When the darkness laid its veil over the forest, the pack gathered under the starry sky in a clearing behind the Alpha's huge cabin. At this time, most wolves would actually already be in bed. Today, however, there was great unrest and a lot of hustle and bustle among them. No one knew why the alpha had ordered them all here. Even though he wasn't a wolf, Louis could feel the pack's confusion and fear. It was unsettling.

"Quiet, everyone!" Alpha Harrison stepped into their middle, shutting everyone up. "It has come to my attention that one of us is missing. A young beta named Sabrina. She disappeared yesterday and hasn't been seen since. I've talked to her parents and we're doing everything in our power to find her as soon as possible".

"Maybe she just met up for some fun and isn't able to walk back here" a big-headed Alpha named Aidan snickered nastily.

Head alpha Harrison ignored him, but not without an amused smirk visible on his otherwise stone-cold face. "I've called you here today to prevent rumours from wandering through the pack. None of you has anything to worry about. It's just a matter of hours before we find her. Stay calm and live on normally. Don't waste your energy on gossip or rumours that are simply not true. I will keep you all safe, no matter what".

"But where could she possibly be? There is nowhere to go from here. She might be in danger" one wolf dared to speak up.

"What's with all the fuss? Just a missing beta. For all we know she might have left us to live with the humans because she knows how useless she'd be in this pack in the long run. She wouldn't be the first beta to abandon us" Aidan shot back condescendingly.

"I wonder why" Louis muttered under his breath but decided against actually speaking up this time. Last time it had ended in a mess with lots of screaming and some painful punches.

"She wouldn't just leave without saying goodbye. She had plans for our pack" Sabrina's mother stood up to Aidan strongly.

"A beta's plans are nothing to us" Aidan snarled at her, dangerously close to using his alpha voice on her.

"Enough!" head alpha Harrison intervened now in his alpha voice, making everyone bow their heads in submission. Except for Louis.

"We'll find our beta and bring her back. She's precious to us. Meeting done. Everyone home now".

The way Harrison had said the word precious was not sitting right with Louis. He knew betas were practically useless for this pack, they weren't taken seriously and only used for alphas' fun most of the time. A part of Louis hoped Sabrina would never come home.

"Yeah. Can't lose her. She's too good" one of Aidan's friends tittered disgustingly, making Louis want to puke.

"Fair point, bro" Aidan agreed with him.

"Let's hope she comes back in one piece, otherwise having fun might be difficult and then she's even more useless" another one of his friends taunted her although she could be dead.

"Depends on the body part that comes back" Aidan cackled cruelly, his friends laughing along with him.

"And if it still works" a third friend added barbaric.

"Boys, what are you still doing here? Go home. We talk tomorrow" head alpha Harrison approached them and they immediately headed home without another word.

Louis was sure Harrison had heard their cruel words but of course, he would never say something. Louis knew Harrison agreed with them, as cruel as that was. Betas weren't highly regarded in this specific pack for whatever reason. That's why it had been such a scandal as his own son turned out to be a beta and his daughter presented as an alpha instead. Female alphas were also not respected because, for this pack, being female meant you were supposed to be an omega and carry out pups. Female alphas and maleo megas were not accepted. But it happened a lot lately, much to Harrison's disliking.

"Louis Dear, how are you holding up?" Bella came over to him surprisingly, a friendly smile plastered onher face.

She has always been nice to him when they crossed ways but that barely happened. As the head alpha's omega she wasn't allowed to hold a conversation with him. Or anyone else who wasn't accepted in this pack. It must be hard for her because she was such a sweetheart, unlike her alpha.

"I'm good. Thanks" Louis forced a smile onto his face.

"Are you sure, Love?" Bella stroked a strand of hair out of his face tenderly, watching him closely.

"As good as I can be" Louis shrugged tensely. If Harrison knew ...

"How's work treating you?" Bella checked concerned.

"Good. It's nice to help out at the nurse office. Maria is amazing" Louis answered truthfully but wondered once again how Maria was allowed to be the head nurse as abeta. What was up with that?

"She really is" Bella agreed smilingly, sounding overly fond.

"Um ..." someone cleared their throat behind Bella, causing her to turn around and reveal a nervous-looking Niall. "Harrison was asking for you, Bella".

"Oh, I better hurry. Keep your head up, Louis. Everything will be alright" Bella told him softly before she left them alone.

"I hope she is right. Sabrina is already the fifth beta going missing this month alone. I don't know about you but I don't feel safe" Niall talked to him as if this was normal between them.

"I never feel safe" Louis replied before he could stop himself, his eyes growing huge in realisation and shock. "Forget I said that".

"I ..." Niall looked like he was at a loss for words. "I get it, Louis".

"Not sure you do but thanks" Louiso nly wanted to leave.

"No ...".

"Why are you bothering my friend, Tomlinson?" Harry came over to them with firm steps. "Since when are you allowed to talk to us? Back off, human".

"H, he wasn't bothering m ...".

"Don't bother, Niall" Louis cut him off, knowing there was no use in reasoning with Harry. "He already has his mind set on hating me. No use in trying to change that".

"Don't act all hurt now. You knowy our place and it's not here. Not with us. That's no news for you, Tomlinson" Harry spat arrogantly.

"Never said it was" Louis kept his voice steady.

Turning his back towards them, he started to make his way home. Like every day, he wondered what Harry's actual problem was. They've never talked more than a few words when they were younger until it completely stopped and he started ignoring his existence to this very day. He also didn't get why Harry acted the way he did and why he was kinda accepted together with Niall when they were both betas. No one bullied, taunted or abused them unlike every other beta in this pack. As a beta you were mostly human except for your heightened senses. So, where was the big difference between them and Louis? Was Harry hating on him because they were the same deep down?

"Nice big ass" one of Aidan's idiotic friends wolf-whistled when Louis passed them on his way home. This wasn't new.

"Too bad it's attached to a worthless human" Aidan's brother Ethan mocked him.

"Maybe he could be enough for a night, lads" Aidan taunted him in such a disgusting voice. "Show us that ass, Tomlinson".

"You think his dick is just as huge?" another alpha asked, obviously kidding and thinking he was funny.

"Probably not. All the size went into that juicy ass. God, I wanna bite it but I'm not keen on infecting myself with human" Aidan sniggered, causing his friends to cat-call Louis some more.

But he ignored it. He was used to this. This happened almost every day. With Aidan and his gang of stupid hormone-driven alphas it was always a mix between insults and cat-calling. They hated him, despised him but wanted into his pants at the same time. They've been trying for years but Louis wasn't interested in being their newest toy for a few days. Wolf-sex was obviously a lot rougher and as a human, Louis wasn't made for that. On top of that, he wouldn't want an alpha. He'd prefer an omega.

Back home, he directly jumped into his bed. For hours he lay awake and thought about his life and the dynamics in this pack. That his pack was a bit different was obvious to him. He knew there were other wolf packs in the world but he didn't know much about them. He only knew 'his pack' did not respect female alphas, male omegas or betas in any way. And like this, they didn't respect homosexual couples, which was too bad because Louis was sure he was gay. Another reason they would hate him and maybe kill him if they ever found out. But then again, for simple sex the alphas in this pack used everyone, male or female. The only respected betas in this pack were obviously Harry, Niall, Maria and Paul and Louis wondered why. With Harry, it was logical. And maybe Niall was respected because he was Harry's best friend.

Was Maria respected because she was their only nurse or because she has been Bella's best friend since childhood? But Bella as the head omega wasn't necessarily respected as much as she should be and Jessica as her other best friend was taunted too because she was a female alpha married to a male omega with an omega son, who was not your typical submissive omega. No, Luke was different and Louis loved that about him.

All of these thoughts drove him crazy but they made him sleepy around three in the morning. And finally, sleep came over him.

Running away from another one of Aidan's tries to get in his pants, Louis found himself at their Eastern borders, close to the city of Domumley. Walking through the woods alone has maybe not been his best idea because he was technically defenceless out here on his own. Other rogue wolves could attack him any time, like they did with his parents. They wouldn't know he was part of a wolf pack and his pack wouldn't care. In truth, they would be happy. And if he actually managed to survive an attack he would get in trouble later for leaving the village without permission. He wasn't allowed to just wander around and do as he pleases.

Suddenly he was startled by a noise. A crack close by. Maybe a broken twig on the forest ground. Someone had stepped on it. Twirling around, Louis spotted a figure in the distance. It was obviously no wolf. The posture screamed human, as far as he could tell. At first, the person didn't seem to notice him until their eyes met. Immediately, Louis could recognise fear and panic in these dark brown eyes of a young boy. Maybe his age.

Dumbly, Louis made a step towards him but that only seemed to scare the guy even more because he walked backwards, looking ready to bolt out of here to save his life. Holding his hands up to signal the guy that he wasn't about to hurt him, Louis stopped in his tracks and racked his brain for something to say or do.

"I'm not gonna hurt you" Louis settled on and wanted to slap himself. "Shit! I mean, I won't ... I'm not ... whatever".

"You don't sound dangerous" the guy actually walked a few steps closer to him, eyeing him warily.

"I'm really not. Look at me" Louis pointed at himself.

"You don't look dangerous at all this up close" the guy marked, visibly surprised by himself.

"Wow, thanks" Louis snorted teasingly. "That did not hurt at all".

"Sorry, I didn't meant to insult you or make you angry ...".

"I was kidding" Louis tried to bite back his grin.

"You ..." the guy looked at him in disbelief. "You made me believe I actually offended you. I thought you were gonna kill me".

"With what? My bare hands?" Louis cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Possibly" the guy seemed to relax in his presence.

"Have you seen how tiny and weak they are?" Louis presented his hands to him dramatically.

"Yeah, you can't kill someone with them" he actually played along.

"Exactly" Louis was full-on grinning now. "What are you doing out here on your own? It's not safe".

"I could ask you the same" he retorted skilfully.

"But I asked first" Louis winked at him. "And I actually know these woods because I live here. It's not that dangerous for me".

"Wait, you live here? So, you're a werewolf?" he seemed to connect the dots in his mind.

"Yes, I do but no, I'm not. I'm a human just like you" Louis had to disappoint him.

"And you live in these woods?" he frowned in confusion.

"Yes".

"With the werewolves or ...?".

"With the werewolves" Louis confirmed unbothered.

"Woah" he breathed out speechless. "Why ...? I mean,...".

"I get it. It's not a common thing and a bit weird but I've lived with them my entire life. My family was killed in these woods and they took me in. Simple as that" Louis explained to him shortly.

"That's nice of them" was all the guy was able to say.

"Yeah ...". Louis still wasn't sure if it was nice or not.

"I'm Zayn, by the way. Nice to meet you" Zayn introduced himself awkwardly.

"My pleasure. I'm Louis" Louis smiled at him. "And what are you doing out here, Zayn?".

"Nothing really. I was walking through Western Ley and ended up in the woods. I've never been here before and was just curious. I've heard about the wolves living here but ... I don't know" Zayn explained himself meekly.

"I get it. I'm also too curious for my own good and never cautious" Louis understood him without words.

"Is that why you have a black eye?" Zayn grinned amusedly.

"Huh? Oh yeah, can't stay out of trouble" Louis tried to laugh but he had completely forgotten about that. It has been Aidan's way to remind him of his worth and place in this pack. "Listen, you really shouldn't be here. Me neither, actually. If they see you ... you better go home, Zayn".

"Can I see you again?" Zayn hooked unsurely.

"Probably not. It's too dangerous. For both of us" Louis told him sadly. A part of him liked Zayn and wanted to see him again.

With an unreadable expression on his face, Zayn eyed him for a moment, stopping on his face. "Okay. Then I guess this is goodbye. It was a pleasure to meet you, Louis".

"The pleasure was mine, Zayn".

With a heavy feeling in his heart, Louis watched him go and felt like he should stop him but that was absurd. He didn't even know him. But he had felt weirdly at ease with this guy.

Suddenly, Zayn stopped and turned back around to him. "If you ever feel like being with non-wolves or if something happens, come and find me, Louis".

Still half-asleep, he blinked his eyes open because he had felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. Adjusting to the darkness in the room, Louis was met with Luke. "What happened?".

"You kept saying Zayn's name in your sleep, so I woke you up. Don't want anyone asking questions" Luke let him know softly.

"Thanks, Lee".

"Will you ever stop calling me that?" Luke groaned dramatically.

"Don't think so. It's adorable. And it's too much fun seeing you get all embarrassed" Louis sat up in his bed. He loved calling Luke Lee. It was a nickname for his second name Leander.

"Don't know why I made you breakfast. You're always so mean to me" Luke pouted huffy.

"You made breakfast? Do you wanna kill me?" Louis gaped at him, earning a punch to his shoulder in return. "Where's Jesy?".

"Already out, just like dad. It's just you and me. They said they won't be back until tonight" Luke informed him squirmy. Louis wondered what this was all about. He had a suspicion. But if that was it he needed food in his system. And a quick wash up.

"Let's use that time and find out if your breakfast skills have gotten better" Louis stood up.

"You're not any better than me" Luke pushed him forwards.

"But I'm not an omega. It's not in my blood" Louis countered teasingly because he knew Luke would get it.

"Not all of us are born chefs. Some never learn, duh".

"I would be a horrible omega" Louis joked light-heartedly.

"You wouldn't be an omega, Louis. We both know it" and with that, Luke left the room, leaving the door open for Louis to follow him.

That's what he did. They sat down at the kitchen table and ate Luke's prepared breakfast. It wasn't completely horrible this time. Afterwards, Louis went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash himself, knowing taking a bath right now would be pointless. He knew where their time alone would lead to and he was looking forward to it.

Due to them both being different and not accepted by the pack both boys knew they would never be happy in this pack and would be forever alone, which wasn't entirely horrible but it meant missing out on some things. So, a few weeks ago they had decided to try these things out together. They were best friends and would always stay best friends but both of them wanted this and needed it. They've done some things already but not the real deal because Luke has been close to his heat. They had made the deal to take this step after his heat because Louis wanted him to remember it.

Stepping out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, he was again met with Luke sitting on his bed. This time, he looked hella nervous and Louis wasn't having it. There was no need to be nervous.

"I can feel your nerves, Lee" Louis leaned against the door frame.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so nervous" Luke apologised, sounding guilty and anxious at the same time.

"No need to apologise. I get it but it's just me. We're in this together and don't need to do anything right now" Louis walked over to him, kneeling down right in front of him.

"I know but I want to. Isn't it normal to be a little bit scared?" Luke gnawed on his bottom lip.

"Yeah, it is. Especially because I'm not a werewolf. No alpha" Louis understood his worries.

"I'm not worried about that. It will be fine. It was fine until now. But maybe you will hate it. Realise it's disgusting to you because natural slick is not a human thing" Luke rambled insecurely.

"As if I would know what's human or not" Louis nudged him. "I've seen all this before, remember? I'm fine with it, as long as you are".

"I am and I wanna do this. With you. And it won't change anything between us. I promise" Luke assured him convincingly.

"I promise, too".

Later that day, Louis was taking a walk around the familiar area. His thoughts kept replying images from his moment with Luke. It has been quite good, amazing even. For a first time with no one knowing what to do. Obviously, Louis didn't know how this felt between two normal human beings but having sex with an omega was actually quite nice. The slick they produced and Luke has been worried about had been something that had turned Louis on beyond reason and it had made things easier. Of course, unlike an alpha, Louis couldn't knot Luke or anything like this but it was great nonetheless. It has been quite the experience.

"Woah, what's that smell? Oh, only human failure" Ethan couldn't hold himself back when he saw Louis walking by.

"How creative" Louis only rolled his eyes at his insult.

"Wait, do you smell that? It's not his usual human stench" Aidan stepped closer to him, sniffing him which was technically impolite for a werewolf. But Louis didn't comment on it when a low growl left Aidan's mouth. "Why the fuck do you smell like an omega?".

"You're right. The scent is all over him. Almost as if he has been rolling around in an omega's nest" Ethan glared at him.

"Or fucked one" Aidan realised with big, dark eyes, grabbing Louis by the collar of his shirt. "How dare you touch an omega like this!".

"Get off me" Louis pushed him back, actually managing to break free from his grip, which only ended in being pushed to the ground.

Quickly shielding his face as good as possible, Louis let Aidan and Ethan beat him up because he knew he could never fight back and win that fight. He was only human, after all.

"What is going on here?" the voice of head alpha Harrison sounded close to him and just like that, the punches were gone.

"We're just teaching him a lesson" Ethan smirked cruelly while Louis stood up to face Harrison, who was accompanied by Harry, who looked disgusted by the scene.

"And violence is the right way? He couldn't fight back to save his life and you both know that. It's a bit pathetic ...".

"He fucked one of our omegas. We were just putting him back in place" Aidan justified their behaviour.

"What?!" Harrison's voice reverberated through the air darkly.

"So what? He wanted it" Louis shrugged unfazed.

"He? So, you're even more of a disgrace by being gay on top of everything?!" Harrison's voice grew louder by the second.

"They fucked male omegas as well. It's not that big of a deal" Louis pointed at Aidan and Ethan, fearing for his life right now.

"But they're alphas!" Harrison exploded madly. "You're only human and should be ashamed of yourself. Was it Luke? I bet it was. That walking disgrace of an omega. Keep your disgusting human limbs away from my wolves!".

And with that said, he slapped Louis hard across the face. The sound could be heard miles away and the pain was unbearable. Alpha's strength was really something else, especially to a human.

"Don't you dare ever fuck one of my omegas ever again. Don't put your dirt on them" Harrison told him strongly, his alpha voice coming through. "At least, it was only Luke. No loss for us".

Pushing him to the ground again, Aidan and Ethan left with Harrison while Harry stayed back unnoticed and only looked down at him with a condescending look on his face. Louis was not looking forward to this but he knew Harry didn't care.

"So, you really fucked Luke? An omega? A wolf?" Harry clicked with his tongue, staring him down.

Louis stood up from the ground without facing him. "Just leave me alone. This is none of your business".

"Oh, but it is. This is my pack" Harry made himself appear taller than he already was. A poor act of non-existent dominance.

"It really isn't" Louis shot back unimpressed.

"They were right. You really don't know where your place is. You deserve all of this for going too far and crossing a line. You should be happy and grateful that we let you live with us but no. You only cause trouble and violate our rules. And now you had sex with an omega! You deserved every single punch and you should get more until you finally realise where your place is" Harry glared at him with dark eyes, so full of hate.

"I know my fucking place!" Louis snapped at him. His words really hurt him and hit straight home. "Don't you think I know I don't have a place in your stupid pack? I never asked you to take me in and I seriously wonder why your father did it in the first place. I know where I stand but it fucking hurts and is freaking lonely! Don't you understand how it feels to know you will be forever alone until the day you die? To know no one will ever want you?".

"You can always leave if you're this ungrateful. The human city is right outside these woods. Someone might want you there" Harry shrugged without any kind of sympathy or understanding.

"Seriously, fuck you. Fuck all of you" Louis was done with him.

Close to tears, he ran off and right back home. Immediately, he was met with Luke but ignored him and locked himself up in his room. He fell down on his bed and let his tears out. For hours, he cried his heart out until there were no tears left to cry. He thought about Aidan and Ethan's words, Harrison's words, Harry's words. No one wanted him here apart from Luke and his family. They were the only ones treating him right but no one else ever would. In this pack, he would never find a boyfriend because no one would date a human, except for Luke but they were friends. Even after they had had sex with each other.

Zayn's face appeared in his mind all over again and it made his heart hurt. A part of him wanted to leave right this second but where would he go? He had no idea where Zayn lived exactly. Domumley wasn't a small city. And he wasn't sure it would get better there. Or if he was ready to leave his life behind.

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Thoughts on the chapter? Will Louis leave?