11

I will figure this out.

Henley

Parker and I sit on a blanket by the edge of the water as we watch the sunset. Since we got the news earlier, he's just been at my side, holding me close and making sure that I'm all right. He wants to talk to me, I can tell he does, but he is content to wait for me to be ready.

When I first heard about mate bonds, I was completely crushed. At the time, I was crushed because I thought Parker would never be mine. I didn't think fate could ever choose anybody better than Parker. When I found out we were mated, I don't think I understood exactly what that meant. Yes, we're meant to be together. But it's more than that.

Parker is my perfect match in every single way possible. And I know that no matter what trials or hardships we face, we will get through it together. That is the only thing that has me wanting to open up to Parker—because I know that when he hears what I have to say, he's not going to run away.

"Being an alpha is a blood thing, right?" I ask.

Parker turns to me, his eyebrows furrowed. "Yes. Though it's not always the firstborn, an alpha always has a son who will one day be alpha. It's the way wolves work."

I turn so that I can see his face better. I want to know that he's not softening the truth for my benefit. "I'm a phoenix and you're a wolf shifter, so what does that mean for your pack?"

"I don't understand." He tilts his head to the side as he studies me.

I sit up straighter. "I know that you can only have children with your mate, meaning me."

Parker nods.

"But I'm a phoenix, so won't that mean our children will be hybrids?" I ask.

He hesitates, then nods. "Sort of, yes. It's not always a perfect blend. Our children could be fully phoenix or wolf or they could be a perfect mix of both. Hybrids are all different. Like Will and his sister. His sister can't shift into a wolf and has exceptionally strong elemental powers. But Will has very little elemental magic and he's mostly a wolf shifter."

"What if we never have a child who can shift? What if they're all like me?" I twirl a piece of hair around my finger.

Parker grabs my hand to stop my fidgeting. "Henley, it's okay. You don't need to stress about this. Not now, not ever. Fate doesn't make mistakes."

My shoulders relax.

He's right. Fate wouldn't have chosen me as his mate if we couldn't have a child to take over his pack one day.

I lower my gaze slightly. "Will the pack accept me once they find out what I am?"

Parker squeezes my hand. "They have already accepted you because you're my mate. You're part of our pack. You're our pack's future Luna—knowing that you're a phoenix doesn't change that."

I chew on my bottom lip. "So… I'm not going to be sent away?"

He shakes his head. "Absolutely not. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried. You, Henley Stone, belong with me."

My heart thumps a little faster.

Parker's smile grows as he watches me. "I love the way you react to me." He squeezes my hand again. "I know that we haven't got to spend a lot of time together because of the other supernatural roaming pack land, but I promise I will always make time for you. I'm done keeping secrets from you."

His words cause my heart to swell, but I feel a pang in my chest because Parker isn't the only one keeping secrets. I still haven't told him about my ability to read the minds of other supernaturals. I still don't want to tell him how I figured it out—Will's thoughts should be his own. But I do need to tell him.

I play with the skirt of my dress, keeping my gaze down. "There is something I need to tell you. Something about my powers that I figured out."

Parker puts his fingers under my chin and gently nudges me. Once I meet his eyes he says, "Whatever it is, we will figure it out. We will work through this together, all right?"

I nod, letting out a long breath. "While Will was trying to teach me how to block other's thoughts, I accidentally read his mind." I rush through my words, trying to get it all out before he can respond. "The first time, I thought it was a fluke. But it's happened a few more times since then. I've even heard your thoughts once without even trying. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I should've told you then, I just…" my voice trails off.

"Why were you scared to tell me that?" Parker shakes his head.

I shrug. "I guess I thought you'd be mad. Will was pretty upset that I read his thoughts. But I never meant to. I can't control my powers."

"I know that and so does Will." Parker clenches his jaw. "I will be having a talk with him about it when we get home."

I shake my head. "No. Will has every right to be upset. I am the one in the wrong, even if it wasn't my fault." My lips turn downward. "And now that we know what I am, we're still no closer to me figuring out what my powers are. Especially since that other phoenix has proven that he's not going to cooperate."

"I will figure this out for us." Parker's blue eyes intently look into my eyes. "I vow it, Henley. Because I refuse to let you suffer anymore."

I tip forward into his chest, wrapping my arms around his middle. He holds me against him and a feeling of rightness settles in my gut.

I'm safe with Parker. No matter what, he will always be by my side.

I'm not alone. Not anymore.

"From now on, I will be the one helping you learn how to control your abilities—not Will." Parker's voice is deep and growly. "I never should've asked him to do it in the first place, you're my mate."

"You were busy," I say, trying to defend his decision.

He pulls back so he can look me in the eyes. "I should've never been too busy for you. That was my mistake. You should always come first before everything."

"But the pack—"

He cuts me off, putting his hands on my shoulders. "You come before the pack. I would walk away and let one of my brothers take over before I'd let anything come between us. You are my everything. From now on, I promise to show you that."

I lick my lips. "Thank you."

"You never have to thank me for doing what I'm supposed to do." His gaze travels down to my lips.

My heart thumps a little faster. Parker's eyes flash up to mine, the color a mix of blue and gold, and then he leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my lips.

This is the guy I get to spend the rest of my life with. No matter what happens, he's not going to be scared of me.

Parker's hand cups the back of my head while his warm lips move against mine. A light growl vibrates against my lips as his other hand rests on the small of my back.

I get why wolves wait to date until they meet their soulmates. Because no matter what they feel before they meet their mate, it's nothing compared to this. No feeling in the world could compare. And it makes me wonder how much better it will be after we're married and our mate bond is complete. We'll be able to know each other's thoughts and read each other's emotions. It can only get better from here.

Parker pulls back, breathing heavily. He rests his forehead against mine, his eyes flashing back and forth between blue and gold. My breath gets caught in my throat as I watch the memorizing colors flash.

He rests his hand above my heart, a smirk playing on his lips. "Your heart is racing so fast, Henley."

"I'm pretty sure yours is too, if your eyes are any indicator." My voice comes out quieter than I intended, but I know Parker had no trouble hearing with his shifter powers.

His grin grows wider, revealing his dimples. "It's probably good that you don't have shifter hearing. If you did, you'd know that it's been racing since the moment I laid eyes on you."

I suck in a sharp breath.

I'm glad Parker is my soulmate—without the bond, there is no way I could've got a boyfriend as attractive as him.

Boyfriend seems like such a small title considering what Parker is. My soulmate. My future husband. But… since we're still in high school anything more than that would really freak out my dad, boyfriend it is.

For now.

Parker leans forward and presses another quick kiss to my lips before pulling away. "We should head inside. Dinner is soon and we should probably change."

I swallow hard. "We're having dinner with the dragon king and his family?"

He nods. "Of course. They would've invited us either way, but King Basilicus is very curious about you. He can feel how powerful you are. You're powerful enough to rival dragons."

My eyes bulge. "What? No way. I don't have powers to speak of other than teleporting."

Parker shakes his head "You're more powerful than you realize."

I let his comment sink in as he guides me back to the mansion. Just before we walk inside, the back door opens. I feel a brush of something strong against my senses a moment before King Basilicus walks out, shutting the door behind him. His gaze lands on me. Parker and I stop right in front of him, but the dragon shifter keeps his focus solely on me. I shift my weight from one foot to the other.

"I need to speak with you, phoenix," King Basilicus says in a tone that leaves no room for argument.

"Okay." My voice comes out quieter than I intended, though I'm sure that has something to do with the fear he inspires.

He glances at Parker, then me. "Do you wish for your mate to be present for this?"

"I, uh, yes?" My voice raises at the end of my statement, making it sound more like a question.

"You might not want him to hear," King Basilicus warns.

Parker tugs me closer to his side. "Would you allow somebody to send you away from your mate?"

He nods. "Very well." He turns his eyes on me, though part of me wishes he would look at Parker instead. "I do have more information about phoenixes—information that I didn't wish to share with anybody other than you."

I stand up straighter. "I'd love to know any information you can give me. I'm afraid I don't know much about my species. I don't even know how to control all of my powers. It causes issues for us at times."

King Basilicus tightens his stance, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm afraid I can't help you with that as the books I have make no mention of the power of a phoenix. The information I have is more about the historical significance of your species."

He glowers as he says ‘historical significance,' which makes me believe that whatever he's going to say won't be pretty.

He powers on, "Phoenixes were very powerful and I have no doubt that played a significant role in the fact that they were hunted down to what supernaturals believed to be complete extinction. But the records that I have show that the war against phoenixes wasn't unjust."

My heart thumps a little harder. "What do you mean?"

"Phoenixes were cruel. They used their powers against other supernaturals and were a menace to our society. I won't go into the details." He gives me a pointed look—one that makes me afraid to ask anything more. "I do not hold the crimes of your kin against you. You are a child who knows nothing of your species—you were raised by a wolf shifter. I can see the kindness in your eyes. But I will tell you to be careful. When news about you breaks, other supernaturals might not be happy. Dragon shifters aren't the only species to keep historical records, we are just one of the only ones willing to share our knowledge."

"You think others will come after her." Parker's voice has a growly edge to it.

King Basilicus finally turns his intense gaze from me and looks at Parker. "Yes, I do think that. I do not envy your job of protecting her. I do believe it will be a battle."

"Is there any way that we can keep this a secret?" Parker's tone goes from angry to concerned.

"I will keep this a secret," the dragon king promises. "But I do not believe you will be able to keep it a secret for long. In your search to find out what Henley is, you may have inadvertently let the wrong people know."

My stomach tightens. "So there are going to be groups of supernaturals coming after me to try and kill me?"

He turns back to me, nodding. "Yes. And even though dragon shifters don't have a known way of killing a phoenix, other supernaturals might. You should be careful."

"I will protect her." Parker's voice is hard, promising pain to anybody who would dare come after me.

While wolf shifters are strong, even I can see that they're not as powerful as some other species—the dragons are proof of that. And, if King Basilicus is to be believed, I am proof of that.

Where do wolves stand on the power scale? Parker and his pack are strong, but will they be strong enough to protect me? And can I even ask that of them? It doesn't seem right.

"The dragons will stand with you," King Basilicus tells Parker. "Your mate has done nothing worthy of death and dragon shifters will not stand for anybody being hunted for being too powerful. I vow that you have an ally in us. And while I cannot speak for the Alpha Council, I will plead Henley's case to them if needed."

I let out a breath.

We're not alone.

Still, the thought of anybody going to war because of me doesn't feel good.

"I don't want anybody to fight." I put a hand to the base of my throat.

King Basilicus gives me a blinding smile. "And that is why you will have our aid. I know that you do not mean to harm any of us. You will use your powers for good. You're a good one, Henley Stone. Just make sure you always stay on the right side."

I swallow hard, nodding my head.

Even if I was the kind of person would could turn to the side of evil, King Basilica's threat is enough to make me never want to do anything unlawful.

Dragon shifters are terrifying.