Liam was in a dream. Well, his reality felt like something that would happen in a dream. He walked hand in hand with Zayn, a very handsome guy, tall, muscular, and very mysterious.
People were staring, mostly at Zayn. Liam was used to being invisible. He didn't know why Zayn had seen him when the ones who were supposed to love him turned a blind eye to his existence.
Liam watched their hands as they walked. Their intertwined fingers were cute. Liam's hand was tiny
compared to Zayn's, and Zayn's palm felt hot.
They walked to the café where Liam worked because the booths were always empty, and only older people bothered to go for lunch. Everyone in Ethdellin Town knew Liam and where he worked, so him being in the café wasn't unusual, though he was usually alone.
For some reason, those who stared at Zayn were uncomfortable and couldn't look for long. Liam assumed Zayn's scowl was too intense, though there was something about him, something different from those around them.
Liam slotted himself into the booth, watching as Zayn slowly sat too, scoping out the faces in the café. Zayn radiated something intense. Liam felt like he was always trying to catch his breath whenever Zayn looked at him.
Zayn scanned the menu, interested by the page dedicated entirely to tea.
Liam subconsciously rubbed a hand on his chest, clearing his throat. His lungs were a little wheezy. Liam had woken up ill and running through the woods didn't help his tight chest.
Zayn watched him with narrowing eyes.
"Um," Liam whispered, shifting under his deep brown gaze. "I-If you buy tea, I'll buy you coffee."
Zayn stopped narrowing his eyes, frowning instead.
"No." He climbed from the booth and stormed through tables towards the counter. Mira was crouched under the desk, stacking glasses. "You," Zayn said, glaring.
Mira turned, shocked to see a tall and grumpy man staring back. "Excuse me. My name is Mira. It would be polite of you to use it"
Zayn's hard face didn't change. "Mira, why do you have so many flavours of tea?"
Mira looked behind him and to her co-worker sitting at the booth, twiddling his thumbs. "Are you with Liam?"
Yes."
"Are you buying him tea?"
"Yes."
"Are you on a date?"
Zayn almost answered but caught himself last minute. He stood up straight. "What tea does Liam
like?"
"Why don't you ask him?"
"I'm here now." Zayn's face was as blank as the marble counter. Talking to humans, and not trying to dominate them was a challenge. Zayn was used to having authority. Omegas might be the bottom
of the pack, but humans were so beneath him, Zayn constantly reminded himself to act like equals when face-to-face with them.
He couldn't help but think that way. He wasn't just
a werewolf, but an Alpha at that.
"He likes anything, so just close your eyes and point."
Zayn sighed and stabbed the menu with the end of
his finger. Mira didn't like him, but most humans didn't.
"One chamomile tea. Anything else?"
"Black coffee, no sugar." Zayn put the change on the counter hard enough for the people sitting at the bar to glance over.
Mira looked from Zayn to Liam, then back to Zayn's
stone-like face. She leaned over the counter and said in a hushed tone, "Liam is the sweetest kid I've ever known. If you hurt him, just know that you won't get away with it."
Zayn found her sudden judgement of him rather insulting. "Why the fuck would I hurt him?"
"Because everyone always does." Mira sighed, glaring. "Liam is my friend. I want the best for him. He can be too trusting and-"
"I'm not trustworthy?"
"I didn't say that."
"Or good enough for him?"
Mira exhaled. "You're a tough one." She scooped his change into her hand. "All I'm saying is that people like you are not interested in Liam without an ulterior motive."
"What a shitty thing to say." Zayn turned and stormed back to the booth. He must have spoken louder than intended because Liam watched him with anxious eyes and fidgeting fingers.
"Is um, is everything okay?" Liam asked.
Zayn stared out the window with a fierce expression.
"Yes." Mira had said that Zayn wasn't good enough for Liam, but that Liam wasn't good enough for someone like Zayn in the same conversation. She didn't know Zayn and already labelled him as a troubled sort of guy. Granted, Zayn didn't give off the kindest of auras, but for her to assume he'd ever hurt Liam was a punch in the heart.
They sat in silence for a while. Liam had heard some of what they said, before Zayn stomped back, looking more agitated than usual. Liam guessed that Mira had proven how protective she was over him.
Mira had done the same thing to one of their co-workers who was using Liam for his homework. Mira had been right to step in that time, but now she always drove people away.
Liam loved Mira, but she was too quick to judge, just like Liam was too quick to trust, and how Zayn was too quick to lose his temper.
"M-Mira once said that my parents were rude. She couldn't have been more wrong. M-My parents must have been having a bad day, and Mira judged them before she knew them," Liam said quietly, remembering the look on Mira's face when Liam said the Payne couple who tragicaly died were his parents.
When Zayn paid him attention, Liam continued, "W-what I'm getting at is- um, first encounters are not everything. Y-you're quite scary." Liam nervously chuckled. "But that doesn't make you mean."
Zayn's hazel eyes of fury melted as they looked around Liam's face, like chocolate in the sun. "Very observant," Zayn mumbled.
"What about second chances?"
"Those too."
"Why?" Zayn liked the sound of his mate's voice. Liam was slowly edging from his shell.
"We all make mistakes." Liam's voice was quiet. He looked down to the table, feeling like he had spoken too much.
Their drinks came, and Zayn glared at Mira. She glared back.
Zayn was a hard person to like; he knew that. He also knew that he was easily offended and hated being judged when he didn't exactly give people a reason to like him. So why did Liam see straight through him?
Was Liam's lack of judgement because of them being mates? Or did Liam have the ability to see the beauty in everything, and was that because he trusted too much?
Being too trusting can get you hurt, but being too hostile like me can make you sour. Why is nothing ever fair? Zayn would rather have high walls around himself, shielding his view from the world, than to see everything and risk being exposed to toxic minds.
Am I one of those poisonous people? Zayn thought as Liam sipped his tea, seeming more content.
"What about third chances?" Zayn asked. He would need a lot of chances to be the person Liam deserved.
Liam's brown eyes looked up, twinkling. "I guess it depends on um, whether the mistake was as bad as the first or second time."
The sun shone through the window, landing directly on Liam. His eyes, like enchanting pools of the purest water, captured Zayn's heart, and he almost dropped his coffee.
Liam looked away when Zayn pulled his phone from his pocket, and the sun hurt his eyes. He thought back to when they were holding hands. Liam didn't just hold hands with anyone, and Zayn kept popping up in his life to hang out.
Liam still felt like he was dreaming, but now with a little more tension in the air. He was annoyed at Mira for saying something to Zayn.
"Shit," Zayn mumbled, shoving his phone back into
his jeans pocket. "I have to go."
"Oh." Liam tried not to look disappointed. "Okay." He tapped his mug awkwardly. "Thanks for the tea."
Zayn got out of the booth and slowly rubbed his hands together, stalling like he wanted to say something.
"Sorry" he said and dug hands into his jacket. Zayn glanced towards Mira. He wanted to say more, but what could he say that didn't make him sound desperate. But you are desperate, Zayn.
"I'll see you around, I guess."
Liam watched Zayn walk away. He glanced at Mira too. Had she pushed another potential friend away? Liam wasn't happy, and he wasn't pleased about letting Zayn leave without knowing when he'd next see him.
Liam shouted at himself as he watched Zayn through the window. An opportunity was walking away. Liam didn't want to regret not running after Zayn, yet he sat, glued to the seat, too much of a coward to follow him.
Liam's heart sunk until Zayn suddenly stopped walking. He turned and stared at Liam through the window. Liam thought he would wave goodbye, but Zayn hurried to the window and pressed his phone against the glass.
A number was on the screen.
"My number," Zayn yelled.
Liam quickly fumbled around in his pockets for his phone, trying not to smile too wide. He typed in the numbers and promptly sent Zayn a message.
Zayn's lips twitched when he received Liam's message. He waved goodbye, and the tension left
with him.
Liam watched until he couldn't see Zayn any longer.
Mira sheepishly approached the booth. Liam glanced to her with an unamused expression. "It appears I angered your boyfriend"
"He's not my boyfriend," Liam squeaked, blushing.
"Yet," Mira said, making sure nobody wanted her attention before sitting down. "Can I be honest with you?"
Liam nodded.
"I don't like him." (A/N Me- OFC YOU DON'T, YOU- *whispers* shit. Just pretend that I didn't say anything)
"Why?"
"There's just something about him. I can't quite put my finger on it, but he makes me uncomfortable."
"I think he's nice."
"That guy? Nice?"
Mira didn't know the version of Zayn that Liam saw.
She only knew the angry Zayn who punched Harry, and the grumpy Zayn with a short fuse.
Liam knew the awkward Zayn, and the quiet Zayn, and the Zayn who walked him home and bothered to find time for him, and the Zayn who listened to what Liam had to say without seeming bored.
"I get why you're not fond of him, b-but I think you
should give him a chance!"
Mira arched a brow. "And I think you're too kind.!" She stood and smoothed down her t-shirt. "Well, if Liam James Payne likes him, then I suppose I must try to see why." She ruffled his hair and went back to work.
Liam rested his head on his arms, so he could smile freely without anyone seeing him. His nose touched the table- the wood smelled of cleaning products.
Liam hoped the awkwardness between himself and Zayn would settle. The more they got to know each other, the more topics they would have to spark a conversation.
He looked at his phone to check for messages. Liam scolded himself. Zayn had only just left, but Liam was eager to talk again.
𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼
"Baela," Zayn yelled. "Get over here." Most of the wolves were in the dining hall, having dinner. Baela was about to go in until Zayn called her from down the corridor.
Baela hurried to him without arguing that she was hungry. "Yes, Alpha?"
Zayn took her arm and dragged her down the rest of the corridor. Other wolves saw them, and their suspicions grew about the rumour. Nobody would dare question their Alpha about whether the tale
was accurate about Baela being his mate.
Zayn stopped when they were alone. He looked up and down the long corridor. "I need to see Liam tonight. The bond is getting stronger, and I think it's making Liam sick."
"I was going to mention that to you yesterday when you got back, but there were too many wolves around for us to talk." Baela lent against the wall, feeling a little more comfortable in her Alpha's presence, which in her opinion, should be like that all the time. Zayn didn't need to be feared by everyone to be powerful.
"I've been researching soulmate bonds, just in case you have questions and cant go to your mum about it. They say, if your mate is human, the longer the bond is unconnected, the sicker the human will get."
"How do you connect the bond?" Zayn felt a sense of sudden urgency. Liam couldn't get ill because of him, Zayn wouldn't allow it.
"It's quite simple, actually. You have to be in your wolf form, and Liam has to be comfortable enough to hug your wolf for at least a minute."
Zayn sighed. "Liam is terrified of my wolf form."
"You've shown it to him?"
"Yesterday. Liam was getting chased." Zayn scowled and picked at the skin of his thumb. He had a splinter from running in the woods. "His fear was deep. He didn't warm to me even when I was calm."
"I gather whoever was chasing Liam saw you too? I
haven't heard more rumours, but if I do, I'll dismiss them and say a large fox has been spotted around the area."
Zayn stared at Baela. She looked down with a polite smile. "You act more like a Beta wolf than my Beta. Why are you only an Omega?" Zayn continued to pick at his thumb.
Baela watched him, and to avoid answering his question, took his hand and started squeezing the
skin.
Zayn growled and tried to yank his thumb away.
"Stay still, Alpha, or you'll never get it out." Baela concentrated until a door opposite them opened and Solana stepped into the corridor.
Solana saw them standing close with Baela holding her son's hand. Zayn never willingly stood close to anyone. He even hated when people sat next to him at tables.
Baela leapt back, abandoning the splinter. She smiled at Solana and bowed her head. "I'm going to get some dinner." She hurried down the corridor, leaving Zayn alone with his mother, the one person he had tried hard to avoid.
"Zayn," Solana said, slowly approaching him. The corridor was still empty. "I noticed you've been in and out of meetings today with some of your pack members. I'm proud of-"
Zayn walked away. Every time he saw his mother, he wanted to yell but yelling never solved anything and Zayn was tired of always feeling angry. He longed for the tranquillity that Liam radiated.
Also, he kept expecting an apology from his mother
for embarrassing him the way she did, but Solana
avoided the subject as much as Zayn avoided her.
He marched down the corridor, texting Baela to meet him by the gate in twenty minutes. Zayn planned to go to Liam's house and watch from the darkness for a while. He needed Baela because back-up was always a good idea, and Zayn couldn't trust anyone else to go with him.
They ran together through the woods, enjoying the taste of fresh air and the cold mud between their claws.
Liam's house was on the edge of the woods. Every
light in the house was on, so Zayn knew people were home. He could also smell Liam's sweet scent.
Zayn was wild for the smell of his mate: he was
addicted.
They shifted to their human forms and crouched by a tree, shaded in darkness.
Zayn's heart bounced around his chest when Liam
walked into view on one of the top floor windows. His mate wore an oversized grey knitted jumper and rubbed his wet hair with a towel.
Zayn was glad they were crouching because the thought of Liam in the shower weakened his knees and excited Zayn all over. He fought against growling at the pleasured thought.
"Baela, text him something about me" Zayn said with a thumping heart and sweaty palms.
"Like what?"
"I don't know, anything."
Liam had worked all of Sunday and spent the rest of the evening studying. After dinner, he had a long shower because his room was so cold, he didn't want to leave the warmth of the steamy bathroom.
He stood by the window to his bedroom and dried
his hair, looking out at the forest, covering the earth as far as his eyes could see. Liam looked left towards the institute. The building was a blob of lights in the distance. He wondered what Zayn was up to because they hadn't yet texted each other.
Liam had been wanting to say something to him all
day but didn't know what, and a simple hello felt weird. He wanted a motive for texting him, like to
arrange plans.
Liam hung the towel over the radiator and returned
to the window. He tried spotting stars through the
broken clouds until his phone buzzed.
Baela had sent a text. They exchanged numbers the night Baela had to walk him home because there was an emergency at the institute. Liam had wanted to ask Zayn what happened, but he didn't want to seem like he was prying.
Liam never got texts from anyone other than his aunt or uncle.
Liam stared at the words until they no longer looked real. He sat on his extended windowsill and crossed his legs. He bit his bottom lip, listening to the hammering of his heart.
He waited almost a minute until Baela said.
"You can't just say 'he likes you' " Zayn whispered, "That's not obvious enough.
"I sent it" Baela said, and they looked up to Liam
sitting on his windowsill.
Zayn thought that Liam looked very cute against the size of his window. He had fought against those feelings in the past and wanted to be upset that he had a human mate. Now that Zayn knew Liam better and had spent time with him, he didn't want any other mate.
"He's smiling," Baela said. "I think he likes you too."
Zayn leaned his back against the trunk of a tree and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Has he replied?"
"He said that he thinks you're cool"
"Cool," Zayn repeated, though he wanted to know more about how Liam felt, and not through a phone screen. "Tell him... Tell him I think he's cute."
Baela stared at her Alpha. Zayn saw her grin from the corner of his eyes. "Stop looking." he growled.
Baela smiled at her phone instead and mumbled "You're turning into quite the romantic."
"Shut up." Zayn shoved her onto the frozen mud and she fell with a thud.
"Oi" Baela exclaimed once she got ip and stoo beside him, she smirked, sent the text, and watched the window, eagerly waiting for Liam's reaction.
Zayn's lips curled when Liam grinned wide and covered his face with his hands. In Zayn's eyes, Liam was adorable and at his best with a smile on his face and pink cheeks.
"Oh my gosh," Baela said, lying down with a hand on her chest. "He said that he thinks you're very handsome."
Zayn had to look away, so Baela didn't see the joy spreading through his face. "Tell him I said thank
you."
Baela grinned as wide as Liam and sent the text. They watched and waited for Liam to look at his phone again. When he did, Liam laughed. He covered his mouth and rolled backwards off the windowsill onto what Zayn assumed was his bed.
"I think you just made his night" Baela whispered, chuckling.
Zayn stared into Liam's bedroom from the cold woodland floor. He should be in the bedroom with him, holding him and telling him everything in person. "I don't know if I can wait much longer,"
Zayn confessed, crossing his arms. "Liam will start getting ill, and "I'll start hurting. I'm sure Liam's scent is on me, and my scent is on him. I just don't know how to tell him."
"Well, the good news is that Liam likes you before knowing about the bond. If he falls in love with you
before you tell him, there's a big chance that he'll accept you for who you are."
"That feels cruel, somehow, but I don't see any other way."
"You should start seeing him more in your wolf form, but let me know when you do so that I can keep watch. The last thing we want is other wolves smelling you and the human together."
"That's what I'm afraid of" Zayn said, looking back up to the room. Liam was still lying on his bed and out of view.
Running into other wolves wasn't a matter of if but a matter of when. Other wolves would try to find Zayn's mate. He wanted Liam to know about werewolves before anything drastic happened.
That way, Liam wouldn't find out about werewolves
because of having to run from a pack of wolves.
"Let's go." Zayn stood up, stretching his numb legs. "I'll come back tomorrow, and I think it's time I picked up the pace."
"Will you tell him in person that you like him?" Baela asked, following Zayn down the dark path.
"Maybe," Zayn mumbled, though, with the number of nerves spiking his chest, Zayn should have said yes.