After suggesting to Harry to go on an actual date today before their dangerous life could meddle again, Louis had brought them back to Domumley and had portalized them both home to get ready. Louis knew where he wanted to take Harry but he wasn't sure if it was actually a good idea for their first date. Deciding to just take the risk, Louis changed his jeans and red t-shirt into his best pair of dark skinny jeans and a nice-looking red hoody. Putting on his shoes and grabbing his coat, Louis was about to leave when Zayn came right through the door. Feeling caught, Louis stopped in his tracks, which made Zayn smirk oh-so smugly.

"Going anywhere?" Zayn closed the door to lean against it.

"Just out" Louis cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact.

"With?" Zayn looked so overly smug Louis wanted to punch him.

"Harry" Louis mumbled quietly, feeling himself starting to blush.

"Just as friends or ...?" Zayn's grin grew even smugger.

"No, we have a date, okay? Happy now?" Louis threw his hands up in the air in defeat.

"Definitely" Zayn flashed him a satisfied grin.

"Good for you. Watch me force Liam onto you now" Louis glared at him without any heat behind his eyes.

"You won't" Zayn saw right through him.

"I won't" Louis gave up, not able to lie to Zayn.

"Knew that" Zayn was still grinning when he came over to him. "But in all seriousness, I'm happy for you, Tommy".

"Thanks, Joey" Louis pulled him into a much-needed hug.

"So, you're not mad at me for sending Harry after you earlier?" Zayn asked into his neck, voice muffled.

"I should. I really should but I'm not. We needed that. I needed it. And now we're giving this a shot, whatever that really means" Louis felt himself starting to overthink this already.

"It means that you're both crazy for each other and don't wanna hide that any longer" Zayn brought some space between them.

"But does that mean he is my boyfriend now?" Louis bit the inside of his cheek. His mind was racing with dozens of questions.

"How could I know that? I'm not part of your relationship. You have to ask him that" Zayn retorted apologetically.

"I'm too embarrassed to ask this now. I should know if we're boyfriends or not. I'll find a way to bring this up without bringing it up" Louis tried to calm his nerves.

"Let's see how that goes down" Zayn chuckled at this antics.

"Hopefully no one will go down today," Louis remarked anxiously.

"You're taking him ice-skating, right?" Zayn just knew.

"Yes and I'm not sure it's the right idea" Louis doubted his idea.

"He will love it. You told me he was fine with roller skating after he tried it. He won't turn around and run away, Tommy" Zayn gave him new courage to go through with his idea.

Taking a deep breath, Louis shook himself. "You're right, Joey".

"I tend to be" Zayn chuckled light-heartedly. "Now go".

"Wish me luck" Louis put on his coat and headed for the door.

"Good luck and don't do anything I wouldn't do".

Letting the door fall shut, Louis left the building and headed straight for Harry's flat. Well, technically it was the flat of Luke's parents but that didn't matter right now. Harry was staying with them now that everyone from his pack was gone. Jessica and Colin apparently were happy to keep him around longer. It suited them.

Deciding against using his own key to the flat, Louis rang the bell at the flat door. Only a few seconds later, the door opened and he was met with Colin, eyeing him with an amused sparkle in his eyes.

"Look who we have here" Colin clicked his tongue, his tone faux stern and not one bit convincing. "Come in, Louis".

Throwing Colin a funny look, Louis walked into the flat and was directly met with Jessica and Luke. "Louis, so good to see you".

"So, you're not gonna act all fake stern like your idiot of a husband?" Louis questioned loud enough for Colin to hear.

"He's a nutcase, mh?" Jessica laughed at Louis' words. "No, I won't because I'm really happy about all this. He's almost ready".

"He spent forever in the bathroom" Luke threw in. "It makes no sense. You two already know each other at your worst. Why would you stress about dressing up now?".

"Because it's a date and something we haven't done before?" Louis felt stupid now for not stressing about his outfit enough.

"Don't do it, Louis. Stop" Luke approached him quickly.

"What are you ...?".

"Don't overthink this now. I was only messing with you. Both of you. Stop overthinking this" Luke grabbed him by the shoulders.

"It's not your fault. I've been overthinking this before I even left my flat. It's just ...".

"Something you do that no one will ever fully understand" Luke knew what he was trying to say. "It's fine, Louis. Promise me to just enjoy today, okay? Let things happen naturally".

"Promise. I'll give my best" Louis smiled at him gratefully. Luke just got him and always knew what to say. He was amazing.

"That's all I can ask for" Luke nudged his chin lovingly.

"And you're okay? No weird feelings because ... you know" Louis had to make sure Luke was okay.

"Absolutely not. I'm more than fine with this, Louis. We were never anything serious and no romantic feelings were involved. I'm good and I'm really happy for you" Luke assured him truthfully. "At first, I was sceptical when you two grew closer for obvious reasons but I see how much he cares and how much he changed. He really likes you and wants what's best for you".

"And I only want him to be happy" Louis didn't know what to say.

"You make him happy, Louis" Luke smiled at him warmly.

"I'm trying" Louis murmured softly.

At that moment, someone cleared their throat. Swirling around, Louis' breath got knocked out of him. There was Harry, looking unreal and oh-so-beautiful. He was wearing really tight-fitting black skinny jeans and Chelsea boots. But what made Louis' throat go dry was that white, flower-patterned, only half-buttoned blouse he was wearing. Like this, Louis could see his chest and that did things to him that he shouldn't even allow himself to think.

"Wow. Haz, you look great" Louis brought out breathlessly.

"Thanks" Harry blushed crimson.

"Um ... Shall we?" Louis couldn't stop staring like a creep.

Nodding coyly, Harry closed the distance between them and pecked his right cheek before skipping over to the door to grab his coat. Dumbfounded, Louis ignored all the smug smiles of his family and followed Harry out the door. Outside, he led him right to the ice-skating hall but his mind was still stuck on that kiss.

Inside the hall, Louis paid for their tickets and organised some skates. Harry wasn't as terrified as he has been of the roller skating but Louis could still see that he was a bit scared. Considering his clumsy legs and non-existent sense of balance that fear was justified and valid.

"If you don't wanna do this say the word and we're out of here, Haz. I don't wanna make you feel like you have to do this. No one is forcing you to ...".

"Lou, sh" Harry cupped his face tenderly, successfully shutting him up. "I don't feel forced. I wanna do this. It looks like fun and it gives me a great excuse to stick to your side".

"You don't need an excuse for that anymore, Haz" Louis' face felt so warm in Harry's hands. "I won't leave your side".

"Good because otherwise I will definitely crash face-first onto the ice in less than ten seconds" Harry made fun of himself, calming Louis' nerves but dropping his hands. "Or ass-first".

"Oh, no. We don't want that, huh? Nothing shall bruise your face or your lovely bum, Sweetheart" Louis felt his confidence coming back and with that, his cheekiness. "Except for me".

In awe, Louis could watch how Harry's entire face turned red so quickly. From his neck up to the tips of his ears. It was a lovely sight. He liked the effect he had on his ... boyfriend?

Feeling brave and a bit courageous but also reckless, Louis got on his tiptoes, cupped Harry's face and kissed him. It was just a short kiss but still effective. Smiling innocently at his boy, Louis grazed his hand lightly over Harry's bum when he walked past him towards the ice rink. Stepping onto the smooth ice helped cool him down. Somehow he had felt unusually hot around Harry in a way he couldn't explain. It was something he couldn't control.

Thankfully, Harry didn't mention or comment on it when he joined him on the ice. Instead, he directly grabbed Louis' hands and held on so tight it made Louis' head spin. The trust he put in him was overwhelming. Maybe it was something else but Louis couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe he was going crazy.

Ignoring that strange feeling in the air, he focused solely on Harry and on not letting him fall and injure himself. With baby steps, they made their first rounds on the ice until Harry got safer on his feet, or skates. Feeling so proud, Louis couldn't stop smiling like a lovesick fool but maybe he just was one. Harry had a similar smile on his red-cheeked face. It suited him.

"You're doing great, Haz" Louis praised him proudly.

"Only because of you and your support, Lou" Harry countered shyly. He has been a bit shy and reserved all afternoon.

"You're skating, Babe. It's all you" Louis brushed it off.

"But you're leading me and letting me hold your hand" Harry pouted endearingly. Fuck, why was he so cute?

"Okay, you win" Louis couldn't argue with that.

"Yeah, I definitely won" Harry's voice suddenly dropped so low.

"Did ya, huh?" Louis cocked an eyebrow at him, caging him in between the railing and his body.

"Mmh, I did because you're my boyfriend and that's definitely a win. Jackpot, if you ask me" Harry tried to come off as cheeky but Louis could see that he was second-guessing every word.

"You're right about that" Louis licked his lips. "I definitely hit the jackpot with such a beautiful and attractive boyfriend like you".

"Have you seen yourself, Lou?" he sounded so incredulous.

"Not recently. All I can see right now is you, Love" Louis lowered his voice, leaning closer to Harry's face.

"Are you gonna kiss me now?" Harry gulped visibly.

"If you want me to" Louis stopped right by his lips.

"Please".

He wouldn't need to be told twice. With a pounding heart, Louis connected their lips and everything fell into place. Louis' hands found their way to Harry's neck while Harry's arms wrapped around Louis' waist, pulling him impossibly closer. Kissing Harry just felt so right, even when it was kept so simple and innocent. Somehow Louis loved that especially. Kissing could be magical even without tongue involved at the first chance. He loved it.

Coming up for air, they leaned their foreheads against one another. Still breathless, Harry spoke up. "Is this okay?".

"This?" Louis' brain was empty.

"Well ... this. Um ... Keeping things simple for now and not ... taking it slow?" Harry stumbled over his words anxiously.

"Of course, that's okay, Haz. I love it" Louis assured him quickly. "It's absolutely fine. Taking it slow is fine".

"Really? I don't want you to think I'm doubting us or second-guessing giving us a try only because we're not directly ... I know you know of what nature Liron's and my ...".

"Hey, none of that, okay?" Louis understood what he was trying to express. "I'm not thinking any of that. I know I can overthink everything but I won't question why you want to take this slow".

"I want this to work. You're not him. You're freaking important to me, Lou" Harry rushed out desperately.

"You're important to me too, Haz" Louis caressed his left cheek. "Taking this slow sounds good to me. I'd like that. Step by step getting into this. Together. No rush. No pressure. No expectations".

"Really?" Harry looked so vulnerable right now.

"Definitely, Haz. If you remember I've never done any of this before either. It's new for me as well and I don't wanna lose you because we rushed into anything" Louis reassured him again. He could sense his nerves and fear. He could also smell it in his scent but it was getting better. So, Louis had been right. The odd note to it was connected to Harry's distress in certain situations.

"You won't lose me but I'm terrified of scaring you off. I'm still a werewolf and things are gonna be different and unhuman an ...".

"Do I look like I care, Haz?" Louis cut him off. "I know who and what you are and I'm right here and I won't go anywhere".

"Me neither, Lou" Harry finally relaxed, his scent neutralising.

"Good" Louis pecked his lips smilingly. "Food now?".

"I'm in".

After getting rid of their skates, they walked over to the food court and got something to eat. While eating they talked a bit about their favourite things in Domumley and stuff Harry still wanted to see or try out. Somewhere along the line of talking about wanting to see different cities in Europe Harry's mood changed. Louis could see the exact moment on his face and immediately got worried.

"Haz? What's wrong?" Louis swallowed the last bit of his food.

"Nothing. I only remembered how my Mum used to tell me stories about Spain or Germany. She always wanted me to see more of the world but knew my father would have never allowed it" Harry told him heartbreakingly. "But now that I can I...".

"You wish she could be with you" Louis understood wordlessly.

"I'm sure it will get better. Easier one day" Harry shuddered.

"It shouldn't even be like this in the first place. Life really isn't fair and I'm so sorry" Louis felt still so guilty and responsible.

"I'm gonna tell you that it's not your fault until you believe me without a doubt because you have nothing to do with this. It's not on you and you have to stop feeling like you're responsible for my mother's death. You're not" Harry saw right through him.

"In a way, I am though and you can't deny that. Maybe not directly but Josiah wants revenge on my mum and takes it out on me. So, your mum had to pay for what my mum did" Louis countered surely.

"Aurelio said she didn't do anything wrong and Josiah is being irrational and blind" Harry reminded him softly.

"But do we know if that's right? Aurelio is keeping parts of Josiah's past from us and we don't know why. It's possible he only said that to make me feel better" Louis pointed out logically.

"Or Josiah is really only a piece of shit, messing with our heads" Harry tilted his head aside adorably.

"Only my mum knows the answer to that" Louis played with his garbage to stop his mind from panicking over this.

"Then we need to let her tell us her story" Harry stood up from the table, giving Louis whiplash.

"What are you on about? My mum is ...".

"Captured by Josiah and being held hostage in the nature realm. We know as much and even where exactly. We should finally go and get her" Harry talked over him with determination.

"Just us two? This is crazy. There is a reason we didn't do it yet" Louis couldn't believe he was for real.

"After everything that happened, I don't think we could prepare even more before getting her back. It will be hard now and it will be hard in a week. Josiah will always expect us to come" Harry left the ice-skating hall with fast steps, Louis barely catching up.

"Maybe but we need backup. Two is not enough" Louis tried to reason with him, not wanting anyone else to die over this.

"Ask Zayn to come along" Harry suggested easily.

"I ... okay" Louis blinked perplexedly. "Now?".

"Yes, now. We shouldn't waste another minute. My mum made her choice and we can't undo it but we can help yours. We can bring her back and she might be able to help us bring him down by helping us understand what is actually going on" Harry sounded so sure of this that Louis believed they could do it.

"Joey, can you open a portal to the nature realm? Harry is unstoppable right now. He wants to go and save my mum. Right now and not a minute later".

"Okay, I'm in. A smaller group like us might even be better".

"You're in? Just like that?".

"We need to get her back. The puzzle doesn't make sense without her and she is your mother. Of course, I'm in".

"You're one of a kind, Joey".

"Thanks. Meet you at the bridge?".

"Sure".

"Come on. He'll be at the bridge in a few" Louis took Harry's hand and led him towards the main park of Domumley.

"That telepathy thing is pretty damn sick" Harry whistled out.

"It really is and pretty practical. We can always talk without anyone knowing about it" Louis agreed with him.

"Do you do that a lot?" Harry wanted to know curiously.

"Not as much as we could and mainly when we're far apart" Louis let him know, entering the park.

"Did you do it today?" Harry hooked weirdly.

"This morning when I was at the waterfall. How do you think did he know where I was?" Louis turned around to him, knowing what Harry was implying. "But not during our date, Love".

"No?".

"Why would we? I didn't think about anyone else than you. Why would I talk to someone else when I can talk to you?" Louis tugged a strand of hair behind Harry's ear.

"Maybe it wasn't what you expected it to be or ... I don't know".

God, damn it. He was so cute.

"It was perfect, Haz" Louis booped his nose. "And you know, as soulmates we'll be able to do that too at one point, probably. We have an even stronger connection than Zayn and me. Let's be honest, we probably can do this already but our past made us unable to access that power. Or our refusal to acknowledge this bond locked that skill away and now we have to set it free somehow".

"You really think so?" Harry stared at him full of hope.

"Yes, I'm sure of it, Haz".

"I thought we wanted to save Jasmine and not do whatever the hell that was" Zayn startled both of them, amusement in his voice.

"We were waiting for you. Now care to open that portal?" Louis shot him a warning glare.

"Always so polite".

With a flick of his wrist, Zayn opened a white portal to the nature realm and they walked through it without hesitation. On the other side, they were met with a wildly sprawling landscape and no sign of human life anywhere. The destroyed castled was close to them and sent cold shivers down Louis' spine. His father was murdered there and he was probably born in the same place. And just over there, his mother was counting on their help.

Presumably sensing Louis' inner chaos, Harry grabbed for his hand and intertwined their fingers. The skin-on-skin contact sent tingles and shivers through his entire body and relaxed him. On his other side was Zayn, resting his hand on Louis' back to ground him. Seeing his destroyed home realm hit him harder than he had expected, considering he couldn't remember ever being here.

"We should get going or Josiah might ..." Louis' throat was closing up and he had to cut himself off.

"We got this, Tommy" Zayn stroked his back soothingly.

"He's right, Lou. We got this. We got you" Harry squeezed his hand comfortingly. "Let's save your mum".

Starting to walk towards the ruins of the castle's inner courtyard, Louis took a look around and tried to remember something but came out empty-handed. Nothing was ringing a bell. Has he ever been here as a baby? Or did he just make that up in his mind?

"Sean said she was kept inside the intact part of the castle. A room surrounded by some sort of spell, right?" Harry tried to remember what Sean had told them about her whereabouts.

"Yes, when he tried to access that memory again. He wanted to find out where exactly she is being held hostage and how to get her out but we didn't find out what kind of spell is holding her there yet. Probably a spell that is neutralising her powers to keep her from breaking free" Louis confirmed, trying to keep his cool.

"Look" Zayn pointed into the air toward a tower that was still completely intact and unharmed. A greenish veil was shimmering around it. "I feel like that's it. It has to be".

Sharing a look, Zayn and Louis transformed in sync and leapt off the ground. Louis' heart was beating wildly in his chest the closer they got. He could be able to finally see his mother in person and even save her and take her home. It felt surreal. It felt too good to be true and it was definitely too easy. They were never this lucky.

"Mum?" Louis murmured under his breath when he approached a window, seeing a silhouette move inside the tower.

A shadow crept closer to the window and a second later a woman stepped into the barely-there light. Louis froze in his spot. It was definitely his mother. She literally looked just like him. Same blue eyes, same chestnut brown hair, same facial features. "Louis?".

Hearing the sound of his mother's voice made Louis choke out a silent sob. It was too much to handle. "Mum".

In the blink of an eye, he was hit by something right into his stomach and crashed to the hard ground, thankfully avoiding any big stones or shards. His ears were ringing but he could hear his mother screaming his name in sheer panic. "Louis!".

His head was spinning and every bone in his body was hurting. He tried to prop himself up on his hands but his wrists gave in immediately and he fell back to the ground. Whatever had hit him had drained him of his energy enough to keep him on the ground. Additionally, he could hear the familiar squeaks of third-class demons approaching him. Someone really wanted him dead.

"Louis, no!" he heard Harry scream in fear, which made Louis turn his head towards his boyfriend with all his remaining power.

Like this, Louis could see the impossible happening right in front of his eyes. Right after screaming, Harry ran over to him with such determination reflected in his eyes and that's when it happened. Louis watched with big eyes how Harry transformed right then and there. He transformed into his werewolf form for the very first time and killed every demon that even dared to get close to Louis. One after the other was sent back to hell. By his boy.

Completely frozen and in absolute shock, Louis watched all of this happening but his main focus was on Harry's wolf form. His fur was entirely white apart from a few black spots. These spots were identical to Louis' white spots when he was a cat. Or the one time he has been a wolf and killed Aidan. They completed each other.

"Fuck" Louis cursed under his breath. This realisation was a lot.

Before he could let that revelation sink in he saw how Josiah himself appeared right in the sky above the inner courtyard. His eyes were solely focused on Louis lying on the ground. Fleetingly, he glanced at the tower, where Jasmine was following the entire fight unable to help her own son. Josiah was definitely enjoying this. It was written all over his face.

A dark expression rose on his evil face and his hands started glowing dangerously. Louis recognised the form of the spell forming between Josiah's hands right before he fired it at him. He was really out to kill him, over and over again. All for no reason at all. It was getting ridiculous but obviously, Josiah didn't agree with that. He fired another deadly spell at Louis while he was defenceless.

Zayn jumped in front of him with a protective shield made of ice and blocked the spell. "Not my Animella, you bastard!".

Oddly enough that made Josiah falter. "Animella?".

"Yes, and you better stay away! You don't wanna see me mad" Zayn threatened him intimidatingly.

"Is that a challenge?" Josiah laughed like a maniac but it wasn't as convincing as usual. Something was off. "I have a gift for you".

And just like that, dozens of demons came towards them from all directions. They could never defeat them all and survive. They had to leave and save Jasmine another day. It broke Louis' heart to look up at the tower to see his mother watching all of this and having to leave her behind. But there was nothing he could do.

"Come on" Zayn rushed Harry through the portal and picked Louis up bridal style, passing it as well.

Safe inside the four walls of their flat, they all needed a second to process what just happened. It was dead silent in the flat, no one knew what to say. This could have gone totally wrong. And they didn't succeed. Jasmine was still imprisoned in that tower. They had failed and now Josiah knew for sure they knew where to find her and that they were definitely still looking for a way to break her free. Fuck, they messed up.

"We should get some rest before we tell the others what ... what happened" Zayn broke the silence and he was right. "That was a lot and we need to regain our energy".

"Yeah, you're right. I um ... I'm gonna go and give you ...".

"No, stay" Louis grabbed for Harry's wrist, who was in human form again. He needed him right now.

"Okay," Harry's face softened.

"Well, you'll find me in my room if you need me" Zayn cleared his throat before leaving them alone.

Wordlessly, Louis and Harry walked into his bedroom where Louis threw himself onto his bed. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Harry just watching him unsurely. Patting the spot next to him on the bed, Louis signalled him to join him. Hesitantly, Harry approached the bed and climbed onto it, lying down next to Louis.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked concerned.

"Not really but I'm holding up. We knew the chance to save her wasn't high anyway. It just ... for me, it was the first time I ever really saw her and it felt surreal. Leaving her behind was hard but there was no other way. Dying while trying wasn't an option" Louis opened up to him. "Thank you for protecting me, Haz".

"It was nothing. I only wanted you safe and ...".

"You transformed, Haz" Louis cut him off in bewilderment. "That is not nothing. It's incredible. You did it".

"I don't know how though. It just happened. All I wanted was to protect you and suddenly I was in wolf form" Harry shifted onto his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Sounds like the time I transformed into a wolf" Louis noted softly.

"Yeah, it does" Harry kept his eyes on the ceiling.

"Does it matter how it happened? You did it and you did great. That's really all that matters" Louis reached for his hand.

"My omega only wanted to keep you safe. It acted up before I knew what was happening" Harry averted his gaze towards him.

"Then I have to thank your omega for keeping me safe" Louis scooted closer to him. "Thank you, Harry's Omega".

Harry's cheeks reddened at that. "You're welcome".

"Can we cuddle now? You deserve a reward and I need aftercare" Louis pouted dramatically, needing something. Anything.

"Always, Lou".

Even though Harry was taller than him he crawled right into Louis' arms and rested his head on Louis' chest, wrapping one arm around Louis' torso while the other was squished between Louis' chest and Harry's cheek. Preening strangely at the fact that Harry wanted him like this, Louis rested his one hand on Harry's back and caressed it. His other stroked either over Harry's arm or through Harry's air, making him sleepy. In that position, Louis felt himself drifting to sleep and he thought to himself that maybe this failure had an upside, after all.  

Feeling warm and well-rested, Louis blinked his eyes open and was met with a dark room. Immediately, he felt a presence on his chest and remembered that Harry was lying in bed with him. Looking down at the sleeping boy on his chest, a smile spread over his face. Seeing Harry like this did things to Louis' heart. But as much as he wanted to enjoy this he knew they had to stand up and talk to their team about what happened.

"Haz" Louis stroked his hair out of his face tenderly. "Haz. Baby, wake up".

Stirring at the sound of his voice, Harry seemed to wake up. Sleepily, his eyes opened and focused on Louis' face. "Lou".

"Hey, Sweetheart" Louis buried his hand in Harry's curls.

"I had a strange dream. I dreamt that I transformed into a wolf and fought off demons" Harry yawned adorably.

"That wasn't a dream, Darling. It happened. You fought them off to protect me" Louis reminded him softly.

"I really transformed? Woah" Harry looked genuinely shocked.

"Yes, Love. You transformed into a breathtaking and beautiful white wolf and made sure I was safe" Louis told him again.

"White? I didn't even notice that. I only remember seeing you and nothing and no one else" Harry blushed endearingly.

"Aww" Louis cooed touched and kissed Harry's nose. "I saw what you looked like. As a wolf your fur is completely white except for a few black spots".

"You mean like you have your white spots?" Harry let that information sink in with big eyes.

"Exactly like me" Louis confirmed slowly, still overwhelmed by that revelation even though it should have been obvious.

"Wow" Harry was just staring up at him with wonder in his eyes.

"Soulmates, mh?" Louis grinned loop-sidedly at him.

"Soulmates, indeed" Harry giggled cutely.

"Anyway, we should get up. We need to tell the others what happened" Louis stroked over Harry's jaw before dropping his hand and trying to stand up but Harry was clinging to him.

"No, you're warm" Harry whined theatrically.

"Aren't you the werewolf? You are supposed to keep me warm and not the other way around" Louis smirked down at him.

"But you're practically the sun" Harry countered simply.

"I ..." Louis had no reply to that. He wasn't so far off.

"Great, I win" Harry snuggled further into his chest.

"Does your win include telling Jessica and Colin why you didn't come home yesterday? They're probably worried" Louis suddenly remembered they never told them about their spontaneous trip to another realm. "I want them to like me".

"You're such an idiot" Harry cackled loudly. "They love you. They're your family, first and foremost. They're just nice enough to let me stay for the time being. Until I come up with a better idea".

"You could have stayed with Zayn and me or at the aca ...".

"You would have let me stay with you?" Harry brought some space between them to gape at his face in full swing.

"Of course?" Louis was taken aback by his surprise. "As if I'd let you end up on the street".

"You didn't say anything" Harry pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Because Jessica and Colin stayed and I knew they would. So, I knew you had the chance to stay with them, which sounded like the better option for you because being with other werewolves ...".

"You're cute when you ramble" Harry giggled delightedly before leaning closer and pecking his lips to shut him up. "I get what you mean, Lou. I also could've stayed at the academy".

"Yeah" Louis' brain wasn't working anymore.

"I didn't want to. I like Luke's family but I have to admit I miss Niall" Harry leaned against the headboard of the bed.

"He's staying at the academy from now on, right?" Louis darkly remembered someone mentioning that yesterday.

"Yes, he's rooming with Sean" Harry confirmed his suspicion.

"Is that so? Huh," Louis' mind went back to the different worlds.

"You saw them together too, right?" Harry asked knowingly.

"In some other worlds, yeah" Louis nodded absent-mindedly. "I wasn't sure it mattered here because they weren't a thing in all of these worlds. Not like Àmbar and Aria".

"Well, we haven't seen all of them. There are millions and I only saw a couple of them" Harry noted smartly.

"Fair point" Louis had to admit. "Anyway, we still need to get up".

This time, Louis managed to stand up quickly enough. He was still in yesterday's clothes and that needed to change. Grabbing some fresh clothes out of his dresser, Louis disappeared into the bathroom. As fast as possible, he freshened up and put on his new clothes, deciding a shower could wait till tonight. Emerging from the bathroom, Louis walked in on Harry looking through his drawer full of comfy hoodies and sweaters, probably searching for something to wear until he got home. He looked way too cute.

"Take whatever you like" Louis made his presence known, only startling his boyfriend a little bit. "I might even have some jeans that could fit you. Wait a second".

Louis opened his wardrobe and rummaged through it, knowing he had some jeans somewhere that were too big for him. Finding out which size you needed in a new world has been a bit tricky.

"Aha!" Louis exclaimed in triumph when he finally found the pair of jeans he was looking for. "Here".

"Thanks, Lou" Harry took them gratefully.

"It's nothing. I can't let you run around naked, mh?" Louis joked but was hit with vague images of that scenario against his will.

"But I like being naked" Harry countered poutily.

And that ... that pout was definitely not as innocent as Harry was trying to make it look. He knew what he was doing to Louis with his simple words. That bastard. That lovely bastard.

"Then get naked in the bathroom and change" Louis ushered him out of the room.

"Your loss" Harry winked playfully at him.

Harry was gonna be the death of him. He has known that for a while but god, damn it. Actually being with him was gonna kill him in the near future. Louis knew it has been a joke. They had talked about taking it slow and Louis was all up for that but the thought of Harry being half-naked in his bathroom right now was doing things to him. Things he would never admit out loud.

"When you two are done lusting over each other can we finally leave? We have important matters at hand".

"We are not lusting over each other, Joey! Fuck off".

"Keep lying to yourself but keep in mind that I know everything".

"Great, that's not gonna be weird at all".

"Not like that! I never felt it when you were with Luke like that but I knew ... You know what? Forget about it".

"No, now I'm curious. Tell me".

"No, never. Find out for yourself".

"You mean you finally have the guts to tell Liam you want him to wreck you?".

"Tommy!".

"Joey".

"I hate you".

"Love you too".

"Everything alright?" Harry came back into his bedroom.

"Yes, Zayn is only unwilling to accept the truth" Louis grinned to himself and walked past him out of his bedroom, talking loud enough for Zayn to hear.

"It's not the truth" Zayn emerged from his room with a pout.

"So, you don't want Lima to rock you back and forth and ...".

"No, I don't!" Zayn squeaked red-faced.

"I'm not sure I believe you" Louis put on his shoes.

"Oh, yeah? Two can play that game, Tommo" Zayn's voice suddenly changed and Woah. Tommo? Oh-oh, he was in trouble.

"Joey" Louis warned him.

"H, good morning to you. How did you sleep? Nice and dry? No hard awakening?" Zayn shifted his attention to Harry now.

"Um ..." Harry paled and blushed at the same time.

"I swear, I'm gonna kill you for this, Joey" Louis glared at him.

"Karma's a bitch, Tommy. And that's how it sounds" Zayn laughed right into his face evilly.

"Oh, fuck off" Louis punched his shoulder.

"Never" Zayn sing-songed and pressed a wet and loud kiss to Louis' cheek before he skipped out of the flat.

"I hate him" Louis shook his head in disbelief. "Come on, Haz. We should leave as well before it gets too dirty and ugly".

With a silent Harry next to him, Louis left the flat and followed Zayn's path. Together and without any more incidents, they made their way to the academy. They had planned on calling everyone and asking them to come as soon as possible but that plan flew right out the window when they saw a distressed Sean walking up and down in front of the main entrance.

"Sean?".

"Oh, thank God, you're here. I need all of you inside" Sean breathed out a sigh of relief when he spotted them.

"All of us?" Harry hooked befuddled.

"Yes. With you here, everyone is there except for Aria but she texted that she will be here in a minute" Sean told them.

"But you didn't text us" Zayn stated the obvious.

"No, because I knew you would come anyway" Sean shrugged.

"Come" Zayn snickered under his breath, nudging Louis' side.

"I hate you" Louis hissed at him but a chuckle escaped.

"What is so important that you need all of us here?" Harry wanted to know, eyeing Louis and Zayn suspiciously.

"I think Logan and I finally found the place to regain that memory and I need all of your powers to help me stabilise the train of memories we're gonna get. It could unlock his entire past" Sean revealed to them mind-blowingly.

"Where is it?" Louis urged him to tell them.

"Just outside of the city really. I dreamed about it for a week now and it has to mean something, so I told Logan about it. He said it's worth a shot and most likely, this could be it ...".

"Did you ask Aurelio about this place? Or Kida? Someone who knew him?" Zayn cut him off sceptically.

"You mean people who keep things from us? No, I didn't" Sean sounded unusually mad.

"You noticed that too" Louis stated the obvious.

"Of course. It's painfully obvious by now" Sean nodded simply.

"Okay. Then let's gather everyone and visit that place. What kind of weird place is it?" Louis wanted to know curiously.

"It's ...".

"Sorry, here I am" Aria came running over to them pantingly.

"It's fine. You're here now and we can leave".

Right on cue, the rest of the guardian team walked out of the academy. For a moment, Louis wondered why Aria and Àmbar didn't come together but that wasn't important right now. They had a new mission. On the way to that place, the three of them let the others in on what had happened yesterday. They all agreed on saving Jasmine at the next best moment, no matter what.

"We're here" Sean announced after an eternity of walking.

Squinting at the place, Louis was confused. That wasn't what he has been expecting it to be. It was a beautiful little property with a little pond and a pavilion. In the middle of it was a burned-down house. Or the remains of it. It wasn't much. That was the place?

"I need all of you now. I still don't have full access to my powers but we need to know what happened here to make Josiah turn on his friends and become this evil warlock" Sean held his hand out for someone to take.

"We got you, Sean" Àmbar took his hand.

Like that, they all joined it and ended up in a circle. In sync, they closed their eyes and focused on Sean and that memory. They let the presence of the place engulf them and flow through their bodies. Tuning into each other, they let their powers run free.

"It's working. Open your eyes" Sean sounded ecstatic.

Right in the middle of their circle was one of Sean's smokey mirror clouds. It was a bit darker than the last time Louis has seen it and it looked like lightning bolts were shooting right through it but the first images started to appear. With Josiah in the focus.

They could see how he became a guardian at the age of nineteen and learned about his prophecy. Knowing you're meant to become one of the most powerful warlocks in history has obviously been a burden from the beginning. Louis watched how Josiah met his other guardian friends. Kida, Amelia, Hope, Sam and his mother. It jumped through flashes of training and first missions but stopped on Josiah meeting someone at the age of twenty-five.

Stealing a glance at his friends, Louis saw that no one noticed what he did. He recognised that woman. He has seen her before. In his memories from when he was a baby. That could only mean one thing but Louis hoped he was wrong this time.

Unfortunately, he was right again. His fears came to life when they saw Josiah and his wife Zoey having a baby. And that baby was none other than his soul twin. It was Zayn. He's Josiah's son.

"What? But that's not possible" Zayn mumbled under his breath, shock evident in his voice. Louis wanted to hug him.

"It's gonna be okay, Joey" Louis tried to soothe him desperately.

Suddenly, the images in the mirror changed and the house was seen. Zoey was standing outside by the pond and she was pregnant again. Out of nowhere, a group of five men appeared on the property and approached her. Josiah was nowhere to be seen. In sheer horror, they had to watch how they shot her without any mercy. And it got even worse. Afterwards, they stabbed her dead body many times. More precisely, her pregnant belly. These men had killed her and her unborn baby without a visible reason.

Foreseeable, Josiah showed up and found his wife and unborn dead. Murdered. By humans. Louis watched how he went crazy and went after their village, burning it to the ground but those men had left. So, Josiah set off to find and kill them. get revenge.

And that's when the cloud vanished into thin air and silence fell over them. Still grabbing onto Zayn's hand, Louis squeezed it in what was hopefully comfort. He could feel the chaos inside of Zayn. The pain, the anger, the confusion. Every piece of it.

"Zayn, you're ..." Maribel started but trailed off oddly.

"I ..." Zayn looked like a mess, unable to form words.

"I'm so sorry, Joey. This is horrible and I wish I could ...".

"Tommy, don't" Zayn stopped him, letting go of his hand and backing away from his friends. "I ... I need a moment to myself".

"Of course. Take all the time you need".

Louis' words were barely in the moment when Zayn opened a portal and disappeared through it. Louis felt so helpless right now. He wished he could do something for his best friend.

"I don't know what to say" Àmbar brought out in shock.

"Me neither" Liam looked shaken up.

"We know the truth now. That's what we wanted and needed. He is ... Zayn is ... That explains a lot".

Maribel was right. It explained a lot but not everything. Even now, Louis didn't understand why Josiah hated his mother enough to kill her husband and go after her son. Not after what he has been through himself. It made no freaking sense.

"I have a feeling this is the right moment to save Jasmine now. He is probably distracted. It's our chance" Aria threw in unexpectedly.

"Distracted by what?" Louis didn't understand but everyone else seemed to share her opinion.

"Having his son back? Dealing with the fact we know about his past? Choose your fighter" Maribel clicked with her tongue.

"What are you on about?" Louis eyed her sceptically.

"That Zayn just got exposed and dipped" Maribel replied coldly.

"Exposed? He found out his father is a psychopath" Louis couldn't believe she actually said that.

"Are you sure he didn't know about this before? Logan said with his powers he is able to look into the past. Maybe he managed to do that already and found out. We were looking for a traitor. There is your answer. It was Zayn" Maribel laid the facts out neutrally.

"He did not betray us. He saved us many times" Louis shot back.

"Is a good cover. The caring friend. No suspect ...".

"Are you out of your mind?" Louis gaped at her, looking around at his other friends. They all avoided eye contact, except for Àmbar and Harry but he wasn't sure what he saw in their eyes.

"Can you guarantee he didn't play us?" Niall looked torn.

"Absolutely. He would never" Louis was sure of it.

"That's not enough" Maribel shook her head, her face going blank. "Let's focus on Jasmine for now. We need to get her out today".

"Exactly. Let's all meet at the academy in an hour. Everyone who is still in" Niall agreed with her plan.

"Whatever" Louis huffed and left, not believing they were actually mistrusting Zayn now just because his father was evil. Hopefully, Zayn would come to the academy and prove them wrong.  

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A lot happened. Did you see this coming?

Will they be able to save Jasmine this time?