𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 ⸙

2.42༊*·˚

Zayn phoned Sea Claw Packhouse, and once he was done on the phone, he twisted the two keys around the chain on his neck. One key was for the lock on the door, and the other... Zayn wished he knew.

He eyed his dad's Alpha Journal on the top of the bookshelf, wondering what the Key was for, and why it had been hidden so strategically. Then he thought of Liam, and what he had done earlier that day, and whether Bethan or Lynx were spreading it around the pack.

Zayn looked around the office that felt more and more like his every day. After the big round of apologies, his time as an Alpha had reset. He hadn't been Alpha for the past two years. He had barely even been Zayn Malik.

The more vulnerable Zayn felt, the more the external world helped him to feel emotions he had suppressed for so long. Liam was also a valuable match in his matchstick walls. Without him holding Zayn up, his walls would fall, and so would everything Zayn cared about. He saw that now, with eyes fully open and fully digesting the ripple effect his mistakes made on the people he loved.

Zayn frowned as he thought more of Liam and what had happened in the woods. Liam had clearly been confused about his intuition. At the time, Liam thought it stemmed from Zayn and that he sensed the wolves, but Zayn hadn't sensed anything.

He glanced at the books on the shelves and to one book in particular. It was about mates and bonds.

Zayn was sure Liam had read it and wondered if he should ask if the book covered much about human mates.

He soon joined his human mate at the table, and Baela very nearly hugged him until Zayn backed away so violently, he almost tripped into the table behind him.

"The fuck?" he growled.

Liam shook his head with a grin as Baela rolled her eyes. "You've been through a very tough night and you look like crap. My hug would have made you feel so much better, but never mind." Baela sat and crossed her arms. She thought Zayn would mutter something under his breath and glare at her for the rest of the evening, but he hovered for a moment, then approached her awkwardly and weakly punched her arm.

"Thanks," he grumbled and sat next to Liam with an embarrassed frown.

Liam was surprised by him for the second time that day. Zayn had not once tried this hard to please others, not in the year and nine months they had been together.

Baela, of course, was beaming, but chose not to make a fuss. Zayn was clearly awkward about it and she didn't want to make him crawl back into his shell.

"So, how are you feeling?" She asked.

"Alright," Zayn mumbled. He picked up on the silence around him in an instant. The two chairs opposite used to seat his mother and sid. The rest of the chairs could have been empty too, and Zayn should be thankful he had company.

"Um, actually, I don't know." He felt Liam's hand on him immediately, and he breathed easier.

"We can talk tomorrow, if you want?" Baela
suggested.

"Maybe." Zayn knew she would find him regardless of what he said. She was always there when he needed her, even though he didn't deserve her time or effort.

Zayn soon moved his thoughts back to the woods, and back to Liam's intuitive feeling. He eyed Liam as he ate his late lunch, a cheese sandwich and a cup of tea. Liam was staring into the distance, and Zayn somehow knew he thought of the same thing.

Nobody in the room seemed to be whispering and staring Liam's way, so Zayn assumed Lynx and Bethan kept what happened to themselves. He hoped they did, so Liam wouldn't worry that what he did was weird, even if it was. They were going through a fuzzy phase in their relationship, where it was neither strong nor weak. They were simply untying all the knots, so they could soon move forwards.