Chapter Text
“You must not speak unless spoken to.” Edward began, using his fingers to wrap around the younger’s soft little chin. “Two. Immediately obey any command I or my brothers give you. Although, we’re aware that clothes will be staying on for the car ride.” His stern gaze flicked to his brothers more. Marcel nodded casually, while a soft pout struck over Harry’s face momentarily. “Three. Bare your neck. We want to breathe you in.” He whispered, tightening his grip over the omega’s chin. “Do you understand?”
Louis shook the memory from his head, his body aching from how fast he ran. He kept his snout up in the air as high as possible, following his sense of smell. That familiar light patting against his neck kept him grounded–the golden tag on his collar bouncing with each step. He began to slow down, before extending his front legs to halt him to a stop. Soft huffs fell from his muzzle and he looked down, before immediately feeling himself start to soothe. Styles . He read in his head. The name was something he used to fear, and how he was putting his neck on the line to save it. To protect.
He could feel his brain start to fog the further he ran. His heart ached every time Marcel’s beautiful lips graced his thoughts. I can’t believe I left him back at the cabin. Louis thought. What if he rejects me? Scorns me due to the betrayal?
He couldn’t let those somber thoughts reside in him for too long. His mind had to stay sharp. As he was trying to utilize a skill he’d never had before. This familiar, homing scent he was following was intoxicating. His body felt like it was being dragged through coat coals towards a magnet. Like he didn’t have a choice but to follow- and follow he did.
It was best for him to not think the worst as his body began to grow tired. Where was his missing Alphas? Why did they not come home to him like they promised? Did they find someone better? Is it just a cruel joke to play on a timid Omega? Some dumb prank that would be. Although, the danger he could feel in his soul assured him that this was no laughing matter.
Louis had been running for what felt like hours. Each step he took ached more than the last. His newly appearing paws felt like the pads were cracking and daring to fall away. His soft fur was now dirty and stuck down to his body like he was encased in a layer of thin oil. His eyes felt wild, frantically snapping from side to side as he traveled. He felt like a rouge, and he didn’t care for that feeling.
----
Meanwhile, Marcel began to stir in his state. He felt like he was clubbed over the head with one of Edward’s steel-toed boots again. He pulled his glasses off his face with his right hand so he could properly rub into his eyes with the left.
“Petal!” He called out in a hoarse tone. “Come here,” he commanded to the unknown void around him. Without hearing any little footsteps paddling towards him, his jade eyes snapped open. Returning the glasses to his face, he rose to his feet. His mind was going mad with all the new emotions flooding inside. Rage, hurt, confusion, loneliness, hunger- he couldn’t get a grasp. He scanned the room for clues, looking at the tea that Louis had made him on the counter. He followed the inquisition towards the kitchen- finding an out-of-place medicine bottle on the counter. Marcel cursed under his breath before his cheeks started to heat. His breathing began to deepen, his jaw locking. He swiftly turned on his heels and began marching towards the front door. He ripped the door handle open with immense force, causing the top hinge of the door to crack off. His feet clambered out onto the front step before craning back his head and unleashing a wild howl. Birds scattered from trees, and rodents scurried far away. His eyes no longer remain the delicate shade of green Louis once treasured. They were dark, soulless, furious. His blinding rage somehow managed to push his two missing brothers out of his forethought, as all he could think about was Louis. His shift into his large wolf form was near instant, shredding his well-pressed clothes. He took off down a thorny path in the woods. He could smell his young Omega. And lord knows, Marcel was going to make that pretty boy pay.
---
Louis’s ears perked up when he heard the soft rhythm of a howl. However, he paid it no mind. His panting had grown louder, but he could barely hear himself over the sound of his raging heartbeat in his ears. He had to stop for a while and try to regain some of his already pitiful amount of strength back. The boy sat on the mossy ground, his head bowed. He took a deep breath before changing back into his human form. He was nude, his hair a disheveled mess, and his body was covered in dirt and grim. He didn’t care as he finally felt like he was able to breathe before he snuck out of the cabin. The scent of his two lost alphas grew thicker, although something about it felt strained. Like it was supposed to be suppressed, but he couldn’t understand why. Thinking about it started to make his brain throb. He wasn’t raised to survive or to track. That was more so in alignment with the skillset of a beta or alpha. A natural-born homemaker out in these woods was nearly comical.
Louis’ internal monologue began to suppress itself once he finally started to get a look at the scene around him. The sky had gone dark ages ago, but the thick canopy of trees took any luminescence from the stars away. He couldn’t tell if it was his mind playing tricks on him, but he felt like there was an eerie sporadic fog rolling around. His eyes weren’t trained well for the darkness, but from what he could see- it looked like he may have made a mistake. The scent he was following started to swirl around him, and he couldn’t recall what way he came from. Each direction looked the same as the rest. His heartbeat began to pick up again, most noticeably in his ears. Twigs snapping, owls hooting, rodents scurrying- everything began to engulf the small boy into a fit of terror. His body felt so sore, but he felt like he immediately had to get himself going again. He was a sitting duck like this, just waiting for something awful to happen.
As he spiraled, he knew his scent started to grow denser. His fear radiated off him like a neon sign in a diner window. Using a nearby tree to steady himself, he pushed himself up to his bare feet again. His soft skin against the course forest floor was agonizing. His body was starting to shiver and break into goosebumps from the dull breeze. And of course, his heart continued to splinter as he truly felt alone. Again.
-----
Edward’s chest heaved as he tried to blink his vision back into focus. The electricity coursed through him and blinded him for a moment. His wolf was clawing to come to life, but his body was too weak. Whatever toxin he was inhaling felt like an iron cast covering his entire body. He hated being weak, as a weak leader was a waste of time. A waste of authority. A waste of life, for him at least. Harry had gone quiet a while ago. Due to his quips, he received many more shocks than Edward had. The only ones Ed has received were in response to him trying to shut his younger brother up. While the body could handle these shocks, he didn’t know how many. And the last thing he needed was to plan a funeral.
The brothers were alone in their cell, as Luke stepped out to handle a phone call. From the echo seeping into the room, it didn’t sound like a good phone call. The reverb of his rage somehow felt comforting to Edward, although he didn’t fully understand why. Soon enough, he could feel the vibration of his heavy footsteps bellowing towards the cell. Luke tore the door open, his face red with anger.
“Your stupid brother must have taken your bitch out of the cabin.” He spat, crossing his arms over his chest. “My men stormed in, and turns out- they’re. Not. THERE!” He screamed, a line of spit flying from his bottom lip and landing on Harry’s chest. Edward furrowed his eyebrows, before nodding his head slightly. Where did Marcel and Lou go? Did they go get dinner? Why would they leave if we hadn’t come home yet? Marcie must know something is wrong- did he get tipped off? His head spiraled, but he kept his face stoic.
“Not sure what you’re insinuating, mate. We don’t have a schedule.” He smirked, his eyes flicking to the remote control in Luke’s pocket. Luke began to pace in front of the brothers slightly, his shoulders tensing.
“If I don’t find that fucking Omega-” He started before breaking out into a growl. His movement stopped before he spun slightly to face the two brothers. “If I don’t find that fucking Omega I will tear you both limb from limb to break his heart slowly. I will torture you both- his anguish will be so easy to find. If it’s true you all have bonded- I know that reaction will be rich.” He spat, before delivering a kick to Harry’s exhausted frame. A small squeak was all Harry musted. “I swear I will-” He started again before a large crash bellowed through the building. Luke’s head snapped behind him and immediately left the cell. Even leaving the door slightly ajar in the chaos.
Harry finally raised his head, huffing lowly as he looked towards Edward. “Any chance that’s Marcel?” He mumbled.
Edward sighed, laying his head back against the filthy concrete floor. “Nah,” He grumbled. “Smells like a beta.”
-----
Liam woke up in a daze, right back in his office at the government center. Niall had returned the two exactly where he originally found them. Eleanor seemed to have come too a little earlier, her face racked with guilt. Once Liam began to stir, she looked over to him. She sat upon his desk, her knees pulled to her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs. She waited for Liam’s eyes to open before speaking.
“I feel awful. Why would we feel so inclined to interfere with the test results? I am so embarrassed. I hope they don’t tell my boss. I need this damn job, Li.” She sighed, hiding her face in her knees.
Liam sighed again, pulling himself up to his feet. He set his hands on his hips and leaned backward, being rewarded with a few cracks from his spine. “My mother told me that the best way to make your wrongs right is to apologize. Maybe we can deliver some sort of gift basket to the warehouse for the Styles’. The last thing we need is to be their enemies.”
Eleanor perked her head up with a gasp. “Yes! Yes! We have their test answers, we know what they like! The triplets and Lou Bear. Maybe that would work.” She said with a smile, sliding off the desktop. She wobbled slightly once on her feet but regained composure well.
The two needed a few hours to regain some strength. Food and water were a great way to help, before their rushed little shopping spree. The next morning, Eleanor held the comically massive pink basket in her lap in the passenger seat of Liam’s SUV. Their drive was silent, letting her reassess the items they chose for the basket. A few pairs of funky socks for Harry, some books and blanket journals for Marcel, bourbon for Edward, and gummy bears for Louis- among many other things. Hopefully, this would at least allow Louis to forgive them, as they’ll fall low on the list of the infamous Styles’ HitList.
Liam pulled into the shared parking lot and threw his car into the park. The two looked at each other and offered a comforting nod before Liam turned off the vehicle. A loud engine purr approached from the distance, snatching their attention. Eleanor’s jaw nearly dropped as Edward’s car pulled up towards the warehouse. They pulled up to a brick wall, which somehow began to open to allow them in. The hidden garage door only made it halfway up before gunshots rang out. Liam and Eleanor flew back in their seats, slumping down to try and hide from the fire. They could see as the Alpha fell out of the car swiftly and started returning fire. A thick canister was thrown to the brothers before a hazy green gas exploded from it.
Eleanor and Liam watched as the brothers exchanged a look before both falling to the pavement. Liam reached for the door handle, but Eleanor stopped him. A finger to her lips to keep him to remain quiet. “They don’t know we’re here. We can help.” She mouthed, before turning her attention back to the scene.
The perpetrators moved quickly to grab the brothers and check the SUV. Eleanor couldn’t tell what they were saying, but she could assume they were expecting Louis. And the sudden frantic nature of their movements told her that it was just those two. The brothers were thrown into the backseat of Edward’s car before two masked assailants climbed into the driver’s and passenger’s seats respectively. Liam squinted his eyes to try and focus until the driver ripped his mask off. Luke Hemmings.
The pair immediately tailed the now stolen vehicle but kept at a safe distance. Eleanor kept her eyes on the car as Liam pulled onto various side roads periodically. They wanted to keep their trail hidden, but the goal didn’t change. What better of an apology than to help with an Alpha-Napping?
The pair trailed the vehicle to the edge of a forest, where Edward’s car was ditched. They met with more alphas, dumping the Styles brothers into a few rusty carts. Eleanor assumed it would be easier to haul their huge deadweight bodies into the woods. Liam was scouring Google Earth, looking for any possible landmarks in the woods where they could be going- and found a smoking gun. An abandoned Omega asylum.
“Where are they going, do you think?” Eleanor whispered, looking towards Liam quickly before returning to the shady figures.
“I bet it’s the old-ass asylum. It looks like it used to be used to break the strong wills and dreams of feisty Omegas- but shut down after abuse allegations and low funding.” He said in a hushed whisper.
“Fitting,” Eleanor mumbled, rolling her eyes. “What’s the plan?”
“Easy. We will work like reconnaissance before acting. We investigate, see what they’re doing, cause a distraction, get the brothers out, and boom- they love us.” He said, a goofy smile spreading over his face. Eleanor sighed.
“You need to stop watching movies. But alright - let’s go. Can’t be worse than the current target on our backs.” She frowned. She gazed over to Liam for a moment. She didn’t realize how pretty he was before. The way his eyes squinted was fascinating and his smile was divine. Like he was born to be remembered. She caught herself, forcing those sudden thoughts out of her mind. Not the time.
The pair waited for nearly an hour before moving. They made it to the asylum right before the sunlight completely faded away. The sounds of disembodied screaming helped them stay oriented. Coming up to the asylum was sobering. A massive dilapidated building clearly left to rot. The stucco building was overgrown, nearly reclaimed by the earth. The building seemed dark, other than the far east wing. Seemingly, the only place occupied by these rouges.
The pair worked as silently as they could to scope the area. They witnessed a few unnamed alphas confine Edward and Harry, and unfortunately, what came after. Eleanor had to blink quickly to prevent tears from falling down her cheeks at the sight. That’s a fate she wouldn’t wish on anyone. Liam left her to scope, making it around the building to the west wing. The building on this side seemed to be held together by a hope and a dream. He looked around, seeing a large patch of the roof daring to fall. Right underneath there seemed to be an entrance, and an idea snapped into his head. Looking around himself again, he began to scale the building the best he could. Thankfully, chunks of the exterior seemed to fall over time. Giving him optimal hand and foot holes to get up the building. Once on the top of the building, he could easily see where Eleanor was staked out. And luckily- she caught him.
Liam pointed up, silently urging her to also climb the building. She looked to audibly sigh, and threw her hair over her shoulder, before starting to slowly make her way up the west side. He couldn’t help but watch her so closely. He felt like he was blushing, but told himself he was just nervous about getting caught. Clearly- Eleanor couldn’t have that effect, right? Luckily, these rouges seemed too occupied with their “evil” plan to notice. Dumb alphas . Eleanor thought. She made it to the roof, losing any sight of the captured brothers. She looked back to Liam and raised her arms questionably. Liam silently pointed to the weak roof and mouthed “ Distraction .”
Eleanor didn’t think she could breathe. Liam used his leg to kick at the roof, only taking one good blow to cause it to crack before finally caving in. The carnage looked dramatic, with rubble and stone flying everywhere inside the building. A stone seemed to hit the west wing door hard, causing the rusted hunk of metal to loudly fall against the damage. While the distraction sounded, Liam hustled across the roof. Be careful to avoid any weak-looking spots. The pair could both hear thunderous footsteps traveling inside the building. Fortunately, Liam and Eleanor didn’t have to worry about hallways up here. They traveled the same distance in a fraction of the time. Once reunited, Liam furrowed his eyebrows. Thankfully, he remembered a fraction of the conversation between Luke and Edward.
“I can’t go in there- that gas will fuck with me. You need to slip in there, El. You’re a beta, it won’t hurt you.” He said, his honey-brown eyes sparkling as he looked over to her. She whimpered slightly and nodded, raising her hand to her hair. Thankfully- her bobby pin was still fastened in its place.
“O-Okay,” She whispered, nodding her head frantically. “If they get me down there- please don’t leave m-” She started before Liam cut her off. He pulled her over to him swiftly, pressing his lips to hers. Eleanor almost squeaked but remained quiet. Her eyes were wide before she snapped them shut while her arms wrapped around his neck. Her stomach felt like it was in knots, her head bursting like a showcase of fireworks.
Liam pulled back breathlessly, before smiling. “Sorry- it felt right.” He whispered, looking over her face. “Watching you tonight did something to me-” He started before Eleanor pulled him down to kiss him one more.
She pulled back with a smile, shaking her head slightly. “Alright. Neither of us are allowed to die. I want to see where this goes.” She winked, pulling away. Both their faces seemed to radiate with a goofy smile. Maybe that’s why Lou likes his alphas. The danger is exciting. She thought, before dropping down and slipping through the small window into the cell.