12

The talk.

Henley

It's a strange feeling to go from spending the weekend on the dragon king's island and Monday morning to be back at high school, surrounded by humans.

I finally get what Parker has always said to me—that the kids at our school aren't in the same world as us. Yes, I see them every day. I pass them in the hallway. But they have no idea what the pack is. They have no idea that supernaturals exist.

It's hard to pay attention in first period. Not only are my thoughts racing, but the other students are watching me. Even the teacher is glancing back at me quite often.

Some of the kids are wondering why I wasn't at school for three days. They also noted that Parker was absent, so they assume we were together.

Will furrows his brows as he looks at me.

She doesn't look so good.

Will's voice in my head temporarily blocks the other voices, but as soon as his thought escapes, the other voices come rushing back. My forehead is throbbing and my ears begin to ring. I lick my lips, trying to focus on something else, but it's no use. The voices never lessen.

My chest aches as I realize that this is my life. The phoenixes have stayed hidden for two thousand years, it's not like they're going to reveal themselves to teach me anything. I'm just going to have to deal with it.

A piece of paper lands on my desk.

Are you all right?

I glance at Will and see that his focus is on me. He's not even trying to pay attention to the teacher. She's noticed that he's not paying attention, but she doesn't bother calling him out on it. He's her best student. Well, other than me.

When I pick up my pen, my fingers feel numb. It's difficult to respond. Words come so sluggishly to my brain.

I don't think so.

As soon as I put my pen down, Will snags the paper from my desk. He stands up from his desk and comes over to me. I wonder what he's doing when he picks me up from my desk and begins to carry me from the room. He doesn't ask permission—he just does it. But I'm too relieved to care. I need to get away from the voices. But as soon as I'm in Will's arms, the voices increase in volume. It feels like an ice pick is being forced into my brain.

When we get out of the classroom, the sensation lessens, but it doesn't completely go away. We're still too close.

I groan, hiding my face against his neck. "Further, please."

But before he makes it more than a few steps from the door, Parker is there. He takes me from Will's arms and the moment we touch, the voices are gone. The pain completely ceases. I sigh in relief.

"Thank you," I whisper to Parker, then turn my head to look at Will. "And thank you. I don't think my legs would've worked to walk out of there."

Will doesn't acknowledge my thanks as he looks at Parker. "What are you going to do about this?"

Parker clenches his jaw. "I'm taking her home."

"What about tomorrow? And the day after that?" Will crosses his arms over his chest. "She can't keep suffering like this. You know what she is not, but it hasn't helped anything."

"I know that." Parker's voice is low and growly. He lets out a frustrated sigh. "I will figure it out. But for now, I am taking Henley home."

Will gives him a curt nod. "I'll bring her homework later."

"Thank you," I say to Will again.

He finally looks at me. "Don't wait so long to tell me next time."

Before I can respond, he turns and walks back into the classroom.

"He hates me." I can't help but frown at the thought. I don't want Will to hate me. I want nothing more than for the two of us to be friends. He's going to be one of Parker's betas which means we'll likely be spending a lot of time together. And even if he wasn't a beta, he's still part of Parker's pack.

"I'm sorry." Parker doesn't bother trying to say that Will doesn't hate me because we both know the truth.

Still, my chest aches at the animosity.

"I can walk," I tell Parker, as he walks toward the exit, still carrying me.

"I know," he responds but doesn't move to put me down.

Knowing that's the end of the discussion, I rest my head on his shoulder. "Wolf shifters are strong."

He chuckles. "We are supernatural."

Parker opens the door to the school with his hip and he easily carries me to the parking lot. He even manages to open the passenger side door to his Jeep with ease and he puts me down on the passenger seat. Even once I'm in, he keeps his hand carefully on my skin.

"Will you be okay if I stop touching you long enough to get in the driver's seat?" Parker asks.

I nod. "We're too far away for me to hear much."

Parker studies me for a moment longer before he lets go. He shuts the door and races around to the driver's side. As soon as he's in, he grabs my hand in his. I'm hit with a calming sensation that will never get old.

I love how Parker makes me feel. The butterflies, the tingles, the racing heart—it will never get old. But even as I get to know him and discover more about him, I realize it's deeper than the surface feelings. He's my soulmate and we connect on a level that most people don't get the chance to experience. I almost feel sorry for all the humans and supernaturals who don't have soulmates.

My heart aches as I think about my dad, who only had a few weeks with his soulmate. I don't know what I would do without Parker, but I don't like to even think about it.

Parker drives the Jeep toward home. Since my dad is at work and he's not allowed in the house when my dad isn't home, we go to his house. His mom is at home with his youngest brother, Carson. When we walk through the front door, hand in hand, his mom comes to greet us. She doesn't ask why we're here, so I assumed Parker already let her know.

She steps forward, wrapping me in her warm embrace. "I'm so sorry you got sick. Are you feeling better?"

I nod as we pull back. Parker puts his arm around me and tugs me to his side. "I'm okay. Once Parker got there, I felt better."

She frowns. "I wish he could be in all of your classes."

"She could be if Dad would just give in and let the pack do school away from the humans," Parker says, a bitterness to his tone.

Mrs. Thorne frowns, her forehead wrinkling. "I know, but your father is your alpha. It's his decision and you must respect it. Someday, when you're alpha, you'll see that it's not always easy to know what the right decision is."

Parker sighs but drops the subject.

I imagine being a leader of a pack is very difficult. Wolf shifters tend to get along better than a group of humans would, but I know there are still arguments and disagreements. Parker and Will fight too much for me to believe anything different.

"I'm going to go make some lunch. Do you and Henley want something?" Mrs. Thorne asks.

"Please." Parker's body relaxes at the mention of food.

"You two go hang out and I'll let you know when it's done." She gives Parker a stern look. "Keep your bedroom door open."

Parker's face turns pink. "Yes, Mom."

She grins, waving us from the room.

Parker leads me up the stairs to his bedroom and I'm reminded of the first time I came here. That was before I knew we were soulmates—before I even knew he was supernatural.

Parker glances at me out of the corner of his eye. "What are you thinking about?"

"The first time I came over here."

He opens the door and motions for me to walk in first. "Ah, my family hasn't changed. They are still on me about having a girl in my bedroom."

I take a seat on the edge of his bed. "Back then, they didn't mind if the door was closed."

He sits down beside me. "Nah, I got yelled at for that after you left."

I laugh, shaking my head. "I had the biggest crush on you then. I definitely wouldn't have objected to you trying to put the moves on me."

"I had a crush on you too." He scoots closer. "I still do."

I shake my head. "You may like me now, but you did not have a crush on me back then."

"I way more than like you." His blue eyes are intense as looks into my eyes. "I love you." My heart skips a beat at his admission. "But back then, I did have a crush on you—I was just trying to convince myself that I didn't. It didn't work."

It's not Parker's fault. Back then, he had no idea that I was his soulmate. Since wolves value their mates above all else, there is a no dating law in place. Though it's not strictly enforced, it is strongly encouraged. People who have broken the law in the past only hurt themselves.

"Thank you for not dating anybody before me," I say.

He shrugs. "It wasn't difficult. You are the only girl I've ever thought was worth breaking the no dating law for."

My breath gets caught in my throat.

Yeah, fate definitely got things right when it comes to the two of us.

Parker puts a little distance between us. I give him a questioning look.

"Just because the door is open doesn't mean I won't get in trouble for making out with you in my room," he says.

I laugh. "I love your family."

He grins, but the smile slips as he studies me. "Will helped you out of the classroom today."

I nod, my smile slipping away. I hate that I can't control my powers. I wish I could figure out how to block other's thoughts. It makes me feel like a failure that I can't figure it out.

"Does that mean the two of you have made up from your disagreement?" Parker asks.

I shrug. "When it comes to Will, I'm never sure of where I stand with him. He had a legit reason to be mad at me."

"And you won't tell me what his reasons are?" Parker gives me a hopeful look.

I shake my head. "Sorry. It's private. But it was my fault. I'm still learning how to use my stupid powers and I heard something I shouldn't have."

"He's mad because you read his thoughts?" His voice is low and growly like it usually gets when he's upset about something.

I wave a hand. "It's not a big deal."

"He shouldn't be mad at you for something you can't control—"

I cut him off. "But I should be able to control it. I know it. Will knows it. Even you know it, but you'd never admit it because you're my soulmate and you're supposed to be on my side."

"No. You are absolutely wrong." His eyes flash gold. "How are you supposed to control your powers when you haven't been taught? And don't let Will make you feel inferior. My dad had to invite an elemental to the pack to teach him how to control his elemental powers. Even after he learned to control his magic, he still knocked down a bunch of trees one day when he got angry. So Will, of all people, can't be on your case about learning to control your powers."

I swallow hard.

I didn't know that.

As horrible as that must be for Will, it makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one who lacks control.

I chew on my bottom lip as I consider what Parker is saying. And he's right. Will shouldn't be mad at me. Maybe it's time I forgive myself for not being perfect.

Someday, I will learn to control these powers.

A few hours later, Parker has to leave to do some pack business. I'm pretty sure he's just patrolling. Since the other supernatural… the other phoenix… is still stalking pack lands, the wolves are being extra vigilant.

Parker instructs me to wait at his house until somebody comes to get me. Now that I know the phoenix is after me, I decide to listen to Parker's command. We still don't know how dangerous phoenixes are—they were feared in the past and considered evil, but history is written by the winners. For all we know, phoenixes were just feared because the rest of the supernatural thought they were too powerful.

It's so strange to think that I come from a supposedly dead race of supernaturals. Where have phoenixes been hiding for the past two thousand years? And just how powerful are they that they can hide from the entire supernatural community?

As I muse over my thoughts, I spot Will's black sports car pulling up in front of Parker's house. I wave to Parker's siblings as I head outside. Will meets me halfway.

His eyes scan me from head to toe. "You look better."

I smile, hoping to show him that I'm fine. "I'm one hundred percent better."

"I know that wolf shifters are taught how powerful the mate bond is, but I've always thought it was over exaggerated. But seeing you and Parker, I know that's not the case." His brown eyes meet mine. "It makes me excited for when I meet my soulmate."

I want to tell Will how magical it is, but he already knows that. He won't understand until he meets his soulmate, which likely won't be until he's in his twenties. I know that finding your soulmate as a teenager is rare.

"Let's go to your house." Will puts his hand on my back as he guides me to the passenger side of his car. "Parker's house is a little loud for my taste."

I laugh as Carson screams somewhere behind us. I look over my shoulder and spot Lucy and Dylan chasing him.

"I kind of like the chaos," I admit.

Will opens the door for me. "That's good—because alphas always have a lot of children."

My cheeks grow warm at the mention of Parker and my future children. I dunk inside, not wanting to continue the discussion.

On the drive home, Will is quiet. I look out the window at the familiar surroundings. Once we arrive at my house, we head inside. Will gives me a stack of homework and I sit on the living room floor to get started.

"You could sit on the couch," Will says with his homework open on his lap.

"I like the floor." I shoot him a grin.

He shuts his book. "Can we talk?"

My stomach flutters as I look at him and see the serious look on his face.

I know exactly what he wants to talk about and it's not a conversation that I'm looking forward to having. I push my books away from me and take a seat beside Will on the couch.

"Why didn't you tell Parker?" Will asks. He doesn't clarify what he's talking about, but I know.

I play with the end of my hair, not meeting his gaze. "Because they were your private thoughts. Telling Parker would only cause issues between the two of you. It's not like you ever physically acted on what you thought." I pause before adding, "Also, there wasn't anything wrong with what you thought."

"Thank you."

I look up at that. "For what?"

"For not telling Parker. You're right. I never would've acted on anything. I only see you as a friend—I'm not sure if you believe me after what I thought, but it's the truth," Will says.

"I believe you." I chew on my bottom lip as I study Will. I can't help but smile slightly as I say, "So… does this mean we're friends again?"

He gives me a pained look. "Were we ever friends?"

My grin widens. "The very best of friends."

Will rolls his eyes, but even his annoyance can't hide the way his lips tip up in the corners. "I'm going to regret talking to you about this, aren't I?"

I wave a hand. "Nah. Parker will be glad we made up."

"I still can't believe you didn't tell Parker."

I shrug. "It wouldn't have done any good."

"Still." Will leans forward. "Thank you, Henley. I'm glad we're friends again."

Friends.

We really are friends.

"Does this mean you'll keep passing me notes in first period to distract me?" I ask.

He nods. "Yes. But don't expect me to be any nicer to you. With Parker and Blaine both telling you how awesome you are all the time, somebody needs to keep it real or you'll get arrogant."

I snort out a laugh.

Okay, I can handle snarky Will. Especially when he smiles instead of glaring at me.