A lot had changed in the past few days.
Louis couldn't function as a Trooper anymore, ever since Harry had proved to him that his suspicions were possible. There was also the fact that Harry was to be sent away back to the mansion later in the evening, and Louis didn't plan of getting left behind.
His shoes echoed against the marble floor, shoulders tensed and hands balled into fists as he approached Commander Roy's office. The guard waiting by the man's door let Louis pass, and soon he was standing before the man who was hunched over the table, busy writing something on a piece of parchment paper.
Louis cleared his throat to announce his presence, causing Roy to look up from his work and give him a curious look.
"Tomlinson," he greeted, "I do hope you are not here to persuade me with making Harry stay, because as I said before—"
"No, that's not it." Louis cut in, taking a deep breath, "I've come to resign from my post as a Trooper of this Fort, Sir."
Roy didn't seem fazed. "Ah, well. You are a man of your words. Something not most people have nowadays. It's still a shame, you are a good warrior. Or, were."
Louis pressed his lips together before pulling out his badge from his pocket—a golden badge he'd been given when he was sixteen years old, one he'd held dearly for years. He'd never imagined that he'd give it up one day, but he took pride in surprising even himself.
"It was an honor serving you, Commander Roy." Louis said stiffly as he placed the badge on the table.
Roy grabbed the badge and fidgeted with it for a moment before looking back at Louis, eyes curious as always. "This Styles boy really is important to you, isn't he?"
"Well, yes. He's family."
Roy just cocked an eyebrow before standing up and walking to the window beside him, looking out at the forest.
"He's your weakness. Something we can't afford to have at the Fort." Roy said.
Louis opened his mouth to say something, but Roy held his hand up. "If that's all you've come for, you're free to go."
Louis reluctantly turned around, placing a hand on the doorknob before stopping. "Sir Roy?"
"You have something more to say?" Roy asked in an amused tone.
Louis turned back around to face him. "Do you believe in the possibility of a person still able to transform into their wolf form?"
Roy didn't say anything for a long while. Louis actually thought the man wouldn't answer until he said, "Yes. I've seen it myself."
Louis gaped, scrambling to find words. "You—you have?"
Roy turned his face slightly towards him, though his eyes were still locked on something outside. "I've watched my very own comrades and Troopers turn. And I'd made sure to kill them when it happened."
"What?" Louis gasped, dumbfounded.
Roy knew. Roy himself was aware of this, probably had known for years yet here he was, slaying beast after beast. Louis' mind was whirring, thoughts tumbling all over one another. He now wondered how many more high-ranking officers were aware of this, and how Troopers like himself had all been manipulated.
"Certain sacrifices must be made. Don't look so glum, now. There's no way to turn them back once they're vicious, man-eating beasts. Of course the only solution is death." Roy said, his stern voice echoing through the room. "You'd be a fool if you did anything else."
Louis had to dig his nails into his own palms to keep himself calm. "How do you sleep, knowing you've murdered them?"
"How we've murdered them, you mean." Roy said calmly. "I feel rather proud of myself. For ending their misery and saving the lives of countless others."
There was a knock on the door, then a messenger strode into the room, whispering something into Roy's ear. Louis clenched his jaw and stood there, his glare burning holes into Roy's body.
"I'm afraid our little chat has been cut short," Roy told him with a smile, "Once again, I thank you for your service these past few years. May you have a safe trip."
Louis forced himself to walk out the door, looking over his shoulder one last time to find Roy watching him curiously with a ghost of a smile on his face. And then, the door was shut in his face.
On his way back to the Main Hall, Aaron and a few other Troopers approached him, giving him a sad smile.
"Is this goodbye, then?" Aaron said, shoving his hands into his pocket.
"I guess so. I might come back for a visit, you never know." Louis said, trying to lighten the mood.
"You're really willing to give this all up, eh?" Another Trooper called Alex said.
Louis shrugged. "It's not so bad."
Perhaps he himself needed convincing still. It was a tough decision, truly, but somehow a part of him had always known that he'd leave this place eventually. The fact that he was doing this for Harry just made Louis feel a lot more comforted and certain of his decision.
"Well, we'll surely miss having you around." Aaron said, his smile slipping off his face as he said, "The Fort gets emptier and emptier each day. With all the missing ones, you know."
Aaron looked crestfallen, and Louis couldn't really blame him. His twin brother, Aren, was no doubt still out there—not that Aaron would be able to recognize his twin if he did see him in his wolf form.
A part of Louis wanted to tell Aaron this, all the things he'd learned from Harry and how Roy had practically confirmed it all, how there's such a big risk that he might slaughter his own brother without him even knowing. But then, Aaron would probably look at him silly and treat him the same way he'd treated Harry when the boy told him the first time—like he was mad. That the entire thing was ridiculous and quite impossible.
So, Louis just opted for a smile, patting the Alpha on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. I know it. One day, this is all gonna end."
And Louis meant that, because he believed in Harry and his mission to create a cure—despite how impossible it seemed.
*
The table where he'd left Harry was now swarming with people. So many people were surrounding Harry that it was impossible to see even an inch of the boy. Louis' eyes widened, his concern immediately turning into a fierce desire to protect the Omega.
Before Louis could start a fight and order everyone out, Harry's familiar giggles echoed through the room. Frowning, Louis shoved his way past a few people to get to the front. A smile crept onto his face when he saw what the commotion was all about—Niall was sitting next to Harry, an arm thrown over the Omega as the blonde babbled about who knows what, though his audience seemed to be enjoying the story and were laughing along. Harry had a light blush on his cheeks, though his eyes were sparkling and his face was graced with a beautiful, beaming smile.
"…and then when I wake up, I was bald. Liam shaved my hair off when I was asleep. I slept through it all!" Niall said, and as a response, the people laughed, including Liam who was behind them, a reminiscent smile on his face.
"Basically, I was miserable for days. Liam did a terrible job in shaving my head, there were even a few scars here and there. I wouldn't leave my room because I was too embarrassed." Niall said as he turned to give Harry a warm smile. "But Harry couldn't handle seeing me miserable. You know what he did? He got his head shaved, as hideously as mine. Then, he fetched me from my room and we both went outside looking like idiots, but at least we were idiots together."
Niall wrapped his arms around the younger boy, and Louis' smile dropped, because he realized they'd be leaving Niall, Liam, and Zayn. He'd definitely miss the lads.
As Niall continued to tell stories, Zayn walked up to him with a small smile. "You ready to go?"
Louis nodded. "Yeah."
For a moment they just smiled at each other, before Louis sighed and pulled Zayn in for a hug.
"Don't worry so much, you never know when we'll be sent home. It might be soon, since we've been here for weeks already." Zayn said as he patted his back.
"I know, I know. Just—take care, alright?"
Zayn snorted. "If there's anyone to worry about, it's you and Harry. Not us here."
Louis pulled away, eyebrows knitted together. "What makes you say that?"
Zayn pressed his lips together. "You're going back to the mansion. Harry's an Omega, and—well, there's Benedict. I'm…nervous of how things will turn out. He may have raised us, but I don't trust him. Especially with Harry."
"That's why I'm here to stay by his side. I'll make sure Harry is safe and that Benedict doesn't do anything stupid." Louis said firmly, glancing at Harry who was now cuddled up next to Liam, laughing as the Alpha said something.
"I know." Zayn said, turning to look at Harry as well. After a pause, he hesitantly added, "You should tell him, you know."
Louis snapped his eyes back to Zayn, eyebrow raised. "Tell him what?"
Zayn rolled his eyes, smiling as he shook his head. "Anyone with eyes can tell you love him, Lou."
At that, Louis froze. He opened his mouth, but clamped it shut again when he couldn't think of anything intelligible to say.
"What I'm saying is," Zayn said slowly as he saw Louis' shocked expression, "I have a feeling that he feels the same way. I don't know, just talk it out, see where it goes. I honestly can't think of anyone else better for him and for you, but you two."
Louis choked out a laugh, still not sure how to respond to that.
"Just take care of each other, alright?" Zayn said, patting his shoulder and stalking off towards Harry, Niall, and Liam to join them.
The crowd around them had thinned out now. He watched as Harry's trainee friends—Fionn, Cristine, and Anika, as Louis had come to the know, each gave spoke with Harry and gave him a warm hug. Louis' heart warmed as he watched all these people who cared for Harry and gave him all the love he deserved. When they left, Louis just sighed and sat down with the four boys as well, sitting right across from Harry. The Omega caught his eye and gave him a small, sheepish smile, one that Louis returned with a warm grin.
They hadn't talked about the incident by the creek yet, but at least they're back to speaking terms. Just last night, Louis had tried to dissuade Harry from leaving the room to go to the archives because he didn't like the idea of Harry wandering around at night. But then they ended up compromising and Louis found himself at the archives with Harry, watching the boy as he continued his studies and research on the cure. They stayed up all night, ending with Harry snoring on the wooden desk and Louis smiling fondly as he picked the Omega up and brought him back to his bed.
There was a bit of awkwardness that lingered around, but it seemed like both of them were quite eager to ignore it in the hopes of making it simply disappear. Still, though, Louis found himself thinking back to that day all the time, wondering how things would be now between them if he'd actually kissed Harry and hadn't backed out.
But of course, he could never find out now.
When nightfall came, Louis and Harry said their farewells to the Troopers. Harry's eyes were a bit glassy and Louis could tell he was fighting back tears. Harry hugged Niall, Zayn, and Liam separately, quietly saying something into their shoulders as they embraced, causing the Alphas to smile warmly and adoringly.
Even Jaron, to Louis' dismay, had decided to see Harry off and gave the Omega some sort of gift. They had a moment with each other, the Alpha whispering into Harry's ears while the younger boy just smiled and hugged him as a goodbye. Louis watched all throughout, of course, ensuring Harry's safety. He realized that if something good came out of this situation they were in, it was that Jaron wouldn't be able to try anything with Harry. Thank goodness for that.
Liam and Niall gave Louis a hug, and as they pulled away, Liam said, "If there's anything you need at all, don't hesitate to call us and let us know. Okay? Don't think that this will change anything between the five of us. We're basically family, so if there's anything at all—"
"Got it, mate. Don't worry. We'll keep in touch." Louis assured, giving his arm a comforting squeeze.
"Look out for that one, will you? He's too good for this world. Now that he's an Omega, it just, it makes a lot of things more complicated for him." Niall said, eyes locked on Harry.
"I will." Louis said confidently. "You can trust me on that."
All too soon, Harry and Louis were climbing into the car, waving goodbye. Louis tilted his head upwards to look at the Fort one last time, but then his eyes caught something. There in the veranda stood Roy, watching with his signature smirk as the two went to leave. Louis clenched his jaw and only managed to squint his eyes suspiciously at the man before turning away.
Louis watched as Niall, Zayn, and Liam stood outside and watched the car drive away, until they were merely little dots in the distance, along with the Fort's tall and proud building.
Afterwards, Louis turned to find Harry fidgeting with the hem of his sweater, eyes casted outside. He looked deep in thought, but Louis could easily sense the nervousness radiating off of his body. Louis scooted closer to him and took his hand, hoping that it would calm the boy down.
"What do you think he'll say?" Harry whispered after a while, voice shaky and insecure.
"Honestly? I don't know. Something harsh probably, like always." Louis said with a shrug, watching as Harry turned to look at him with worried eyes. "But you know what? It doesn't matter what he says. Really. What matters is what you think."
Harry gave a small smile and said, "I'm actually quite happy to be an Omega. I guess I've always kind of known, and I was totally fine with it. But of course, I have to live up to people's expectations and, well, an Omega isn't really much but some rare treasure that people will always see as objects. That part kind of sucks."
Louis sighed and threw an arm over his shoulders, pulling him closer. "You want to know what I think?"
Harry nodded almost nervously.
"I think you're more than what people think. Being an Omega doesn't define you, really. And I think that people should pay more attention to your good heart, your bravery, and your talents. Because all your amazing traits make me so grateful that I get to be by your side, Harry Styles."
Harry smiled again, but this time it seemed a lot more genuine. After that they didn't talk much, and just watched the blur of colors beyond their windows, eyes open with wonder and minds filled with endless thoughts.