𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 ⸙

2.24༊*·˚

"I'll be honest, your words are a bit... blunt." She had spent the past twenty minutes flicking through the notebook full of scribbled.out sentences. Zayn looked so at ease on the windowsill, she didn't want to wake him.

"I know," Zayn sighed, sitting up with a throbbing head. "I'm emotionless. I don't know how to... to..."

"Express your feelings?" Baela had stepped up to be Zayn's friend, not just his Beta. He needed tough love, and after a few days of not seeing him, she hoped Zayn was a bit more eager for help.

"You've always been that way but look how far it's gotten you."

Zayn felt hungover, but he was just heartbroken.

Baela looked him up and down. "You need a shower, then a good breakfast, then I can help with the apologies."

Zayn's eyes finally met hers, like the bark of an oak tree meeting green summer leaves.

"You'd help?"

"Yes, but only if you're willing to really think about this apology. And I mean really think about it. You have to include why you're sorry, what you've done, and what you plan on changing in the future to stop ripping your pack apart." Baela crinkled her nose. "I can't talk more until you've taken a shower. If Liam walked in right now, he'd walk right back out."

Zayn couldn't even bring himself to scowl. All he felt was gratitude for his Beta and his best friend.

"You've always had the courage to speak to me like this. I'm glad."

"You're worth it, Malik."

Zayn smiled weakly, and Baela almost choked on air. If it were any other day, she would have made a fuss. Right now, Zayn was vulnerable and showing his true tragic self.

Baela smiled back as warmly as she could manage and pointed to the bathroom.

*********

"I'm impressed," Lynx said from the grass, stretching an arm above his head. "I haven't seen Zayn in a few days, and nobody has been yelled at for a few days. Do you think he's getting the message?"

"Yes." Liam stretched his legs. He ran harder and faster than ever before and knew his muscles would pay for it later, though it felt good to distract his mind for a little while. Running had always taken the edge off his chipped shoulder.

Zayn usually watched or joined in with the running club. His absence was noticed. Solana came to watch, but her support wasn't quite the same.

"Will you talk to him today?" Lynx asked, pulling off his running shoes.

"I don't know."

"I guess it depends on how much the bond hurts. Is it really painful?"

"Do much that it's hard to think of anything else."

"That's why you thrashed us all today then. I've never seen you run like that." Omega's around Lynx agreed.

"I had a lot to leave on the field."

"We all did." Thinking of Niall was getting easier, but he lingered after every topic.

Liam returned to the bedroom on the second floor, showered, and changed into blue jeans and an oversized yellow hoodie. He rubbed his brown wavy hair with a towel until it stopped dripping around his face. Before tying his yellow converse, he sat on the bed until his headache stopped pounding.

Sleeping without Zayn was so hard, Liam struggled to fall asleep and when he did, he tossed and turned and woke up every hour. Exhaustion took a toll on him. He couldn't last much longer without Zayn, but he expected him to approach first.

"So stubborn," he sighed.

He wanted to find him, instead, he grabbed one of his favourite books and found a cosy spot in the games room on the ground floor. The room was empty, just how Liam liked it. He wasn't yet brave enough to sneak to the library in case he ran into Zayn and had to awkwardly scurry the rest of the way, pretending like he didn't exist. Though he would most likely break down and fall into Zayn's big warm arms.

Liam snuggled into the couch and tried to read. His eyes traced the words, but they didn't register.

All he could think about was Zayn, his werewolf, his boyfriend, his soulmate. Zayn, he sighed in his thoughts. Why do you have to make this so hard for me?

Liam tried to read again. This time he really focused and read two pages before Zayn polluted his thoughts. Liam snapped his book closed in annoyance and rubbed his temples as if that would clear his head.

It didn't.

Soon, Liam could see Zayn's face in his thoughts. He could see everything he missed; his deep alluring brown eyes, the way he ground his defined jaw when Liam would change in front of him, the way he sometimes tilted his head like a dog trying to understand, and the way he sometimes stared with so much adoration Liam would melt into him instantly, and Zayn would hold him tightly, and Liam would feel so safe.

Then Zayn would be cruel and bitter for no reason and sometimes look at Liam like he was wondering why him. Zayn would, only for a moment, forget why Liam was so special to him because pushing everyone away was just too easy.

For Zayn, being kind was effort. It was too much work for someone who was used to being merciless to get what he wanted.

Liam sank further into the couch and held a cushion to his chest as if that would help ease the pain. I could end this by just going to him. Maybe I could tap him on the way past, that would fix the aching for a while.

Liam could only imagine Zayn's face if he gave him a little slap then ran away after ignoring him for a week.

He wanted to smile, and almost did. Liam then realised that he could breathe easier, and his chest swarmed with warmth which only meant one thing.

He looked towards the door, and hazel curious eyes quickly dropped to the floor. Zayn left the doorway in a heartbeat, but Liam found himself scrambling from the couch.

"Wait!" he yelled.

I thought I'll be done with this before Tightrope, but now I don't think so.

Well... we'll see..