𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 ⸙

1.30𓆩ᥫ᭡𓆪

Zayn hoped he didn't bump into his mother on the way to his room, but at the same time, he had to tell her and wished he had told her earlier that day before Jaiden interrupted them.

"Look at the floor" Zayn murmured as they left the entryway and walked down the large corridor to get to the stairs.

Liam wanted to look around, but couldn't cope
with the staring, so he did as Zayn told him. The
carpeted floor was a little muddy and worn down
from years of being trampled on.

The further they walked the more werewolves
came out of rooms to see why they could smell a
human. Zayn kept his glare aiming straight ahead.

He didn't speak, and he didn't slow down his
march, aware that Liam had to jog sometimes
to keep up. They were still holding hands, so Zayn
could always feel him there.

As they reached the wooden stairwell, they were
finally alone.

"I'll have to arrange a meeting soon to tell the wolves why there's a human here" Zayn said, wanting to take two steps at a time, but Liam
already struggled to keep up with him. "Are you
still doing okay?"

Liam nodded, now taking the time to look around because nobody was near to intimidate him.

The stairwell was all wooden and carved with
patterns. Liam expected fancy pictures or art or
something to cover the tall walls. They were as
bare as the institute gardens.

Liam was out of breath by the time they were at the top. Zayn stopped at the door that would lead into the hallway. "It's getting late, so my mum might be in her room. It's just down this corridor, but mine's at the end. We might make it without seeing her."

Zayn was so desperate to reach his room before
his mother smelt Liam, he dragged his mate down he corridor, flung his bedroom door open, and yanked Liam inside. "Sorry," he said as Liam caught his breath. "I think I'm nervous too."

"It's okay," Liam said, looking around the large
room. He could barely believe the size. Three of his bedrooms could fit in Zayn's room. "This is- um, very modern compared to the rest of the institute."

Zayn had a black theme going on, which was no
surprise. His double bed had a black frame, and
black bedding, his large desk next to his bed was
black, his cupboards and drawers were black,
including his curtains. Even his door was black,
and the other door leading into a bathroom was
black too. A black leather couch was on the right
wall with a black knitted blanket over the side.

Zayn had dark grey wooden floors and grey walls. A big poster of England was above his desk, covered in red pins.

Two skylights brought in the moon's glow. Despite the black interior, the room would look bright on a sunny day.

Zayn put Liam's bag down and pulled off the bag
Liam carried too. "Uh, so yeah, this is my room." He looked around, pleased that it was so clean and tidy.

"It's nice." Liam barely had time to process that he was in the institute, or that he had left his aunt and uncles place, or that he was a mate of a werewolf, or in a place they called the Packhouse.

"Well, it's our room now." Zayn almost asked what side of the bed Liam wanted, though maybe Zayn would have to sleep on his couch for a few nights, or until Liam was ready for them to share a bed.

"You're not a fan of colour" Liam said, looking down to his yellow puffer jacket, blue jeans and yellow converse. He was the brightest thing in the room.

"No. My room matches my dull personality."

Liam smiled. "W-Well, you're the most interesting person I've ever met." Liam fiddled with his coat zip, not knowing what to do. He always felt awkward in other people's houses, so uncomfortable that he barely wanted to breathe.

Zayn's calm and collected stare settled on his mate.

Liam's scent mingled with his. He wanted Liam to cover his room with his belongings, so every inch smelt of him. Liam looked overwhelmed, Zayn didn't want to freak him out by rubbing his coat all over his couch.

Slowly, Liam moved to the window. Ethdellin Town was a blur of lights in the distance. Liam had looked at the institute from Ethdellin Hill so many times.

He never thought he'd be looking at Crescent Hill
from the institute. "Are you really sure it's okay that I'm here?" he asked. The way other people stared at Liam made him feel very unwelcome.

"You're more welcome here than the wolves. You're the mate of an Alpha, which makes you one of the most important people in here. It's an honour that some wolves even got to look at you tonight."

Zayn would have hugged him if he didn't hear his mother's door open. "Speaking of important people" he grumbled. "I should talk with my mum. Are you okay to wait in here for five minutes?"

Liam nodded.

Zayn opened his door to see his mother looking left and right, sniffing the air.

"Zayn," she hissed as he shut the door behind him.

"I smell-"

"A human" Zayn walked over and crossed his arms to stop himself from fidgeting.

"It smells strong up here. What's going on?" She
folded her black floral dressing gown. Her grey
hair was in a long plait, as it always was before she went to bed. Zayn remembered when he was little.

He used to watch his father plait his mother's hair
at night. Now she had to do it herself.

Please don't cause a scene, he thought. Liam
wouldn't be able to handle it. "That's because the human is in my bedroom.!"

Solana had marble features like her son that
only moved if someone cracked them. Zayn had smashed them with a hammer. "I beg your pardon," Solana said as though she misheard him.

Zayn felt like a child, admitting to something that
would get him in trouble. He was proud of Liam and wanted his mother to know that he was pleased to have him. Zayn cleared his throat and said as confidently as he could, "Mum, I found my mate."