Chapter Text
Jay pushed the large wooden doors open as she entered Whitemoon School, her face tight with a frown at having to leave the restaurant on one of the busiest days of the week. She was trying her best to make life on herself and her son as easy as possible in a new town, but Louis wasn’t doing his part, and hadn’t been since the moment they’d arrived the month before. She could hardly blame the boy. Being uprooted was one thing, but relocating to a town full of Werewolves was another entirely. Nonetheless, fighting in school wouldn’t be tolerated, no matter how upset Louis was by the change. Jay sighed to herself, hoping that one day Louis would realize it was for the best. Here, they were under an Alpha’s protection and James, Louis’ father, would never be able to lay another hand on either of them.
“Jay.” A warm voice greeted.
“Alpha.” Jay bowed her head in respect. She may be human, but that didn’t mean she was above showing respect to the woman currently protecting her, and more importantly her son. However, it was difficult to keep the confusion from her face as she wondered why Anne, like Jay herself, was waiting in the hall with the look of a long exasperated mother. Jay knew that look well enough. “What...”
Before she could ask, the sounds of growling and snapping echoed down the hall, followed by the sound of her ten year old shouting something rather nasty. Jay felt her face redden.
-:-
Louis twisted his body and kicked angrily at the boy to his left, who responded by growling and taking another swipe at him with sharp nails. Headmaster Murphy, who was currently holding the two of them by the scruffs, sighed and yanked again, continuing to drag them down the hallway. I do not get paid enough for this shit, Murphy thought, rolling his glacial eyes heavenward.
“Nobody wants you here!” The curly-haired boy snapped, and despite the prick that not being accepted caused in his chest, Louis bristled and fought harder against the firm grip on his jumper.
“Shut up!” He yelled back, “You think you’re so good, but you’re a just a mutt!”
The taller boy seemed to have a burst of strength and speed then, ripping himself from the Headmaster’s hold and charging Louis. They hit the floor scratching and biting at one another, Louis getting the worst of it because he didn’t have claws and fangs when he got angry the way this boy, Harry, did. Not that he let it stop him from giving as good as he got. He didn’t care if Harry was the Alpha’s son and an Alpha himself, all he knew was he wanted to hurt him.
He pulled his fist back and popped Harry in the nose with a satisfying crunch. The enraged look on the other boy’s now bloodied face told Louis he was about to get ripped apart, but before he could truly get scared, a harsh voice caused them both to freeze.
“Enough!”
Harry reacted first, growling at his mother, shocking her stiff with his display of aggression, in public of all places. Louis didn’t understand what was happening, and he didn’t care. “Get off!” He kicked at Harry, who growled at him but stood, still glaring at his mother.
Anne’s voice was hard when she spoke; an Alpha demanding submission. “Harry.”
If she thought her son would roll over, she was in for a surprise as her tone had the exact opposite effect. A mulish expression dominated the boy’s face now, and a rumbling tore its way up his throat. She tried again, pushing against the young Alpha’s will with her own. “Harry.”
Harry pushed back, incisors lengthening and eyes growing dark with defiance.
Rebellion in young Alphas was not uncommon, but in one as young as Harry, especially of such magnitude, was unprecedented. The boy was barely eleven, and already Anne felt challenged for her position as High Alpha. This, she knew, was not good.
Louis slowly stood, clenching his teeth so he wouldn’t make a sound as the scratches littering him stung. Harry’s green eyes snapped to his blue ones then. Louis straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin in his own show of defiance. No Alpha brat was bossing him about.
Anne understood the reason for the fighting in that moment. Harry, despite his young age, was accustomed to the other children bending to his will. But this one, Louis Tomlinson, small, and a human to boot, was having none of it. Anne was uncertain if this was a good thing or bad thing, but she knew it would most definitely be an interesting thing as time went on. She turned to Jay then, knowing the poor woman was embarrassed and worried that she and her son would be punished for Louis’ actions against the Alpha’s son. Anne had no such thing in mind, as she was grateful to little Louis for teaching her hot-tempered son a valuable lesson: not everyone could be bullied. But also that courage could sometimes come from the most unexpected places.
Before Jay could apologize, Anne reassured her with a calm smile and a promise to the Headmaster that this would not be repeated.
As he watched Harry walk away with his mum, Louis knew from the look on Jay’s face that he was in trouble, and would probably be denied tele for a week or two, but he didn’t care. It was worth it.
-:-
Shockingly, meaning not, it wasn’t the last time. Far from it, and the fighting only grew worse and worse as the boys grew.
Now at ages 16 and 17 respectively, Louis and Harry both had borne the scars the other had inflicted, Louis worst of all, given Harry’s healed almost as fast as he got them. Still, Louis refused to let Harry treat him as inferior just because he was smaller and didn’t possess a set of claws. He fought the other boy at every turn to make sure he didn’t forget it.
Harry on the other hand, was a typical Alpha, as Louis had always known him to be. It was just amplified by about a million now. He was rude, arrogant, smug, condescending, and just about every other horrid trait Louis could think of, but the worst of it was the complete and utter pigheadedness. Louis could admit to being stubborn himself, but it was nothing in the face of Harry’s obstinate shadow. Louis wanted to claw his big stupid face off. In fact, he’d often approached Anne over the years, hinting around for her to turn him so he could do just that. She always said no of course, likely guessing his motivations. Harry knew about it as well. Louis had mentioned it once in the middle of a particularly violent argument and the other boy had nearly imploded on himself at the mention of Louis getting the transformation bite from Anne.
Well fuck him. Louis was every bit as determined as Harry, and he would get his way, some day. Until then, he’d keep kicking Harry’s bullshit right back in his smug, smirking face.