me, him, and the moon ☾ l.s.

fifteen - empty promises

". . . a pairing between an accomplished soldier from another clan and my own son, our newly-presented omega."

Harry's head spun. The excited chatter of the rest of the pack sounded distant in his ringing ears, and he wobbled unsteadily on his feet, taking a step back to keep himself from falling. He could hear his father speaking enthusiastically, and the harsh feedback from the old microphone buzzed intrusively in his oversensitized ears. The whole world suddenly seemed far away; out of reach.

And then, the horrifying realization struck him: he was about to drop.

Omegas tended to drop when a situation grew too stressful or emotionally-taxing. Out of all of the terrifying situations he had experienced in his short life -- from the violent battles of his youth to harassment in the streets to hits at the hands of his own father -- finding out that he was to mate with an alpha who he didn't even know (let alone love) with his entire pack looking on somehow turned out to be the scariest. Harry had never dropped before, but then again, he could never think of a time when he had been more afraid.

He was about to drop for the first time in front of his entire pack, right beside his abusive father.

But then, miraculously, something brought him back from the edge, steadying his wavering consciousness and anchoring him back in reality.

"This is ridiculous!" Louis's voice rang out above the noise, and the roaring crowd fell silent almost instantly. Harry finally felt himself breathe when he caught sight of his boyfriend stepping out of the crowd and approaching the center of the circle. Louis looked furious. "It's outrageous, honestly. You can't offer a member of our pack up like a fresh piece of meat just because he's presented as an omega. I know for a fact that no one consulted with Harry about this arrangement."

"Son, stand down. Harry's father was the one who proposed the pairing," Louis's father spoke coldly, irritation lacing his tone. "And besides, the arrangement doesn't concern you."

"Harry presented only days ago," Louis fumed, not hesitating to fight back against his father's dismissal. "Hours ago, even. He's barely had the chance to wrap his head around his status, let alone make any rational decisions about mating."

And staring at the flashes of lighting in Louis's fiery eyes, as much as Harry wanted to scream out that he had already made his decision a long time ago, he kept his mouth shut.

"This matter is not open for discussion," the Alpha stated firmly, dismissing Louis with a short wave of his hand. "The council and I have a few more details to work out, but the alpha will arrive in the next hour, and no one will interact with him besides council members, Harry, and his father. I have guaranteed his protection in our community. Understood?"

The chatter of the pack indicated a mixture of responses, but Louis's father made no move to reaffirm the enemy alpha's safety. Many of their pack members had lost loved ones to the war, and there was a good chance that they might jump at the opportunity for revenge.

The only thing that Louis could think about was the fact that Harry might now serve as collateral damage in that revenge.

As the council members returned to the Alpha's house, presumably to finalize the details, Louis rushed to Harry's side. The chattering crowd around them had started to disperse, but many lingered on, curiously observing the only son of the Head Alpha who had passionately jumped to the young omega's defense. Harry kept his hands clasped together tightly in front of him, suppressing the urge to reach for Louis to seek out the much-needed comfort of the alpha's touch. Louis exhaled sharply, shooting a piercing glare to the stragglers still surrounding them.