FRAGRANCE | Larry Stylinson

|Chapter One|

She grabs his suitcase even when her son protests a few times, placing it in their living room and then she hurries Louis to their sofa. Its colour is a washed beige now, worse than before but Louis doesn't want to think about that right now. He is finally in his mother's arms and wants to enjoy that while he can.

"How are you?" He asks her as soon as he sits beside her. His mother keeps looking everywhere over his body as if she will find a scar or something else.

"Oh, same old," she waves him away pursing her lips slightly, "Tell me, how have you been, kid?"

"I'm fine mum, just a bit tired from the trip. I couldn't wait to get home and see you and Noe. Where is she by the way?" He looks around the living room as if he can get a glimpse of his little sister.

"She's out with Bertha and Chloe. They went to the ice cream parlour, poor girls have nowhere else to go in this goddamn place." Catherine huffs, patting her son's knee.

"How has she been?" He asks immediately. Louis knows that if he didn't ask about his sister's health his mother wouldn't tell him. He knew she did it to not stress him further, but there hadn't been a single moment that Noe hadn't been in his mind.

The male omega sees a slight hurt flicker in his mother's eyes, but she immediately smiles to push it away, "She's been a bit better these days. Her friends take her out when she finishes school, and I sewed her a dress a few weeks ago. We're doing our best to keep her happy."

Louis hugs his mum again, a few tears rolling down his cheeks when he thinks about the situation his little sister is in. Noe never spoke about her illness, being so brave for a little girl and encouraging her family to keep moving forward. Before Louis moved away she had promised that she wouldn't let her disease win, and until now she had kept it.

"I can't wait to see her. Has she cut her hair or has she raised it even longer than she already had?" Louis asks after a couple of seconds, giving his mother a wet laugh. He wants to change the topic because he is sure his mother has been dealing with that stress alone for a long time now.

"She's actually raised it even longer. I wanted to cut it a few months back, but she absolutely refused, saying that her hair was the only thing beautiful about her."

Louis narrowed his eyes, "Are we talking about the same girl?"

"I know, right?" His mother smiles but then furrows her brows as if she remembered something.

"What is it?" Louis asks immediately.

Catherine takes a deep breath before she speaks, "Uh, you know how she turned sixteen two months ago?"

Louis knows. He had made sure to buy her a shirt with his savings. He had received back a letter with one hundred thank you's in it. It was hard for them to find, let alone buy new clothes especially in their pack which was as if it was isolated from the rest of the world.

He widens his eyes in realisation when his mother keeps giving him a knowing look, "Did she present?"

Catherine gives him one court single nod before Louis continues, "Is she an alpha?"

"How did you know?" His mother asks after a gasp.

Louis smirks, "It's not that difficult to not know, mum. Besides, the house leaked of an alpha's scent when I entered. I didn't say anything at first because I was hoping you had found someone special."

"Ugh," Catherine rolls her eyes, "As if. I am too busy making sure we have something to eat to deal with all that."

Louis gives her a fond smile and takes her hand between his, "Mum, you know you still have time, right? I know after dad died you only focused on raising Noe and I, but you have a life of your own too. One day Noe and I will find our own mates, and I don't want you to stay here all alone waiting for our visit once a week."