Trophy (L.S)

Five

The final blare of the bell above nearly caused him to cower away, but all of the betas were used to the sound by now; having grown up with it, and associated it with the fact that the den's gates were about to open.

Louis was standing in the front, the others waiting and watching behind him intensely.

The small beta padded forward until he was able to poke his head out of the entrance, his nose twitching as he sniffed out any nearby alphas and traps.

When he had informed the others with a small chuff, the brown wolf sprinted out of the den, heading right towards the pond.

He could hear and feel the thudding paw steps of an alpha giving chase already, but he wasn't concerned, even when the bigger wolf growled and nipped at his feet.

Another alpha had given chase then, but Louis was still unconcerned, using his size to his advantage as he zigzagged through the field, jumping over rocks and ducking under low brambles to escape the alphas running behind him.

The one had stopped fairly quickly, and the small beta yipped in triumph, narrowly missing a snare since he was distracted slightly. However, he continued to run, from one side of the fence to the other, the first alpha still nipping at his tail whenever he was in reach.

Louis scrambled into one of the only bushes that the field had, taking a quick two-second breather as he hid amongst the thorns and low hanging branches. He could hear the alpha pause right outside, the wolf's large snout sniffing along the ground to try to find his scent again.

The small beta sniffed the air too, catching a whiff of the alpha's scent from inside the bush, and that was when he tensed slightly, being so close to a snare that one wrong move, and he would be caught.

As quick as he had entered the thicket, Louis shot out of it, dodging the alpha as he ducked underneath the wolf and nipped on the underbelly before he ran.

The large wolf bellowed in surprise, but gave chase once again, and Louis was quite surprised; this alpha really wanted him apparently, any other would've given up already.

Out of the corner of his eye, the young beta caught sight of another alpha flanking him on his right, and shock crossed his features as he changed direction more towards the left. Louis hadn't even smelt the other wolf approach, and that was what made him nervous.

On this side of the field, there was nowhere to run unless he could lose the alphas within the tall reeds; from there, he could sneak out one of the sides and make another dash for it.

Looking over his shoulder to gauge the distance of both alphas, Louis finally entered the tall grass. However, he soon realized that his distraction cost him his freedom as he had ran straight into a trap, the steel plate clamping shut right when he felt the metal below his paws.

The two alphas bursted through the reeds then, one growling at the other as the one that had flanked him earlier let his tongue loll out in victory, clearly pleased with his catch.

Louis scowled as he drew his lips back in a snarl, hackles raised as his pelt bristled. He was trying to make himself look bigger as he paced the cramped cage in anguish.

The men changed back into their human forms, the alpha who had set the trap digging around the grass until he located his clothes, putting them on immediately.

"Fucking not fair, Styles, I nearly had him," the other complained as he glanced towards Louis' direction.

The alpha, Styles, shrugged as he walked over to the trapped beta.

As soon as the man reached down to lift the box trap into his arms, Louis lashed out, teeth barred as he growled as loud as he could before snapping his jaws upwards where the alpha's hand was.

The man recoiled, having not expected that, and it made Louis huff smugly; the beta's lips still pulled back to show off his sharp, pointed teeth.

Louis continued to pace, whining low in his throat as he desperately called out for help.

When the alpha lifted the contraption up into his arms finally, he dropped it with a loud thud; poor Louis yowled in surprise and pain, but wagged his tail nonetheless when he seemed to recognize the blond beta that had knocked over the man.

"Shit Lou," Niall cursed sympathetically. "I don't think I can get you out of that one, it isn't like a snare; I can't chew through that."

The brown beta blinked back his fear, refusing to let his friend know that he was afraid, and instead sniffled as he placed his head against the metal bars. "Tell mum that I'm sorry."

"No, no Lou, you'll see her again; I know you will," Niall reassured as he licked his friend's snout through the bars, turning to glance back at the two alphas who were watching the interaction.

The blond beta growled once before disappearing into the thicket, and Louis barked out a warning as soon as he saw the one alpha shift again to give chase.