me, him, and the moon ☾ l.s.

prologue

Louis had only just turned fourteen when Harry and his father were initiated into the pack. Their previous pack had been forced to scatter and separate after a failed military operation, and when Harry's father, a well-respected warlord from the North, begged Louis's father for acceptance, the head alpha had seen no reason to turn them down.

In fact, in many ways, it was a miracle sent from above. The Sons of Selene had been fighting against angry rival packs for the past two years, barely able to hold their borders against the newly-developed alliances between their ever-growing enemies. Harry's father was their best chance at defending themselves from going completely extinct.

The celebration after the initiation ceremony was much rowdier than the pack's usual Friday night shenanigans. Intense wrestling matches took place on all sides of the giant bonfire, a huge group of onlookers surrounding the fights and egging the fighters on. Louis wrinkled his nose at the unnecessary violence; even once he presented and could actually put up a fair fight with other members of the pack, he wasn't sure he would ever actually be able to do it. He was still young, and he couldn't understand the need these alphas had to show off for their mates. When he mated, he promised himself he would choose someone who would love him unconditionally, no matter how he performed in some stupid wrestling showdown.

While the rest of the pack celebrated, Louis couldn't help studying the curious curly-haired boy who had just joined their community. Even for a twelve year old, Harry was thin and lanky. His bright green eyes reflected the licking flames of the bonfire, dark shadows dancing across the pale skin of his face. And he clearly wasn't celebrating. He sat quietly at the very back edge of the cheering crowd, his long legs folded up to his chest. Even from a short distance away, Louis could tell that Harry was chewing hard on his bottom lip, clearly deep in thought.

Louis frowned, furrowing his brow as he continued to watch the other boy curiously. Joining a new pack after wandering the woods alone with his father for months on end should have been exhilarating and exciting for Harry; instead, he looked unbearably nervous and uncomfortable, his fingers tapping an inaudible rhythm against his faded black jeans.

And for some reason, Louis found himself wondering how the boy would present. He himself hadn't presented yet, but all of the signs were clear -- he would be an alpha, just like his father and his grandfather before him. An alpha to lead their pack, and hopefully to remove them from the unwarranted violence that their community had experienced over the past two years.

He didn't have much time to ponder Harry's future, or his own. Suddenly, the curly-haired boy stood from his seat, turning and moving silently into the darkness of the woods. No one else seemed to take notice.

Except for Louis, of course. And he couldn't resist following.

The forest was dangerous at night, and Louis knew this fact just as well as any member of the Sons of Serene. Enemy scouts scoured the woods under the cover of darkness, searching for any weakness in the town's defenses that their warlords could exploit. Anger rose in Louis's chest seeing that Harry thought he could just wander the forest alone. It was already past midnight, and anything could happen to him if he ran into the enemy alone, completely defenseless.

Even as Louis's senses urged him to focus on his surroundings, and to scan the treeline for unwanted company, Louis couldn't take his eyes off of the mysterious boy ambling just ahead of him. Harry walked with a purpose, like he had somewhere to be. His chocolate brown curls bounced slightly as he moved, the moonlight glinting off of the pale skin of his bare arms.

Louis followed far enough behind the other boy that he wouldn't be detected. Harry was definitely acting suspiciously, and for a brief moment, Louis wondered if he and his father might be spies. He would've dreaded breaking that news to his own father, although it would increase his credibility in the eyes of the pack as a future leader.