Chapter Text
“I have sight of the omega, over.”
Harry tries to keep his voice low so as not to spook the young man he can see through the trees, who seems to be eating berries of some sort. He knows the response through the radio will make a noise, so he turns the volume right down and holds it close to his ear to try and muffle it.
“Roger that, can you reach him? Over,” Zayn responds, crackly but clear. Zayn is back at the base near the cars, leaving Harry and the rest of the search team to complete the footwork while he keeps things organised.
“Maybe,” Harry says quietly. “If I’m quiet and take things slow, I might be able to get around him and approach him from behind. I’m OK to use reasonable force, right? Over.” Harry read all the supporting information before they started the search and knows it was previously agreed by the family that they could tackle and restrain as necessary, but it's always worth double-checking in case the situation has changed.
“Affirmative,” Zayn replies. “Just be careful. Family says he’s single and doesn’t have any alpha friends, so minimal alpha contact. He may well be skittish. Over.”
Harry nods. “Received and understood,” he murmurs. “Let’s move to channel three. I don’t want other radio traffic to spook him.”
Zayn confirms, and Harry switches the radio over to the new channel. They confirm they can hear each other and agree that there will be no messages from Zayn to avoid making unnecessary noise.
Harry attaches the radio back into the holster on his belt, keeping his eye on the omega all the while, takes a deep breath, and starts his slow approach through the scrubby forest, watching carefully as he creeps in a circle through the trees surrounding the small clearing.
The omega is quite a petite guy, probably fairly short, Harry thinks, with brown, messy hair and high cheekbones. He’s wearing a football shirt, shorts, and trainers. Harry remembers reading in the briefing document that he’d been coming home from football practice when he’d had the accident.
There seems to be a stitched wound and some bruising on the side of his forehead and down his cheek, presumably from the head injury mentioned in the report. Harry can’t see him fully from here, but he can certainly see enough to know one thing – he’s beautiful.
Harry knows he probably shouldn’t be thinking that, but he’s experienced enough that he’s confident the observation won’t affect his ability to rescue the lovely young man in front of him. He chuckles slightly and shakes his head.
Maybe his friend Niall is right; if he’s starting to fancy their search targets, maybe he really does need to get laid.
Once he’s behind the omega, who’s still focused on picking up berries from the forest floor and eating them, he adjusts his rucksack, tightening the straps in case there’s any need to run, and starts to move towards the target.
Harry’s pleased with himself as he gets closer; the omega is so engrossed in what he’s doing that he hasn’t noticed him yet. It’s a horrible cliché that it’s a branch snapping under Harry’s foot that finally alerts the gorgeous man to his presence, and he suddenly sits up straight, head whipping around with a sharp look.
His eyes are bright blue, and Harry holds his breath, trying not to move but well aware that the omega can easily see him now he’s so close, only a few steps away. The omega scrambles up, and for a second Harry thinks things are going to be OK because the man smiles brightly, looking pleased to see Harry.
For a fleeting moment, Harry thinks maybe this Louis guy isn’t feral after all and is just lost and glad to be found. But then there’s an unmistakably feral whine, high and loud, and the gorgeous omega drops to a sort of crouch.
Harry realises too late what’s happening, and by the time the words “he’s going to run” have registered in his mind, he’s grabbing at air. The omega is quick, and all Harry can see is his back disappearing into the trees.
“Shit,” he grates and starts to run after him. As he jumps over fallen branches and scrub, keeping pace with the surprisingly fast omega, Harry grabs the radio from his belt and tersely tells Zayn what’s happening. He’s out of breath and trying to keep up, so he doesn’t really hear the response, but he’s confident Zayn will be sending other searchers in their direction to try and head the man off.
Unfortunately, Louis the omega seems to have other ideas. It’s only a few seconds after Harry has been annoyingly distracted by the omega’s discarded t-shirt – smelling so delicious that Harry’s cock actually starts to get hard – that he nearly topples over a sheer drop as he bursts out of the trees and sees the river bubbling away in front of him.
He skids to a stop and looks around frantically, and there, smiling up at him from the water, is Louis. He whines again, louder this time, and then turns to swim away.
“Shit. Shit, shit, shit,” Harry mutters. He has no choice but to follow. He can’t just jump into the river with all his kit, as it will weigh him down far too much, so he quickly decides to follow the bank, hoping he can keep pace with the current. He can see the bare-chested omega swimming up ahead of him, and luckily the current isn’t so strong that he’s getting too far away.
At some point, he loses sight around a bend, and when he runs to catch up, the omega is nowhere to be seen. He briefly panics that he’s lost him, but then notices wet, muddy footprints leading away from the bank and back into the trees.
He hears a howl of sorts, high and raspy, and as he passes the first big tree back from the river, he gets a waft of the strongest, most delicious vanilla scent he’s ever smelt.
It’s so strong that it must have been left deliberately, and Harry takes a second to sniff around the tree. It’s been scent-marked, without a doubt, and the smell is making Harry’s mouth water and his cock twitch again. He frowns, and then a realisation dawns, which makes his stomach sink.
Louis thinks this is a mating chase. The whining, the running away, the discarded clothes, the howl, the scenting of the trees – it all adds up. Harry groans. “Fuck. For fuck's sake.”
He takes a few seconds to compose himself. One good thing about the obviously feral omega thinking it’s a chase is that at least he won’t try and actually escape. He’ll stay near, wanting the alpha to catch him after a suitably infuriating period of cat and mouse. So Harry takes a few deep breaths and grabs the radio again.
“Team leader one to base, you receiving me, Zayn?” he says into the radio, and Zayn confirms. “Our target appears to be safe, but I think he believes he and I are involved in a mating chase. Over.”
He can hear the deep groan at the other end of the radio as Zayn starts to respond. “Damn it. Received and understood, Harry,” Zayn says resignedly. “You think he’ll respond badly to the rest of the team trying to get to him? Over.”
Harry mulls this over for a few seconds. “I don’t think it’s worth the risk, mate,” he says quietly. Louis seems to have accepted that Harry is chasing him, and by the howl and the scenting, he seems to be welcoming the idea. If other alphas turn up now, there’s a distinct possibility that the feral omega will panic and properly try and escape, which could lead to injury for him and the searchers.
Louis wants to be caught, and Harry doesn’t have many choices. “Stand them down, Zee,” he says calmly. “If omega Louis Tomlinson wants alpha Harry Styles to catch him, then I guess that’s what I’ll have to do.”
There are a few beats of silence at the other end, and Harry can imagine Zayn’s pained expression as he decides how to respond. Mating chases with feral omegas aren’t unheard of – in fact, Harry’s team has had several of exactly this type in recent history. The problem isn’t catching the omega (because the omega wants to be caught); the problem is that the omega wants to be mated when they are caught, and that’s something that the search alphas really shouldn’t do.
“Is he in heat, over?” Zayn asks.
Legally, the team, which has omegas as well as alphas, can engage in knotting where absolutely necessary to protect and rescue a missing person, but it’s generally frowned upon and only really used when there’s a feral heat or rut involved.
Harry grunts. “I’m not sure, but he smells like he might be.” He takes another lungful of the scent around the tree and forgets he’s still holding the speak button down on the radio as he lets out a deep, rumbling alpha growl.
“That good, huh?” Zayn says, and although it’s obviously supposed to be flippant, Harry can hear the concern in his tone. “Just– just be careful, OK, Harry? You know how difficult these cases can get if there’s knotting involved. But we need to get him home safe, so, I guess, just do what you have to do.”
⋆˖⁺‧☽ ◯ ☾‧⁺˖⋆
This omega, Louis, is really giving Harry a hard time.
Harry’s fit and prides himself on his stamina, but the omega is quick and clever, and Harry’s annoyed himself for tiring. But it’s not just the chase itself, it’s the scenting and the omega cries that are playing with Harry’s head in a way he hasn’t experienced before.
Louis is constantly whining and howling as they’re running, and he occasionally stops or hides, letting Harry get just about close enough to smell his delicious pre-heat slick before purring as Harry approaches. The purring seems to be messing with Harry’s mind the most.
His alpha is raging in his chest, and he’s finding it increasingly difficult to keep it under control. The regular scenting of trees and boulders isn’t helping, and the puffs of the most incredible scent, of vanilla ice cream with a hint of cinnamon, that Louis sends out before he runs off again are driving him crazy.
His alpha is so forceful that his human mind is fuzzy, almost as if it’s muffled and restrained behind the roaring inner wolf.
Catch. Mark. Fuck.
Harry shakes his head to clear it, trying to calm his alpha after the latest near miss with a now frantic omega, who’s clearly leaking slick and whose heat is obviously taking over his body. This time, before he ran again, Louis let Harry get so close he managed to grab an ankle before the omega scrambled away, purring and whining, turning onto all fours as Harry’s grip on him slipped.
The back of his shorts are soaking, and Harry’s alpha is clawing inside him, trying to get to the omega. The human part of Harry’s brain is trying to shout warnings – he’s getting in too deep and he’s losing control – but the alpha is winning the fight.
Mark. Fuck. Knot.
Harry’s growling almost constantly now as he gives chase again, and the tiredness seems to evaporate now his alpha is more in control. His whole mind and body are focused on catching the omega running from him through the forest.
Louis looks back regularly to check Harry is near, and Harry knows he’s adjusting his speed to keep Harry close. Instinctively, Harry knows the omega will submit to him soon; he just needs to keep chasing, keep showing the omega what a strong and virile alpha he is. The omega will be his; he just needs to be patient for a little longer.
The smell that hits him as he bursts into a circular clearing makes his alpha roar. It’s so strong and so overwhelming that Harry’s mind becomes overtaken with it. His only thought is to find Louis and fuck him.
Fuck. Knot. Claim.
And then Harry sees him. In the middle of the clearing, the beautiful omega stands, chest heaving with ragged breaths, mouth open, and eyes wild. Little whines and purrs come from him as Harry slowly approaches, stalking the omega like prey.
Just as Harry reaches him, the omega makes to dart away again, but Harry’s alpha has had enough of the chase. He leaps forward and grabs Louis with both hands around his waist. Before Louis can wriggle away, Harry is pulling him down to the ground, forcing him down face-first onto the grassy ground of the clearing.
The omega whines and wriggles beneath him, but Harry is too strong and heavy, and his alpha exults at the triumph. Feeling the omega beneath him sends him into a frenzy of want and need, and he quickly pulls at Louis’ sticky shorts to get them down, to give him access to that wet, slick-covered hole his alpha desires.
The omega is now pliant, whining contentedly and lifting his bum, trying to present as more slick runs down his thighs. Harry keeps one hand on the back of the omega’s neck while he slips two fingers into the sopping hole with the other, and he growls low as the omega keens with arousal.
He fucks his fingers in and out roughly, revelling in the tight heat, before pulling them out and rubbing the slick all over Louis’ back and bum, covering the omega in the scent that’s driving his alpha wild. He licks back up where he’s spread the slick, biting and sucking marks into the omega’s beautifully soft skin and grunting, his alpha satisfied when he finishes a deep red mark, before starting on a new piece of skin.
His fingers are back in the omega, who is writhing, desperate and whimpering beneath him. Harry’s alpha knows that all the omega needs is his big, thick knot, but he wants to make him cry with desperation before he gives it to him.
This time, when he pulls his fingers out, he spreads the slick over his own face, licking and sucking at his fingers before shoving them back into Louis’ hole, making the omega keen again. He cannot get enough of the omega’s noises, and once his alpha is happy that the omega is crying and begging enough, he relents, lining up his massive, rock-hard cock with the wet hole.
His knot is half formed – the desire for this omega is stronger than anything he’s ever experienced – and as he pushes his cock inside, it feels like everything his alpha could ever need. The omega relaxes under him, purring and whimpering as the cock splits him open. The stretch must be painful because he’s so tight, Harry thinks vaguely, but the omega seems to be completely lost in pleasure.
Harry starts to fuck him hard and deep, every thrust shoving the omega forward with its ferocity. Harry grabs the omega’s hips to keep him in place and kneels up, lifting Louis’ body with him. From this position, Harry can fuck harder and faster, and his alpha is fully in control now. There is no Harry left, only instinct.
Knot. Claim. Bond.
He continues to fuck the omega as he leans forward, placing Louis’ knees back on the ground and blanketing the smaller man’s back with his chest so that he can bite and lick at the omega’s neck. The bonding patch is so clear and soft, and Harry’s alpha knows that his omega needs to bond. Needs to be his.
“Mine.” The word is a growl, but it's loud, and the omega beneath him arches his back and whines in response, not just accepting his alpha’s claim but begging for it without words. Harry places his teeth over the virgin bonding spot as his knot starts to expand, and he fucks the rapidly growing base into Louis a few more times, stretching that hole while his teeth just rest on the soft skin at his neck.
Louis keens again as the knot pops and locks them together, and Harry’s alpha rejoices. He sinks his teeth in, deep into the bonding spot, and holds them there while the omega comes violently, spasming and convulsing under him as his own pleasure peaks, his orgasm raging through him as his cock spurts hot come into his omega.
⋆˖⁺‧☽ ◯ ☾‧⁺˖⋆
Harry’s human mind came back to him about five hours ago, and he’s spent that time alternating between cursing himself and his alpha and fucking the life out of the heat-ridden feral omega who is currently purring and sleepy, nestled to his chest and locked on his knot.
Harry has fucked up. Knotting the omega in the manner he did was bad enough – they are permitted to knot when necessary, but the aggressive and out of control way he did was bound to cause repercussions in itself.
But his alpha didn’t stop there, did it? Oh no, his alpha decided to unlawfully bond Louis, which means that Harry is now undoubtedly going to be arrested.
Bonding an omega without explicit consent is akin to assault in terms of seriousness and sentencing, and it’s quite possible Harry could go to prison if Louis decides to press charges once he comes back to himself. And honestly, Harry couldn’t blame him if he did.
Louis wriggles on his knot, and he can feel himself judder and pump more come into the omega. He hopes to God that there is still enough residual birth control drug in the omega’s system to stop him from getting pregnant – neither of them need that complication on top of everything else.
His alpha reacts to the idea of a pregnancy with a low grunt, and Harry instinctively puts his hand to Louis’ tummy and presses. He can feel the outline of his big cock inside the omega, and it makes his alpha preen internally. Stupid fucking wolf , Harry thinks.
He’s enormously ashamed of himself, and the only reason he carried on knotting Louis is that he knows the physical and emotional impact on a bonded omega if their alpha abandons them during heat is extreme. For once, giving his alpha what he wants is the right thing to do.
But he can’t stop hating himself and his alpha. He whines a little as he runs through what happened in his head, his alpha still rejoicing, but his human mind is feeling sick with the knowledge of what he’s done. He bonded Louis, a total stranger, without his consent.
His out-of-control wolf has turned him into the sort of alpha Harry hates. The lowest of the low. Scum.
⋆˖⁺‧☽ ◯ ☾‧⁺˖⋆
The following morning, when Harry is woken by the warm sun on his face in the hollowed-out tree they’d sheltered in, he realises Louis’ scent has changed. The omega still seems to be feral – not able to communicate in anything other than whines and purrs – but he appears to be out of heat and content as long as he’s nuzzled into Harry.
A pool of dread forms in Harry’s stomach as he wraps an arm around the naked omega and pulls him into his side to keep him calm, while he grabs for his discarded trousers with his free hand. He manages to find the two-way radio and takes a deep breath before pressing the call button.
“Team leader one to base. Zayn, you there? Over.”
There’s a few seconds of silence before the radio crackles and Zayn’s voice appears, sounding relieved. “Harry, fuck, I’ve been so worried. You OK? You got the omega? Is he still in heat?” Radio etiquette seems to have been forgotten, which would normally make Harry roll his eyes, but he’s too devastated to think about anything other than what he’s about to tell his colleague and friend.
“I’m fine, Zee. Louis is safe and with me, but, uh, there’s been a problem.” He grimaces. He’s the only one who’s caused a problem, and he hates himself for being scared to face it.
“What’s happened?” Zayn’s voice is full of concern, and Harry sighs and rubs his face. Louis, who’s been gazing at him adoringly the whole time, whines a little and fidgets so that he can place a soft hand on Harry’s bare chest. It makes Harry feel even worse. The omega is trying to comfort him.
“Louis went into full heat, and I, um, my alpha.” He pauses, breathing deeply as if the words take effort to push out. “My alpha went crazy, Zayn. Never experienced anything like it before. By the time I caught Louis, I was pretty much feral myself. I knotted him and...” He’s silent for a long moment as the reality of his situation crashes in on him.
“Harry, you’re scaring me. What happened?” Zayn’s fear brings Harry to his senses. He has no choice now – he needs to own his mistake and deal with the consequences.
“I bonded him.”
The silence that follows is excruciating, and Harry can guess that Zayn is frantically trying to come to terms with what Harry has just told him. And probably, knowing his friend, trying to work out how to make things easier for Harry.
“OK,” Zayn finally says over the hissing line. “OK. Shit. OK.”
“Well, thanks for that wisdom,” Harry says, trying for a light tone but failing. His whole body feels heavy with the guilt of what he’s done. He has an urge to hurt himself – to punish himself in some way – and the only thing that’s stopping him is the omega curled into his side, gently petting his bare chest.
Harry realises that Louis is softly scenting him, sending out little waves of his beautiful scent. The omega may not be himself right now, but his omega knows Harry is distressed. His omega is soft and caring, probably much like the human side too.
What has he done?
He knows the bond will fade or that Louis can get the bond removed through surgery and drugs, but it’s an uncomfortable process that can impact an omega’s health if handled badly. Most omegas who are unlawfully bonded recover fully, but not without an impact on their lives.
Harry has never lost control before, and he still doesn’t understand what happened. His reaction to Louis was so out of character – he’s a virile alpha, yes, who’s been incredibly attracted to omegas before and even dealt with feral omegas in heat on a number of occasions, but he’s never experienced one who’s set their sights on him like Louis did.
He’s never experienced a chase, and he wonders now if the intensity of it was the thing that tipped him out of control. He squeezes Louis to him again as he sighs, looking into the gorgeous blue eyes of the purring omega in his arms. None of this is Louis’ fault, and even if it was the chase that made his alpha take over, he’s not going to use that as an excuse.
“Listen, Zee, I know you’re probably trying to think of ways to protect me right now,” he says into the radio, which has been quiet for a couple of minutes. “But I don’t want you to do that. I fucked up, and I deserve to be punished for it. For the moment, let’s focus on getting Louis somewhere safe, and once we have, I’m going to face the consequences of what I’ve done.”
“God, Haz,” Zayn replies, and Harry can hear the break in his voice even over the hissing radio channel. “OK, yeah. I’m so– God. It’ll be OK, yeah? I’ll send a team to get you two, and, I don’t know, we’ll work something out.”
Harry sighs. They won’t work something out, he knows. Life as he knew it is about to change, and it’s entirely his fault.
Harry confirms back and sets the radio down, wrapping both arms around Louis’ nakedness to shield him a little from the team that will appear soon to take them both away to face whatever challenges come next.
⋆˖⁺‧☽ ◯ ☾‧⁺˖⋆
When the team tried to prise Louis away from Harry, the omega had become so distressed that the team leader – an ex-army alpha who looked like a psychopath but was actually a massive softie – decided to let Harry travel in the back of the car with him to keep him calm.
Louis is nuzzling into Harry’s neck, scenting him over and over, and Harry can tell through the bond that the omega is worried and upset at all the manhandling. So he strokes Louis’ back and soothes him; it's the least he can do to at least give the man some comfort in his feral state.
The team gets them settled into Louis’ room at the Feral Recovery Centre and leaves them to it, seemingly ignoring Harry’s horrible actions and the unlawful bonding. They must have seen the bloody mark on the omega’s neck, but none of them chose to mention it. Harry is sitting on the bed in the corner with a now-clothed, sleepy Louis curled up in his lap when Zayn comes in.
His friend looks at him and Louis grimly. “You sure that’s wise, Haz?” he asks seriously, jutting his chin towards the omega in Harry’s arms.
Harry shrugs. “He gets really distressed when anyone tries to separate us, and let’s face it, the damage is done, so I thought I could at least comfort him.”
Zayn sighs and nods, sitting at the end of the bed and giving Harry a mournful look. “Listen, I tried to explain the extenuating circumstances, but...” He looks up, and Harry can see that his friend’s eyes are a little wet. “The police are on their way, and you’ve been suspended pending an investigation.”
Harry was expecting both, but the words still sting. He takes a deep breath to try and quell the emotion in his chest, and Louis stirs and whines in his lap, stretching up sleepily to lap at his neck. The kitten licks send little shivers of pleasure down Harry’s spine. At any other time the feeling would be incredibly distracting, but Harry’s life is falling apart, and he can get little comfort from it.
“We’ve persuaded them not to take you into custody, vouched for you being no danger and all that. So you’ll be put under arrest, but then you can go home until Louis here decides if he wants to press charges,” Zayn says, his voice monotone, as if reciting information off a page.
Harry lets out a relieved breath when he hears he can go home and feels slightly less desperate and despondent because of it. There’s a knock at the door, and the office manager pops her head around it, whispering that the police are here.
Thankfully, Louis has succumbed to sleep, and Harry is able to extract himself and carefully tuck him into the bed with one of the body cushions provided tucked around Louis’ back. He scents the cushion thoroughly in the hope of keeping the omega calm for a while. It won’t keep him happy for long if he remains feral, but at least now he’s out of heat and in the safety of the recovery centre, where the staff can help bring him round.
Harry’s alpha is writhing in his chest about having to leave the omega he bonded, but Harry knows he doesn’t have any choice. He can only hope Louis comes around properly soon and his human mind can take control.
The thought of Louis’ human mind realising what Harry has done to him doesn’t fill him with anything other than sick shame, but at least Louis will be well again, and that’s the most important thing.
Harry pauses at the door and looks back at the peacefully sleeping omega. He doesn’t even know the man, knows nothing at all about his human side, and yet Harry feels so connected to him that he finds it physically difficult to walk away. He knows it's only the bond – his alpha is incredibly angry and frustrated right now – but somehow it feels like more than that.
He shakes his head as Zayn pats him on the shoulder, and they slowly make their way out to face the two police officers awaiting him in the corridor.
⋆˖⁺‧☽ ◯ ☾‧⁺˖⋆
The officers were relatively sympathetic to his predicament, both being alphas, so the arrest and paperwork were done in a sombre mood, but without too much fuss. Harry’s back in his flat, alone, having had to practically shove Zayn out of the door to get rid of him.
He knows he probably should have let Zayn stay and order pizza for them both, but right now he just wants to be alone to wallow for a bit. His alpha is causing him all sorts of discomfort – he feels like it wants to burst out of his skin to get back to Louis, and all he can do is try and calm it.
He smokes a joint, which won’t help matters if any of his neighbours rat him out to the police, but he’s too exhausted and stressed to care. It helps a little, and the large glass of red he pours himself helps a little more.
The next few days pass in a similar state. Harry self-medicates with wine, weed, and junk food to try and keep his alpha calm and stop his human mind from spiralling about what might happen when Louis recovers.
The bond is a constant itch that Harry can’t scratch. He can feel the omega’s distress through it, even though it’s muddled and chaotic because Louis seems to still be feral. The emotion disrupts Harry’s sleep and causes his alpha to be constantly on edge. Harry feels on the verge of losing control of it the day Zayn drops round to see him.
“He’s still feral,” his friend answers when Harry asks how Louis is. “He’s had family and friends around, and the doctors are trying everything, but he’s kind of gone in on himself and is refusing to even look at anyone at this moment. They’re not sure what to do.”
Harry’s mind fills with self-hatred yet again as he thinks of Louis, helpless and feral, without his alpha. He shakes himself. He is not Louis’ alpha, even though both of their inner wolves currently believe otherwise.
“What can I do?” he asks Zayn desperately, and his friend just looks at him sadly.
“There’s nothing you can do, H. I’m so sorry. Hopefully he will come out of it soon, and then at least you’ll know what he wants to do.”
When Zayn leaves later that afternoon, Harry feels like the bond is hurting even more, and even though it’s muddled, he can’t concentrate on anything other than the distress he feels through it.
⋆˖⁺‧☽ ◯ ☾‧⁺˖⋆
Another day passes, and Harry is in a haze of self-loathing and barely maintaining control of his alpha. He’s staring at the TV, not taking in what’s on the screen, and when his phone rings, he startles. He’s not expecting anyone to call, and he already spoke to his sister today. It’s the boss of the facility’s number, and Harry runs a stressed hand through his hair, expecting bad news.
“Dom,” he says as he answers the call, then braces himself for whatever his boss is going to growl down the phone at him.
“Harry,” the big alpha says. “We have a problem.” Dom has always been a man of few words, but Harry knows to wait it out, so he does just that and stays quiet. “Louis Tomlinson, the omega you unlawfully bonded,” he says with a touch of disdain, and Harry flinches but can’t really blame him. “He’s still feral, showing no signs of coming out of it. Theory from the docs is it’s because of the bond. Need you to come and help bring him back.”
Well, shit.
Harry takes a few seconds to process Dom’s curt words, and he’s barely able to stop his alpha simply running out the door to the recovery centre to get to Louis. Even his human mind seems to be obsessing on the fact that Louis needs him. He tries to calm himself.
“But I’m suspended, Dom,” he says as calmly as he can manage.
“You are, yes. And believe me, we are not going to be paying you as an employee for this. Thought you might appreciate an opportunity to redeem yourself a little by helping the omega you unlawfully bonded.” The disdain is clear this time and leaves Harry with no doubt as to how his boss feels about his situation.
He sighs deeply. He has other questions, but it all feels a little pointless. It’s not like he’s going to say no to taking care of the omega he’s been miserable and obsessing about for four fucking days. “What time do you need me?” he asks quietly.
“Get here as soon as you can. Lad hasn’t eaten for four days; docs say he’s starting to get pretty unwell.”
Harry's stomach sinks in horror at the thought of his omega wasting away because of his actions.
Not his omega. Fuck.
He mumbles something about getting there soon and ends the call. His alpha will barely let him gather any stuff, but he forces it down while he rushes to pack an overnight bag. He doesn’t know how long he’ll be needed, but he doesn’t intend to run away at the first opportunity either. He wants to help Louis – to get him better. To make some sort of amends.
⋆˖⁺‧☽ ◯ ☾‧⁺˖⋆