Chapter Text
Harry walked into his bedroom with nothing more than a towel on, still relaxed from the shower he had taken that morning. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the boy that was lounging on his bed.
To his credit, Harry’s voice didn’t come out squeaky with surprise as he enquired, “Louis?”
When the werewolf’s gaze fell on him, however, Harry felt his knees grow just a tad weaker. A rush of smug satisfaction raced through him as he saw the way Louis’ eyes flashed gold, the wolf biting down a growl of pleasure as he surveyed the form of his half-naked mate. Harry’s hands reached down to hold his towel in a firmer grasp but there wasn’t much he could do about the way his cock was starting to stir to life.
“Jesus”, Louis breathed out, eyes taking in the blushing, younger boy, “How are you real?”
The comment only served to make Harry’s blush deepen and his arousal to grow. He knew Louis had gotten a whiff of the lustful scent when the wolf let out a pained whine.
“Wh..what are you doing here?” Harry stammered out, forcing himself to turn away and grab the first set of clothes he could find.
Louis took a deep, shuddering breath before turning his head sideways and burying his face in Harry’s pillow.
“Felt like seeing you”, he mumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow, “Your bed smells fucking amazing, you know that?”
“Can’t say I do”, Harry chuckled, watching the wolf fondly as Louis sniffed his pillow.
It took him another moment to realise that Louis’ body was tense, his hands curling into the pillow as he took deep breaths, almost as if he needed Harry’s scent.
“Lou? Is everything alright?” Harry murmured quietly, pulling on his shirt.
“Huh? Yeah, sure! Things are…it’s fine”, Louis’ voice didn’t have to crack for Harry to know his mate was lying.
He wondered if Jay had told Louis the pack wasn’t ready to meet Harry yet, as she had done five months ago when Louis had asked his Alpha.
“I swear she adores you, Hazza”, Louis had placated him when Harry had gotten upset, “She just thinks…she thinks you’re too young. She screamed at me for an hour when she found out we’d met”.
“Is she gonna stop us from seeing each other?” Harry has asked, heart hammering in fear.
“No,” Louis’ arms had come around him then, letting him rest his head against the werewolf’s warm chest, “Now that we’ve met, the pull I feel for you is stronger. It’ll cause me physical pain if I’m away from you for more than a few days. She’s angry I didn’t stay away until you turned sixteen but she’s not cruel”.
“Does she think…that I’m not good enough for you?”
It was Harry’s biggest fear, his greatest insecurity. Louis had cupped his jaw then, tilting his face until they were eye to eye.
“You’re my everything, Hazza. There’s no one better. There could never be.”
“But…” Harry trailed off, not wanting to show how upset he was by the fact Jay had told Louis not to bring him to the pack house.
“Mum’s looking out for you, love”, Louis explained, knowing what his mate was thinking, “Being introduced to the pack is a big deal. It’s…a declaration. A wolf’s way of stating their intentions to mate someone. I know what I feel for you is real but we only met a week ago. She said we should get to know each other better and that I should explain everything about werewolves to you before we meet the rest of the pack”.
“But I will meet them at some point, right?” Harry murmured.
Louis gave him a fond smile as he answered, “Sooner than you think”.
Five months later, Jay had told Louis she wanted Harry to formally meet the pack. Harry had been ecstatic. Now, he wondered if she had changed her mind. Maybe she thought he still wasn’t ready.
He ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach and chose to check on Louis instead.
“Lou, come on. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”
Louis made a soft whine but otherwise, simply muttered, “Everything’s fine”.
Harry didn’t say anything; just reached up and pulled his silver necklace off, placing it on the bedside table before reaching for the werewolf.
The moment Harry’s hand came in contact with the older boy’s shoulder, Louis’ body seemed to relax, even as he growled, “Put the necklace back on, Harry”.
“No”, Harry stated and Louis turned to look at him, disapproving but still fond.
Harry took the opportunity to clamber onto the bed and push Louis back until the wolf was lying against the pillows with Harry straddling his thighs.
“Hazza!” Louis groaned in frustration but, when the younger lad leant forward, the werewolf’s hands came up to grasp his hips, holding him in place.
“You promised you’d keep it on”, Louis muttered and Harry smirked.
“I will. When you tell me the truth”, he replied, tilting his head to the side so that the pale column of his neck was exposed, “Tell me what’s wrong, Alpha”.
“I’m not Alpha yet but that’s still playing dirty!” Louis growled but he instinctively pulled his mate closer to scent his neck.
Harry let him, running his hands over Louis’ shoulders and upper back as the wolf gently nuzzled him. He knew his skin would sport a red mark from the sprinkling of facial hair Louis possessed but that only made him feel more content. Louis whined softly, gathering Harry closer and the younger boy obliged by tilting his neck further, giving the werewolf better access.
“So,” he commented idly while Louis was rubbing his scent over him, “What’s got you so worried?”
Louis’ body seemed to deflate, as if he had accepted defeat but Harry only had a moment to feel smug about that before the wolf suddenly rolled them over so he was on top.
“Stop using my weaknesses against me”, Louis murmured in his ear, his hands squeezing Harry’s hips possessively.
“Not gonna happen”, Harry breathed back, eyes unable to leave the electric blue that stared down at him.
He shuddered with pleasure when Louis leant down to nudge his head back further and nuzzled against his neck. His fingers traced Harry’s jaw and then, his lips followed the same path.
Louis pressed his lips against the younger boy’s heated skin and, when he spoke, Harry could feel the teasing slide of his teeth. It made him want to arch up into his mate’s touch but he forced himself to lie still and listen.
“You love flirting with danger, don’t you?” Louis rasped, the sound sending jolts of pleasure through Harry’s body.
“D..depends”, Harry managed to croak out but he forgot the rest of his planned response when Louis’ teeth nipped against his skin, lightly.
He couldn’t have stopped the moan that left his mouth, sounding filthy and raw and desperate. Louis’ breathing kicked up a notch and it gave Harry a thrill to know that he wasn’t the only one who was affected by all this.
“Gonna mark me?” Harry teased and then, because, it seemed, he did like flirting with danger, added, “Because you might want to get around to it before someone else does”.
Louis made a sound, halfway between a growl and a snarl, and then he was attacking Harry’s neck with his mouth. Biting short and sharp, light enough to not break the skin but hard enough to leave behind the indention of his teeth. Harry knew his moans sounded borderline pornographic, Louis’ growls of approval only fuelling him on. A part of him remembered that there were other people in the house but it was difficult focusing on anything that wasn’t Louis Tomlinson and his gifted mouth. His cock was fattening up under his pants and he had to use all his willpower to not start grinding against Louis.
Louis’ own cock was hard, the outline pressing against Harry’s thighs but the wolf was too focused on marking his mate to notice. He pressed kisses to the now red skin, sucking on it lightly before his tongue laved at the red mark, soothing the sting.
“Mine”, Louis’ growl was dark and possessive as he pressed one last kiss to the site before rolling away.
Harry couldn’t stop himself from whining with displeasure but the older boy ignored it and plopped down on the bed next to him, panting heavily.
“That’s all I get?” Harry pouted, “One lousy mark?”
“Don’t tempt me”, Louis hissed out from between his teeth and suddenly, his arms were around Harry, pulling him into the wolf’s warm embrace.
It should have fuelled his desire but instead, being held by Louis only made him feel sleepy and relaxed.
“No fair”, Harry muttered, even as he snuggled closer to the older lad’s warmer body, “You know cuddling makes me sleepy”.
The werewolf buried his answering chuckle against Harry’s neck, subtly inhaling the scent there until his body relaxed.
“Zayn,” Louis said after a few moments of silence.
Harry’s eyes had fluttered shut but he hummed to show that he was listening.
“He asked my mum to turn Payne.”
Harry blinked awake, pulling back slightly and reaching over to cup Louis’ cheek until the werewolf’s eyes met his. The sparkling blue was dimmed with worry and looked…conflicted.
“Turn? What does that mean?”
He couldn’t recall Louis ever having mentioned such a word before during his explanations about werewolves.
“He wants…” Louis hesitated but, at Harry’s encouraging look, he carried on, “He wants to turn Liam into a werewolf so he can join our pack”.
Harry’s eyes widened, mouth falling open.
“Mum refused, of course”, Louis continued, not seeming to be able to stop now that he had started, “We only turn humans once they’re mated to a werewolf and even then, only if the human agrees to it. Zayn hasn’t even spoken to Liam about it yet. So, Mum refused and he turned to me, asking me to give Liam the turning bite”.
“You can do that?” Harry asked, his thumb absently stroking over Louis’ cheekbone in comfort.
Louis nodded, letting out a soft sigh and leaning into the touch.
“Yeah. Because I’m the future Alpha, I can pass on the wolf gene but I won’t do it without following the proper protocol. So, I said no and now he hates me. Mum’s right though. She thinks it’s Zayn’s wolf that’s causing him to be so adamant about this. His wolf’s scared of losing his mate.”
“How would he lose Liam?” Harry asked, curious despite himself.
“Payne could choose to follow in his Dad’s footsteps; to be a Protector and reject his mate. If he were turned, he’d have to move in with the pack while he learnt to control his wolf. He’d be away from his dad, who Zayn’s wolf considers a threat.”
“Liam wouldn’t choose his dad over Zayn. He…really cares about him”, Harry replied, remembering the way Liam had spoken about Zayn.
Over the last five months, Liam had stopped attending Protector training and started hanging out with Zayn more but, as far as Harry was aware, he still hadn’t told his dad about it.
“Try telling Zayn’s wolf that”, Louis chuckled, without any real humour, “I mean, it does make sense in a way. His mate hasn’t said anything to indicate that he’s willing to solidify the bond. They might be friends now but, until Payne decides to wear Zayn’s token, his inner wolf sees it as a potential rejection. It’s afraid”.
Harry bit his lip, not knowing how to defend that. He knew Liam was frightened too, but his fear had more to do with his dad finding out and hurting Zayn than being rejected by his mate.
“Zayn’s…he’s been my best mate since we were cubs. It hurts that he’d try and pin this on me when he knows I can’t turn a human without their permission.”
Louis’ voice sounded pained; resigned.
“So, Zayn’s wolf is angry and afraid of losing his mate and he’s acting out against you because you’re his future Alpha”, Harry summarised.
He took a deep breath before continuing, keeping his words slow and measured, “I’m not going to pretend to know what that feels like. I have no point of reference to compare it to. But I do know that Zayn doesn’t hate you. He could never hate you”.
He carried on before Louis could interrupt.
“He defied Jay, your Alpha, just so he could make your rut easier by giving you a piece of clothing with my scent on it. He’s the only one in your pack who dared to do that, the only one who was willing to shoulder the blame if Jay found out.”
“He did that out of loyalty”, Louis argued but his voice was weak, “He did it because he’s my Beta”.
“No,” Harry stroked the skin under Louis’ eyes, smiling softly when the wolf let out a quiet snuffle, “He did it because he’s your friend and he cares about you. I don’t know much about his…wolf but the human part of him doesn’t hate you, Lou. And I don’t think his wolf could either”.
He was relieved when Louis’ lips curled up into a soft smile.
“You’re amazing, Hazza”, he murmured, moving a hand to push back Harry’s curls from his forehead, “I’m so fucking lucky to have you”.
“You don’t have me yet”, Harry teased, moving back slightly so he could tilt his neck and expose the area that, Louis had told him, would one day house the claiming bite.
Louis growled softly, playfully pawing at Harry’s chest until the boy curled up close to him again.
It had only been five months they first saw each other but Harry already felt as if Louis and him had been dating for years. Everything seemed better with Louis there; it felt right.
Harry wasn’t sure how Liam managed to keep away from Zayn if all mates felt like this. Especially now, with Liam being sixteen. A part of him admired his friend for sticking to his guns and wanting to take things slow but another part thought he was idiotic. No matter what his dad said, why would Liam not want to give himself a chance at true happiness? Why was he torturing both himself and Zayn by denying them a proper relationship?
Thinking about Liam and Zayn brought a more important question to Harry’s mind.
“Do…um..do I have a token from you?” he asked, hesitantly.
Louis was silent for a second before he nodded.
“Yeah,” he waved a hand in the general direction of where Harry had deposited the silver necklace, “It’s part of our..uh, mating ritual”.
Louis scratched the back of his neck, face turning slightly pink.
Harry’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What? Why have you never mentioned this before? What does a mating ritual involve?”
“So many questions, love”, Louis chuckled but his arms tightened around Harry to let him know he was only teasing.
“The ritual has four stages,” he continued, smiling as he saw the excitement in Harry’s eyes at the prospect of learning something new about werewolves, “The first is Recognition, which happened when we were kids. I saw you in the forest and my wolf recognised you as my mate. The second stage is pre-bonding. That’s where the personal token comes in. It’s a promise, I suppose. My way of making it clear to you that you’re mine and that, when the time is right, I’ll claim you. It has the added benefit of keeping other wolves away from you. Most wolves give pre-bond tokens to their mates when they’re still underage. It…keeps our wolves satisfied. Somewhat”.
Harry nodded.
“Once the token is accepted by your mate, it leads to the third stage- Pack Integration.”
“Is that…when I meet your pack tomorrow night, is that what it is?” Harry asked, suddenly nervous.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t figure that out”, Louis bit his lip at Harry’s accusing glare, “That’s also part of the reason why Mum wanted me to wait to introduce you to the pack. She didn’t want to overwhelm you”.
“What happens during Pack Integration?”
“Uh, well, pack members set out challenges to determine if a wolf’s mate is ‘fit’ to be a part of the pack.”
At Harry’s terrified expression, Louis hurried to reassure him.
“It’s not as scary as it sounds, I promise. It’ll mostly just be my Mum and sisters asking you things about yourself to check that you’d fit into the pack. It’s just a formality to make sure our inner wolves are right and that it’s definitely our mates that we’re planning to bond with.”
“Do..do your inner wolves ever get it wrong?” Harry asked and Louis sighed.
“Only if they’re manipulated or tricked. It’s extremely rare. I swear, Hazza. The tests are going to be a piece of cake for you!”
Harry felt a warm feeling spread through him at Louis’ confidence in his abilities.
“And what’s the last stage?” Harry murmured, already knowing the answer.
“The Bond Establishment”, Louis whispered back, almost as if the words were sacred, “It’s when we…um, you know, to…uh, establish the bond”.
Harry didn’t miss the way Louis shifted his hand down to readjust himself in his pants. He bit back a smile at the thought that just this conversation was riling Louis up.
“It’s the final act of the mating ritual,” Louis continued, clearing his throat, “The one that ties mates together for life. Once the bond is established, only death can break it”.
“But I have to be sixteen for that?” Harry asked and Louis nodded.
“It’s…my wolf doesn’t care about waiting but I do. I’m not going to make you decide whether you want to be tied to me for life at the age of fourteen, love”, Louis smiled.
“I’ve already decided”, Harry insisted, “My mind’s not going to change in a year and a half, Lou”.
“Then there’s no harm in waiting”, Louis murmured back, kissing away Harry’s pout, “You’re worth it, Hazza. We’re worth it”.
The soft, warm press of Louis’ lips against his was interrupted by his mum calling up the stairs, reminding Harry it was time for school.
Harry ignored her and wound his arms around Louis’ neck, pulling the wolf closer to him. For a few seconds, Louis gave in, running his tongue over Harry’s bottom lip until the younger boy’s parted with a moan.
“You’ll be late for school”, Louis mumbled against his mouth, “And your Mum doesn’t know about us yet. I don’t want her walking in on me ravaging her underaged son”.
Harry kissed him harder, panting out, “I don’t care. I want to be ravaged. Just keep-”
His words were cut off by Louis pressing a firm, hard kiss to his pliant lips, nipping the bottom one just enough for Harry to feel the sting of the wolf’s teeth.
He was still reeling from the sensations when Louis gave him a wink and murmured, “See you tomorrow evening, love”, before slipping out of his bedroom window.
Harry let out a heavy sigh and reached down to palm himself through his pants. It didn’t feel nearly as satisfying as it would have if it had been Louis’ hand.
“I hate being fourteen”, he muttered to himself, petulantly and he thought he heard the answering sound of wolf’s howl.