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*11 days BeFoUr*
Liam couldn’t decide what was the worse thing about that day. His dumb mate planning his coronation day slash mating ceremony or how he had failed to sneak into Zayn’s room even after a couple hundred tries. He was tired and frustrated, but he still had to attend the pack meeting and it was helping nothing. What was worse, though, was that Rachel was an insensitive bitch who didn’t care about anything but her marriage ceremony. Liam could swear that if her mate was someone else, someone just a bit more considerate, his perspective about marriage would’ve been different. But right now he was dreading the moment the devil’s incarnate would become the queen of his pack and his wife.
Wearily, he took a shower, changing into the clothes that Harry had chosen for him. His caretaker was still not on the best terms with him, not that they were buddy-buddy before, but now there was a bitterness around Harry whenever they interacted. To some extent Liam understood the resentment. If Louis was sick and Harry had to do anything, even the most minor thing, with it, he would’ve probably been a lot more ruthless than the beta was being.
In the meeting hall, his parents were sitting on their designated seat at the very end of the big table. His father’s gaze was reprimanding as he shuffled around the room before finding a place to sit in, purposefully ignoring the empty seat beside Rachel.
” Now that we are all here,” The Alpha king looked at Liam, pointedly. ” Can we discuss the matter at our hands?”
” Yes, Alpha,” exclaimed Rachel a little too eagerly. Liam noticed his father’s curiosity as his eyes settled on the soon to be Luna queen.
” Rachel, I suppose you have something to say.” said the Alpha king. Rachel nodded, straightening her posture.” Okay, let’s hear it then.”
” We all know that mate-less wolves are dangerous.” Liam wanted to roll his eyes. He wondered about the origin of his mate’s ability to spew out crap whenever she opened her mouth. ” More dangerous than even the rogues.” Liam frowned as her eyes, not so subtly, roamed to Zayn’s parents. What was she on about? ” In our pack, we send them to a help centre before they… die.” the nonchalance in her tone made Liam choke on his own spit.
” Well, your pack is crazy.” exclaimed Niall angrily, successfully getting everyone’s attention.
” Excuse me.” Rachel seemed offended. A part of Liam wanted to knock some sense into her but the other part knew it was hopeless.
From the corner of his eyes, he watched as mama Trisha got up from her seat, one of her hand settled on her heart. ” You want to send my son to a psyche ward!” Anger rolled in Liam’s stomach at the sight of the broken mother.
” He’s not crazy.” yelled Silvia, who was standing beside her mate now.
” Well, it’s only a matter of time now.” Liam felt his fist forming at the detached tone she had taken to talk about his beloved. He had never come across anyone more insensitive than her and it was his luck that she was his mate.
” Rachel!” There was a heavy hint of warning in the queen’s voice. Liam turned to look at the brown eyes of his mother narrowed down on his mate, happy that he wasn’t the only one wanting to kill her at the moment.
He watched as Rachel gulped nervously, her enthusiasm from a minute ago thinning down a notch.” I’m sorry if it sounded offensive. I was just stating facts. I know he’s very dear to you but soon he’ll lose all his sense and turn into a feral monster.” Liam gasped at her words. She did not just say that. A loud sob got her attention, both of Zayn parents were clinging onto each other, eyes wet and posture helpless.” You just have to accept that and it’s better for all of us if he goes away.”
Silvia looked at the Alpha King, her stance protective but eyes wavering in melancholy.” When you accepted us into this pack you knew who we were. You’ve never discriminated us because of that… No one has… If Zayn goes away we’ll go with him.” Liam noticed his father’s embarrassment clear in his expression. He looked cornered and confused like a child being blamed for a thing he hadn’t done.
” After how you treated my mate, I think it would be the respectable out for you.” The temperature dropped by a few degrees. It was like everything had stopped like time had frozen up.
” Are you crazy?” Liam shouted when he got his bearings back. He was positively livid.
” What?” She had the nerve to look offended even after all that she had said.
Liam gave her a dirty look before looking at his parents.” Why aren’t you saying anything? Is this how we treat our family? Send them away in the hardest of their times?” All the eyes were on him as he blatantly questioned the Alpha’s take on things.
” You don’t understand…” started Rachel again but Liam had had enough of her for the day.
” No, you don’t understand! This is not your pack Rachel. This is my pack and I will not let it fall apart like this.” His voice boomed colliding against the walls, making sure that everybody knew where he stood. ” Zayn and his family will stay here, where they belong.” His eyes narrowed at his mate before settling on his parents.” You know as much as I do that the only thing that drives the mate-less to insanity is the lack of love and I will not let that happen to him.” He concluded, determination laced to his voice.
” But Liam… ” Liam restrained himself from screaming out of frustration as his mate started again but thankfully his father saved him from the clean up he would’ve had to do if things went any other way.
” Rachel, Liam is right. If I had known this was what we were here to discuss I wouldn’t have let things get to this point. I respect your pack values but like my son said we are a family. We stay together no matter what. Silvia, Trishia and Zayn are as much a part of this pack as you are. Silvia, I’m very sorry on behalf of Rachel. She’s new to the environment, it’ll take her some time to adapt. Rachel…” He looked at her expectantly. Liam in satisfaction as his mate squirmed around before apologising.
” I’m sorry.” a half-assed apology but an apology nonetheless.
” Now, I would like to talk about something way more important. Zayn’s birthday is in eleven days and I was thinking about having a little pack party.” Leave it to his mother to turn a tense situation into a lighthearted one.
” But that’s the day… ” And his mate to ruin it.
” Of your mating ceremony and Liam’s coronation. We all know.” Liam chuckled internally at her bored tone. Rachel flushed in embarrassment, snapping her mouth shut. Liam loved his mum. ” The party will be arranged at twelve on the night before and your day will not be disturbed.”
His father got up dusting himself gently.” So, I’ll leave you ladies to the arrangements. I believe all of us men have boring business to deal with. Liam, walk with me.” Gradually, all the men filed out of the hall, leaving all the pack ladies to their business.
He followed his father lead out to the balcony. Admittedly he was nervous, It was the first time he had stood up against his father and it wasn’t the wisest thing he had done. But then again when it came to Zayn, wise got a whole new meaning. ” You think standing against your mate was a good idea in front of the pack.” He was expecting something like this but not about his unintelligent mate but his father himself.
Liam breathed heavily, calculating his words before saying ” She was… ” He was interuppted mid-sentence with his beaming father hugging his breath out of him.
” I’m proud of you son. Now, I can trust you to keep my pack upright while I’m having a long nap.” Liam was confused but his dad wasn’t mad at him so that was a relief.
” I guess… ” He said as they broke the hug.
” She’s a little crazy, that mate of yours.” The King’s smile faltered a bit as he said those words.
” A little.” Liam snorted.
His dad laughed wholeheartedly.” I saw him you know.” Liam noticed the sudden change in his posture, there was something grim tingly in his eyes.” He’s still very chatty, so that’s a good sign.” That made the Alpha prince smile, even though his heart, quivered at the ‘still’. It also reminded him how he was the only one not allowed to see his beloved.
” Alph… Liam, can I talk to you for a second.” Trisha was standing in the hallway with her mate right beside her. Liam looked at his father who nodded at him and then cautiously walked up to the pair. He almost jumped when mama Trisha unexpectedly wrapped her arms around him, Silvia joining the hug immediately after. He was shocked at the sudden affection but the smile on his father’s face as he turned to leave was enough to reassure him.
” Thank you.” Silvia breathed.
” Sixteen. He’s sixteen. My baby…” Liam’s heart cramped up a bit as Trisha started sobbing against his chest. ” Why couldn’t you be his mate, Liam? Why?”
Liam wondered that too. Oh what he wouldn’t give to save Zayn.
+
*That Day*
Zayn frowned at the drawing on the page. He unwrapped the bandage from around his hand and gave the mark on the back of his hand a contemplative glance. His eyes shifted back and forth between the page and his own hand and no matter how hard he rubbed his eyes it was still there. The apple tree that never grows any apples. Their place. His mating mark. His and Liam’s mating mark. But there were flowers on the tree which were not there last night. A dizzy feeling washed over Zayn as he tried to decipher the meaning behind it all but found nothing.
What was happening?
+
A/N
EEEKKK!! Hey people! I know I promised that it’ll end before December but then I got lazy and things didn’t happen. Don’t worry though it’ll surely be done before the ninth because I’ll be starting my greek god au that day and It’s going to be ZIAAMMMMM!!! Kinda my otp right now.
Do you guys want the description? Comment and I’ll post it with the next update.
Love you all and YEAH!
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