, staring at the floor .“But… no one’s gonna like it. I don’t think you guys will agree with me.”

“We might. What is it?” Zayn asks, running a hand through his beard, that was getting bigger each day.

“That thing they said about me and my alpha... I mean, I know I don’t have to be turned by Louis to be a part of the pack, just like you and Liam weren’t,” he says. “But even if I feel like he’s my alpha, genetically he’s not, and what if the real alpha has some kind of control over me?” Zayn looks at him curiously. “Like, if he comes around, will I be able to not let him control me?”

“Of course! I mean, for an omega it might be tougher since your powers are weaker in a certain way, sorry for that- ”

“It’s ok, I’m aware of it,” Harry nods, letting Zayn go on.

“But it’s not like he’s gonna drag you with him and you won’t be able to do anything about it, don’t worry,” he shrugs.

“That’s good, then,” Harry says. “You already know what I’m thinking, don’t you?”

“I do, yeah.” Zayn says and looks at him with what Harry thinks it's a pitiful smile.

“Ugh, don’t give me that look,” Harry groans.

“What look?” Zayn raises an eyebrow.

“Like… I don’t know, like you pity me somehow. I don’t like feeling that I am being treated like a child or just like I’m less than the others, even though technically I am.”

“Nah, man, don’t bring yourself down.” Zayn throws an arm over Harry's shoulders. “Just because you’re an omega doesn’t mean you can’t still be an awesome werewolf, doesn’t mean you’re a child or less than any of us. At the end of the day, betas, omegas, alphas… those are just titles and eye colors. I think what really matters is who you truly are, not the title upon you.”

“Since when did you became so poetical?” Harry asks with a teary smile. Zayn smiles back at him.

“Now, while I don’t want you to be in danger, I can’t lie that it’s not a bad plan after all,” he says. Harry raises an eyebrow at him.

“Really?” He asks hopefully, and Zayn shrugs.

“Yeah, but don’t tell the others yet, and don’t jump in to do something crazy without warning us first, ok? Let’s just see what we can do so far, and if we’re in a desperate situation then we might need to use you.”

“Alright," Harry nods. “Thanks, Z.”

“It's all good, bro,” he says, running a hand through Harry’s curls.

“So…” he speaks up after a few minutes of silence. “Louis and Nick dated?”

“Yeah," Zayn laughs. “For like a month or so, it didn’t work very well.”

“They are very bitter towards each other,” Harry comments and Zayn nods.

“They are. I mean, Nick is a funny guy but he’s not right for Louis. He couldn’t cope up with his attitude and Louis’ didn’t know how to handle his behavior either, it was weird. So they broke it off after a big fight and now they’re kind of ok; I can’t say they're friends, but it’s not like they’re mortal enemies either. They just tease each other a lot with those comments like earlier.”

“Oh, alright,” Harry shrugs and Zayn stares at him for a while.

“What?” “Do you like him?” he asks abruptly. Harry freezes in place.  

“W-what?” He stutters. “Louis? No, what are you talking about?” God, he is a terrible liar.

“C'mon, mate, I see you two. You don’t have to lie to me. I’m not gonna tell him anything, and besides, Liam told me he heard you two making out back in Sheffield.” Harry chokes on his spit.

“Jesus, how did he- oh my god,” he hides his face in his hands in embarrassment. “I- I don’t even have an excuse for that, it happened once that night.”

“That’s alright, you don’t need an excuse, and you don’t owe me explanations either.” Zayn shrugs. “I just want to make sure you’re not messing around with him only to be an ass like Nick, not that I think you would do that, but…you know, I have to check.”

“It’s alright, I understand where you’re coming from,” Harry says and then sighs. “But, like…I don’t know, I feel myself being pulled towards him and I just can’t help it. That sounds cheesy, doesn’t it?” Zayn laughs and nods. “Well, I guess I do like him more than just a friend, but it’s not like anything’s gonna happen anyway. So don't worry, his heart is not getting broken by me.”

“Why do you say that?” Zayn frowns. “How can you be so certain nothing is gonna happen when he kissed you and literally punched a guy who was flirting with you?”

“He doesn’t feel the same,” Harry shakes his head. “He might have kissed me but he just…pretends it didn’t happen, he doesn’t want to talk about it.”

“Have you brought up the subject to him though?” Zayn asks.

“No… not really, I didn’t know if it was a good idea and somehow I feel like he might have regretted it.”

“Then how do you know he doesn’t want to talk about it? Maybe he thinks you don’t want either since neither of you brought it up.” Harry frowns.

“I… I haven’t thought about that, but I mean…should I? We have so much stuff going on right now, and what if that affects our friendship? If the feeling isn’t mutual.”

“Louis wouldn’t reject you. Even if he doesn’t feel the same he’s not gonna make you feel bad about it or shut you out.” Zayn assures him.

“How do you know?”

“I had a crush on him when we were 18,” he says and Harry looks at him wide-eyed.

“Really?! Oh my god, what happened?”

“Well, it was a typical high school crush and I kissed him in a spin the bottle game during a sleepover. It took me a few weeks but I finally had the guts to tell him and it turned out he didn’t feel the same. But he never shut me out for that; eventually the little crush went away and here we are, best friends now.” Zayn explains with a small laugh.

“Wow.”

“Yeah,” Zayn then gets up and looks down at him. “I'm not gonna pressure you to do anything, but when you feel like it don’t be afraid to tell him. I don’t think it’s impossible for you to be together, but even if he doesn’t feel the same it’s not good to hold back our feelings, especially this kind.”

“Thanks, Z,” Harry says with a nod.

“It's alright, mate. I’m gonna make a sandwich, see you later,” he squeezes Harry’s shoulder before walking back inside. Harry sits there alone for a few minutes, watching the cars pass by in the street, when a bus passes suddenly and there are three women standing in the sidewalk that he’s sure weren’t there a second before. They cross the street and walk into the property, all dressed in black. Harry assumes they are the witches Dean had called in.

“Hello there, Harry Styles. Having a tough day, aren’t you?" A small, ginger haired girl says with a smile. The other one by her side elbows her.

“Calm down,” she says before looking at Harry. “Hello. I’m Felicia and these are my sisters Anna and Kali.”

“Nice to meet you,” Harry says, extending a hand for her to shake. As she did, the ginger one, Anna, giggled.

“Oh, he’s polite, his mom is a very nice lady,” she says and Harry gives her a strange look.

“Excuse my intrusive sister,” Felicia says, giving her a stern look. “She's psychic and makes sure that everyone knows it.”

“I’m just stating facts,” Anna shrugs and Harry chuckles, still finding everything weird.

“That’s alright,” he says. “C'mon in, I’ll call Dean and tell him you’re here.” He leads them inside and goes to the bottom of the stairs, calling for the alpha, who walks in from the kitchen.

“I'm here,” he says, and gives the girls a polite smile. “It's nice to see you again, ladies. I have a few guests here who would like to meet you.”

“I'm gonna call them,” Harry says, excusing himself before walking out to call for the other boys. He finds them all in the kitchen, laughing and eating snacks. “The witches are here,” he announces.

They walk back into the living room, where Dean and the three girls are waiting for them. Each boy introduces himself and Harry notices the look Anna gives him and Louis when they sit next to each other on the couch. He tries not to blush.

“We analyzed the circumstances by the information you sent us from the past few months,” Felicia starts. “We have found information in one of our oldest books, luckily,” she takes a thick book out of her bag, its cover faded and the pages already yellow and smelling old. “It's definitely an empowering spell. They used the wolfsbane to drain the werewolves’ energy and, using a few of their organs, they found a way to make a potion so they could take their powers and keep them to themselves. But that’s not all; the spell is weak, since the original recipe calls for natural born alphas and betas and those are rare to be found nowadays, since most of you are bitten,” she explains. “That's why they’re taking away so many people. With time the spell gets weaker and they have to seek for more. It’s not gonna work until they have a born alpha.”

“Me,” Louis whispers and Harry freezes in place.

“Exactly,” Felicia confirms with an apologetic look.

“What do you think we should do to make them stop?” Liam asks.

“They're not going to stop until they get what they want.” Kali, the one who so far had been quiet, says.

“I have seen them,” Anna announces. “Not face to face, but I did. Two of them are betas, the other one is an alpha who’s getting weaker each day. He’s dying. They have one witch on their side; she’s not very powerful but her potion-making skills are good.”

“Alright, it’s good to know that, at least,” Dean says. “But what should we do now? We can’t let their plan go on.”

The three witches look at each other and Felicia sighs.

“I'm afraid there’s only one way out of it,” she says. “We will have to use basically the same spell, drain all the energy out of him until there’s nothing left. Then there’s two options: the wolf will either leave or fight against his human side until they’re both dead.”

“So you’re helping us with this, right?” Harry asks. They all nod.

“Yes, but we can’t do everything ourselves; we will need your help,” Kali says.

“As you know, it’s not so easy to find them. Their tracks always disappear one way or another,” Felicia says.

“So instead of going after them we will have to bring them here.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” Liam asks.

“That is going to be the easiest part. Not for you, maybe, but easier than the spell itself,” Felicia says before looking pointedly at Harry. “I believe you have something that belongs to their alpha.”

“No,” Liam says before anyone reacts. “We're not using him as bait, we told Dean already.”

“It’s not the only way, Mr Payne,” Felicia says. “There's something else the alpha wants.”

“He wants me,” Louis says and the witches nod.

“Why hasn’t he come after us already, then?” Liam asks.

“It’s not so easy. You’re strong for a small pack and they’re all too weak to come after you calling for a fight,” Felicia explains. “But they’re getting stronger now; they managed to get an alpha, and though he wasn’t a born one nor a true one, it was enough for the wolf to gain strength.”

“That means we need to do this now,” Malcom says. “We need to fight before it gets worse.”

They sit in silence for long seconds before Louis speaks up.

“Alright, I’ll do it,” he says. “If that’s what it takes for them to stop, I’ll bring them here.”

“Good,” Dean speaks up. “Now let’s set up a plan.”

It takes them a few hours and lots of strategy talk before they get everything sorted out. The witches would get the right amount of wolfsbane, all the other necessary ingredients and prepare the potion. It had to be done in time and not be conserved, otherwise it wouldn’t work. Meanwhile Anna would go with Louis and Harry to a hill not so far from there and they would wait for the others. Zayn, Liam and three other betas would stay hidden in the woods for backup, not too far away but not too close either, just far enough not to be spotted.

They would set up a trap and bring the alpha to Dean’s house where the spell would be being made. It is simple in theory, but they all know it won’t be easy at all.

“How can we be sure they’re gonna show up at the hill?” Liam asks.

“They’re running out of wolfsbane and other resources, I can feel their panic and fear,” Anna says. “It's a very dark energy. I knew they were here as soon as we arrived in town, and that’s the only place they can find the ingredients they need.”

So the plan is settled. It would happen the next day, and while they prepare, the other packs are around town guarding the different areas, ready to inform if anything suspicious happens. The energy is tense when the boys drive back to Malcom’s house a while later. Christina is waiting for them with dinner at the table, which lifts their moods a bit, especially when Erik calls them to play video games with him. Later that night, Harry sneaks out of the room and sits on the backyard, playing with his phone a bit before finally dialing a number. The phone rings a few times before they pick up.

“Hello.”

“Hi, mum,” Harry says with a sigh. “How are you?”

“Oh, hi, darling, I’m so glad you called,” she gushes. “I'm great, what about you?”

“I'm fine,” he shrugs even though she can’t see him. It feels hard to breathe all of a sudden. “How's Florida?”

“It’s amazing here. We went to Disneyland yesterday, got a few pics with Mickey ears,” she says and Harry can almost see the smile on her face.

“That's great,” he says, grinning slightly. “When are you coming back? I miss you guys.”

“We miss you too, love. We’ll be back in two days already; you should come home before summer ends.”

“Yeah, I would love that,” he says and then another voice comes through the phone.

“We miss you, lil bro!” Gemma says. “I got you a pink Mickey Mouse jumper, you’re welcome.”

“Thanks," he laughs, even though his eyes have started to tear up.

“We have to go now, darling. See you soon,” Anne says.

“Alright… I’ll go try to have some sleep. I miss you…I love you,” he says, closing his eyes and biting his lower lip, trying to contain a cry.

“Love you too!” They both shout before hanging up. He brings his knees up to his face, wrapping his arms around his legs with a deep sigh. A few tears stream down his face before he shakes his head and rubs his eyes with the back of his hand. He feels a hand on his shoulder that startles him, and looks up to see Louis looking at him worriedly.

“I’m fine,” he groans, looking away.

“No, you’re not,” Louis argues, pulling a chair and sitting in front of him. “What's wrong, love?” he asks.

“It's stupid,” he says, still not looking at Louis.

“I told you that once,” Louis says. “And I remember you telling me that if it’s making me upset, then it’s not stupid. The same goes for you, H.”

“I just…” Harry sighs. “I miss my family, and right now all of this is too much for me. I don’t want to sound weak, but I don't think I'm handling it very well right now.”

“It's alright, I understand,” Louis tells him. “I miss mine too, and believe me, I’m not handling the situation very well either.”

“Oh, please,” Harry rolls his eyes. “You're steady, you’re rolling with it and helping with the plan and doing things to help, while I’m just here like a lost puppy.”

“Not true,” Louis says. “Believe me or not, I cried for like half an hour in the bathroom after dinner.”

"Did you really?” Harry asks, looking at him in the eye this time. Louis nods.

“I'm not proud of it, but we all feel like it’s too much sometimes. We handle it in different ways. Zayn smokes, Liam works out like crazy, you and I cry sometimes," he says with a shrug. “It's ok to feel upset. You don’t need to be strong 100% of the time; there’s nothing that prepares you for this, and I totally understand if you don’t want to deal with it.”

“I don’t like what we're doing, but I’m not leaving either,” Harry says. “I’m staying here and helping all of you, 'till the end of it.”

“Alright,” Louis nods. “Now, c’mere." He opens his arms and Harry moves to hug him. “It's alright, Haz.”

They stand there with their arms wrapped around each other, with nothing but the moonlight to break the darkness of the night. When Harry slowly tries to pull away Louis turns his head, their noses brushing together as they stare at each other. One of Louis' hands goes up to Harry’s neck, rubbing it softly with the pad of his thumb. He then leans in. Harry knows he should pull apart and go back to the room, but he doesn’t, and there they are, with their lips moving softly against each other's. Harry closes his eyes, sighing into the kiss, and when Louis’ tongue meets his lower lip he finally pulls apart, freeing himself from Louis’ arms.

“Don’t- let’s not…no.” He can barely utter as he shakes his head.

Louis stares at him with a confused expression, and Harry turns around and rushes upstairs. He slips into the mattress and covers his whole body with a blanket, cursing under his breath. His heart is beating faster than ever and he wonders if Zayn and Liam can hear it even though they're asleep. He waits a few minutes, and soon it slows down to the normal pace. He also waits for Louis to appear, but he never does, and Harry soon falls asleep alone in the mattress.

He only thinks about it next morning, when he wakes up to an empty bed. He sighs, going straight to the bathroom to take a shower. Last night was definitely a mistake; he knows Louis doesn't like him and it was obvious that he only kissed him because Harry was vulnerable and needed someone to take care of him. But that’s not what he wants. He doesn’t want more confusion in his head. What if he'd gone with it? Would Louis pretend it didn’t happen as well and that they’re just friends? He remembers Zayn’s words from the other day, but now is definitely not the time to have that discussion.

Tonight they're trapping the other pack on the hill and working on the spell. He has to be 100% focused on that, as nothing can go wrong. Harry gets out of the shower a while later, putting on jeans and a shirt before going downstairs where everyone is sitting at the table having breakfast, except for two people.

“Where's Louis?” He asks with a frown.

“He and Malcom went to Dean’s house early in the morning,” Christina explains. “To set up everything and work on some kind of potion.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll catch up with them after lunch.” Liam says and Harry nods, moving to pour himself some coffee. He tries not to think too much about it, and after eating and helping Christina with the table, him and Liam put on proper gym shorts and shoes and go outside for a run. It is sunny as always and they are sweating a lot, so they decide to stop for ice cream.

“How are you feeling?” Liam asks when they sit on a small table outside the ice cream store.

“A bit nervous, that’s for sure.” He says with a sigh. “What about you?”

“Same, but I’m trying to stay positive.” Liam says. “I think the chances of winning are on our side.”

"Why's that?” Harry asks, drinking half of his bottle of water at once.

“Well, they’re weak and we have more people. Unless they run away I don’t think this can go wrong.” Liam explains.

“Have you ever dealt with black magic though?” Harry asks. Liam shakes his head.

“No. It scares me a bit, I’ll be honest, but we have witches on our side too and I believe they can do a lot of good.” They return to the house soon enough, and Liam goes to take a shower first while Harry sits on the couch with Zayn, who is watching TV.

“Hey,” he says and Zayn looks at him for a second before looking back at the TV screen.

“Hey, what's up?”

“Just came back from a run with Liam.” Harry shrugs and Zayn nods. They are silent for a while before he speaks up again with a bit of hesitance. “Did Louis-“

“No, he didn’t tell me anything,” Zayn says before he can even finish the question. “But he seemed a bit off this morning.” He sighs, muting the TV and turning to look at Harry. “What happened to you guys this time?”

“Well…I was upset last night and he came to talk to me and then…he kissed me.” Harry says and Zayn stares at him confusedly.

“I don’t see how that’s a problem.”

“Because," Harry sighs. “I was vulnerable and he did it to comfort me. Even if I went on with it he doesn’t want to be with me.”

“How can you be so sure? You haven’t even talked to him yet.” Harry doesn’t respond and Zayn rolls his eyes. “You guys like complicating things.”

“I don’t like complicating things, they’re just…complicated on their own,” Zayn chuckle. “Ugh, Z what do I do?”

“Just talk to him, man,” Zayn shrugs. “Maybe not now, though, we have important things to do today. But after we’re finished, you can walk up to him and give him a big kiss so you can live happily ever after.” Harry rolls his eyes.

“Fine, maybe I will.” He jokes, before going upstairs. Liam has already left the shower and he sneaks in to take a quick one. After getting dressed he goes downstairs, where the others are waiting.

“Here, boys,” Christina says, walking into the room. “I made you some lunch; nothing too heavy but enough for you to be ready for tonight.”

“Thanks, Christina, we really appreciate it.” Harry says and she smiles at them.

“It's all good. Now go eat it, kids. Malcom is waiting for you.” They all nod before sitting at the table. After finishing it they thank her and say goodbye. Harry hugs her a few extra seconds before letting go.

“It's not a goodbye, darling, we’ll see each other tomorrow, alright?” he nods before walking out of the house and getting into his car.

“Let's do this,” he says, sighing with his hands on the steering wheel.

Night time arrives too quickly and they all gather in the living room, where Felicia and Kali are working on the potion already, chanting in Latin and mixing ingredients that Harry has no idea what they are. He spends most of the afternoon preparing himself mentally and physically for what is coming. He and Liam go to the backyard and turn back and forth into werewolves to make sure and then they pretend to fight a bit. Harry hopes not to have a physical conflict. It is inevitable, though; the betas and the alpha will probably come at them at full force and he can't run away this time. As the sky darkens, he puts on a jacket and walks into the living room, where everyone is.

“Are you ready?” Dean asks and he nods. “Louis?” Louis, who is sitting by the window, looks at him and nods as well. They haven’t talked all day, Louis didn’t approach him and Harry was too scared to do it himself, not knowing what to say and not wanting to create an awkward situation. But even when they are on opposite sides of the room it still feels weird. It doesn’t felt like them at all.

“It’s almost ready,” Felicia says. “Time to go. Be careful.”

“We will,” Harry says, smiling tightly at her before walking towards the door with Anna and Louis. “You go first. I’ll be with the others in the woods in a few minutes for backup.” Dean says, and they all nod before walking out. The three of them walk in silence, Louis in the front and Harry walking behind him with Anna by his side.

“He’s already there,” she says a few minutes later when they enter the woods. “I think they know we’re coming.”

“Can you see them?” Harry asks.

“No, but I can feel their energy,” she explains. Harry shivers and tries to focus on something else that isn’t the creepiness in Anna’s voice or the darkness of the forest around them. He focuses on Louis’ heartbeat instead, steady but faster than usual; it is enough to make him feel calmer. As they reach the bottom of the hill Harry can see shapes up there. It isn’t very steep which is good. There are a few more trees at the top of it and a bench. Dean had said earlier that people went there to watch the city lights. They stop a few feet away from the group and Louis stares at them with a frown.

“There's only one beta,” he says after noticing that he could only hear three heartbeats and he could only smell two werewolves. When he turns to look at Harry and Anna he notices a figure approaching them. It's too fast for him to do anything but he doesn’t have to. Anna turns around and with a move of her hand the man gets thrown away, his body hitting a tree and falling on the floor. He retracts his claws and they all look back to the front when they hear a raspy laugh. “Oh, they brought a witch with them,” the man says, walking closer towards them.

“Hello there, I was waiting for you. I see you hurt one of my betas,” he clicks his tongue. “That's not very nice.”

“He tried to attack us.” Anna says and the man laughs again.

“What can I say? My pack is loyal to me.” When moonlight hits the man’s face Harry feels nauseous for a moment. His red eyes are shining at them, sharp teeth and crinkled skin, white hair and beard, but he looks around 50 or 60 years old. Not too old but not so young.

“Good for you.” Louis says in his usual sarcasm.

“Yes, Louis Tomlinson,” the man says. “Good for me. I guess we both know what it is to be the alpha of such a small pack, huh? I have to say, we are very similar.”

“Shut up,” Louis snaps. “I have nothing to do with you, you’re sick.” That only makes the man laugh again.

“I remember when I was your age, young and naive and had no idea how powerful I could be.” He says, walking in circles around them with a judging look. “But look at me now. I’m not as strong as I was before; one day you will know what it’s like to have the alpha spot taken away from you.” There was such bitterness in his voice, pure anger.

“I don’t care about titles,” Louis says. “They're nothing.” The man shakes his head.

“Well, then, that just makes my job easier,” he says. “If you don’t care at all about being an alpha, I guess you won’t care if I take that away from you.”

“No, I won’t,” Louis says and Harry frowns at him. What is he talking about? “I don’t care about those damn powers you crave so much, so there you go. You can have it, but there’s a condition.”

“Oh,” the man raises an eyebrow. “And what is it?”

“You stop your stupid games, leave people alone and leave my pack alone,” he says. “Just disappear from here.”

“Hm, I guess I could do that,” the man shrugs before looking at the beta by his side.

“Well, that was easy.”

“Great, now let’s- “ Louis is interrupted as the man raises a hand at him.

“But there’s one thing that I hope you’re aware of, which I don’t think you are," the man says. “This little omega right here,” he starts walking towards Harry, but Louis stands in front of him. “He belongs to me.”

“He doesn’t. I’m his alpha now.” Louis snaps.

 “Oh… but I don’t think you are.” The man gives them an evil smile and Harry shivers, while Louis’ eyes turn red.

“Leave him alone.” Louis says. “If you touch him I'll slit your throat.”

“Calm down, puppy,” the man laughs. “Oh, kids nowadays, always letting love come in the way and ruin everything. But you know what? Since you don’t want to let him go I’ll give him a special ticket to watch your death from the front row, how’s that sound?" That's enough to make Louis furious, his claws coming off and his face changing as he barks at the man. “Nice trick, but I have one too.” He says. “Angela!”

The witch approaches them and lifts her hand, but before anything can happen she's thrown away by Anna like the other beta was before. The last beta turns full wolf and runs towards them, but Harry turns too and crashes into him, bringing him down to the floor and they growl at each other. The old man grabs Louis by the neck and pulls him, turning him so his back is against the man’s front and the man’s arm are around his neck.

“Calm down, wolfy,” he whispers on Louis’ neck. “You're coming with me now.” Louis struggles to free himself from the man’s grip as he watches Harry fight with the other beta and Anna with Angela. “Do you see this? It’s what you caused, puppy.” The man says. “Rory! Make sure you bring the omega back and alive!”

He shouts to his beta, then whispers in Louis’ ear, “I still have plans for him.” Louis brings his arms back, scratching the man wherever he can reach, which ends up being his back and he presses his nails into his skin which makes the other man scream.

“You bastard!” he lets go of Louis and Louis turns around, punching him in the face with enough force to make him fall, but before he can make any other move he’s tackled to the ground by the previous beta, who was thrown away by Anna. He turns full wolf as they fight on the floor. The beta pins him down and tries to bite him; Louis is hopeless but he manages to scratch him in the chest, his claws going deep enough he can feel the animals’ ribs. The wolf under him lets out a howl of pain and he sees Liam, Zayn and the others running from the woods, all fully turned as well. He sees the panic flashing in the other alpha’s eyes and he growls at him before jumping in his direction and biting his leg. The man screams and tries to free himself.

The hurt beta gets up on his paws again and pushes Louis away before falling on top of him and blacking out. Louis pushes his unconscious bloody body away from him and gets up. He looks around, at the other werewolves fighting the witch and the beta, but he can’t see the other alpha anywhere. He has run away. Something is still wrong, though. He looks around, not seeing one but four witches and they all look the same, each being attacked by a different group. Louis runs towards Anna, who is trying to help an unconscious beta from Dean’s pack and turns back to his human form.

“What's happening?!” he asks. “She’s using a cloning spell, we have to find out which one of them is the real one!” Anna says. She touches the beta’s forehead and says a word in another language Louis can’t understand and just like that the wolf wakes up with a cough. Louis looks around, turning back into a wolf and trying to see if he can spot the real one, when he notices a girl standing next to the trees. He wouldn’t have seen her if it wasn’t for his night vision, but there she is, almost being swallowed by darkness.

He runs towards her but in the last second she turns at him and with a flick of her hand he is thrown away. His body hits the nearest tree and he cries in pain before shaking his head and getting up again. He barks at her and she runs away but he goes right after her. He's faster of course, and when he gets close enough he jumps in the air and launches himself into her, bringing her body down to the floor. He pins her down on her stomach and howls at Anna, who runs to them and says another word Louis can’t understand. The girl under him screams in pain and her clones suddenly disappear.

Louis hears a scream and his heart skips a beat. It's Harry. He runs towards the other wolves, forgetting about the girl as he looks for Harry, and there he finds him, being bitten on the leg by another wolf. Louis bites the wolf and pulls him away from Harry; the animal lets out a yelp as Louis throws his body on the ground and is ready to scratch him when Liam’s human form approaches him.

“Wait!” he says. “We need to take him back for interrogation.” Louis huffs before stepping away from the beta, who turns back into a human. He turns as well and grabs the guy by his collar, hitting his head against the nearest tree.

“There you go,” he says, letting the man’s body fall on the grass. “You can interrogate him when he wakes up.” Liam doesn’t say anything, just throws the guy’s body over his shoulder and carries him down the hill. “Are you ok?” Louis asks Harry as he tries to bring his breaths back to the normal pace.

“Yeah," Harry nods, but he whimpers when he tries to walk. “Shit."

“Come here,” Louis walks closer to him, wrapping one of Harry’s arms around his own shoulders and his own around Harry’s waist so he can help him walk down the hill. The other werewolves are recovering from the fight, all walking back into the woods. One of the betas is being carried by Liam but the other Louis fought with before is no longer alive.

Anna has the other witch with her and even thought they technically won this round both Louis and Harry know this is probably far from over.

Malcon and Dean interrogate the beta and the witch. They don’t get much useful information besides that the man was named Hector and had no home or relatives anywhere in the UK. They'd done it for a promise of the same thing as the man wanted: power.

“What will happen to them?” Harry asks.

“The beta will be taken to a reunion of the werewolf council and we’ll decide what’s best; the girls are taking Angela with them and the witch council will decide themselves.” Malcom explains. “For now you don’t have to worry about it.”

“But he’s still out there.” Liam says.

“He is, but he’s weak and dying each second that passes. Don’t worry about him right now. We are gathering a group to track him down and he’ll get his punishment when we find him, you can all go home.” They nod, feeling relieved somehow. Malcom and Dean leave the room then, leaving the boys by themselves.

“I'm not going,” Louis says and the other three stare at him.

“What?” Harry frowns.

“I'm staying behind and joining the search group, you guys can go back home.” Louis explains.

“If you’re staying then so am I.” Zayn says. “We don’t know how long it’s gonna take, you have to go back to college and work! I will deal with this on my own, I already called my boss and gave an excuse.”

“Are you sure about this?” Harry asks and Louis nods.

“Yes. I will feel way better if you’re all back home and safe.” He says.

“We will stay just a few more days. I don’t have to go back to work yet and neither does Zayn.” Liam then says. “Just let us help a bit more, Lou.”

“Ok," Louis sighs, nodding.

“I…I can’t really stay, I have classes starting in two weeks and there’s a lot to prepare. I promised my mom I was going back home before going to college again.” Harry says with a sigh.

“That’s ok, you did a great job already, H.” Louis says, smiling at him for a second.

“Alright. You guys can keep my car, and I will just book a flight to London for tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” Liam asks and he nods.

“Yeah, I can just take a cab to the airport.” He says with a shrug and Liam hugs him. He forces a smile before starting to pack his bag while looking for a flight on his phone. He finds one to London at 7pm and already gets train tickets to Holmes Chapel in the same day. He's finally going home.

When Harry wakes up the next day his leg is already healed, and he feels a bit better after taking a hot shower. He has already packed all of his bags, and as he gets out of the bathroom and back into the room, Harry stares at them with a sigh. Breakfast and lunch seem to pass way faster than normal as the rain outside gets worse and worse.

“I guess I should already call a cab,” he says when he looks at the clock and realizes it is half past five already.

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll drop you off.” Louis says.

“Are you sure?” Harry asks and Louis shrugs.

“Of course. C’mon, that way you won’t have to spend money.” It's a good point, so Harry nods before saying goodbye to Malcom’s family, giving Christina a big hug and thanking all of them for everything. He hugs Liam and Zayn for long seconds before pulling away and walking into the car with Louis on the driver's seat. The first twenty minutes are spent in complete silence, apart from the songs coming from the radio, but after a while of thinking Harry sighs deeply and tries to start a conversation.

“You know, we don’t need to act like this around each other,” he says. “

Like what?” Louis asks, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Like we’re strangers,” Harry says. “We're still friends, aren’t we?”

“Of course we are, why do you ask that?” Louis frowns and Harry rolls his eyes.

“You know why, you've barely looked me in the face since…” He doesn’t finish the sentence.

“Since I kissed you and you rejected me? Yeah, sorry, can’t help the embarrassment.” Louis says with an eye roll.

“I didn’t reject you,” Harry frowns. “Did I?”

“Let’s recapitulate,” Louis says. “I kissed you, you pulled apart and said ‘no’ and then ran away. I don’t know about you, but I take that as a very explicit form of rejection, no harm feelings at all.” Harry can sense the sarcasm in the last sentence.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” he stares at his own hands. Good, now he's feeling awful. “But why did you even do that?”

“Why?” Louis laughs mirthlessly. “I don’t know, Harry, why do you kiss someone?”

“I was vulnerable at the time, I thought maybe…I don’t know, that you did it not because you wanted to, but because…actually, I don’t know, for whatever reason you might have.” Harry sighs in frustration.

“Oh my god, are you serious?” Louis groans. “No, for real, do you really think I would take advantage of you in that sort of situation? This is great!”

“Louis, please- “ before he can go on, Louis interrupts him.

“No, really! It makes me feel really good to know that my friend thinks so little of me, someone who I fucking trusted- what the hell?!”

“Louis, I’m sorry.” He sighs deeply, realizing then that Louis has stopped the car on the side of the road. “What are you doing?” Louis gets out of the car, ignoring him. “Louis!” Harry sighs, taking off his seatbelt and getting out as well. He watches as Louis paces. The sun is setting already and soon enough the sky will be dark. “Louis, can you calm down, please?”

“Shut up!” Louis yells at him. “God, I'm so fucking angry at you right now!”

“Okay," Harry sighs. “That's ok, I understand.” He tries to approach him, but the man glares at him.

“Don't touch me!”

“Please, just breathe and calm down, ok?” Harry says. He can hear how fast Louis’ heartbeat is. “I was just confused and didn’t know what to think, I'm sorry!”

“God, I feel so shitty right now. So all of those times I kissed you, did you…did you think I was just forcing myself on you? Was that it, then?”

“No,” Harry shakes his head. “Of course not, I wanted it too.” Louis stops pacing and looks at him with narrowed eyes.

“Did you?” He asks hesitantly.  

“Yes, I really wanted it.” Harry says, sighing in defeat. “I want you, Louis, that’s the truth right here.”  

“What- what do you mean?” Louis asks, looking very confused.

“I like you,” Harry finally says. “I like you a lot, but I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know if you felt the same. We weren’t in the best of times for a love drama and-“ before he can finish, Louis grabs him and presses their lips together in a desperate kiss.

“God, you’re an idiot,” he laughs into Harry’s mouth. “Of course I feel the same, silly.” Harry grins widely, his cheeks hurting, and then Louis pulls him down for another kiss, pressing him against the side of the car. It's sweet and passionate and Harry wants more of it.

“You're all I want,” Harry whispers, with a hand on Louis’ face, his thumb running over the man’s cheekbones. Louis smiles at him and goes for another kiss, their tongues meeting and his hands going from Louis’ waist to his ass, gripping as their kiss deepens. Louis lets out a moan and pulls away to catch some air.

“Let’s get inside the car,” he says and Harry nods. Louis opens the door of the backseat and Harry follows him inside, closing it behind him. The second he does Louis’ hands and mouth are already all over him, grabbing anything he can and kissing lovebites on his neck.

“You’re eager,” Harry says, but he can’t really point a finger when he's rutting against Louis’ leg himself.

“So are you, humping my leg like a-“ he sucks on Harry’s neck, “-freaking dog.”

“I'm in heat,” Harry groans and their tongues meet once again. “What's your excuse?”

“I don’t need one.” Louis smirks and turns them around so he's on top, straddling Harry. Harry widens his eyes, his hands going straight to Louis’ thighs. The older man leans down, planting open mouthed kisses on his jaw and neck. “Fuck, you smell so good.” Louis moves his hips slowly, grinding down against Harry’s crotch. The younger boy is already getting hard, his body sensitive from being in heat, and it doesn’t take much for his erection to be fully there.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this in my car.” He laughs and Louis smiles at him.

“Have you ever done this before? Sex with a guy, I mean.” Louis asks and Harry nods.

“Yeah, a few times. It wasn’t very fun though, so I usually stick to just blowjobs.” He says, blushing a bit, but Louis only kisses his cheek. “I don’t have any lube or condoms though, I think we’ll have to stick to that as well.”

“Hmm,” Louis hums against Harry’s skin. He's lifted the boy’s shirt and is kissing his torso. “That's fine by me. We don’t have much time, either.” Harry looks at him with a frown. “You have a flight to take, remember?”

“Oh, right,” Harry chuckles, taking his shirt off. “Forgot about that.” Louis moves to undo his zipper and then takes his pants off, groaning when he sees that Harry isn’t wearing any underwear, his cock going up and slapping against his tummy.

“Oh, fuck,” Louis whispers. “I can’t believe you didn’t put underwear on, you dirty boy.” Harry laughs.

“My jeans are too tight,” he shrugs as if it's nothing. Louis shakes his head with a smile on his face before spitting on his hand and wrapping it around Harry’s cock, giving it slow strokes. He leans in to give Harry another kiss before going back down and taking him into his mouth. Harry lets out a moan, throwing his head back and trying to grip the car’s seat.

Louis licks at his head before running his tongue over it and taking as much as he can into his mouth. What he doesn’t fit he keeps a hand on, giving quicker strokes this time as he moves his head up and down Harry’s length. “Fuck, Louis,” Harry moans out loud, trying his best to keep his hips from thrusting into Louis’ hot mouth. He grips the man’s hair slightly with one hand, small groans leaving his mouth every now and then, while Louis sucks on it happily. “I'm gonna come,” he groans.

Louis pulls away to catch some air and gives a tiny lick at the head. “Come on my face,” he said, making Harry’s dick twitch with want. Louis moans out loud as he goes back down, sucking on his dick enthusiastically, and Harry can’t help but thrust his hips up. Louis doesn’t choke at all, just keeps on sucking and Harry throws his head back, shutting his eyes. He's so close and he can’t help it. Suddenly he feels a slick finger circle his rim and he shivers. Louis slides it in until the first knuckle, moving it slowly before sliding it 'till the end, and as he curls it he pulls Harry’s dick out of his mouth and gives tiny licks at the head.

That's enough for Harry to shoot all over Louis' face, his toes curling and a moan leaving his mouth as pleasure takes over his body. Louis moves his finger for a while longer before pulling it out and wiping it on his jeans. Harry sighs deeply and sits up on the seat, pulling Louis closer to him and running his thumb over the boy’s chin where his come is all over it. Louis opens his mouth, letting Harry’s finger slip in and he sucks slightly around it, swallowing the boy’s come.

“You’re gonna be death of me, Louis Tomlinson,” he whispers before connecting their lips one more time.

When Harry returns to London, he's tired but feeling relieved after his talk with Louis. After giving the other man a quick hand-job, they had gone straight to the airport and he had to run in order to not miss his flight. His heart was in verge of exploding when Louis gave him a goodbye kiss and then left. He took a cab home and packed a small bag before leaving to the train station, where he slept the whole way, only waking up when they were a few minutes away from Holmes Chapel. Standing in the front door of his family’s house he feels anxious and happy, because he is finally going to see them after so long. He uses his spare key to unlock the door and steps in. It looks just like he remembered.

“Mom! Gems! I’m home!” He calls, being greeted by a small black and white kitten instead. “Oh, hello there.” He kneels on the floor and reaches a hand to pet it.

The cat smells his fingers before running away. Harry frowns as he hears a laugh.

“I don’t think she’s into you,” he stands up to see Gemma with the kitten on her arms. “Harold, meet Olivia Pope.”

“Of course you would give her that name,” he says with an eye roll before walking to his sister and hugging her tightly. “I missed you.”

“Missed you too,” she says with a smile. “Mom went to the market with Robs to get some ingredients, we’re making lasagna tonight."

“Oh god, I missed mom’s lasagna so bad,” he says as they walk into the living room and sit on the couch. “So how was Florida?”

“It was really fun,” she says. “Wait here, I’ll get the presents I bought for you.” Gemma goes upstairs, coming back a while later with a big bag full of gifts from Disney. They go through it until Anne and Robin arrive home. Harry gives them big hugs and helps with dinner. They all eat together and later on play some board games on the living room. His mom beats him on scrabble, but he's never been happier about being home.

It's around 10pm when Harry tiptoes to the kitchen and gets himself a slice of chocolate cake. He sits at the table, staring out the window where everything is dark and quiet. He hears footsteps and turns around to see his mom entering the kitchen.

“Gotcha,” she says with a small smile. “I had a feeling you would try to steal more cake.”

“It's too good, I can’t help it,” he shrugs as she starts making tea.

“You've always done this, since you were, like…seven years old? Yeah, that's it. I would always catch you here with a huge piece of cake in your mouth,” she says with a small laugh.

“It’s your fault for making such amazing food,” he says, “Which I miss a lot, by the way.”

“Aw, darling, I can make you some snacks before you leave and you can take them with you,” she suggests.

“I would love that, but just so you know, I'm not planning on leaving here so soon,” he says and she smiles widely at him.

“Good. We all want to spend time with you.” She pulls a chair and sits down in front of him. “So, how’s your summer so far? Feeling lonely without Niall?”

“Not really, I…I met this guy,” she raises her eyebrows at him. “His name is Louis, he’s very nice and funny, and there’s these two other guys who live with him, Liam and Zayn... I’ve been hanging out with them for a while now. We made a quick road trip the other day to visit some friends of Zayn’s family, it was…nice.”

“I'm glad you’re having fun, love,” she says. “Go on, tell me more about them.”

So he does. He tells her about his runs with Liam and his quiet talks with Zayn, tells her about how messy they all are and how they love his food. About their movie nights and how they’re all slowly starting to feel like family to him. But most of all he talks about Louis, about how loud he is and how when he walks into a room it’s like he steals the scene, about how he has sunlight coming out of his mouth every time he smiles and how he teases the other boys and makes fun of them sometimes but he loves them with all of his heart and would do anything for them. He can’t help and he barely notices how much he's talking about him until his mom gives him a different look.

“What is it?” he asks.

“You just have a different look on your face,” she says,“when you talk about this Louis guy.”

“What do you mean ‘different’?” he asks with a confused laugh.

“It’s just different. I can tell he’s special to you, but I’ll let you figure the rest out by yourself.” She shrugs, and he frowns a bit.

“Alright…whatever it is I have to figure out, I guess I will try.” She nods.

“But anyway, they all seem wonderful and I’m glad you found more friends to keep you company. I would love to meet them someday.”

“I think that’s a good idea, yeah,” he nods with a smile at the thought of bringing both his families together.

A few days later Harry is sitting on the living room floor with his back against the couch as Gemma, who is sitting on it, braids his hair, when his phone rings. He grabs it from his pocket, looking at Louis’ name with a picture of him right under it.

“I have to answer this,” he says, getting up quickly before Gemma can even say anything. He walks out of the living room and into the bathroom at the end of the corridor, closing the door behind him and pressing the answer button. “Hey.”

“Hi, love, how are you?” Louis asks. Harry smiles at the pet name.

“I'm good. My sister was braiding my hair,” he says and Louis laughs.

“Please send me pictures later. I would love to see that,” Louis says.

 “Alright, will do,” Harry says. “How are you? How’s the operation going?”

“We followed him for the past few days but we lost track of him near Liverpool. Anna is helping us though,” Louis says with a small sigh. “But, yeah…I’m fine, just kind of missed you a bit. I mean, all of us did; Liam keeps talking about the texts he sent you.”

“Yeah, we’ve been talking a lot," Harry says with a small laugh, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach because, well, Louis misses him. “I miss you guys too. When are you coming back?”

“That’s the thing. We’re dropping the whole thing and leaving it to Dean and Malcom and the other packs. We’re hitting the road tomorrow morning to return to London.”

“That’s great! We’ll get to see each other soon," Harry says, staring at his reflection on the mirror above the sink.

“Yeah, I'm looking forward to that,” Louis says. “I'll be honest: the reason I called is because since we’re coming back I was a bit scared that things might be different.”

“What do you mean?” Harry frowns. Louis is quiet for a while.

“I know we - you and I, I mean - aren’t gonna be like we were before, but I feel… unsure about all of this, and I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

“Oh, I haven’t really thought of that,” Harry says, pulling at a few loose threads from his jeans and biting his lip nervously. “All I know is that I don’t want to come back to just being friends.”

“Me neither,” Louis says. Harry sighs in relief.

“Good, that’s good,” he says.

"Lunch is ready, Hazzabear, get out of the bathroom!” Gemma yells from the corridor and Harry curses under his breath while Louis laughs.

“Who was that?” he asks.

“Sorry, that was my sister.” Harry apologizes.

“Aw, are you locked in the bathroom, Hazzabear?” Louis teases and Harry groans.

“Please don’t call me that. She came up with it when we were, like, five, and I still hate her for it,” he says and Louis laughs again.

“Alright. Go eat your lunch, I’ll see you in a few days, yeah?”

“Sure,” Harry says, already opening the bathroom door. “See you, bye.”

“Bye,” Louis says before ending the call. Harry walks towards the kitchen, bumping into Gemma, who eyes him suspiciously.

“Who were you talking to?” she asks.

“Just a friend,” he shrugs, walking past her and sitting at the table.

“Mom, Harry was talking to his boyfriend in the bathroom.” Gemma says.

“He's not my boyfriend," he glares. “It’s just Louis, mom,” he tells Anne, who smiles at him.

“That's nice, how is he?” she asks.

“He's fine, coming back to London tomorrow.”

“Who the hell is Louis?” Gemma asks. “Why is no one telling me anything?” Harry laughs before starting to tell her the story. He doesn’t tell them about the werewolf part though, and that's by far the biggest lie he’s ever told his family. It isn’t a very nice feeling. Maybe one day, he thinks, maybe there's a future where he can be completely open with them.

He stays with his family for a few more days before taking a train back to London. Ge goes back home first even though he's eager to drive straight to Zayn’s house. After taking a shower and unpacking, Harry organizes his clothes and does laundry. When he's ready to leave the house, a few texts from Niall ping on his phone.

Niall: hey mate im back in ldn lets hang out??? rly need t talk t u.

He sighs. Of course he wants to see Niall too; he misses his best friend, but at the moment he's way too excited to see Louis and talk to him, and kiss him.

Harry: sorry i’m kind of busy, wanna meet up tomorrow?

He types and sends as he takes a cab to the boys’ house. The reply doesn't come though, so he puts his phone back in his pocket. It's lunch time when he gets there, and he pays the taxi driver before getting out of the car and jogging towards the door. It's unlocked, so he just opens it and walks in.

“Guess who’s here?!” He shouts, walking towards the living room and frowning when he doesn’t see anyone. Before he can notice it his body is being tackled into the couch by someone, and he yelps before looking up and seeing Louis, who's laughing out loud. “Oh, hello there,” he says with a smile.

“Welcome back,” Louis smiles down at him.

“Harry!” Zayn walks into the room with a smile, and Harry gets up from the couch to hug him.

“Hey, man,” he says, and soon Liam is there too, giving him a big hug. “I missed you, guys."

“We missed you too, curly.” Liam says. “I was just finishing lunch, we’re having pasta today.”

“That’s nice, do you want any help?” He offers.

“Nah, it’s all good, I’m finishing it already. You boys can relax here and I’ll be right back,” he says before walking out.

“Now, now, Zaynie, if you don’t mind, Harry and I have some talking to do, so we’re going upstairs.” Louis says, grabbing Harry by the wrists and pulling him out of the living room. They run upstairs and Louis pulls him into his room, closing the door behind him.

“Hello there,” Harry says and Louis smiles at him, leaning in to kiss him.

“You already said that.” He brings a hand up to Harry’s neck, pulling him in to deepen the kiss. Their tongues meet in a slow motion and Harry moans into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Louis’ waist.

“I can’t believe you’re still in heat. You smell so good, baby.” Louis groans.

“Am I?” Harry asks. Louis raises an eyebrow at him.

“Can't you tell? You usually get way hornier and sensitive.” He says, while planting small kisses all over Harry’s face. Harry shrugs, even though he can in fact tell that something is different with his body.

“I'm usually both of those things already,” he says with a smirk and Louis groans again, pushing him into bed and crawling up his body, kissing him while running a hand up and down his torso from underneath his shirt.

“I want to fuck you so bad,” Louis whispers while moving down to bite on Harry’s neck. It doesn't leave any marks, though, because his skin soon enough heals and goes back to its normal color. Harry lets out a moan, thrusting his hips up to meet Louis’.

“Want you to fuck me, been wanting that for a while,” he admits and Louis smiles at him, lifting his shirt up a bit and giving his happy trail a long lick.

“I already knew.” Louis says.

 “Oh, did you?” Harry asks with a small laugh as Louis undoes his pants and pulls them down, kissing his thighs softly as he goes.

“Yeah, I heard you in the shower when we were in Manchester," he says and Harry groans, blushing a bit.

“God, that was so embarrassing! I wanted to hide forever after I saw you and Zayn in the room,” he says and Louis laughs.

“Yeah. Zayn was embarrassed too, but I can’t say I didn’t like it.” Louis says with a shrug, coming back up to whisper in Harry’s ear. “Tell me what you were thinking about,” he says, a hand sliding down Harry’s boxers and rubbing the palm against his dick slowly.

“I- I was thinking about you,” Harry stutters.

“Go on,” Louis tells him, wrapping his hand around his cock properly but still giving slow strokes. “What exactly did you think about?”

“Y- you, dominating me in a way.” Harry admits, a blush taking over his face. He feels too hot all of sudden. He's not used to talking so openly like that, definitely never did it with other guys before. “Taking control over me.”

“Would you like that?” Louis asks, staring at him with desire in his eyes. Harry nods, biting his lower lip.

“I’m not asking for you to go all crazy on me or anything, don’t really need role-play or toys, though I don’t mind them, but the thought of you being control kind of turns me on,” he says, more confidently this time, when he realizes what that does to Louis. Louis' heart beats faster and his crotch gets even bigger.

“I would do that to you,” he says. “If you like it, I could even tie you up. How’s that?” He crawls down Harry’s body, taking the tip of his hard cock in his mouth. Harry moans.

“Yes, please.” Harry sighs.

“Such a polite boy,” Louis hums, taking more of his cock into his mouth and sucking a bit before pulling out. “So pretty…would love to wreck you,” he says, running both of his hands through Harry’s body. They feel like fire, leaving flames on Harry’s skin where they pass. Suddenly there's a knock on the door and they both stare at it.

“Boys! Pasta is ready!” Liam yells. “Come down before it gets cold."

“Fuck," Louis curses, looking back at Harry, who's already tucking himself back into his pants. “Let's go eat something, we can finish this later,” he says, giving a small peck to Louis’ lips before getting up and walking out of the room.

They all meet downstairs and Liam and Zayn pretend not to notice the other boys’ obvious boners as they eat spaghetti and talk about their plans for after the summer. Liam's excited about a project he's starting on his and Louis’ workplace while Zayn wants to go back to studying, happy to be graduating soon just like Harry. Harry tries to concentrate on their talk as much as he can, but his attention keeps going back to Louis, who often puts a hand on his knee or thigh and rubs it a bit. He finds Harry’s ankle under the table and rubs his socked feet against it slowly.

Harry doesn’t know how to react. When lunch ends he doesn’t even have time to offer help with the dishes, because Louis is already pulling him away from the others, leaving Zayn and Liam do to the job. They stop in the corridor and Louis presses him against the wall, kissing his neck and running his hands up and down Harry’s sides.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he whispers, looking up at Harry and kissing him softly. “Let's go upstairs.”  He's in the middle of saying that sentence when the doorbell rings. Louis sighs deeply, glaring at it in annoyance. “You have to be kidding me,” Louis says and Harry laughs, pecking his mouth one more time before pulling away.

“Let me get that. I’ll be right back.” He says, walking towards the door and pulling it open. The last person he expected to be standing there is staring back at him, a mix of anger and disappointment taking over his face.

“I fucking knew it,” Niall says, before rolling his eyes and turning around to walk away. Harry’s eyes widen and he tries to pull his friend back.

“Wait! Niall, calm down!” His friend looks at him with narrowed eyes.

“Honestly, Harry? What the fuck?!” He exclaims. “What the hell are you even doing here? You barely reply to my messages and it takes a call from Ed to tell me that he saw you getting into a car with Zayn and some other boys a few days ago and disappearing for me to know that my best friend is hanging out with these people.”

“I'm sorry, man. I didn’t mean to keep it from you, but it’s a complicated situation.”

“Please,” Niall rolls his eyes. “How complicated can it be? I get it, you’re replacing me. Very nice of you, asshole.” He snaps, starting to walk away, and Harry panics.

How can he explain such a thing to his best friend without getting his feelings hurt? The thing is that Harry is indeed an asshole and he knows it. He knows he hasn't been honest with Niall, and that it isn’t fair at all. They've never lied to each other, always being honest since they met and watched cartoons together, and now he's hiding a big part of his life from him, just like he did with his mom and sister.

Guilt takes over him and before he can properly think about it, he's already shouting at Niall, “I'm a werewolf!”

About an hour later, Niall is sitting on the boys’ couch with a blank expression, after being told the whole story, the true story about everything that's been going on: the murders, the kidnaps and their friendship in general. They sit in silence for a few minutes, letting Niall wrap his mind around it; it's a lot to take in after all.

“We just need you to understand,” Liam speaks up, “that you can’t tell anyone or we’ll all get in trouble and it will be dangerous.”

“I won’t tell,” Niall says, shaking his head but still refusing to look at any of them. He sighs before getting up from the couch. “I need to go.”

“Niall, wait!” Harry tries to call after him as he walks out of the house, but Louis puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Let him go. It’s not easy to hear all of this, and you know it.” Louis says, and Harry nods with a deep sigh. He really fucked up this time and now his best friend ran away from him and his other friends.

“I’m sorry, Harry,” Liam sighs. “But don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll come back and talk to you properly. You’re best friends since childhood, right?” Harry nods. “So he won’t just drop you like this, I’m sure of it."

“Thanks, guys,” he smiles at them sadly, but his face drops the next second. “Would you mind me staying over here tonight? I think it’s better if I leave the flat for Niall today.”

“Of course,” Louis says. “Make yourself at home. Let’s cuddle and watch some movies, yeah?” He suggests.

“That sounds perfect,” Harry says, leaning his head on Louis’ shoulder, while Louis rubs his back. They end up all on the couch with blankets and ice cream with a Fast and Furious marathon on TV. Harry passes out against Louis eventually, the sweet smell of Louis' cologne sticking to his mind.

It’s around 4am when Louis wakes up. He’s sweating cold and trying to catch his breath, sitting on the bed and looking around the pitch-black room. Harry is sleeping peacefully next to him in bed, his curls all over his face, and Louis tries to sneak out quietly so as to not wake him up. He tiptoes out of the room and into the corridor and decides to go downstairs, running the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead.

When he gets to the kitchen he pours himself a cup of water and tries to keep his breaths steady. Images haunt his head, and he tries his best to push them away but they come full force. He sees yellow eyes and black fur and teeth; it’s like he can still smell the blood and hear the howls. As if he never left that hill at all. A shiver runs down his spine and he puts the cup in the sink with a shaky hand. When he turns around for a second he sees a man standing in the corridor and staring back at him. Louis jumps slightly and his claws come off. He lets out a growl and it feels like he's returned to when he was a kid somehow.

His dad only had stayed around for a few years before leaving, and they never really had a big connection, but when Louis was still a kid and needed that figure in his life he still went to his father when he needed him. He can never forget a night when he woke up after having nightmares when he was so scared he ran straight to his parent’s bedroom and tried to bring his dad awake. When he woke up he walked Louis back to his room and tucked him into bed, and after the boy pleaded, he agreed to read him a story.

Louis was still scared and he pulled his dad closer to him. When they talked about his nightmares, his dad told him something. “You don’t have to be scared, son. One day you’ll be a big alpha like me, and when you feel scared just remember that you’re stronger than the others. They’re the ones who have to be scared.”

“I don’t want to be scary,” Louis replied with a pout. “I know,” his dad said, and then pointed to the Disney storybook in his lap. “But sometimes you have to be the beast as well.”

That got stuck in his head, and years later he's still doing what his father told him. He still tries to be the best. Louis is ready to attack and jump on the person, when with a blink of his eyes he realizes he isn’t there anymore. He walks out of the kitchen, trying to find any different smells or sounds around, but there's nothing out of place and he could still hear the other boys’ heartbeats in their sleep. He turns full wolf anyway and walks through the house before walking out to the front yard. Louis stands there, with his ears pricked forward, his fur bristled and his teeth showing off.

As he growls, he waits for something or someone to come, but nothing does and he can’t sense any other presence there. As if it just vanished. He goes back inside and turns back human, sighing and walking back upstairs. He shivers, from being naked, and gets inside the bedroom quickly, sliding in bed next to Harry and pulling the covers up to warm him up.

“What's wrong?” Harry whispers, turning on the bedside lamp. Louis turns to look at him; he has half of his face against the pillow and his hair is a right mess, but somehow he still manages to look cute. “Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine,” Louis shrugs, but he can tell Harry knows he isn't. “Just had a bad dream and decided to get some water.”

“I heard you growling,” Harry says with a raised eyebrow. “And I’m sure you didn’t get naked just because you wanted some late night fun.” Louis chuckles at that.

“No,” he shakes his head. “I thought I'd seen someone… and I just turned right away, but then he disappeared and I couldn’t hear or smell anything, couldn’t feel any other presence around. I don’t know, maybe I’m just seeing things.” He sits on the bed and brings his knees up, resting his arms on them with a sigh.

“Who do you think you saw?” Harry asks, sitting up as well and running a hand through his hair.

“I think…I think it was that beta I killed on the hill, I keep seeing him in my dreams. I keep thinking they’re all still out there and they’re gonna harm me, or worse, harm you and the others. But, I just…” he sighs deeply. “I keep replaying that night in my head and I can’t help but feel guilty about what I did to that boy.”

“Louis,” Harry looks at him with concerned eyes. “I understand what you’re going through, and believe me, I know how it feels. I feel scared too, that someone or something will come here and hurt us. It could happen anytime, but please don’t throw stones at yourself for that. It was self defense and if you hadn't done it he would have killed you, or worse, they could have taken you and tortured you like they did to all the other people. They were bad guys, Louis, don’t compare yourself to them because you’re not.”

“Well, I don’t feel like a hero either,” Louis says, staring at his own hands. “More like a monster.”

“Don't say that,” Harry whispers with watery eyes. “You're not. You’re way far from that, Louis, and it had to be done. I know it’s something heavy to carry with you, but the last thing I want is to see you hating yourself for it.”

“Alright," Louis says quietly, and he nods before turning in bed and burying his face in Harry’s neck. Harry wraps his arms around him and he sighs, feeling a bit better by having him at his side. “Sorry for waking you up.”

“It's alright, I don’t mind,” Harry says, rubbing his hand up and down Louis’ back. “Do you want to watch some TV or should we just go back to sleep?”

“Hmm…” Louis hums as he thinks about it. “I think just cuddles and a movie would be nice.”

“Alright, wait here.” Harry pulls away and kisses his cheek before getting up from bed and getting Louis’ laptop. He sits down in bed again and opens Netflix while Louis gets comfortable beside him. “What do you want to watch?”

 “Something funny. I need to laugh a bit,” Louis says and Harry nods. He clicks on Chris Tucker’s live show and they get themselves comfortable next to each other with the laptop on Harry's lap.

About half an hour later Louis is fast asleep with his head on Harry’s chest. He turns off the laptop and leaves it by the bedside table before pulling the covers up to their shoulders and wrapping an arm around Louis. He stares at Louis for a few minutes, looking at his soft features while asleep, and Harry can't help but feel overwhelmed with how much he likes him and how he would do anything to protect him.

As the week passes, whenever Harry comes back to his and Niall’s flat to get his stuff it's either empty or Niall's locked inside his bedroom and refuses to talk to him. He starts to sleep in Louis’ house every night, and though it isn’t bad at all, he misses being around Niall. Misses their TV show marathons, misses cooking together because Niall is just as obsessed with Jamie Oliver as him. He misses watching Top Chef with him and making bets on who would win.

He misses Niall himself. He's one of Harry’s favorite people, and how could he not be, really? They’ve been friends for years and they've never lied to each other, so he can’t blame Niall for being mad at him. He understands Niall needs his time, but right now he's desperate, thinking of what will happen to their friendship after this.

pls talk to me, i miss you Ni

He texts him on Friday but no reply comes. Harry sighs deeply, laying on the couch with his face pressed against the cushions.

“What's up, Harry?” He hears Zayn asking as he walks into the living room. Harry’s reply only comes as a muffled sound, and Zayn rises an eyebrow at him.

“What was that?” Harry sighs, turning around on the couch and looking at his friend.

“Niall isn’t talk to me. I mean, it’s been a week, and he isn’t returning my calls and he ignores all of my texts and I miss him, you know? ” He says.

“Just give him time,” Zayn shrugs. “It's a lot to take in, and right now he’s not sure how to trust you. Think about it, you’ve been friends forever and trusted each other, but you hid a huge thing from him. You need to let him wrap his head around it until he’s ready to talk to you again.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right,” Harry sighs. “You always seem to ace everything.” Zayn chuckles.

“That's because I talked to him.” Harry stares at him with a frown.

“What? When?” Zayn shrugs.

“I bumped into him the other day on the street and we had a small chat. He misses you too, Harry, but you need to give him time. I’m sure he’ll come to you eventually.” Harry groans, burying his face in his hands.

“I hope it doesn’t take too long. I want my best friend back,” he says.

“Patience, man,” Zayn says, squeezing his shoulder before leaving the room.

As much as Harry is impatient, Zayn is right and he has to wait. So he does. He gives Niall space and spends another week away from their shared flat. He's slowly getting used to the others’ routines; he knows Liam is the first to wake up and go for a run while Louis and Zayn sleep almost all morning. He gets up from bed and Louis pulls him back in, making him cuddle him for a few more minutes before he can go take a shower. Harry doesn’t complain.

He then makes them all breakfast. Liam returns soon enough and they all eat together. Louis kisses him softly before going to work with Liam, while Zayn and him take the bus together and go to college. After finishing all his lectures, he returns home and spends the rest of the day doing some random thing. Sometimes he goes for walks, sometimes he cleans the house, or he just works on his projects and watches some TV before preparing dinner and waiting for the others to arrive. Except on one particular day when he doesn’t go straight back to their house, which is slowly starting to feel like home to him.

Instead, he walks to the nearest coffee shop where he would usually meet Niall and it isn’t a surprise when he sees the blonde boy sitting on a table by himself, typing on his laptop. Harry walks up to him hesitantly and stops next to his table, clearing his throat to get his attention.

“Hi," he says simply.

“Hello," Niall says, staring at him with a blank expression.

“Is this sit taken?” He asks, pointing at the other chair, and Niall shakes his head. Harry sits down and bites on his lower lip, unsure of what to say next. “Can we talk?” He then asks. Niall closes his laptop with a sigh and nods. “Listen, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry for hiding all that stuff from you. I miss you, Niall, we’re best friends, and I just want you to forgive me already so we can go back to normal. It wasn’t just a small secret, it was a big thing and I didn’t know how you would react to it. I was scared.” Niall stares at him in silence for a few seconds before sighing and speaking up.

“I know it’s not a simple thing for you, ok? But we never lied to each other and then out of nowhere I have to find out from others that you’re having a secret life with new friends. I wouldn’t mind if you had told me you’re friends with them, but you didn’t…you just kept on living your secret life and I felt like I was being replaced somehow.”

“No, Niall,” Harry shakes his head. “I could never replace you. You are my best friend and I might have more people in my heart right now, but you’re never leaving your spot. Part of the reason I was hesitant is because of the way you acted towards Zayn, kinda like as if you hated him.”

“I don’t hate him,” Niall shrugs. “I don’t hate any of them, but I had my reasons to be suspicious. Now I know I was wrong.”

“It’s alright,” Harry says. “Zayn told me he talked to you the other day.”

“Yeah, uhm…we’ve been texting a bit, I guess.” Niall says with a shrug. “He's nice.”

“He is,” Harry nods. “So… can we go back to being friends now? I miss our Netflix marathons.” Niall laughs and Harry takes that as a win.

“Of course, Harry,” he says, getting up from the table. Harry does the same and they hug. “But there’s one thing,” Niall then piped up. “You will have to show me all this werewolf thing, because this is by far the most awesome thing that's ever happened to us.” Harry shakes his head, laughing.

“Sure. I guess I can show you a few tricks.” Harry takes Niall back to Louis’ house that afternoon, sending a quick text to the others so they know they’re having a guest for dinner. They all send cheerful replies. He's very excited to see his favorite boys getting together. So him, Niall and Zayn hang out in the living room for a while, waiting for Louis and Liam to get back from work.

“So, you’re like, a normal wolf pack? With a leader and the others?” Niall asks and they nod.

“Louis is our leader; he’s a true alpha,” Zayn says.

“What's that?” Niall frowns.

“Usually, if you want to be an alpha, you have to kill another alpha, but there are rare werewolves that have the powers given to them, those who are worth it,” Harry explains. “Louis was born a beta and with time he turned into an alpha.”

“Right," Niall nods. “This Louis guy, he’s the one we met that day that you said you met him with the whole dog thing, right?”

“Yes, he's that one,” Harry says with a smile.

“Shouldn’t there be more people for you to be a pack?” Niall asks.

“We're a small one,” Zayn answers with a shrug. “But we work very well.”

“We do,” Harry nods.

“But you don’t go, like, haunting for little rabbits and forest creatures to eat, do you?” Niall asks and they both laugh.

“No, we don’t do that, mate.” Zayn says.

“Oh. Ok, good, because I ate rabbit once and it tasted awful.” Niall says.

“Well, I’m going to start dinner.” Harry gets up from the couch. “I’ll be right back.”

“Do you need help? I’ve just learned a new Italian recipe.” Niall suggests.

“No, it’s all right. I already have most of it ready, you guys can chill out.” He smiles at them before walking to the kitchen. He had decided to make homemade pizza, and the dough is already ready for three medium ones to be made. He knows he needs to make a lot for all of them to eat. He'd just put the first one in the stove when he feels hands on his hips that make him jump slightly. Harry turns around to see Louis smiling at him.

“You scared me,” he says with a chuckle and leaned down to give him a peck on the lips.

“Sorry," Louis says, but he still has a smile on his face. “How was your day?”

“It was pretty good. Class was a bit boring though,” Harry shrugs. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, babycakes," Louis says, kissing his cheek, and Harry laughs.

“Don't get me started on pet names, sweetcheeks,” he jokes and Louis bites his jaw. From the door they hear someone clearing their throat and Harry looks around to see Liam staring at them with a raised eyebrow.

“Boys, we have a guest,” he says. “Have some manners, please.”

“Alright, dad,” Louis says with an eye roll, but he still smiles at Liam and tries to tickle him on his way out of the kitchen.

“So,” Liam then says, walking up to Harry and helping him make the toppings of the other two pizzas. “Niall’s a fun guy.”

“He is. I’m glad we’re doing this together, it’s nice to see everyone being friends.” He says and Liam nods.

“It is, but I think he’s got some information wrong,” Liam says as he spreads tomato sauce all over the dough. “He asked me if I’ve ever peed on someone.” Harry laughs out loud.

“Oh god, forgive him! He’s been drinking beer since we got here.”

“That's fine,” Liam says with a small laugh.

As the pizzas bake, they go back to the living room to talk to the others. All the boys seem to adore Niall and his jokes, mostly after he shows them his impressions. Liam turns on the TV and they decide to watch some NBA games, finding that him and Niall both like the same teams. Harry goes to check on the food after a while before calling them into the kitchen. They all grab a few slices before returning to the living room. Harry sits with Louis on the smaller couch while Zayn lays on the bigger one and Liam and Niall sit on the floor closer to the TV. They talk and eat for hours and before Harry realizes it , it's already 10pm.

“Gotta go, lads, thanks for the pizza.” Niall thanks, getting up from the floor.

“Alright. Feel free come here anytime, mate,” Liam says, hugging him. Zayn and Louis do the same and Harry offers to walk him to his car.

“So, that was fun.”

“It was,” Niall nods. “They're very funny. I like them.”

“I'm glad you do,” Harry smiles.

“So you and Louis, huh?” Niall smirks at him and opens the car door. Harry blushes a bit.

“Yeah, we’re sort of dating, I guess,” he shrugs and his friend smiles.

“That’s great. I'm happy for you, mate.”

“Thanks, Ni. I think I’ll stay over tonight, but tomorrow I’m going back to the flat, yeah?” Niall nods.

“Alright, see you,” Harry waves at him before walking back inside. Liam and Zayn head upstairs, leaving Harry and Louis in the living room by themselves.

“You can go take your shower, I’m just going to wash the dishes and clean up a bit,” he tells him and Louis nods, giving him a small peck on the lips before walking upstairs.

Harry takes all the beer bottles and plates from the living room to the kitchen and starts washing the dishes, humming a song that got stuck in his head. He feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders now that Niall and the other boys are becoming friends. When he’s done with the cleaning he walks upstairs and into Louis’ room. It’s all dark except for the bedside lamp, and Louis is nowhere to be seen but Harry can hear the shower running, so he doesn’t worry about it. He walks up to the bathroom and opens the door.

All he can see is the shape of Louis’ body inside the foggy shower. He takes his clothes off, folding them and placing them in the sink before walking up and sliding the glass door open before stepping in. Louis has his back turned to him and Harry watches the water drops slid down his back and ass and then down his thick thighs.

“Want some help?” He asks, grabbing the soap and running it through Louis’s back softly. Louis hums in agreement, letting Harry rub the soap on him as he stands still under the shower. Harry reaches down slowly, rubbing the soap against Louis’ cheeks before kneeling down so he can do the same with his legs. “Turn around," he says, getting up on his feet again as Louis turns his front to him with a small smile on his lips. “Tonight was fun," he says. Harry nods, looking at Louis’s chest as he soaps it.

“We could invite Niall over more often. He’s funny, and I would like to see that trick he said he can do with beer cans.”

“Of course you would,” Harry says, laughing. “I've seen him do that for years and it’s still quite impressive. He’s got skills.” He rubs the soap on Louis’ legs, this time on the front before wrapping a soapy hand around his dick and only giving a few soft strokes before pulling away. “Want me to wash your hair?”

“Already did that,” Louis says with a small shake of his head. “I can wash yours.”

“Sure,” Harry smiles at him and lets Louis guide him underneath the water, getting his curls wet before rubbing shampoo on them.

“Your hair’s getting longer,” Louis murmurs and Harry hums in agreement. It's already reaching the middle of his neck. He'd never gone for a hair style like this before, but it isn’t so bad.

“Should I trim it?” He asks.

“I like it like this,” Louis says, washing off the shampoo and grabbing the conditioner. “It's easier to pull on it anyway.” Harry chuckles.  

“Can’t say that’s not a pro," he murmurs. Louis finishes applying the conditioner and washes it off. He then moves to spread soap around Harry’s body. They stand in silence for a while before Harry speaks up again, watching as Louis washes him. “My mom and my sister are kind of eager to meet you.”

“Really?” Louis raises an eyebrow at him. “Didn't know you'd told them about me.”

“Oh… well, when I visited a few weeks ago I kind of ended up talking about all of you. With not much detail, of course, but mom said she would like to meet you someday.”

“That would be nice," Louis smiles.

“Sorry if this is too soon. I know we kind of just started and we don’t need to go right now; it’s just a suggestion for the future. I think it would be great for you to meet them, but you have to excuse them if they’re a bit crazy. I’ve never really introduced a boyfriend to them before," he says and Louis stares at him wide-eyed. “What is it?” He frowns.

“You called me your boyfriend," Louis points out, pressing his lips together as if he’s trying to contain a smile.

“I guess I did," Harry says. “Is that… a problem?”

“No," Louis shakes his head. “No problem at all. It’s great.” He steps closer, bringing a hand to Harry’s neck and connecting their wet lips. “I like ‘boyfriend’."

“Me too," Harry smiles into the kiss and Louis wraps both of his arms around his shoulders, their tongues meeting in a deeper kiss. “My boyfriend,” he whispers.

“Yours, indeed," Louis says. They kiss for a while before the water starts to get chilly. They wrap themselves in towels and get dry, not bothering to but on pajamas as they get in bed. “I've been googling a few things lately… about what you told me.”

“What did I tell you?” Harry asks.

“About the dominating thing, during sex," Louis says, his cheeks getting rosy.

“Oh. What did you read about it?” Harry asks, laying on his side and running his fingers softly through Louis’ fringe.  

“I found a few things, about BDSM and stuff… it was a bit weird but I kept going for it. There’s this whole domination and submission thing, is that what you were talking about?”

“Kind of," Harry says. “I’m not really into the whole roleplaying thing, and you don’t need to hit me with anything.”

“I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t hurt you,” Louis shakes his head.

“Good, well… it’s basically you being on top and bossing me around somehow, which probably won’t be hard for you since you enjoy doing that on a daily basis.” Louis rolls his eyes.

“Someone has to manage this pack, Harold," he says. Harry laughs.

“Yeah, I know…” he sighs. “Anyway, that’s what I’m into…you taking control over me. I understand if that’s weird to you and if you don’t want to do it. It’s just a thing that turns me on,” he says with a shrug.

“No, I’m… I’m down with it,” Louis says with a hand on Harry’s arm, rubbing it softly. “That's not the weirdest thing a guy has ever asked me to do. Don’t worry, I won’t have a problem with attending your wishes,” he says, leaning in so as to kiss Harry’s neck. “I would love to fuck you, hold you down in bed… make you beg.”

They switch positions; Louis gets on top of Harry, kissing his neck and then down his torso, while Harry whimpers underneath him.

“Yes, please,” he whines when Louis gets closer to his half hard cock.

“Please what?” Louis asks, giving kitten licks to the head.

“Fuck me, please,” Harry requests as Louis gets more of him into his mouth and sucks. Suddenly he stops, pulling away and getting up from bed. “Where are you going?” Harry asks.

“I'll be right back. Just need to get some stuff.” Harry nods, watching Louis walk towards the drawers and open one, looking for something. Harry, still in bed, wraps a hand around his own cock, stroking it lazily and making it get fully hard as he watches Louis’ naked body move around the room. Louis walks back to bed with a condom and lube in hand, smirking at Harry and climbing on top of him again.

Harry watches as he coated two of his fingers with lube before bringing them down and circling them around Harry's asshole. Harry brings his own knees up and spreads his legs to give Louis more space. Louis leans down to suck on his dick one more time.

“God, you’re great at this,” Harry praises. Louis winks at him before sliding his index finger past his rim. Harry lets out a small whimper at the feeling of Louis’ thick finger opening him up; he's so used to his own and his toys that he's forgotten how it feels to have someone else doing it to him, and it's amazing.

Louis adds a second finger soon enough, taking his mouth off of Harry’s cock and kissing his thighs and tummy while he works Harry's hole. Harry brings his own hand to cover his mouth, letting out a muffled moan, but Louis pulls it away.

“We're gonna wake up the others,” Harry whispers, looking down at Louis.

“That's too bad,” he shrugs. “I wanna hear you moan,” he says, before speeding up the movement of his fingers inside of Harry, who lets out a moan without covering it up this time.

“God," he half laughs and half moans. “They're gonna be so mad at us.”

“I’ve been woken up enough times by them. They can handle a small revenge,” Louis jokes, and Harry rolls his eyes, pulling him in for a hot, open-mouthed kiss.

“Just fuck me, then,” he says. Louis removes his fingers and openes the condom, sliding it over his own erection and coating it with lube before adjusting himself between Harry’s legs. He lines his cock with Harry's hole before sliding the head in. “Fuck, yeah,” Harry breathes out and Louis keeps on, slowly entering him until he's balls deep. He gives Harry a moment to get used to it, kissing his neck softly and holding his legs against his own hips with both of his hands.

“Take your time, baby, wanna fuck you good,” he says and Harry lets out a whimper, nodding at him.

“Do it,” he says. Louis starts to move his hips, slowly at first, in small circled motions before speeding up a bit. The sound of skin slapping against skin is coming out dirtily along with their groans and moans, which aren't held back at all. Harry's moaning obscenely and that drives Louis crazy, making him go faster and harder. He feels over the edge every time Harry lets out a dirty word or a simple ‘oh, yeah,’ and that only encourages him to keep going, feeling the tight heat of Harry’s ass around his dick.

With one specific thrust, the bed slides a bit away from the wall before hitting it, but at this point Liam and Zayn are far away from his mind. Harry wraps his legs around his waist and he lets go of them, instead grabbing Harry's wrists and holding them down against the mattress. Harry throws his head back as he gets pounded, moaning Louis’ name out loud as he feels closer and closer to orgasm.

“Are you gonna come?” Louis asks, giving a tiny lick at his jawline. Harry nods. “C'mon then, baby, come for me.” He lets go of one of Harry’s wrists and wraps a hand around his cock, stroking it fast and bringing him to the edge. Harry moans his name as he shoots all over his own chest. His hole clenches around Louis’ dick and it takes only a few seconds for Louis to come as well, groaning on Harry’s ear as he releases inside the condom.

They stay like that for a while, kissing each other slowly and hotly, before Louis pulles out and walks to the bathroom to throw the condom away. He comes back with a towel and helps Harry clean himself.

“Messy boy,” he says, and Harry gifts him with a tired smile. Louis tucks him under the covers, wrapping his arms around him and spooning him. “Goodnight, Harry,” he leaves a small kiss on Harry’s shoulder.

“Goodnight, Lou. Sleep well,” Harry whispers back before drifting to sleep.

After that Harry realizes they somehow can’t stop having sex, which isn’t negative at all. He notices even the smallest things set him off: Louis’ hand on his thigh, a kiss deeper than usual; whenever he sees Louis semi naked or completely naked it doesn’t take long for his cock to get hard. And Louis seems to completely enjoy it. He gets down on his knees for Harry anytime, and even if now Harry's gone back to sleeping at his flat, he always takes the opportunity to sneak into the boys’ house.

“When is my heat going away?” Harry asks on one particular evening after he finishes riding Louis. They're both lying in bed, naked, catching their breath. “I think Liam and Zayn might banish me from here soon,” he jokes.

“It usually lasts around a month, maybe a month and a half,” Louis says, then turns his head at him. “And don’t worry about them.”

“Well, I mean, I don’t want to disturb anyone,” Harry shrugs.

“You aren't,” Louis says, turning so he can kiss Harry's lips. “Besides, you do our laundry, so they can’t complain.” Harry laughs, stretching his limbs lazily.

“I think I’m going home. I promised Niall we would make some burritos together,” he says, sitting up in bed. “Alright. Tell him I said hello and that I want him to cook for me someday,” Louis says, watching Harry get up from the bed and start getting dressed.

“And have him competing with me for favorite chef in this house? Absolutely not,” Harry jokes and Louis laughs. “I’m not letting him win you guy’s stomachs over.”

“Well, he might trick Liam and Zayn, but you don't have to worry about me.” Harry finishes putting on his shoes and kneels in the bed as Louis holds him by the collar and pulls him closer. “I'm all yours already,” Louis whispers before kissing him one last time.

“God, this is by far the best burritos we’ve ever made,” Niall says, taking a huge bite. “I love this!”

“They're really great,” Harry is already swallowing his second one. “God bless burritos.”

They're sitting on their couch while The Graham Norton Show is on, sipping on beers and eating the food they've just prepared. Harry’s phone is left in the table, staring back at him as the sound of notifications comes up once in a while, but he chooses not to reply and focuses on the night he's spending with his best friend.

“You know what I was thinking? We could go downtown, to the organic food store, and look for some stuff to make some different snacks. I found some great recipes, we should go tomorrow,” Harry suggests and Niall twists his lips.

“I can't tomorrow. I’m going out with Zayn to take a look at this new record store downtown,” he says, giving Harry an apologetic look.

“Since when do you go out with Zayn?” Harry asks with a frown and Niall shrugs.

“We text sometimes, but tomorrow will be the first time.” he says, focusing back on the TV. Harry can’t help but smile at that.

“That’s nice,” he says. “Kind of like a first date,” he then jokes and Niall rolls his eyes at him. “I can help you pick an outfit.”  

“Shut up,” Niall groans and Harry laughs.

"I mean, he's hot, so I totally get it," Harry teases.

"You're an idiot." Niall grabs his empty bottle of beer and walks back to the kitchen, coming back with a new one later. "

So, I called Louis my boyfriend today," Harry suddenly says.

"Oh, really? Oh, god! The B word!" Niall mocks and Harry rolls his eyes at him.

"You're a child," he says.

"Look who's talking. You have the mentality of a five year old," Niall says. "But go on, how did he react?"

"He was happy," Harry says with a smile and Niall nods, clicking their beer bottles together.

"Cheers, mate, that's great." Niall smiles at him. "Young Harold is finally falling in love."

Harry stares at his own hands. Is this really it? He's never put it in these words before. Falling in love. But somehow it seems to fit perfectly to the situation. When he looks at Louis he can definitely see himself falling for him, deeply and madly in love. He watches TV with Niall for a while longer until his friend falls asleep. He wakes him up and sends him to bed, being left alone to clean everything up. He doesn't mind it, though: it's good to busy himself with something and clear his mind. When Harry finishes, he grabs his phone to check on his notifications.

There is a text from Liam and four from Louis. He opens Liam's first since it's the most recent one and laughs at the picture of burnt bacon. He sends a quick reply before checking Louis' and when he does he feels weak at the knees.

7h30pm miss you baby

7h43pm Help me liam is force feeding me some nasty bacon.

9pm im horny but youre not here :(((

9h23pm guess i'll just have to entertain myself.

Along with the last one there's a pic. The angle is from upwards and Harry can see Louis' legs pulled apart, his cock hard against his tummy, and Louis’ other hand holding a red dildo that had its tip teasing Louis' hole.

“Oh my god,” he groans, walking into his room and shutting the door. He writes a quick reply while getting in bed. sorry i was hanging out with niall are u still awake? It's 11pm already, so he's sure Louis' done playing with his toy. He waits a few minutes but the answer doesn’t come, so, assuming the man's already asleep, he slides a hand down his pajama pants, staring at the picture as he gives himself slow strokes.

So far there's nothing he likes more than getting fucked by Louis, but the thought of doing the opposite is still hot. He would love to be able to feel Louis’s ass around his dick, to make him feel as he god as he makes Harry feel. He wonders what Louis is like during heat, what he smells like and how he acts when he’s always easily turned on and sensitive. It doesn’t take him long to come and soon Harry’s got his chest stained with white. He bites his lips, staring at himself, unsure for a few seconds before turning on the camera flash and snapping a pic of his chest and cock and sending it to Louis. Harry ends up making a few plans for Louis’ sex toys.

Harry realizes, next full moon, that it isn’t half as bad as before. They’re all in the house, eating pizza and just watching TV. The moon is already up in the sky but he hasn’t felt any different at all so far. There’s a knock on the door suddenly and they all look at each other suspiciously. Liam is the one to get up from the couch and answer the door.

“Who is it?” Louis whispers to Harry from where he’s sitting on his lap. Harry shrugs and a few seconds later Liam walks into the living room with a smiling Niall, who’s holding a six pack of beer.

“Guess who’s here!” He exclaims, smiling widely at them, and they all greet him excitedly.

“What are you doing here, man?” Harry asks. “I thought you were gonna study with Ashley.”

“Yeah, we studied a bit, but then it got boring and I thought…why stay in there when I can watch four werewolves getting drunk during the full moon?” He says and Louis laughs.

“That’s a good way of thinking,” Louis says and Niall winks at him, sitting on the couch.

“So, what are the plans for tonight wolfies?” He asks.

“Well, so far we were just gonna eat and...that's all. But since you’re here, please enlighten us with some Horan-fun.” Louis says.

“Luckily for you, Tommo, I have beer and…” he opens his backpack and takes a colorful box out of it.

“I’m gonna win the hell out of this.” Liam is the first one to speak with a determined look on his face.

They divide themselves in two teams, Harry and Louis against Zayn, Liam and Niall. Since they need a judge Zayn decides to stay out on the first round. It starts normally, but about an hour later they’re all tipsy with beer, Harry’s got his head on Liam’s crotch and Niall is an inch away from falling on Zayn as he tries to reach the green circle on the Twister mat. Louis watches them while sipping on his beer and trying not to laugh, but when Niall slips and ends up dragging Harry down with him on top of Zayn, who lets out a yelp, he laughs out loud until there are tears running down his face.

The boys struggle to get out of the mat and the pile they created, but when they get there they’re all breathing heavily and Liam raises both his arms up in the air.

“I win!” He shouts and Niall claps from his spot on the floor. They decide to stop the game after a while and soon they are sobering up. Liam brings mattresses downstairs and adjusts them on the living room floor.

“It's midnight. There’s no reason not to have a sleepover,” he shrugs. They get a bunch of blankets and pillows everywhere and the five of them lay on the mattresses to watch Fight Club.

“I thought you guys would turn and I would get to watch the whole movie-like thing.” Niall comments. “But I guess this was fun too."

“We don’t usually turn unless it’s necessary or we’re playing,” Liam says with a shrug. “Besides, most full moons are chill after you get used to them.”

“This was my second one.” Harry murmurs, yawning already. He's tired from jumping around and playing twister all night. “But I think it went pretty well.”

“It went very well.” Louis says, running a hand through Harry's curls. “You did good, love.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen worse.” Zayn comments.

“I guess it’s because I’m here with you guys, just having fun. That kind of held me in place,” Harry admits, and they all smile at him. They talk quietly for a while until each of them falls asleep, Niall with his head on Harry’s thigh and legs thrown over Liam’s, who’s next to Zayn, who is curling himself into a ball, while Louis is at the other end of the mattress, with his head on Harry’s chest.

As much as sleeping in a mattress on the floor is uncomfortable, it ends up being one of the best nights of sleep Harry’s ever had.

This time when Harry wakes up in the morning there’s already a smell of food in the air. He opens his eyes slowly and looks around, just to see that him and Louis are the only ones in the living room. Louis is still sleeping next to him, and he pulls away slowly before walking into the kitchen. The first thing he sees is Niall and Zayn laughing about something. The second and most important for his growling stomach is a bunch of pancakes, eggs, bacon and toast all over the table.

“I didn’t know it was christmas,” he says and they both turn to look at him.

“Good morning Haz,” Niall says. “I made us all breakfast, was going to wake you and Louis up already to eat.”

“I’ll go wake him. This looks great, Ni,” he says, and it really does, he’s already eyeing a pancake with banana slices on top of it.

“Thanks,” Niall smiles at him. “Oh, by the way, Liam went out for a run, but he’s coming back soon, I guess.”

“Yeah, don’t worry; he never misses breakfast.” Harry walks back to the living room, kneeling on the mattress next to Louis and kissing the tip of his nose. “Wake up, Lou, the food is on the table.” He says.

When he only gets a groan in response Harry smiles down at Louis before walking back to the kitchen. He sits at the table with Zayn and Niall and they chat for a while, enjoying the food Niall prepared. It takes a few minutes for a sleepy looking Louis to walk in, rubbing his eyes. He sits in between Harry and Zayn, leaning into his friend’s shoulder.

“Hey, Lou,” Zayn says, bringing a hand up to rub his friend’s back.

“Who did all of this?” Louis asks, looking around at all the food. Niall points at himself. “This is great,” he says and then turns at Zayn. “Can we adopt him?”

“If that means we always get pancakes, sure.”

That makes Niall laugh and then they keep eating. Liam arrives about twenty minutes later, and that’s when they know something is wrong. He’s got a worried look on his face, too serious for a Sunday morning, and a newspaper in his hands.

“What's wrong?” Louis asks and Liam puts the newspaper on the table. They all look at it to see the front cover article. Dead man found in the woods. The article shows pictures of the place he was found and a body being carried by the police. Louis frowns and grabs the paper to read it.

“It's Jack Hopkins. Your dad knew him, didn’t he?” He asks Zayn, who nods. “He was found not too far from here. His chest was wide open and some organs were taken,” Harry swallows thickly as Liam speaks. “They're suggesting that someone stole them to sell them in the black market.”

“Why should you worry about it?” Niall asks with a frown. “Didn't the other guy slice people in half? That's not what happened to this one.”

“Yes but, this one wasn’t just some guy,” Louis says “He was an alpha, a member of the council.”

“Was he like you?” Harry asks and Louis shakes his head.

“No, but he was still an alpha and I don’t think this man’s heart was ripped off for black market purposes.” Louis says, putting the newspaper back in the table.

The articles is staring back at them and no one has the guts to say anything. Harry rubs his face with his hands with a sigh and Liam finally breaks the silence.

“I'm calling Yaser.”

“It doesn’t make sense! It’s been almost two months already, how did he find a witch?” Liam asks Yaser later on that day. They’re all reunited in the boys’ living room, because Zayn’s dad drove there as soon as he received the call.

“He might not have needed one,” Yaser says. “If he learned the spell properly throughout the time he spent with the other witch then he can do it by himself.”

“One thing doesn’t fit in, though. You lost track of him in Liverpool, right?” Harry asks and Louis nods. “But if he’s so weak, how did he get back to London? And how did no one notice?”

“I have no idea how he survived all this time or how he got here, but we need to find him.” Yaser says.

“Well, going after him in the woods didn’t really work last time,” Louis says. “We need a new plan. How are we gonna find him, firstly?”

“You know we won’t have to.” Yaser says, looking at Louis with an apologetic look. “We might not know how he got here, but we know why: he’s coming after you.” Harry suddenly feels like his heart is the one getting ripped off. Louis' in danger and they have no idea what to do. He can’t let him get hurt, he can’t risk his safety again.

“I think it’ll be better if we hide Louis this time, while the others go after him.” Harry suggests. The other boys don’t say anything, but Harry knows they agree with him.

“Harry, we need to think of other people right now, not me.” Louis says.

“No," Harry shakes his head, frowning at him. “We're not putting your life at risk, that guy is crazy and I don’t want any of us getting hurt.”

“We can’t be selfish, Harry. At this point we have to think of the other people he has hurt.” Yaser says and Harry glares at him.

“Yeah, and we will, but we don’t have to expose Louis for that to happen.”

“Harry's right,” Zayn says, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “We want to help, but we’re not using Louis as bait again.”

“Alright," Yaser sighs deeply. “I will call the council and we’ll have a meet up. You’ll be part of it too and we’ll see what we can do.”

“Thank you," Harry says.

“Where are we gonna hide though?” Liam asks. “London is not safe anymore and he must be stronger than ever at this point.”

“I know a place,” Niall, who has been quietly listening to them and trying not to freak out over the situation, speaks up.

So they set everything up. The council will be reunited in three days in Yaser’s house and after that they will all head to Niall’s hometown, Mullingar, and stay there for a while as things get sorted out. Liam and Louis will get their two weeks' vacation from work that they have a right to and Zayn and Harry will have to skip their classes. With that one they have to insist, since Louis doesn’t want to mess up with any of their routines, but none of them wants to stay back.

Later on that night, Harry lies awake in bed, looking up at the ceiling. He sighs deeply; he'd tried to fall asleep, but after rolling in bed for a few hours he realized that wasn’t happening, so now he’s silently listening to Louis’ heartbeats and trying to shut his brain down. He can’t help but wonder what will happen to them. He tries to convince himself that everything is going to be just fine, that the man will be found and they will finally be safe. Louis will be safe. There’s still something bothering him, though: the possibility of failure, of any of them getting hurt. He's never really cared about being an omega, but at this moment it feels like barrier in front of him; he feels weak and just not capable enough to help his loved ones. He feels useless.

“What are you thinking about?” Harry turns his head to the side to see that Louis is awake and watching him.

“Nothing in particular,” he shrugs, turning to his side so they’re face to face. “Just… everything that is going on, really.”

“You know you don’t have to come with me to Ireland,” Louis murmurs. “You can stay here and study and not worry about any of this, just forget everything for a while.”

“I'm not doing that,” Harry shakes his head. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Well, at least I tried,” Louis jokes with a sigh and Harry smiles softly at him as Louis comes closer and wraps his arms around him. “We’re gonna be fine, Harry.”

“I know.” Harry doesn't, but he still tries to trick his brain as he buries his face into Louis’ neck and kisses his skin softly. Louis falls back asleep after a while and somehow Harry manages to catch about two hours of sleep before waking up and going to class. He keeps repeating the same sentence to himself. You’re gonna be fine.

As the days pass and they wait for the council to arrive, Louis starts to get a bit annoyed by the whole situation, Harry notices. They’re not letting him out of the house alone, which he rolls his eyes at and even when he’s inside the house they’re all being careful and paying attention to the smallest difference in sounds or scents. Harry knows it’s a bit too much, but he also knows that there’s an assassin out there looking for his boyfriend and he’s not gonna let anything bad happen to him.

“Jesus, I’m not a child.” Louis hisses when Harry enters the bathroom he’s taking a shower in.

“Yes, I’m aware,” Harry says with a small chuckle, watching Louis’ figure through the shower's glass door.

 “Sorry,” Louis sighs. “I thought it was one of the other lads. They’ve been up my ass all the time.”

“Don't be mad, they just care for you,” Harry says. “But if you want me to go, I’ll wait for you to finish.”

“No, it’s fine. Come in here.” Louis says and Harry starts taking his clothes off. “And I know they do. I care for them too, but I feel like I’m being held hostage in this bloody house! They don’t even let me go to the garage by myself.” Harry listens to him as he folds his clothes, and he leaves them by the sink before walking into the shower.

“Wanna fill in the tub?” He asks and Louis nods, doing it so. “I know it sucks for you, but don’t worry; soon this will be over and we’ll all be in Ireland, enjoying the meals Niall’s mom prepares.”

“Nice," Louis chuckles, and they watch as the bathtub fills up with warm water. When it’s done they sit on opposite sides with their ankles brushing against each other. Harry decides to throw a bit of bubble soap into the tub and soon enough there’s foam around them. “It's nice to relax for once,” Louis says and he nods .

“It really is. Should’ve got some candles.” Harry comments and Louis raises an eyebrow at him.

“Candles are a good call,” he says. They sit in the bath for a while, talking a bit once in a while about anything that comes to mind, really, slipping into their HarryandLouis bubble where none of their actual problems exists, no werewolves, no deaths, just happiness for a while. Somehow Harry finds himself with Louis on his lap and their tongues moving together, his hands rubbing up and down Louis' back as he grinds down slowly.

“We should go to your room, it would be too messy to do this here,” Harry says when Louis’ mouth leaves his to kiss down his neck.

“I like it messy,” Louis whispers and Harry groans, his cock starting to fill up already.

“We can be messy without being gross,” he says and Louis laughs against his skin.

“Alright, then,” he says, getting up from the tub and wrapping a towel around his waist. “Let's get in bed so I can suck your dick already.”

Twenty minutes later Harry is lying on his back with come all over his chest. His legs are pulled apart and Louis gets in between them, licking up all the come and rubbing his thumb lazily over Harry’s rim. “I’m still sensitive,” he groans and Louis chuckles.

“Where's your stamina gone, Styles?” Harry is about to make a sassy comment when he feels Louis’ tongue give a tiny lick over his hole and his whole body shivers a bit.

“W-what are you doing?” Louis stops.

“You've never got a rim job before?” Louis asks and Harry shakes his head. “Oh, well, luckily for you I’m very good at it, so you won’t have a bad first time.”

“Isn't that a bit unsanitary?” Harry asks while Louis kisses his thighs.

“We just took a shower,” Louis shrugs. “It’s good, I promise you, but if you’re not into it then we will stop.” Harry bites his bottom lip hesitantly before sighing in defeat. It's weird, but he's too curious to say no.

“Let’s do it, then,” he says and Louis smiles.

“Roll over, baby.” Harry does as he says and spreads his legs apart a bit. Louis lies down behind him with his face at the level of Harry’s ass, spreading his cheeks apart before giving a soft kiss to his rim. He starts licking the area slowly and Harry feels his cock get hard from where it’s pressed against the mattress. Louis’ fingers press against his skin as he starts licking faster before slowly pressing his tongue inside Harry’s hole.

Harry lets out a moan into the pillow, trying his hardest not to press his ass back into Louis’ face as the other man eats him out enthusiastically. Harry’s breaths start coming out quicker and his moans are louder while Louis fucks his tongue into him. Suddenly he stops and Harry sighs, looking around to see him walking away from their bed and opening one of his drawers. He comes back with lube and something else in his hands that Harry frowns at before realizing what it is: a small vibrator.

“Oh, jesus,” he breathes out and Louis winks at him, leaving the toy aside before pulling Harry’s cheeks apart again and going back to licking inside him. Then Harry feels a lubed up finger slipping inside with Louis’ tongue, fingering slowly before speeding up. He turns his head to the side to breathe better and lets out small moans at the feeling of both Louis’ finger and tongue inside him. When a second finger enters there’s precome coming out of his neglected cock, and finally Harry feels Louis’ tongue and fingers leave his ass and be replaced by the tip of the dildo. He bites his lower lip roughly at the feeling of the toy slowly entering him.

“You're gonna love this,” Louis whispers against his ear, and he kisses his shoulder before kneeling in bed and controlling the vibrator. He turns on the first setting after Harry is adjusted to it and starts moving it in and out. The sound of the toy’s vibrations and Harry’s moans are filling the room. After a while Harry feels the vibrations getting stronger, as Louis decides to turn it up. Louis himself is already getting hard again, as he watches Harry’s expressions and listens to his moans. He feels satisfied just by giving his boy pleasure.

“I'm gonna come,” Harry suddenly says and Louis removes the vibrator, replacing it with his tongue and eating Harry out faster than before, thrusting two fingers along with his tongue. Soon enough, Harry is squirming and moaning loudly as he comes against the bed sheets. Harry sighs happily and turns around, Louis crawling up his body to kiss him quickly. “Don't kiss me, you just had that tongue up my ass,” Harry laughs and Louis rolls his eyes but still smiles at him.

“How was that?” He asks. Harry rolls them until Louis is beneath him and smirks at his boyfriend.

“It was amazing. I'll have to reward you now.”

The members of the council come up on Saturday. Harry watches all the men and women walk up to Yaser’s house from the living room window. He counts twenty-three people, but he’s sure there are more than that.

“They all look normal,” he murmurs and Louis laughs.

“What did you expect them to look like?” Harry shrugs.

“I don’t know, it wasn’t like this in Twilight.” Louis rolls his eyes at him and kisses his cheek before they head to Yaser’s office. Harry greets all the members with a handshake and yeah, there are definitely more than twenty-three. It gets a bit tight but the room is big enough for them to be comfortable. Yaser stands in front of his desk with two men and a woman next to him, and calls for everyone’s attention.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the woman speaks up. Harry feels like he is back in school, listening to the scary principal. “As some of you may know already, the official British council of werewolves has been compromised.” There are whispers everywhere around the room and Harry watches with a frown. “The man in question, Jackson Hopkins, had been giving information and help about the serial killer that has threatened all of our families in the past few months.” “I didn’t know that,” Harry says to Louis, who looks just as confused. “Last week, the body of Mr. Hopkins was found and unfortunately no traces were left for we to track the killer. What we do know is that he was providing information to the man - who has been identified as Lucius Aleshire - which helped him to hide undercover,” she says. “Now that he's back he's looking for, as we’ve been informed, a true alpha.”

A few people in the room stare at Louis pointedly and Harry automatically puts a hand over his knee and glares at them.

“The last operation wasn’t informed to the whole council. That was bound to happen and no, we won’t be punishing anyone for that since it had some positive results. Still, the group didn’t manage to catch him and now that Aleshire has returned it will be our priority to catch him,” she then sighs. “As you may know, Mr Louis Tomlinson is the only true alpha that we know of and he will be taken to a location that won’t be revealed to anyone but his own pack and will be kept in safety while we try to catch the criminal. Does anyone have any questions?” A man lifts his hand up.

“If Lucius is coming after the true alpha, why don’t we set up a trap to catch him in the act?” He asks.

“We are not putting him in danger. The plan has been set up before and it hurt a lot of people apart from not working completely," Yaser says.

“That's because Dean Morrison sent kids out there to do the job of adults,” another man pipes up. Louis stiffens next to Harry.

“Mr Austin, as I said, we are not putting him in danger, so if you don’t agree with the plan we’re not forcing you to participate,” the woman says. “Now, proceeding with the situation, those who are participating in the haunt for MrAleshire stay in this room so we can discuss the plans. Those who aren't are invited to leave right now.”

No one gets up and Harry sits there quietly as the woman, who he finds out to be the president of the council, speaks about the strategies. It all takes about two hours to be done and when they get out of the room Harry sighs tiredly.

“I’m staying over to be with my sisters, you guys can go ahead.” Zayn says and they all nod. Liam, Louis and Harry walk out of the house with the crowd of werewolves.

“Hey!” A man suddenly yells at them, walking closer. “Look who’s here, Louis Tomlinson.” Harry feels Louis’ body go rigid next to him as the three of them stop walking.

“What do you want?” Louis snaps.

“Just came to say hi. Haven’t seen you in a few years,” the man says and Louis rolls his eyes.

“Cut the bullshit.” The other man laughs.

“You know, I meant what I said before, in the reunion. You are all children. You’re not good enough for a serious situation like this. So let the adults do the job.” Louis glares at him and when the man tries to put a hand on his shoulder he grabs him by the wrist with enough force that the man’s face twists in pain.

“Don't touch me,” Louis says before letting it go.

“Let's go, mate, it’s not worth it,” Liam says.

“Listen to your friend, kiddo. Go play with some toys,” the man says, laughing, and that’s when Louis throws a punch at him, hitting him right in the eye. Harry’s eyes widen and he and Liam start pulling Louis away as people stare at them.

“Get the fuck away from us!” Louis shouts before getting in the car. Liam drives away with a deep sigh.

“Jesus. What the fuck was that?!” Harry asks, grabbing Louis’ hand and looking at his bruised knuckles for a second before the boy pulls away.

“They’re gonna heal,” he says, turning away from his boyfriend to look out the window.

“Can you at least tell me why you did that to him?” Harry asks. “I mean, I know he acted like an asshole, but you need to control yourself, Louis. You can’t just go around punching people, you seem to always do this and it’s not reasonable!”

“Ok, mom!” Louis yells. “Just leave me the fuck alone!” Harry stares at him in confusion before sighing deeply. They don’t talk for the rest of the ride and when they arrive in front of the house Louis leaves and slams the door before going inside.

“What's up with him?” Harry asks with a sigh when he and Liam leave the car. “Who was that guy?”

“That was his dad,” Liam sighs and Harry’s mouth opens in surprise.

“I- I had no idea,” he stammers as Liam squeezes his shoulder.

“It's alright. The guy is an ass and takes the opportunity to mess with Louis whenever he can. Just give Lou some time until he’s cool again.”

“Alright," Harry nods. "I’m just gonna head home and see if I come up here some other day, text me if anything comes up.”

“Ok, then. See you, mate.”

“See you.” Harry says before walking up to his car and driving away.

Harry is walking back home from college. He had some extra lectures during the afternoon and the sun is already setting when he leaves his last one. His phone starts ringing in his pocket and he takes it out, seeing Louis’ name flashing on the screen. He picks up immediately.

“Hi," he says, hoping Louis won’t somehow hear how fast his heart is beating.

“Hey,” Louis murmurs after a few seconds. “How are you?”

“I’m alright, I guess.” Harry sighs. “Just got out of class. How are you, though?”

“I'm ok. Can’t say I'm at my best right now,” Louis says with a mirthless laugh. Harry frowns.

“What's wrong, Lou?” He asks. Louis stays silent for a few long seconds.

“Just… everything. My dad, Aleshire, Yaser is pressuring us and I haven’t seen you in two days. I’m going crazy, Harry.” He sounds so frustrated that Harry wishes he could lock Louis away from everyone and keep him safe and happy. But he can’t do that.

“I'm sorry. I’m so sorry, love,” Harry sighs, looking around before crossing the street to get to the bus stop since he let Niall borrow his car to go on a date.

“No, I’m the one to apologize. I was a complete idiot to you the other day and I know being mad at my dad isn’t an excuse to treat you badly," he says. Harry can hear Liam saying something in the background about pizza. “In a minute!” Louis yells away from the phone before talking to Harry again. “Sorry, it was Liam asking about tonight’s dinner.”

“It's alright,” Harry says. “And don’t worry about that thing with your dad. Everyone blows up once in a while but I know you didn’t mean it.”

“I really didn’t," Louis says honestly. “Do you think you could come over tonight? We ordered pizza and Zayn got us some movies.”

“Sure, yeah,” Harry agrees. “Niall is out on a date anyway, so I'll just take the bus and I’ll be there in a while.”

“Ok,” Louis says, sounding more relaxed now. “I'll see you then.”

“See you soon, Lou,” is the last thing Harry says before hanging up. He waits for the bus alone in the bus stop. The air is getting a bit chilly but not so cold now that summer is finally over and spring is taking its place. He looks around in the empty street, not a soul to be seen, and he’s ready to grab his phone again and break the silence with some music when an arm wraps around his middle and a hand holding a piece of cloth comes to his nose. He jumps, scared and having no idea what’s happening, and tries to free himself but the person’s grip is too strong. Then everything goes black.

Harry wakes up feeling cold. His eyes open up slowly and he feels a bit dizzy. His whole body hurts and it doesn’t take long for him to notice he’s in a chair, his arms tied to it by a rope that is making his skin burn. The room he is in is dark but he can see a bit; there’s an empty wall in front of him but he sees a table laden with objects he can’t quite point out. There’s a metal door on the right and large windows on the left. He groans. His head hurts and he’s slowly starting to panic, when there’s the sound of footsteps and a voice.

“The puppy finally woke up.” It takes him a few seconds to recognize the voice, and when the man turns on the lights and stands in front of him, Harry’s whole body trembles with anger. Louis’ dad is standing right in front of him. “Welcome to my house, Harry Styles. You know, I've heard quite a lot about you.”

Harry doesn’t reply, only glares at the man and twists on the chair as he tries to free himself from the tight rope. He’s confused, and his mind just keeps screaming what is happening?!

“But you know what I don’t get? Why my son chose to date you. I mean… I'm sure you’re a very smart guy; you’re one of the best students in your class, which is impressive, but let’s think about it , shall we?” Troy walks from one side of the room to the other with a hand on his chin. “Louis Tomlinson, the only true alpha in all of England, known by everyone in the council since he leaded his own small pack of teenagers to fight a few vampires a while ago. I bet you didn’t know that!” Harry’s face goes blank and he tries to process what the man just said. Vampires?That doesn’t surprise him, but Louis never mentioned a fight.

Of course, they are still at the very beginning of their relationship, but he can’t help but be curious about it.

“Well, moving on. The golden boy out of all people in London chose to be with you?” The man laughs. “How the hell did that happen? You know, it’s quite sad how a boy with so much potential chose to be with a useless, needless to say weak, omega.” He stares at Harry up and down. “Though I have to admit you do have some nice muscles. What do you do? Boxing? Pushups? Never mind, it doesn’t matter.”

Harry doesn’t even try to say anything. His throat feels tight and too dry and his stomach hurts. He has no idea what time is it or where he is and he tries not to let the man’s words get to him. There's still a thing, deep inside him, poking him with a needle and making him wonder if he really is good enough for Louis.

“You're a quiet one, I see.” Troy says. He walks up to the table where there’s a bottle of whiskey and takes a sip straight from it, sighing in relief. “There's nothing you want to ask? Most of my victims start with ‘who are you’, ‘where am I’, ‘why am I here’...” Harry only keeps staring at him before speaking up. His voice comes out raspy and his throat hurts but he forces himself to keep going.

“You’re not hurting him," he says.

“You see, I think I am.” Troy says, sipping on his drink again. “It's probably not gonna take longer for him to find you, I brought you to a very easy place.”

“Why?” Harry asks and Troy laughs.

“Do you really not know the answer? Alright, then,” he shrugs. “Well, it’s a very easy plan. I kidnap you, ‘hide’ you in an easy place to be found, of course. While all the other werewolves are out there looking for Aleshire, who they’re not gonna find anyway , I am here, waiting for the great Louis Tomlinson to come after you so I can trap him and slice his precious throat.” Harry shivers as the man speaks, taking a few steps closer to him. He tries to pull his face away when Troy reaches for him, but his chin still ends up in the man’s hand.

“And you know what the best part is? Not only do I get his powers, but I get to watch him suffer when I kill you right in front of him. How much do you think that will devastate him, huh?” he laughs again, and it’s not humorless or sarcastic, it’s genuine and Harry can’t understand how someone takes so much pleasure out of something so horrendous.

“So it was you…” he thinks out loud and Troy shrugs, pulling his hand away and walking back to the table, leaning against it.

"It wasn’t that hard. I just had to find someone who worked with witchcraft, and that was Angela, then I needed a partner in crime…someone to put the blame on, a figure to use while I did the real thing, someone easily manipulated who thinks he’s actually getting profit out of this…or should I say ‘thought'? Well, moving on, Aleshire tricked all of you and after that night, which was just a test, I saw everyone tracking him, so I killed him. Of course you guys cooperated a lot as well, followed my clues quite prettily. ”

The man shrugs as if it were nothing. Harry thinks that for him it might not be anything, and that only makes him more scared. He wants to howl, to call for his pack but at the same time he wants to keep them as far from him as possible. They can’t come into this place or god knows that Troy will do to them.

“This is unfair,” Harry says. “You killed innocent people, you hurt so many just for this? For something as stupid and useless as a title.”

“Life is unfair, my dear,” Troy says. “And you know what else is unfair? Having to spend years knowing that the little shit I had the pleasure to call my son was taking my place, and owning the powers I deserve!” He yells this time and Harry jumps slightly. “But I am not taking this anymore, and you,” he points at Harry, “and your so dearest boyfriend are going to pay for what happened to me.”

“If you were worth being a true alpha you would be,” Harry says and he sees the anger in the other man’s eyes. “But you are a terrible person and you don’t deserve a single good thing in your life.” He gets slapped in the face in response. His skin burns and he lets out a groan.

“Why don’t you shut your mouth and we wait to see what happens?” Troy walks away from him and back to the table. “You know, I think they might be getting here soon, it’s 8pm already. Unless no one missed you since last night.”

Last night. He’s been here for a day, Harry realizes.

“They better not come anyway, you’re not winning this,” he says.

Troy rolls his eyes, walking around the room before stopping abruptly, a wide smile taking over his face.

“I think they’re already here,” he says and Harry’s heart drops. No, they can’t be here. He tries to turn, thinking maybe if he gets his claws out he can try to cut the rope, but it doesn’t happen; he feels to weak and it hurts too much. He lets out a whimper. “Calm down, puppy. I wouldn’t make much effort if I were you.” Harry stops.

“What did you do to me?” He asks, narrowing his eyes at the man.

“Just a few injections of wolfsbane. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t want you to die before he’s here to watch.” That doesn’t make Harry feel better at all. They stand in silence for long minutes, waiting for something to happen, but nothing comes. Harry doesn’t know if he should be relieved or not. “You know, maybe I should whistle or some-“ before he can finish his sentence the door on the right side of the room opens wide abruptly and they both stare at it to see Louis standing there.

No, no, no.

"Go away!” he tries to scream, his throat still hurting, when Troy slaps him again.

“Shut your mouth, puppy,” Troy says and Louis growls at him, his eyes flashing red.

“Get away from him!” Louis yells, his presence too strong when he walks into the room. Harry can hear his heart beating fast, his blood hot in his veins. Meanwhile, Troy lets out one of his weird laughs and raises his hands above his head.

“Alright, son, calm down.” “I'm not your son, so shut up.” Louis snaps.

“Mark raised me, not you."

“Oh right, the paralegal,” Troy spits in disdain.

“This is it, Troy. I’m here. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? So let him go and I’ll stay for whatever the hell you want to.”

“I don’t really like that idea. I had it planned out in my head a little bit different and I think I’m keeping the boy,” Troy says, putting a hand on Harry’s shoulder and squeezing it hard enough to make the boy squirm. “To improve the fun.”

“Let him go,” Louis makes a quick move and before Harry notices he’s got a gun pointed at Troy’s head.

“Oh, please, we’re werewolves, couldn’t we go for the usual way? You know, claws and teeth?”

“Shut up and let him go!” Louis yells.

“Alright, alright,” Troy moves to untie Harry, the boy fighting a groan of pain when he’s forced to stand up by a hand pulling on his arm. Everything moves too fast for his still dizzy head and when he sees he’s got an arm around his neck and a hand around his bicep, gripping it way too roughly. “Oh, guess you’re not shooting anymore, huh? See, this is why I always hated love. It seems to always get in the way of people’s plans. How pathetic.” He squeezes Harry’s body and he lets out a cry of pain.

“Get away from him!” Louis yells again and that’s when Liam and Zayn come up into the room, already turned.

“Oh, he’s brought his pack,” Troy laughs out loud. “But guess what? If you try to attack me I'm snapping his neck right here and right now. Don’t think I won’t, sweetheart.”

“Don't move,” Louis tells Liam and Zayn, who are standing behind him, before looking back at Troy. “You've already got me, let him go. There’s no point in killing him.”

“Of course there is! There is the pleasure of watching you suffer.”

“Why? I’ve never done anything to you!” Louis says.

“You took my powers from me!” Troy yells. “I should be a true alpha! I should be stronger! But you, you fucking garbage, came around and fucking stole it from me!”

Harry sees the way Louis’ expression changes for a minute. It's getting to him. He’s back to a serious face in the next second, though, his finger close to the trigger. Louis looks at Harry for a second, their eyes meeting, and somehow Harry feels a bit calmer. Louis seems to know what he’s doing.

“I'm dying! I am here dying and getting weaker while you get stronger,” Troy keeps on ranting. “And I’m not letting this go on.”

Louis’ eyes leave Harry’s and focus on something behind him for a second, making him frown. Suddenly Troy screams, letting go of Harry, and he gets away from him and looks back to see Niall pulling off a knife from the man’s back. He is ready to attack the boy when Liam and Zayn run towards him and jump into him, tackling him down to the floor. He watches as Troy throws them away, scratching them. He’s too strong even not fully shifted, his claws and sharp teeth out and his body still with bits of fur.

Louis turns fully, dropping his gun on the floor as he launches himself at the other werewolf, biting his shoulder. They’re barking and scratching at each other and Harry tries to turn as well, but he feels the wolfsbane getting into his system and he’s getting too weak. He tries to run but his limbs don’t work and he falls onto the cold floor. He watches as Troy throws Louis away and the wolf falls a few feet away from Harry, and even though his whole body hurts as the poison takes over him, he uses all of his willpower and gets up. First there’s Troy running towards Louis and then Harry throws himself between them, getting scratched in the ribs as he tries to shield Louis with his body. Liam and Zayn are up on their paws again, attacking Troy and trying to bring him far away from their alpha.

“Harry!” He hears Niall yelling as the boy runs to him, kneeling on his side. His whole body starts getting numb and he feels the blood running down his torso. He also feels Louis’ tongue on his face, licking gently at it and letting out small whimpers. “I’ll take him to the car," Niall says , already grabbing Harry up from the floor and running out of the room. Liam yelps from the other side of the room suddenly, and is thrown away with blood all over the fur of his left shoulder.

Louis goes for it again, jumping towards wolf with a bark. They roll around the ground, scratching each other, trying not to get bitten. Louis feels claws on his lower back, lets out a small howl of pain and then turns to bite the man’s hand. Troy screams and twists his body, pushing Zayn, who was attacking his sides, away and making his body hit the table.

“You're not gonna win, Louis! I will fucking kill you and your stupid omega!”

Troy yells and Louis barks at him. He jumps on him again, getting high enough to bite his neck and scratch at his chest. Troy goes down but he manages to grab one of Louis’ front legs. The alpha lets out a howl of pain, feeling one of his bones getting out of place. Troy pins him down to the floor and Louis curls his furry body into a ball, looking up at the other werewolf with fear. He hears a shot, the sound breaking into the room and suddenly Troy falls limp next to him. There’s blood coming from just below his ribs and he looks at the direction where the shot came from with wide eyes.

Louis and the others turn as well to see Niall standing there with Louis’ gun pointed at the werewolf. Normally a normal bullet wouldn’t make much damage on that area, but it wasn’t a normal bullet. It was a poisoned one. Troy’s werewolf form gets too weak to hold on and he turns back into a human.

Liam and Zayn do the same, trying to recover as their wounds heal while Louis stands above Troy’s body. He growls at the man, his teeth showing up before lifts up the paw that isn’t harmed and brings it down to carve his nails into the man’s chest. His body stops twisting around after that. Louis goes back into his human form, letting out a groan and holding his arm against his chest.

“Fuck, I think he broke my arm," he says and the boys run to help him get to his feet. They cary him to the car and call Yaser as they drive to the hospital. He passes out in the backseat not too long later, with his face buried in Harry’s curls.

Harry wakes up in a hospital bed. There are a few tubes connected to his arm and he doesn’t feel fully conscious, his head a bit dizzy. He turns to his side to look at the room; it would be completely white if it weren’t for the gifts next to his bed. There are a few stuffed animals and flowers and Harry frowns at them in confusion. It takes him a while to remember, but he does. Being tied to a chair, Troy, the boys appearing and then blacking out at some point.

He immediately panics, wanting to get up and look for them.

“Oh. darling, you’re awake!” He turns to look at the door, where his mom is standing, and she walks up to him teary eyed. She holds him down gently in bed when he tries to get up.

“Don't make too much effort, the nurses got you stuffed with painkillers.”

“Why am I here?” He asks. His throat hurts and his voice comes out raspy. “I mean, how did I get here?”

“Niall brought you here, baby. I'm gonna get some water for you," Anne says, before walking out of the room. Harry sighs, not liking the feeling of the tubes in him and trying to distract himself by watching the heart monitor beep.

“Harry Styles,” he turns to the door once again to see Yaser walking in this time. “I'm glad you are finally awake, the boys have been worried about you.”

“So they’re all ok?” Harry asks, sighing in relief, and Yaser nods.

“They are. They healed fast; Louis' got a sprained wrist but he’s good as well.” Harry feels like a weight is being lifted off his shoulders. “You know, I underestimated you for a while, but you’re not weak. You’re definitely very brave.”

“For an omega,” Harry says with an eye roll.

“Well,” Yaser chuckles. “Can't deny that your type has always been the weakest, but that doesn’t mean you can’t change that. Besides, you might as well one day turn into a beta or even an alpha, you never know.”

“Yeah, maybe," Harry shrugs. He doesn’t really care about that.  

“I need you to know that your mom has been informed about everything," Yaser then says and Harry freezes.   

“What? What do you mean by ‘everything’?”

“She knows that you’re in a werewolf pack and she knows what happened last night. I'm sorry, but I had to tell her. I couldn’t just lie to a mother about why her son is in a hospital connected to machines.”

“I- I understand," Harry says. “How did she take it?”

“She's still trying to wrap her head around it, but don’t worry, just give her time.” Harry nods and Yaser walks towards the door. “Get well soon,” he smiles at Harry, genuinely, before walking out.

His mom walks back in a second later with a cup of water on her hands that Harry accepts and takes a big sip of.

“Mom," he murmurs, staring at his own hands and not daring to look at her just yet. “I know that… you know about… me and the other boys, that we’re-“

“Shhh, don’t worry about that, darling,” Anne says. “It’s… it’s a lot. I'm a bit confused and, I might add, slightly scared, but I still love you. You’re still my son.”

“Alright," he nods. "I'm sorry for this mess.”

“It's none of your fault, Harry,” she says, shaking her head and running a hand through Harry’s curls softly. Then she smiles widely. “But hey, I met Louis.”

“Did you?” Harry asks, already feeling his face blush at the mention of Louis’ name.

“Yes, and he’s absolutely lovely,” she gushes. “I think you picked a good one.”

“I really did," Harry agrees.“Is he here?”

“No, love. He was checked out and he stayed in here for hours, but I convinced him to go home,” Anne gives him an apologetic smile. “He was exhausted, he really needed some rest.”

“Thank you," he tells her.

“It’s all good. Now, I talked to the nurse and she says they just have to run a few tests on you before you can be checked out too. How about we go home and I make you some soup? Niall is dying to see you too, but I didn’t let him miss his classes.”

“Oh," Harry realizes then that when she said ‘home' his vision of it was much different from hers. It has changed drastically in the past few months. He doesn't see a flat with Niall, even though he still likes living with him, but he sees a house.

A house surrounded by trees, with a fireplace in the large living room and a kitchen smelling like burnt bacon. With clothes, shoes and books everywhere and a shower that takes too long to get properly warm. He sees the backyard, where he's already planning to start some gardening in, but most important of all he sees Louis, Liam and Zayn.

They get him checked out after a few exams. Harry changes into some clothes his mom brought him and she drives him to his shared flat with Niall. It’s empty though; he thinks Niall might have gone to the market or something, but he doesn’t worry too much. As his mom makes him soup, he takes a shower and puts on more comfortable clothes.

A sweater that he’s pretty sure is Louis’ from the smell of cologne, and sweatpants. He leaves the bear and the flowers on his bedside table, smiling at them. They eat together and watch TV on the couch before saying goodbye. She offers to stay longer but he doesn’t want her to miss work and he knows he’ll be fine, so they hug for a long while before she leaves to the train station. Then he finds himself alone in the flat and sighs.

He tries to go through another episode of Scandal and he manages to watch twenty minutes of it before he sighs in defeat and grabs his car keys. Harry drives to the house with soft music coming from the radio. The sun has settled already and even though he just left the hospital, after getting poisoned he feels somehow refreshed. A while later he parks in front of the house and the door opens before he can even get to it. Then there’s Louis running out and hugging him strongly. Harry lets out a whimper and laughs, wrapping his arms around the other man.

“Sorry, sorry," Louis says. “I shouldn’t squeeze you too tight.”

“It’s ok, it’s all good.” Harry pulls his head back to look at him in the eye and they smile at each other.

“I'm glad you’re finally out, you should’ve called me.” Louis says, bringing both hands to Harry's face and stroking his cheeks with his thumb.

“I had to go back to the flat with my mom, but I’m here now.” Louis nods.

“You are,” then he leans in and their lips are connected. It’s simple and soft, but Harry feels his heart beat much faster. It lasts long, beautiful seconds and then he leans his forehead against Louis’ and whispers,

“I love you.” Louis stares back at him and Harry can hear his heartbeat speeding up as well.  

“Do you really?” He asks and Harry nods.

“I understand if you don’t feel the same-“ Louis interrupts him.

“Shut up,” he says, spreading kisses all over Harry’s face. “Shut up, of course I feel the same.” Harry turns them so Louis is pressed against the car door and he kisses him again, long and passionately and with their heartbeats in sync as their tongues move together. They pull apart for a moment to breathe properly. "I called my mom, this morning...she wants to meet you too i thought maybe we could go visit someday?"

"Really?" Harry asks in surprise and Louis nods "I would really love that!" Louis smiles at him widely.

“I love you.” He says and Harry smiles back at him. He hears whistles and claps and then turns to look at the door where Liam, Zayn and Niall are standing.

They run towards them and Harry spreads his arms to hug them all. The five of them almost fall on the floor and they laugh, talking excitedly about how they’re glad Harry is back and how Niall was teaching Liam how to flip pizza dough and they ended up making a huge mess in the kitchen. Harry laughs out loud when he sees it and later that night, when they’re all on a pile on the floor watching TV and eating a weird looking but amazing pizza, he can't help but smile at the warmness that fills his chest. This is Harry’s home.

And I run from wolves

Breathing heavily at my feet

And I run from wolves