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"You need to avoid Harry for the next week or so, he's on edge like razor's edge and you might annoy him into actually killing you."
"Huh?" Louis asks distractedly around a mouthful of biscuit as he jots down the answer to another maths problem. He glances up at Zayn, who's giving him a worried look.
"Harry? My Alpha? Glares at you constantly? He's been pissed off-"
Louis pushes his glasses up his nose and rolls his eyes. "I'm failing to see how this is news,"
"Louis, this is serious. He broke Liam's arm..." Zayn winces like he experienced the pain of it himself. One of the seemingly endless werewolfy things Louis has yet to wrap his head around - Mates...like actual wolves. Like actual Mates. But hey, he isn't here to judge, Zayn is his best friend and Louis will stick by him no matter what...as his disastrous and sometimes life-threatening tendency to never shut up and constantly piss off Zayn's Alpha will show. He's watched Harry crush a jar of silver meant to slow werewolves down (set them aflame) in his palm once. If that didn't send Louis screaming into the night, nothing would.
Ahh Harry. Harry-Harry-bo-berry. The Alpha with severe control issues and a tragic inability to communicate without threats or violence involving claws and fangs. It's too bad really. Harry's too pretty to be that angry. Not that Louis thinks he's pretty...he just...appreciates a nice face...shut up. He is not, repeat, is not admitting to an attraction to an angry Alpha werewolf who hates his guts and would probably feast on said guts if it weren't for Zayn being a Beta in his pack which by the way that big creep should be thanking him for because Louis is the one who convinced Zayn to join the pack in the first place. Well okay. And Liam, who turned out to be Zayn's Mate but that is beside the point. Louis is mostly responsible, okay? He also may or may not be responsible for Zayn being turned into a werewolf in the first place but who's keeping track?
"He healed though, right?" Louis threw in, hoping to comfort.
Zayn sighs in aggravation and stands to begin pacing again. "He shouldn't have to!! An Alpha is meant to protect the pack not abuse them! Healing abilities or not!"
Louis shoves another biscuit in his mouth as he rummages through his desk drawers before finally dropping a thick folder onto the desk with a thunk.
"What the hell is that?"
"Research, mate,"
Zayn cringes. "Don't, don't call me that, it feels wrong."
"Oh right! Sorry," Louis mutters distractedly, flipping through the endless pages. He has loads of time to dedicate to research because school is a breeze for him - even if everyone thinks he's a goof. He prefers it that way. It gives him the edge of being constantly underestimated. And he has saved Zayn, Harry, Liam, Perrie, Eleanor and the rest of the pack's asses more than once because of it, despite what that walking attitude problem would tell you.
Knowledge is the key to all. One could render even the most dangerous enemy powerless without even lifting a finger if they know the right buttons to push. Louis wants to be one of those people. And he will be, as soon as he figures out how to outsmart Harry, who keeps locking him in fucking janitors closets every time something goes down because he's 'in the way'. But that's a whole other big bag of worms isn't it? One he's still seething about, by the way. Bloody grabby growly bastard.
He has no idea why the rest of the pack finds it so amusing when Harry gets all up in his face but they really need to find better quality entertainment. He makes a mental note to teach them some new tricks next weekend. "Here!" He crows in triumph, nearly tipping his chair over. "Wolves discipline physically. It's instinctual-"
"That would be fascinating if Liam hadn't told us Harry wasn't always this way."
Louis waits with furrowed brows, trying hard to imagine a nice, calm, non-snarly Harry.
"You know he's been Alpha since his father was taken out by hunters, but he was groomed for it since birth, he was ready. He knew how to treat his pack. Then," Zayn side eyes him.
Louis makes a 'go on' motion with his hand, impatient as ever.
"Then Liam said about a year ago he...started acting off, more aggressive, restless and just all around angry. It's only gotten worse since then..."
Frowning, Louis spins in his chair, rolling closer to the desk to grab another biscuit. He eats when he's nervous, or distracted, or bored. Okay he eats a lot, but he's sixteen, a growing boy - unfortunately the only part of him that seems to be growing is his arse. He just hopes he loses his extra layer of 'puppy fat' soon - Perrie told him he looks like an Omega which lead to him researching Omegas and after seeing disturbing amounts of Supernatural and Teen Wolf fanfiction, he had slammed the lid of his laptop closed with a "Holyshitfucknope" Just...no. He is human and plans to stay that way thank you verrrrry much. He tends to avoid Teen Wolf things and fanfiction in general now - it only makes his mind overheat if he...harps on certain aspects of those fictitious worlds too long.
This is real life.
"You joined his pack a year ago..."
"No." Zayn shakes his head and gives him a look. The 'you troublemaker' look, "You lost what little sanity you possessed a year ago and went looking for werewolves after my attack. And you found Harry."
Louis purses his lips. Oh what a wonderful time that had been. After Zayn's first transformation eighteen months ago, Louis decided there was no way in the seven circles of Hell he was going through that again; almost being eaten alive once was enough for him. Zayn needed help. First, he thought of trying to find the wolf that bit him, but it seemed very...not smart. Next, he decided to try and find out if there were any others like Zayn in town. He asked around under the guise of a project on local legends and lore. His mother works for the local news paper and that helped a little. Finally he became savvy enough to piece together what he observed about Zayn with lore to give him an idea of what to look for - which was surprisingly (or maybe not) little. Lastly he had done some research on actual wolves because grasping at straws was better than giving up on his best friend before the next full moon. When he came across a bit that told him all about how wolves communicate it was a brick to the face and he had cussed himself out for not considering it before. So, on that cold October weekend he dragged a protesting Zayn deep into the woods and told him to howl.
"What if I attract the one who attacked me!?"
Louis reached into his pocket to pull out one of his grandmothers silver knives; they already knew Were's were extremely sensitive to it after Zayn had nearly set himself on fire with a pie-cutter. "Plan B." He waved the knife.
"If there's more than one?"
Louis pulled out a jar of atomized silver it had taken forever for him to make. If a Were inhaled it, it would burn them from the inside out. "Plan C."
"Has anyone ever told you you're fuckin' scary?"
Louis smiled widely.
After Zayn howled for a good ten minutes - sounding like a goddamn beagle - someone, or something answered. Zayn and Louis had stood back to back, ready for anything.
No more than a few seconds had passed when a tall, brown eyed boy with the demeanor of a puppy appeared next to a tree on their left along with a smaller, blond baby-faced boy not ten feet in front of Louis, a leggy brunette girl facing Zayn and finally a tall, green-eyed man... boy? clad in black to their right. They were effectively surrounded.
Zayn barely noticed the rest after "puppy boy" as Louis had mentally dubbed him made his appearance and Louis had to smack him to get his attention, earning a growl from puppy boy, and then an even louder growl from the man, boy? wolf? in black.
The wolf in black was the first to speak."What business does a human and werewolf have in this territory?"
Unable to stifle himself, Louis glanced around slowly, "Well, your Lordship, I don't see any names on anything unless you lot pissed your way around the entire border of the forest and if that's the case you might wanna see your family vet - do they make Depends for dogs?" Zayn pinched him in warning and Louis bit the insides of his cheeks before he got them killed.
The green-eyed man stared at him then while choking noises came from others.
"You're trespassing."
"That's what we were hoping for." Louis spoke because he knew Zayn wouldn't.
More staring.
"We request an audience with your leader." Louis said, even though he had a feeling he was already looking at him. He was right.
Zayn, when Louis came up with the idea of joining a pack, had been dead set against it, after meeting Liam though, that changed. Louis wasn't stupid, he never would have jumped feet-first into this unless he'd known exactly what he was doing. According to the obscure info he'd managed to gather because he was a bloody genius, he had learned that Were packs tended to protect their territory, and the people within. This town? Was Styles territory and the pack protected it. After being taken back to Harry's house - a giant manor on the moors - and hours of trying to convince Harry to accept Zayn, and explaining how they got into the Wolfy situation in the first place, Harry told them he would consider it.
"Try to make up your mind before the next full moon and he tries to kill me again." Louis snarked, only half serious.
Harry's eyes had flashed a golden-green at that. "He harmed you?"
Afraid Harry would think Zayn unfit, he hurried to reassure. "It was his first moon! I stupidly ran away-"
"Never." Harry was in his face so suddenly Louis nearly choked on his own tongue."Run. From a wolf."
"I'm seriously thinking of running away from you right now."
Harry jerked away from him and was on the other side of the room before Louis could blink, holding the door open and ignoring puppy boy - Liam's - pleading looks. "I'll discuss it with my pack."
In the end, Harry had accepted Zayn; Louis' heart was still recovering. That night, he'd been in the middle of finishing up a book report on North & South, and had gone downstairs for a bowl of yogurt and a bottle of water. The yogurt ended up on the ceiling after he'd come back to Harry Styles standing in the middle of his room like some creepy gothic lamp Louis didn't remember buying. Before he could screech and inevitably drop dead from shock, Harry shoved him against the desk, clamping a large hand over his mouth, eyes glowing a green-gold that made him appear more feline than lupine. The bloke was lucky he didn't end up covered in recycled peach yogurt - Louis was never very good at controlling his stomach when he was terrified.
"H-How do you know where I live?" Louis had asked once the hand was gone.
Harry just stared down at him like a serial killer but when Louis tried to move, a low growl filled the space between them. "Your scent."
Louis' mouth dropped open. "Oookay. I'll just pretend you found me via stalking. Less creepy."
Harry ignored him. "I will accept Zayn into my pack."
Thank God.
"Uh..." Louis leaned even further away and perched on the desk. Werewolf body heat was a thing, apparently. "Then...why aren't you in his room scaring the crap out of him?"
"You're his Alpha," Harry said matter-of-factly.
Louis laughed. "I'm not a wolf-"
"No, but you're strong and competent. You sought me out to keep him safe and you negotiated with an Alpha. I respect that."
Louis fought a blush at the compliment. It meant a lot coming from an actual Alpha werewolf.
"You would make an excellent-" Harry stopped, seeming to catch himself at the last second and Louis found it rather... odd. "-leader." He finished haltingly.
"I'm fifteen, I doubt I'd make an excellent anything...besides troublemaker, according to me mum."
Harry went stiff, like someone had walked up and clocked him on the head. Louis reached out without thinking.
"Don't." Harry snapped. And just like that all the niceness was sucked out of the bloke..werewolf. Harry backed away, face tight and empty of emotion as he made his way to the window he must have climbed through. "Inform Zayn he is to be at my house on Saturday morning. 8 sharp."
"I hope you realize we come as a package deal."
Harry paused with one leg poised out the window and Louis would have laughed if he wasn't so confused. "I know."
Then he was gone.
"Louis!!"
Louis blinks at Zayn and pulls an annoyed face. "If you're gonna shout, get out."
Zayn throws his hands up in defeat. "Been tryna get your attention for like two minutes what the hell?"
"Zoned out, keep your fur on." Louis rolls his eyes. "I honestly have no clue what Harry's problem is. Maybe he needs to get laid or something."
"First off, ew." Zayn shudders in disgust. "Never mention him and sex again or I may get sick all over you. Second, he's screwing Dylan."
The pencil in Louis' hand snaps. And he really, really hopes Zayn hasn't figured out how to scent out different emotions yet because-
"Are you jealous?"
Dammit.
"Of course I'm jealous!" Louis throws the pencil pieces at him. "Everyone but me is getting some! I'm going to die a bloody virgin."
Zayn looks sympathetic. Nice save Tommo! "You'll find someone," Zayn assures. "I'm sure your other half is just...a stubborn goddamn mule, uh..or something."
Louis pulls a face. "What the fuck are you even talking about? My other half? I just wanna get some. I'm too young to be tied down mat- er, dude."
He's lying through his teeth. He would love to be tied down...wow no. Nevermind. Rephrasing his entire life now. He'd love to be in a relationship. And if it happens to last forever....so be it. He's not jealous of Liam and Zayn's life-bond thingy. Haha. But if he ever happened to stumble into the same situation he'd probably get landed with a crabby douchbag and well, he didn't even want to go there.
Except he's been in the vicinity of there for months and he hates himself for it. He has no chance. Zero. So why even entertain it?
God. He needs to get a life outside of this werewolf business.
"I'm tied down for life," Zayn shrugs. "I don't mind at all, but you're not a wolf so you wouldn't understand. I'm just glad I met Liam as a wolf. He told me that having a human Mate can drive a Were insane if..." Zayn's mouth snaps shut and the look on his face is guilty, like he just ratted out his brother to the Mafia.
Bloody werewolves.
-¤-
"What's he doing here."
"Nice to see you too Mr Wolf." Louis says brightly as he waltzes past Harry, who's still glaring at the spot on the porch previously occupied by him and Zayn.
"It is wolves only tonight," Harry growls. "It's too close to the full-" He spins and glares at Zayn. "You shouldn't even be near him this close to the full moon, Zayn. It's irresponsible."
Louis huffs. "Hold on-"
Harry ignores him and continues to back Zayn towards the wall. "I warned you." His voice is deeper now, the wolf taking over.
"I wouldn't hurt him! He's my best friend."
"You almost killed him once." Harry snarls. Louis' eyes dart between the two...did Harry actually care about him? "The last thing we need is to raise suspicion. If you kill him, we'll have to relocate."
So much for that. Louis is seething now. "I'll have you know-" He tugs Harry's arm, careless of the fact that he could get his throat ripped out. When Harry shrugs him off he shoves himself in front of Zayn.
Over Harry's shoulder, he sees the rest of the pack has gathered to enjoy the show. Vultures. "I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of looking after myself! If I wanna hang-out with Zayn you can't do jack shit! You're not my Alpha."
Harry's eyes flare. "You can look after yourself?" His fangs drop. He pounces before Louis can process the movement, launching him across the room like a rag doll and catching him before he crashes to the floor, softening the blow, but holding him firmly against the hardwood floor, caging him.
Louis is pretty sure his heart is still in the kitchen. Holy shit. Harry isn't going to let him go until he submits. He knows this. They've been through this a hundred times and yet, Louis refuses, just like he always does. He knows Harry won't kill him. Doesn't want to 'draw suspicion' and a mutilated sixteen year old would bring a mountain of that down on his head.
Louis lowers his eyes. It's small, but it's enough. Harry lets go and is up and across the room, lounging in the love-seat like nothing happened. Louis sometimes wonders what the Alpha would do if he ever bared his throat and showed him total submission instead of barely there grudgingly given scrap Louis knows damn well wouldn't be nearly enough to get Harry to ease off the other pack members. It's because he's human. Weak and fragile. Still, it makes him feel inadequate. Like he isn't worth pushing. He wishes Harry would push him, just once. Louis is curious, wants to know how much he could take before he finally bared his throat - how far Harry would go. Louis suspects if he were a few years older he would know exactly how far.
"Do you have a death wish?" Perrie hisses, tugging on his sleeve. Louis shrugs her off as he watches Dylan slide into Harry's lap and he finds himself wondering and maybe even afraid of the answer: Is Dylan Harry's Mate?
Stubbornly, Louis crosses his arms and ignores Zayn's attempt to coddle him as his friend pats the cushion next to him "I'm staying." He announces and plops himself into the chair across from the love-seat. "If anyone has a problem with that they'll have to drag me out of here screaming."
The muscle in Harry's jaw works furiously but he doesn't say a word.
Good.