Work Text:
Lost And Found
A/N: Because the world can never have enough Liam/Zayn stories.
DISCLAIMER: This is purely a work of fiction. All recognizable characters are merely fictional interpretations of their own true amazing selves. I own nothing and no one, apart from the plot of the story.
WARNINGS: Some violence, an abusive boyfriend, character death... I think that’s all.
Liam glanced around nervously as he walked hand in hand with his boyfriend, Jack. They were walking through some woods, and had gone off the trail a long time ago. Liam’s legs felt sore from how far they had walked, and he was tired. It was starting to get dark, and Liam would have been completely lost if he did not have Jack there to guide him. Jack seemed to know the way, but Liam had no idea why his boyfriend had chosen to go this far into the woods.
“We should be turning back soon, don’t you think?” Liam felt the wind sweep past them, which made the leaves on the trees rustle as if they were whispering secrets to each other. “It’s getting dark, and I’m cold. And...we might come across some werewolves,” Liam lowered his voice as he mentioned the word werewolves. “The treaty said we can’t come into their territory, Jack.”
Jack stopped so suddenly Liam almost stumbled. He glared at Liam. “Stop whining and just be happy we’re spending some time together. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Well, yeah. It’s just that when you told me you wanted to go on a walk, I thought you meant the park, not a place like this,” Liam replied quietly. Judging by the annoyed expression on Jack’s face, Liam knew he would be wise to just stop talking. Still, the danger they could be in in they were found by werewolves outweighed his fear of Jack’s bad temper. So he took a deep breath. “Can we just go back? Please, Jack. I don’t want us to get killed out here.”
To Liam’s complete surprise, instead of getting mad, Jack laughed. “They won’t harm us, you idiot. Why do you think I took you here anyway?” He stared at Liam, his eyes turning cold. “I’m making a trade with one of those furry mutts.”
“A trade?” Liam shook his head slowly, trying to make sense of what Jack had said. “You didn’t bring anything to trade. What would they need from us?”
Jack smirked at him callously. “I can’t believe you haven’t figured it out yet. And you’re meant to be the smart one...”
The truth of the matter hit Liam then, as he watched Jack observe him with a brutally indifferent look. And it hit him hard. He felt like Jack had taken out a knife and stabbed him in the heart. “You’re trading me...” Liam was devastated by this revelation. “I don’t understand. Don’t you love me anymore?”
“I never loved you, Liam. You were just a means to an end for me,” Jack explained uncaringly. “I needed someone to support me, and you were useful enough when you had that inheritance money. Now it’s gone, you’re worthless to me.”
Liam pulled his hand away from Jack’s grasp, not wanting to touch him anymore. Jack’s betrayal cut him deeply inside. “You don’t mean it. You’re lying...Everything we went through together. None of that means anything to you?”
“No, it means nothing,” Jack shrugged carelessly. “Thanks for paying my gambling debts though. That was really stupid of you, but it helped me out a lot. And now, you’re gonna help me out again. This werewolf is gonna pay me 50 grand for you. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I know I told you I would go to therapy and that support group, but I lied. I never stopped gambling.”
“So you’re still in debt,” Liam replied, sounding bitter. “I should have known you were lying. I guess I just chose to see what I thought was good in you. But there’s nothing good about you. All this time, I kept trying to make excuses for all the horrible things you did to me. I wasn’t brave enough to stand up to you then. I was scared of losing you. But I never had you to begin with...” Liam started to back away from Jack, and it seemed to Liam like he was looking at a complete stranger and not the person he had been in love with.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Jack advanced upon Liam and grabbed hold of him tightly, stopping Liam’s struggles to get free with little effort. “Save your energy. I don’t know what they want with you, but it can’t be anything good...” He eyed Liam’s lean built frame thoughtfully. “Maybe they just want a slave, but you’re too weak for them to get much hard work out of you. Although if they made you a house slave, I guess that would suit you, right? Since you did all the cleaning at our place.”
“Only because you were too much of a lazy slob to help me, and otherwise the apartment would have been a disgusting mess,” Liam snapped.
Jack frowned as he twisted Liam’s arm up behind his back. Liam winced at the painful pressure it exerted on his shoulder. “You better watch that mouth of yours. You’ve never talked to me like that before and I don’t like it,” He released Liam and shoved him down to the ground.
Liam glared up at Jack as he rubbed his arm. “I hate you,” Liam hissed as he stood up again. He made a rush at Jack, but Jack tackled him back to the ground and straddled him. Liam spat in Jack’s face, knowing he should not rile up Jack anymore but he was too furious to care anymore about what would happen to him. The punch Liam received was hard enough to daze him. Jack did not stop with one punch. He kept on hitting Liam, but Liam felt numb to the pain. It was almost as if he was somewhere else, and his thoughts were hazy, hard to catch hold of. The world around him seemed to fading away. Liam knew he was slipping into unconsciousness, and just before darkness overtook him, he saw a dark haired guy push Jack off of him.
“What the hell are you doing?” Liam’s unknown saviour growled at Jack, as he grabbed hold of Jack’s t-shirt and slammed him into the trunk of a tree with a strength that belied his slim body. “You could have killed Liam. I told you how important it was that he get here unharmed” His eyes flashed an eerie blue for a moment, and he trembled with the exertion to stop himself from shifting into his wolf form, and tearing Jack into pieces.
“He deserved it,” Jack replied, trying not to show that he was at all intimidated by the shifter that was in front of him. “You got what you wanted. Where’s my money?” Jack was relieved when the werewolf released him and then gestured to a brown leather bag lying on the ground a short distance away. Jack ran over to the bag, and hastily opened it. He saw piles of money, all in neat stacks and tied together with rubber bands. He grinned as he shut the bag, and slung it over his shoulder. Jack did not even spare a glance at Liam as he started to walk back the way he had come. What Jack did not see was the shifter let out a low whistle signal. It was too low for Jack’s human ears to hear, but the two werewolves who had been waiting for the whistle heard it clearly. Jack soon found himself surrounded by two fully grown werewolves who were advancing on him and baring their teeth. One werewolf had sleek fur that was the colour of pale gold, and the other had dark brown fur that was more unruly, sticking up in random places. Their eyes both shone with the eerie blue of all Beta wolves. Jack was frozen in shock, and he only started running when he heard the werewolf with the dark brown fur snarl at him.
He ran and ran, until he tripped and fell. The bag slipped from his grasp and fell into a creek. Jack did not hesitate in jumping in to the water. He thought the werewolves would not follow him, and he was right. They stood at the edge of the creek bank, silently watching him. The one with the pale gold fur seemed like he wanted to dive into the creek, but the other werewolf stopped him. Jack started to swim, with a great deal of effort as the undercurrent was pushing against him, and he managed to grab the bag. The current was carrying Jack along, and it was too strong. He knew he should let go of the bag, he would never be able to swim well enough while holding it, but his greediness ended up being his downfall. He sank in the water, and only surfaced once before he lost the struggle against the pressure of the water and he drowned.
Liam woke up and felt disorientated in the few moments before he remembered what had happened to him. He was lying down in a stranger’s four poster bed, and all around the bed hung red velvet curtains. Liam slowly sat up in the bed, which was a lot softer than his bed at home. The bed was a lot larger too. When Liam pulled back the red velvet curtains hanging down from the bed he gasped in shock at the sheer opulence of the room. It was so large that Liam’s small apartment could have fit into it easily. The floor was made of polished parquet and one section of the floor was covered by a Persian rug. There was a lit fireplace in the room, and all the furniture appeared to be antiques.
There were a few paintings in the room, but the one that caught his eye was a gilt framed oil painting of a man with stern brown eyes and dark brown hair. Both his hairstyle and the clothes he was wearing made Liam realize the painting might have been done in the late 18th century. His face held a look of mild disapproval, and his arms were crossed. Liam climbed out of bed, sparing a glance at the tall windows below which was a window seat, before he walked closer to the painting. In the bottom right corner of the painting he could faintly make out some letters. There was the first initial of a name and then a surname. S. Cowell. It was still dark outside, and even with the light of the fireplace the room was a little gloomy. Liam eventually had to look away from the painting because he got the weird feeling that the man in the painting was staring down at him and judging him. He knew it was a ridiculous thought, but the painter had done a wonderful job of capturing the man’s likeness and the painting was almost too realistic for his liking.
Liam turned around and headed straight for the door. He had thought it might be locked, but to his relief he was able to open it. He stepped out into a hallway that was just as grand as the bedroom he had just exited, the walls lined with paintings and the carpet was thick and soft under his bare feet. Liam had not really paid any attention to the fact that he was not in his usual clothes before. He had been too busy wondering where exactly he was. But now he flushed red when he looked down at the simple t-shirt and shorts he was clothed in now. The t-shirt was too big for him, but the shorts fit him perfectly. It meant that someone had undressed him. And now he was in this manor house, with werewolves. He had not expected anything like this. The tales he had heard of werewolves spoke of them as being little more than monsters who terrorized humans, but Liam was not so sure about that now. His head ached and his bruises felt sore, but that had been entirely the work of his deranged ex-boyfriend.
“So you finally woke up.”
Liam flinched when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned to see the dark haired guy who had saved him from Jack.
“Yeah. Um...Who are you?” Liam asked quietly, eyeing the stranger warily. He was grateful to be saved, but at the same time Liam knew nothing about him apart from the fact that he was a werewolf, and also that either he or one of the shifters in his pack had arranged for Jack to be paid to bring Liam to them. Neither of those facts made Liam want to trust the stranger, although he seemed to be friendly and his eyes shone with warmth.
“I’m Louis,” He held out his hand, and Liam cautiously shook it. “Are you hungry?”
At that point Liam’s stomach rumbled quite loudly, to his embarrassment. “Yeah, I am...” He admitted.
“I thought you might be,” Louis replied. He beckoned for Liam to follow him, and then made his way down to the kitchen.
Liam was led through a maze of hallways to get to the kitchen. He knew it would take him a while to find his way around the house by himself. “Can I make some pancakes?” Liam asked timidly, once he saw how well stocked the spacious kitchen was. Liam was a good cook, and cooking was often a way for him to relax.
Louis sat down at the breakfast bar. “You can do whatever you like, Liam. The only rule you need to follow is that you can’t leave the house grounds.”
Liam took down a mixing bowl from a cupboard, and then crossed over to another cupboard to take out the flour. “Why not?” Liam questioned Louis, as he poured the flour into the mixing bowl.
“For your own safety. You could get killed out there, or taken captive,” Louis went to the fridge and took out a carton of eggs and a bottle of milk. “There are a lot of packs out there, and not all of us are friendly to humans.”
Liam took the eggs and the milk from Louis. “So...Am I here to be a slave?”
Louis was horrified by Liam’s question and he shook his head. “No, no...Why would you think that? Liam, you’re here for a very special reason...” Louis hesitated. “I can’t say any more about it, it’s not my place to tell you. But you don’t have to fear anyone in the house. And I want us to be friends, Liam.”
Liam did not reply, he set about the task of mixing up some pancake batter, but he did think hard about what Louis had said to him. Liam wanted to believe what Louis had said, but it was not easy for him to let his guard down. He had been too trusting of Jack, and that was how he had ended up here. For all he knew, Louis could be just pretending to be nice. All Liam could do was wait and see how Louis acted as time went on. Soon enough Liam had a hot frying pan, and was able to make the pancakes. He piled them up onto one large plate that he placed on the breakfast bar. Then he decided to make some scrambled eggs and bacon to go alongside the pancakes. He made lots, considering that he now lived with werewolves and they could be hungry too. If he was useful to them, perhaps they would all be as nice to him as Liam was.
Just as Liam and Louis were sitting down and having their breakfast, Harry walked into the room, green eyes lighting up at the sight of the food. He picked up two pancakes and ate them so fast Liam was afraid he might choke. “Maybe you should slow down, the pancakes won’t run away.”
Harry swallowed down his last mouthful of pancake and then came to sit by Liam. “Did you make them? It’s much better than Louis’s ones,” He ignored the glare Louis sent him and grinned at Liam. “You should cook for us all the time. The only time we ever get decent food around here is when Mrs O. feels like cooking, and she almost never feels like it. She keeps telling us that she’s a housekeeper and not a chef.”
“Yeah, I can do that,” Liam replied. Harry’s playful smile was infectious, and Liam already found himself warming to this other shifter, although he knew Louis a little better.
Harry slung an arm over Liam’s shoulders. “I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”
“Yeah, I hope so...” Liam replied.
“Harry, get your hands off him,” Louis suddenly snapped.
Harry stuck his tongue out at Liam and ignored him. “You’re just jealous that I’m holding him and you’re not.”
Louis smirked evilly at his friend. “No, I’m just thinking about what Zayn will do when he notices your scent on Liam.”
Harry turned pale and quickly distanced himself from Liam. “Yeah, well from what I heard he doesn’t even know Liam is here. You were the one who planned it all, so who do you think he’ll be madder at? You or me?” Harry retorted.
Louis faltered slightly, but then his confidence came back. “Don’t forget that you and Niall were my back-up. We’re all going to be blamed equally for this. Besides, do I need to mention the incident at the creek?”
Harry sighed. “That was a mistake, sure. But it wasn’t me or Niall’s fault. There was nothing we could do...” He glanced uneasily at Liam. “Anyway, Louis, we shouldn’t be discussing this right now.”
“You’re right” Louis agreed. “Liam, why don’t you go and have a look around the house? I need to talk to Harry alone.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure,” Liam had finished his plate of food, and he carried his empty plate over to the sink before he left. He wandered around the house for a while, and found himself in the library. He was shocked by the state the library was in. There were stacks of books piled haphazardly on every available surface, and when he glanced around the shelves he could see that there was no system in place to arrange the books. He decided that he could perhaps try to alphabetically arrange the books, but it would take a long time since the library was so large. Liam was able to make some progress, but he kept getting distracted by interesting book titles. Eventually he found a cosy armchair and just sat down with a book. He told himself it would only be for a few minutes, but he got so engrossed in reading that he did not stop until the book was yanked out of his hand a while later. He looked up and saw an older woman who had bright eyes and auburn hair which was short and layered. She was dressed stylishly and had blood red nails.
“What are you doing in here, darling?” She laughed. “Ah, I bet you wanted some space from the pack. They can be a bit overwhelming at times, but I know how to handle those boys. They know not to mess with Mrs O.” She leaned closer to him and then pinched his cheek. “Aren’t you just the cutest? I could just eat you right up” Liam was starting to notice she had a slight accent, but he could not place what it was. “Anyway, no rest for the wicked. I have things to sort out. It was nice to meet you, Liam. Any time you need anything, you just come find me, alright?” She was gone before Liam could even reply, and the scent of her expensive perfume lingered in the air for a long while afterwards. Liam was quite surprised by the housekeeper. Somehow she was not the way he had pictured her to be, but she was really nice. He definitely did not want to get on her bad side, though. She seemed sweet enough, but he could also tell she was able to be tough when she needed to be.
Liam was starting to get hungry again, and found himself back in the kitchen. He had thought perhaps he could have a few more pancakes, but he saw a fair haired shifter eating the last pancake. The scrambled eggs and bacon were also history. Liam was unsure if he should stay or go when the shifter turned towards him with a big smile that reached his sea blue eyes. “Hey, I’m Niall. Did you make any more food?”
Liam walked over to Niall, more relaxed now that he saw this werewolf was just as friendly as the others. “No, but I could make a pizza...” Liam suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” Niall replied. “I’ll get the toppings sorted out, and you can make the base, yeah?”
“Yeah, I can do that” Liam got to work on mixing together a dough that he rolled out into a circle, while Niall grated cheese and sliced up some tomatoes. When the base was ready, Liam added some tomato sauce and then Niall sprinkled cheese and tomato all over the base. They both studied the pizza.
“I don’t know...It feels like something is missing” Niall remarked.
Liam cut up some pepperoni slices and added them to the homemade pizza. “How about now?”
“Yeah, that’ll work” Niall smiled as he put the pizza into the oven. “Um...How long do we cook it for?”
“I’ll set the timer,” Liam turned on the oven and adjusted the settings. “For a pizza this size, it’s gonna take a while...”
When the pizza was ready, Liam thought it would be a good idea if they took the pizza upstairs to share with the others. Niall quickly vetoed the idea, having been under the assumption that the pizza was only for him and Liam. So Liam ate two slices of the pizza and let Niall have the rest, then he set to work making another pizza for the others. There was still one person in the pack he had yet to meet, according to Niall who had gotten very chatty over the pizza. The mysterious Alpha of the pack, Zayn. He was away visiting another pack, and nobody was sure when he would be back. Liam thought about him, more so because of the comment Louis had made earlier. He just did not understand why Zayn could possibly get mad at having Harry's scent on him. There was one reason, but Liam had easily dismissed it as soon as it had come to his mind. Werewolves could be territorial around their mates, but Liam knew he would not be considered eligible. It was uncommon for werewolves to have human mates, and even when they did the human in question tended to be special. Humans who were very strong, or intelligent, or attractive, or humans that had some kind of talent or skill. Liam had no discernible talents, he had a normal IQ, he thought he was average looking, and he definitely was not strong. Still it was the only reason he could think of, so it was something that puzzled him even as the day passed by.
When the sky started to get dark, Liam found himself back in that same bedroom he had woken up in. He had already showered and changed into another t-shirt and fresh briefs, provided to him by Louis. Again, the t-shirt was too big for him, but the briefs were the right size. Liam thought it was odd how they kept giving him oversized t-shirts, but they were comfortable and smelled nice, so he could not really complain. He climbed into the bed and left the curtains undrawn. He fell asleep, but he was not asleep for long. He awoke to a heavy weight on top of him and there in the darkness glowed eerie red eyes. He screamed, and struggled to get free but his hands were pinned back to the bed. The red eyes disappeared, and suddenly Liam realized that it was a werewolf on top of him. And the red eyes meant it was an Alpha, which meant it was – “Zayn?”
“I’m gonna kill them,” Liam heard a low voice hiss, and suddenly his hands were free and the weight on top of him was gone. The lights came on in the room.
Liam sat up, blinking while his eyes adjusted back to the light. He saw Zayn standing by the bed. Zayn had tousled black hair and warm brown eyes. Liam would have had to have been blind not to notice that all of the pack were good looking, but there was something different about Zayn that attracted Liam, even though he was also scared of Zayn. There was a wild intensity in his eyes that, coupled with the heavy scowl on his face and the fact his hands were clenched into fists, made Liam feel nervous. He climbed out of the bed, and backed away from Zayn.
When Zayn saw Liam back away, he felt hurt, and his inner wolf felt rejected but he also knew it was because he had frightened his mate. “It’s alright, Liam. I won’t hurt you...” It took some effort, but he allowed his face to soften and his hands to relax so they were not making fists anymore. He was still angry, letting his rage simmer quietly under the surface, but that anger had never been directed at Liam. At first, when he had come back home and tracked the enticing scent to his bedroom, he had almost lost his restraint. His inner wolf had demanded that they take their mate now, and claim him. It was only hearing his mate’s voice that had made him regain his control. Zayn had known Liam was his mate for over a year now, and not claiming him had made his inner wolf moody and unpredictable. In time, being separated from Liam would have caused him to fall ill, and eventually he would die. At first he had been angry at his pack for bringing Liam here, when he had specifically given orders that they leave him alone. Then, when the lights were on and he saw the state his mate was in, his anger had been directed at the unknown culprit who had dared to put their hands on Liam. His inner wolf demanded vengeance, and Zayn was only too happy to carry it out.
Liam warily watched Zayn slowly approach him. “Yeah, that’s what Jack always used to say, but it was a lie.”
Zayn inhaled, focusing on the only human scent that strongly lingered on Liam. “Jack? Is he your...boyfriend?” Zayn had known Liam had a boyfriend, from constantly watching him over the past year, but he had never found out the man’s name. Zayn hated him fervently, but the belief that Liam was happy with him had kept Zayn at a distance. “He did this to you?”
“Yeah, he did,” Liam shrugged, like it meant nothing. “I’m used to it, anyway,” He frowned as he thought of Jack. “And he’s not my boyfriend; he’s my ex-boyfriend. I hate that bastard.”
Zayn could not take their distance anymore, and so he wrapped his arms around Liam. He ignored the way Liam tensed up, and held him even closer. “It’s ok. He’ll never touch you again. I’m so sorry, Liam,” Guilt threatened to overcome him. He had made an awful mistake, not checking on Liam enough to see the signs that Jack was abusing him. “I didn’t know...”
Liam was taken by aback by how upset Zayn sounded. He relaxed into the hug, and returned it softly; trying not to think about how good it felt to be in Zayn’s arms. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.”
Zayn sighed heavily as he released his hold on Liam and brought a hand up to caress his face, gazing at him reverentially. “That day, when I first saw you and found out who you were, I should have taken you away with me.”
“I’ve never seen you before, what are you talking about?” Liam asked, unable to stop himself from leaning into Zayn’s touch. He saw the tenderness in Zayn’s eyes and it made his defences start crumbling away. Nobody had ever looked at him like that before, like he was the centre of their world. He started to think that he should not have been so quick to dismiss the idea that he could possibly be Zayn’s mate.
“Liam...” Zayn took a deep breath. “I’ve been watching you for a year...I just wish I had paid closer attention to your relationship with Jack. It just hurt so much, seeing you with someone that was not me.”
Liam gasped. “Are you serious?”
“Well...I wasn’t stalking you,” Zayn hastened to explain. “I just kept watch over you because I wanted to protect you. And I failed, but I will make it up to you.”
“No, no...I’m not talking about that. You want to be with me? Am I...?” Liam hesitated, and then shook his head sadly. “It couldn’t be true.”
Zayn brought his other hand up to the back of Liam’s head, and then he pressed their lips together softly. His inner wolf rejoiced, and he heard Liam’s heart beat faster as he responded eagerly. Zayn’s hand brushed through Liam’s hair as the kiss became more urgent, and he felt Liam’s hands on his body. Zayn groaned into Liam’s mouth, and pulled him even closer. It was only when he sensed Liam needed to get more air into his lungs that Zayn pulled away. He loved how Liam looked at that moment, with his face flushed pink and wide eyed from their kiss. “You’re my mate, Liam,” He took hold of Liam’s hands and entwined their fingers. “And I love you. I’m not expecting you to say it back, but I just had to let you know.”
Liam’s face lit up and he smiled so much it made his face ache. “I’m your mate...” He found it hard to believe, but there was no denying the connection he felt with Zayn, and looking down at their joined hands he felt nervous, but it was in a good way. He could not remember the last time he felt so happy. And yet he felt anxious too. He had spent his whole life fearing werewolves, and now he was going to be mated to one. It was a lot for him to take in, but being with Zayn felt so right and Liam was prepared to take the risk to let Zayn into his heart. Even though he hated Jack, he was glad his ex had brought him to the werewolves now. He could even feel some pity for Jack now, who lived an empty life only thinking of himself. Liam tilted his head to the side, offering his neck to Zayn. “I want you to mark me as yours.”
“Are you sure?” Zayn hesitated, even as he leant closer to Liam’s neck. The short distance made his inner wolf whine with the need to bite. It was so tempting, the need to but Zayn did not want to rush his mate into anything. “Once we start the bonding process, nothing can break it but death...”
Liam squeezed Zayn’s hands gently. “I know, Zayn. But you’ve waited so long to have me, and I’m ready for this.”
Zayn let go of Liam’s hands and stepped back. His face morphed, becoming feral, his teeth sharpening and his eyes turning an eerie red. He grazed his teeth across the soft skin of Liam’s neck, and very slowly and carefully bit down. Once he tasted the metallic tang of blood, he stopped biting and transformed back, his eyes turning brown again and his teeth losing their sharpness. Zayn then sucked on the spot where he had bitten, until the skin turned a dark, splotchy pink and the bleeding stopped. He could already feel the gentle tug of the bond forming between him and Liam. Liam felt it too, a faint presence, and he was content to have this connection with Zayn. A connection they would share forever.
Thanks for reading :)