Chapter Text
Three weeks after Harry’s encounter with the wolf, the claw marks appeared on the oak tree. It was the Styles’ family dog, Jas, who spotted it.
Harry had been kicking a football around in his backyard when he heard Jas’ confused growls.
“What is it? What’s wrong, Jas?”
The dog was standing in front of the old oak tree that had stood on the property for as long as Harry could remember.
Harry walked over slowly, a puzzled frown on his face but his limbs froze when he spotted what Jas had been growling at.
Five lines of equal length were scratched into the bark as if an animal had slashed across the wood. Harry pulled Jas away and took his place in front of the tree. Almost without conscious thought, he found himself reaching out and running a hand reverently over the tree trunk.
His fingers traced the claw marks, a shiver running through him as he imagined a wolf with grey fur marking the tree. Staking its claim.
Harry wasn’t even sure why he was thinking about wolves, except for the fact that ever since he had met that wolf in the woods, his dreams had been haunted by thoughts of blue eyes and soft fur. Just last night, he’d dreamt of the wolf curling around his body protectively, keeping him safe in its warm embrace.
He never told Gemma or his Mum about these dreams. Gemma would laugh at him and call him a weirdo while his Mum would probably give him a concerned look. Which was why he snatched his hand away from the tree as soon as he realised that he was stroking the claw marks.
Jas whined behind him, trying to tug him away but it was the sound of his Mum’s voice that caused Harry to take a step back from the tree. Still, he couldn’t quite manage to look away so he shouldn’t have been surprised when Anne walked up to him and looked over his shoulder to see what had caught his interest.
“Oh my! What is that?” she gasped.
“It’s nothing”, Harry tried to say, a feeling of sudden panic running through him at the thought of anyone else touching the marks but his Mum looked too shocked to move.
She was frantically looking around the backyard now, as if whatever animal had left it would be hiding behind her rose bushes.
“C..come inside, Harry”, she finally said, visibly shaken and, despite his protests, she pushed him into the house and bolted the back door.
That seemed to be the end of that and, when no more suspicious marks appeared, his Mum ruled it off as a one-time incident. But for Harry, the claw marks in the old oak tree became a part of his childhood and he often found himself glancing their way with a fond smile.
He couldn’t explain why, even to himself.
_______________________________________
Harry was thirteen when he first heard the name Tomlinson. He had been tossing and turning in bed. It felt as if he were coming down with a fever.
He eventually got up to open his bedroom window, hoping the cool night air would help soothe his heated skin.
Harry groaned, thinking about how his Mum would insist on him staying in bed tomorrow instead of having a snowball fight with Gemma as he had done every Christmas since he was old enough to walk.
Cursing his rotten luck, Harry pushed the window open and was about to walk back to bed in the hopes of getting at least a little sleep when he saw a figure standing by his front gate. The moonlight highlighted the silhouette of a woman.
Harry narrowed his eyes, trying to make out any distinguishing features. The woman appeared to be wearing a black coat and gloves to ward off the chill but what made him freeze with shock were her eyes. It could have just been the moonlight casting a reflection but they looked as if they were silver. It took him another moment to realise he was staring and that she was staring right back.
Harry gulped, stepping back slightly even though there was a considerable amount of distance between them. The woman lifted a hand and beckoned him in the universal ‘come hither’ gesture.
He shook his head, eyes wide with fright.
She frowned and repeated the action, this time, more insistent. Really, he should have closed the window, drawn the curtains and gone back to sleep but something about the woman made him hesitate.
“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” he muttered to himself and frowned when he saw the woman laugh, as if she had heard him over the distance.
With a sigh, Harry walked out of his bedroom and tiptoed down the stairs. He hesitated for a few seconds at the front door but something about the woman outside made him curious. His curiosity outweighed his fear.
Harry unlocked the door and walked out, staying a few metres away from the garden gate where the dark-haired woman was standing. Now that he was closer, he could tell that she was around his Mum’s age. Except, unlike his Mum, who usually wore jeans or dresses, this woman was dressed from head to toe in black leather. There was something about her that screamed ‘danger’ but she had a friendly smile that he couldn’t help but trust.
It nearly made him want to take a step closer but he held back at the last second. She was a complete stranger! A stranger who was standing by his house’s gate at 12pm.
“Are you afraid of me, Harry?” the woman asked, her voice carrying a warmth Harry hadn’t expected.
He watched her carefully as he shook his head. No, he wasn’t afraid but he felt as if he should have been.
The woman chuckled, tilting her head to the side as she studied him.
“What about now?”
Her face suddenly shifted, eyes glowing an unmistakable silver and fangs protruding from her mouth. Harry felt every nerve in his body screaming at him to run but there was a voice in his mind that urged him to stay, to understand.
“Who are you?” Harry asked, hugging his arms around himself.
The woman’s face shifted back to her earlier appearance and her eyes turned back to a warm brown.
“You’re a brave one”, she stated, something like pride in her voice, “Most people who witness the transformation ask me what I am”.
“You didn’t answer my question”, Harry said, wary of the…what was she?
“Very brave”, she chuckled, studying him for a moment before she spoke, “My official name is Johanna Tomlinson but most people simply call me Alpha”.
Harry felt something wrap around him at the word and it took him a few seconds to realise he had moved forward and was now within touching distance of Johanna.
“Alpha?” Harry tilted his head in confusion.
“Yes, the Alpha but not to you”, she smiled at him, reaching out a hand and cupping his cheek in a motherly fashion. “You can call me Jay and I’m a werewolf”.
Harry stared at the woman who imparted this piece of information as if she were simply telling him about tomorrow’s weather.
“You can ask me anything you want to, Harry”, Jay continued, drawing her hand back, “You have the right”.
He had hundreds of questions in his head that were clambering for attention but he finally settled for asking, “How do you know my name?”
Jay’s smile grew at that, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Brave and clever”, she chuckled, quietly before giving him a scrutinising look. “How old are you, love?”
Harry blinked at her.
“Um..I’m 13”, he mumbled.
Jay sighed, sounding genuinely pained.
“I’m sorry, Harry”, she said, “I want to tell you everything but I…you’re not old enough to know yet”.
She continued on before Harry could interrupt, “But I will tell you this. You’re under the protection of the Tomlinson pack now. If you need to get in touch with me for any reason, just call my name”.
Harry’s mouth fell open because…what?!
“Enhanced hearing”, Jay tapped one of her ears lightly, “Perks of being a werewolf”.
“Uh..right. That’s…cool”, he said at last, pinching himself on the arm to make sure he wasn’t sleeping.
Jay grinned, clearly having seen the move.
“I know it sounds crazy, Harry and I promise you, I wouldn’t lie to you. Not about this. Oh! I almost forgot!”
She reached into one of her coat pockets and retrieved a velvet pouch, holding it out to Harry.
“This is for you”.
Harry took the pouch with shaky hands. He opened it to see a necklace. The locket was shaped like a crescent moon.
He glanced up at Jay, his eyes questioning.
She smiled at him.
“It’s made of pure silver. Werewolves can’t touch it directly. Wear it until your sixteenth birthday”, she instructed, starting to step away from him.
“Wait!” Harry called out, “Why did you tell me all this? And”, he gestured to the necklace that was glistening in the moonlight, “why did you give me this?”
“I told you because it was only a matter of time before you found out”, Jay answered, “It’s getting increasingly difficult for Louis to keep away from you. The necklace should help”.
“Louis?” The name struck something deep inside Harry and he had no idea why his mind flashed to an image of the old oak tree with the claw marks, “Who’s Louis?”
Jay bit his lip, as if she hadn’t intended to let that bit of information slip.
“Just trust me on this, Harry. I know you want answers but it’s not my place to give them to you. You’re not ready to know just yet”.
“Ready to know what? How old do I have to be? Who-”
A piercing howl cut across Harry’s rapid fire of questions. Jay’s posture stiffened, her face tilting up towards the sky and eyes closing as she listened for something Harry’s ears couldn’t detect.
“He’s awake”, Jay murmured, more to herself than Harry, “I have to get back before he comes looking for yo-I mean, me”.
She turned back to Harry, reaching out again to brush her hand across his shoulder.
“Call me if you need anything. If you’re ever in any kind of danger, no matter how small, call me. Do you understand?”
Harry nodded slowly. It would take a while for the crazy events of tonight to sink in.
“Good”, she grinned, “I promise that everything will be explained to you when you’re sixteen. Until then, keep our meeting to yourself and…” she waved a hand in the general direction of his new necklace.
“Wear the necklace?” Harry guessed.
Jay nodded. “Wear the necklace. Merry Christmas, Harry”, she added before turning around and shifting.
Harry couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped him as Jay’s features changed and kept changing until she stood on all fours; a black wolf staring back at him from where the woman had stood not ten seconds ago.
She gave him a wink before turning around and sprinting into the woods. Harry slowly made his way back inside, closing and locking the front door.
He dropped the necklace onto his desk, inspecting the finely carved shape of the locket. On the back, there was something scratched into the silver in ragged lines. A name. Louis.
Harry traced over the inscription, almost in a daze.
“Werewolf”, he muttered, hardly able to believe it. He turned towards his bed but, at the last minute, decided to wear the necklace.
It rested against the hollow of his neck, the metal pleasantly cold against his heated up body. Harry went to bed, half convinced it was all a dream.
_______________________________________
When he woke up on Christmas Day, all symptoms of a potential fever were gone and the silver moon necklace still hung around his neck.
As he brought his fingers up to trace the necklace, one name stood out in his mind. Louis.
Who was Louis, Harry wondered, and why was he so determined to stay away from him?