A/N: This is a Harry-centric chapter so please don't get disappointed in the lack of Draco snark. I thought it was important to see a little bit of Harry's reaction when he's not around Draco. (sidenote; chapter is unbeta'd because I'm impatient.)

Harry trudged through the woods, waiting until he could no longer hear the heartbeats in the clearing before allowing himself to pause. He'd held it together pretty well back there, he thought. He'd been handling the situation rather calmly, but now? He looked down at his hands as they trembled. He couldn't compartmentalize this anymore. It was too much. What his wolf had done, what he had done was too much. It was unforgivable. He was no better than the beast he was tracking down.

At that thought, his stomach lurched and he barely had time to lean against a nearby tree before he was emptying its contents, which wasn't much to begin with, onto the ground. Tears stung his eyes when there was nothing left and he choked on his own spit and disgust.

Fuck.

What had he done?

This had to be a bad dream. He couldn't have done this! It wasn't like him. He was the bloody Chosen One, for god's sake! He was good. He just couldn't believe...no...he'd felt the bond. He'd seen the bite. He'd touched it. He'd remembered.

No. No. No. He closed his eyes and groaned, feeling the sweat gathering on his brow but not bothering to wipe it away. The reality was quickly settling down on him, a pale neck and amber eyes flashing behind his lids as he clenched his fists and bit his lip in frustration, the metallic taste of blood catching his senses. It was his fault those gray eyes had slipped into gold. It was his fault that another scar had made itself at home on his body. It was his fault that Malfoy….

Malfoy was a werewolf and it was Harry that had made him that way.

It was appalling.

He hadn't been faking it when he'd apologized to him. He was sorry. He was sorry for a lot of things.

Despite how the conversation had started out, it had ended with the blond laying the blame on his wolf, thus somewhat letting him off the hook, but Harry knew the truth. He'd been an Alpha too long for it to take him over like Draco had suggested. He had only lost control of his wolf once since he'd become an Alpha, and that was on the first full moon. So he knew what happened in October wasn't a simple case of lost control. There was a small part of him that had remained present, a part that remembered wanting a beta that night. He'd yearned for it, searched for it, hunted it. There had always been that need, of course, but he never planned on giving into those dark desires. He'd been forced on this path and he would never do that to another human being.

Except, that is exactly what he'd done, hadn't he?

He'd given into the selfish want, the animalistic need. Damn the consequences.

He growled and held his head in his hands as he slid down the tree to sit on the ground next to his pile of sick. He had forced himself on Draco. He'd forced The Bite on him just like Fenrir had forced it on Harry. All the loathing he felt for the older Alpha came rushing to the surface, only now it was laced with bitterness and self-hatred as he realized he was no better.

If they survived this upcoming fight, would Draco come to loathe him too? When he figured out what the cost really was, would he blame him for destroying his life? For making him a half-breed? If he was smart, he would. He'd hate Harry, more so than he already did. As he should. Harry wanted him to hate him, despise him even. It was only what he deserved.

And Merlin, the look on Hermione's face when she'd realized what he'd done….He'd never seen such disappointment in her eyes and he didn't blame her. He'd fucked with her life just as much as he had Draco's. She'd put herself in danger to help and protect the snarky arse. She could have died...both of them could have died and it would have been on him. He should have listened to his instincts when they told him to come back, when he felt the gravitational pull in his chest, the tiny speck of presence in his consciousness, but he'd ignored it. Some Alpha he was. Not only had he behaved like a fucking monster, but he'd left his beta alone, confused, and in pain. He'd thought of nothing but the task he'd been given and his own personal vendetta. He was surprised Malfoy hadn't punched him in the face.

But he couldn't really do that now, could he? He'd be unable to raise a finger against him right now if Harry so wished it.

Perks of being an Alpha. He thought.

Another round of nausea hit him at that and he struggled to swallow down the bile.

He'd used his influence to control him. He'd used commands on the older boy. He'd made him submit. What was worse though, was at the time he'd been incredibly smug. He had felt powerful. He suddenly understood why power was intoxicating. That's why he'd never wanted to be an Alpha in the first place. He didn't want to reign over anyone. He didn't want to bend others to his will. He'd always thought it would be hard for him, yet it was so easy with Malfoy. The rush he'd gotten when he'd bared his neck….

Godric, he was ashamed of himself.

Someone as proud and pretentious as Draco Malfoy would be incensed that he had lost his control. In his case, for the second time. He'd survived the Dark Lord's brief takeover and come out relatively unscathed. So what did that say about him? What he'd done to him was worse than what Voldemort had.

Stop.

He had to stop thinking about it. Only anguish awaited him at the end of this road. He had to get it together. Greyback was still a huge threat and Abner needed to be warned. He didn't have time to throw a pity party for himself. Draco was his beta, no matter how much he wished he wasn't, and he couldn't take it back.

He stood up and ran a hand through his scraggly hair. It would be quicker if he shifted, so he quickly discarded his clothes, not bothering to fold them or place them down neatly, and let the wolf take over.

It was as easy as breathing these days. He'd spent countless months shifting between his wolf form and his human one when he was on the trail. Apparating was pointless when it came to picking up scents. He'd tried it the first few weeks but had found it easier to go about it like Fenrir was, as a Werewolf, not a wizard. He'd had to be quick and nimble about it if he wanted to capture the crazed bastard. Not that it had helped him in the end. Greyback had always slipped through his fingers. He just knew the woods and mountains and grasslands better than Harry did. He'd spent his whole life on the run. He knew exactly where to hide, much to Harry's irritable dismay.

Once he was back in his fur his worries faded into the background. The world was so much simpler as a wolf. Sure, he still felt things, but human emotions were sharper and deeper than those of the wolf. They didn't cut him or wear him down. He was lighter, freer. It was easy to leave his guilt behind him as he ran through the forest, dodging fallen logs and hopping over streams, enjoying the feeling of dirt beneath his paws and wind tousling his fur.

It didn't take him long to reach the thick grove of trees that marked Abner Pack territory. He slowed his gait and stopped just outside of it. They didn't know he was coming, so he prepared himself for an ambush.

Bones clicking and fur receding, Harry stood to his full height, careful not to seem hostile as he entered Alpha Abner's territory.

He'd sensed a scout a few miles back so it didn't surprise him when half the pack surrounded him the moment his bare feet passed the invisible line. A few bolder ones, already shifted into wolves, growled lowly in their chests but most knew that despite him being outnumbered, it was unwise to provoke an Alpha.

A dark-haired man pushed through the small circle and cocked his head to the side. "Auror Potter?"

Harry recognized the pack's second in command and nodded to him. "Brice."

"We weren't expecting you."

"I know, and I apologize, but it's urgent."

The two of them assessed each other for a moment before Brice motioned for someone to head back the way they came. They returned a couple of awkward minutes later, a shirt and shorts in hand.

"Thank you," Harry said, accepting the clothes and slipping them on while the wolf spoke with Brice.

"Alpha will be here momentarily." he told him.

Harry nodded and waited, ignoring the fidgeting pack around him.

He heard the Alpha before he saw him, swaggering his way through the trees. Wesley certainly gave Malfoy a run for his money when it came to cocky and dramatic entrances.

"Ah, Auror Potter, "Abner spoke in a light tone as he came to a stop in front of him, "Or are you actually going by Alpha Potter now?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Why would I start going by that?"

A dark smile spread across his face. "That's normally what one does when one starts their own pack."

Dread filled his empty belly. He couldn't know? Could he? "I don't know what you mean by that."

Wesley laughed. "Oh, please. I wasn't born yesterday and I've been an Alpha since you were a second year. You sent the girl to warn me last week," he paused, "and she brought a friend ." Harry swallowed but kept his gaze firm. "I have to say, I didn't think you had it in you, but you chose well. The boy surprised me. Give him a year and he'd be an excellent second."

A few of the others made noises of confusion, obviously unaware of what their Alpha was talking about.

"Miss Granger told me of his predicament, poor thing, being Bitten and left alone to fend for himself. She was so distraught trying to figure out who it was that had done it. I had my suspicions from the moment he crossed into my territory, but seeing you here, now…"

The look of condescension Wesley gave him caused him to bristle. Anger mixed with the shame and guilt and he didn't have time to stand there and let the Wolf talk down to him. He gritted his teeth and held back a growl before saying, "I'm aware of my shortcomings, Alpha Abner, and I'd be more than willing to discuss them all at length with you another day." That earned him a chuckled. "But right now we have more important things to discuss."

A brow raised he asked, "Such as?"

"A Pack Alliance." Tension filled the clearing and he could hear and feel the beta's uneasiness.

The Alpha was quiet for a moment, thinking. "There is a good reason I'm assuming? We've doubled down on security and have been running patrols. Has Greyback made a move?"

"He killed Alpha Bennett last night."

Wesley held out a hand to silence the sudden outburst of angry growls and upset mutterings. "I thought you said he'd come after me?"

"You were our first choice, yes. But there was always a chance he'd go after one of the others."

"What happened to his pack?"

Harry's eyes hardened when he remembered the bloody scene he'd come across. "Most of them were killed in the scrimmage. By the state of their bodies, a few were obviously executed afterward. I can hazard a guess as to why. I don't doubt that they refused to submit to their new Alpha."

"So he's forcibly taken the rest." Harry nodded. "Damn. This isn't good."

"That's why I came to you. We can't let him destroy our chance to gain equality in Wizarding society. We need to take him down and I can't do it alone. We need to team up, Wesley. It's the only way to end this once and for all."

"I promised my pack that I wouldn't do anything rash," he said, rubbing his temples. "But sod it all, things can't continue like this." He turned to his second, "Brice let the rest of them know that we're having a mandatory meeting tonight and not to bother me until then."

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, Auror Potter. Follow me. We need to deliberate."

The two of them left the others to their own devices and reconvened in Wesley's trailer.

"It won't be easy. You know that, right?" Abner pointed out after taking a seat at his dining room table, "You and I have a...mutual respect, but the others…"

Harry pulled out a chair for himself. "I'm not asking you all to be friends, only temporary allies. I don't give a shite what you decide to do after."

"And does the Ministry have any idea that this is going on?"

"No, not yet. I haven't contacted Ron since Monday so I'll be reporting back to them shortly. But there are things that I'm wary of disclosing."

"Like your beta?"

"I'm not talking about Draco right now," he muttered, folding his arms across his chest. If he had his way, he wouldn't be talking about Draco with Wesley at all.

"Maybe we should be talking about him," he suggested. "This...alliance includes him as well."

He had a point. "Yeah, it does, but I don't...he will fight with us."

The Wolf gave him an unreadable look. "You seem unsure."

He sighed loudly and rubbed his head. "The truth is, I only found out about him this morning."

A shocked silence followed. "I had a feeling it was something like that," He said, leaning back in his seat. "The story Miss Granger gave us about his turning wasn't pleasant."

He winced, "The circumstances weren't…. I...I'm not proud of this. I'm bloody pissed at myself even."

"What happened, Harry?" The older Wolf asked, suddenly serious and dropping all formality now that they were in seclusion. "From what I know of you and our interactions, that isn't like you."

Harry buried his head in his hands after finding that he couldn't quite look at him. "I lost myself one night while chasing Greyback. I hunted him down. I attacked him and gave him The Bite without his permission." His voice shook as the words left his mouth. Physically saying them and hearing them in his own voice somehow made them even harder to swallow.

A steady hand on his shoulder settled him. "Listen, Harry. I know what you're thinking and I'm telling you that you should really stop. It's not the same."

And he would know, wouldn't h?

"You're not your Alpha. What happened that night... It doesn't make you like Fenrir. It's not the same. And it's happened to all of us at some point. The first few months are intense. I turned two betas before I got a handle on my wolf."

"Still, I wasn't prepared for that. I didn't...I never wanted to turn anyone."

"And that is exactly why you are different from him. When it comes to our packs it's about what kind of Alpha we are, and want kind of Alpha we want to be. It's all about intent. Fenrir Greyback gets off on controlling people. As long as I've known him he's been that way. Preying on the weak, turning them against their will, and killing them when he grew bored. He's been creating chaos to feed off of long before you crossed his path. It's what he does." His eyes hardened, driving his point home. "He knew what he was doing. He made a choice ." fingers tightened around the muscles in his arm. " You lost control. You didn't deliberately go out with the sole purpose of destroying someone's life."

Harry nodded slowly, trying to make himself believe his words. "It doesn't change the fact that I've ruined a life though."

Wesley sighed, letting him go, and leaned back against his chair once more. "No, it doesn't. But there is nothing we can do about that now. You can only move forward, and you have to do it quickly."

"I know. I know. Now isn't the time for me to lose my shite. I didn't come here to angst about my lot in life. We need to come up with a plan and get in contact with the others. The longer we wait, the longer he has time to do whatever it is he's planning to do."

"Let me take care of that. You haven't made enemies of them yet, but you're still wet behind the ears and a "ministry dog" at that. No pun intended."

"Will they listen, you think?"

"Bennett's death will concern them. If he can take down a seasoned Alpha and gain control of his pack, who's to say it won't be them next. I know James won't let that slide. He'll want to take action."

"Good, so we can count on him backing us up." He made a mental note to attempt to get along with him. "Anyone else we can be sure of?"

"Carla Avery may be easily persuaded. Her grandson was killed in the last battle after being brainwashed by some unhinged Wolves like Greyback. She'd be a good one to have on our side...but I'm not sure about the rest of them. I'll have to put on my best negotiator shoes."

"And if the Ministry wants to get involved?"

"It wouldn't be wise for them to make a move while we are gathering, especially with things the way they are now, but if that is their prerogative then there's nothing we can do to stop them. It could cost us allies though."

"Alright. I'll get with Ron back in London and see if he can persuade them into letting us try to handle the situation before they step in."

"Hopefully this can be taken care of quickly and quietly." A thoughtful pause. "Though I wouldn't count on the latter. It always seems to be a raucous affair when it comes to our kind."

"Unfortunately I'm going to have to agree with you. And my life wasn't quiet before, either."

"Trouble seems to follow you everywhere doesn't it."

He had no idea how true that statement was. "Makes me wonder if I'm cursed sometimes."

"You're a wizard. Wouldn't you know if you'd been cursed?"

A chuckle passed his lips. "You'd think wouldn't you."

"You've seen enough trouble to last two lifetimes so I truly hope this is settled soon. For your sake."

"I appreciate it, but knowing my luck we'll have a rather nasty fight on our hands."

"Even so. We play our cards right and he won't stand a chance. We can end it once and for all."

Rubbing his eyes he replied, "I hope you're right." Then moved to leave the table. He'd done what he came to do, so there was no reason to stay in another Alpha's territory. "In any case, I really need to get going."

Suddenly the hand that had been reassuring him just ten minutes earlier was firmly grasping his bicep. It took a lot of control, that he frankly couldn't spare, to hold back the instinctual growl that rumbled in his chest. A quick look at the Alpha's face told him that there was no reason for alarm so he tried to shove away the growing anxiety. "Actually, hold on a minute. I need to talk to you about something else."

Well, anxiety was officially back up.

Uncertainty washed over him. Had he been reading this encounter wrong? He had honestly thought things were going well considering the dire circumstances. "What's that?"

"I couldn't help but notice a few things about your little pack when they visited me. Your beta is rather protective over your packmate."

That wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be, though the image of Draco growling at him made him cringe. "I'm sorry, Wesley. Thank you for not attacking him on the spot."

"It's alright. I didn't mind. He wasn't trying to step on any toes and I knew that. He is ignorant of customs and uncertain of his instincts and place in this world. That isn't what I was concerned about."

"Then what?"

Fingers ran across the surface of the wooden table. "I suggest you pay close attention to Mr. Malfoy. There were some things I noticed…..The boy is no threat to you, of course, but it wouldn't do to be blindsided should anything... happen."

Harry wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what the Wolf was insinuating. He'd seen the signs and felt the bond, but there was only room for one crisis at a time in his head. Draco's behavior towards Hermione was pretty low on the totem pole of problems at the moment. "I'm aware of the possibilities."

"As long as you're aware. No one can say I didn't warn you. And I'm assuming that since you are taking responsibility for him now, he'll have a better handle on his wolf anyway, but lycanthropy isn't an exact science. There could still be problems."

"I know."

"I'd also suggest spending a lot of time with your pack That boy needs his Alpha."

Yeah, I got that, thanks. He mocked to himself. "If that is all, I should probably get going." He stood from the table and pushed the chair in, heading towards the door. "I told Hermione I'd let them know what is happening." His hand rested on the handle and he was about to turn it and walk out when he stopped and faced him one last time. "Thank you, Abner. Not just for hearing me out, but for everything else."

"You're welcome." Brown eyes blinked at him, "I was in a position much like yours once upon a time. Things were different and more dangerous back then. I didn't have a mentor or anyone to lean on. If I can help you, in any way, I'm going to try to do that. If we are to be allies in this upcoming battle it wouldn't hurt to be friends when we make our way back into normal civility."

"I'm honestly relieved to hear that because I haven't a fucking clue what I'm doing."

Wesley let out a barking laugh. "Do any of us, really?"

"I guess we'll see." He shrugged, pushing the door open. "I'll be staying in Hogsmeade for the time being. When you find out what the others want to do, you can have someone contact me there."

"Stay safe, Alpha Potter."

For the first time all day a little bit of the tension left his shoulders. "Yeah, you too."

I know you all probably have a lot of questions, and I promise they will be answered, you'll just have to be a little patient. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter despite it being solely Harry's POV.