Together with their fight coaches Isaac and Mikayla and the rest of his team, Harry was training his fighting skills in the woods today. The coaches had scares and surprises hidden everywhere but so far, the team was doing a good job at being prepared for all of it. Harry himself was pretty proud of himself for finally being able to protect himself better. His skills have improved a lot.

Right now, he was sneaking through a pretty dark part of the woods with Niall, Louis and Liam. The rest of the team was doing the same thing in the opposite direction. He knew every second the next surprise would hit them and they'd need to showcase their skills but Harry was a bit distracted by Louis' presence. After their night out, the roller-skating day and his look into other worlds and other versions of them Harry wasn't sure how to act around Louis anymore. He has seen so much pain but also love. He was wondering where their story in this life would lead them. Were they actually friends by now? What about their soulmate bond?

A sudden crack close by made them all jump. "Did you hear that too? It came from over there".

When Liam and Niall walked closer towards the sound Louis held him back before he could move. Confused and surprised, Harry glanced down at the spot where their hands were touching and then he looked up to see Louis looking tense and alarmed.

"What is it, Lou? Why did you stop me?" Harry asked him in a whisper. For some reason, his pulse was picking up now.

"A gut feeling. We should leave and find the others asap. Don't go over there, Haz" Louis was looking around in panic.

That made Harry realise he was feeling Louis' panic inside of him and that should make him freak out but it didn't. He was too focused on Louis worrying about him again. "Lou ...".

"Run!" Liam's panic-stricken scream cut him off.

In high alert, Harry twirled around to his friend and saw Niall and Liam running away from something, fear reflected in their eyes. Without questioning it, Harry felt Louis tightening his grip on his hand and a second later, he was dragged in the other direction by Louis. Stumbling over his feet, he started running with him, blindly following his soulmate. No, his friend. A friend.

He didn't dare to look back but he could hear something or someone behind them, hot on their heels. For a moment, Harry wondered why Louis and Liam didn't just fly away. They were in full transformation, after all. But maybe they didn't wanna abandon them only because they couldn't fly like the other guardians. He wished he could. He wished he was as good as them.

"Guys, watch out! Transform immediately!" Niall shouted at the other four team members when they finally reached them.

Harry saw the immediate confusion that turned into realisation and fear and pure shock. In a heartbeat, they transformed and got ready to fight. Their coaches followed their lead and Harry realised he hasn't even known what exactly they were until now. With Louis still gripping onto his hand, Harry was wheezing and gasping for air after their sprint. He didn't know who they were running away from yet.

His question should be answered immediately. Appearing out of the dark shadows, three evil-looking people flew closer to them. He recognised them instantly from pictures he has seen. The one with the dark wings was Jelena, a powerful mind fairy working with Josiah. She was accompanied by Gwendolyn, who was a weather witch. The only guy in the trio was Jake and his speciality was illusions and strong ones at that. Harry had no idea why they were here but they were all screwed, especially him and Niall.

In the blink of an eye, the trio attacked them without a sign of mercy. Mikayla and Isaac were right there to protect them but they needed help. Before Harry could do anything, he was dragged behind a big tree, where Louis let go of his hand now. A second later, Niall was right next to him, pale-faced and visibly scared.

"You two stay here. They're too strong. Please, stay out of this. Promise me you won't get involved" Louis begged them.

"We can't just stay here and do n ...".

"I promise, Lou" Harry talked over Niall's complaints. "But please be careful, yeah?".

"As much as I can, Haz. We're just gonna try and distract them so we can all leave. We can't beat them yet and we all know that" Louis breathed out shakily.

"You got this, Lou" Harry squeezed Louis' hand to give him strength and assure him he was fine. "But come back".

"Always" Louis squeezed back and then he was off.

"H, what are you doing? We can't let them fight alone and hide here like some cowards" Niall was indignant.

"What are we supposed to do, Nialler?" Harry threw him an all-saying look. "We only have our swords and claws. That's nothing against three of the most powerful magical beings in our world".

"What if our friends get hurt?" Niall wasn't convinced.

"We really can't help them" Harry felt so powerless.

"What if Louis gets hurt?" Niall stared him down.

"Don't" Harry warned him, worry closing up his throat. "He...".

"He could get seriously injured, H" Niall was so damn stubborn just like Louis. "He could get killed if they're that powerful".

"And I'm supposed to protect him with my bare teeth or what?" Harry snapped at him. "There is nothing I can do. I promised".

"But I didn't" Niall looked determined and scared at the same time when he stood up straight and was about to march over to his fighting friends and do whatever he had planned.

"Niall, wait!" Harry called after him desperately.

He didn't have to because Niall didn't get far. When he wanted to step away from behind the tree he walked against an invisible wall, an energy field of some sort, and was thrown to the ground. With a groan, he rubbed his elbow and stared at the buzzing field keeping them away from the fight. They really couldn't help.

"That bastard".

Ignoring his friend, Harry put his hand onto the vibrant field and watched on how his friends fought for their lives. A storm was raging around them, bolts of lightning were flashing everywhere and battering down way too close to his friends. He could make out some blurry illusions around Àmbar and Aria but the storm was blocking his view. His main focus was Louis anyway. He was trying to keep Gwendolyn and her storm at bay but he was struggling.

A shrill scream from the right caught his attention. Just in time, he saw how Aria fell from the sky and Àmbar caught her just before she hit the ground but now she had to fight Jake off alone while protecting Aria, who was unconscious. Luckily, Maribel joined her side.

But now she was missing next to Liam. In a flash, Zayn was by his side, which meant Louis was fighting Gwendolyn off all alone now. While Liam and Zayn were killing a few summoned demons Louis knocked Gwendolyn to the ground with a reversed and very unexpected attack on her. Harry was so proud.

Gwendolyn wasn't. She was furious. Filled with rage, her powers intensified and focused solely on Louis. With a shield made of pure sunlight, he was protecting himself but Harry could see him crumbling underneath that intense power. Fortunately, Zayn saw that too and iced-up her hands before she even noticed him. Louis used that opportunity to shape-shift into a bird without her noticing it. With her attention on Zayn, Louis flew up behind her still as a bird and grew in size, ready for his sneak attack.

Somehow she sensed someone being behind her. Before anyone could react she knocked Zayn to the ground and turned around to Louis in bird form. In horror, Harry had to watch how she simply grabbed him with her electrified hands and brutally turned his left wing around, making it crack loudly. The following scream was painful and deafening. Carelessly, she threw Louis to the ground, which only made his wing twist around even more and no one could do anything. And Harry wanted to do something.

"Louis!".

Against his better judgement, Harry smashed his fists onto the protective shield around them but instead of being thrown back the shield crumbled in front of his eyes. The realisation made his heart stop for a second. It has been Louis' shield and now his powers weren't strong enough to protect them anymore because he was out and injured but hopefully alive. On wobbly legs, Harry ran over to him without thinking about it and knelt down right by his side. He was still in bird form and that worried Harry the most.

"H, watch out!" Maribel screamed right when he was picking Louis up from the ground as carefully as possible, not wanting to hurt him even more.

Shielding Louis from any intruders, Harry looked up and saw how Gwendolyn was about to attack him with a lightning bolt but luckily, Maribel was right there to block the attack and protect both of them. Cradling Louis in his arms, he tried to stand up but was held down by some force he didn't understand. Then he saw Jelena right next to her partner. She was holding him down simply with her mind. Harry could feel how she was shifting her attention from him to Louis in his arms, who was writhing in pain.

"No, leave him alone!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs. With his last remaining strength, he turned his upper body away from her, hoping it would shield Louis better but it was in vain.

Suddenly the air around him turned ice-cold and chills were running down his spine. He could see sparkling crystals floating in the air and immediately knew what was happening. Zayn was mad that Louis had gotten hurt. Only a second later, Jelena and Jake were hit by a sharp ball of freezing ice and knocked to the ground. Still not done, Zayn summoned all of his powers in between his hands and aimed it at Gwendolyn, who was ironically the last one standing although she was the weakest out of the trio but also the one with the biggest anger issues.

Right now, she was heaving with anger. The air around her was crackling with lightning and a dark cloud appeared above them, black and thick. But Zayn wasn't intimidated. He was still visibly angry and ready to avenge Louis. More powerful than ever, he threw his collective ice powers at her with a frustrated scream but she avoided it as if it was nothing, aiming her storm at him.

"Gwen, no. Wait!" Jelena tried to stop her unexpectedly but it was too late. The thunder and lightning hit Zayn and knocked him out.

"Fuck" Jake swore under his breath.

Time stood still for a few seconds. No one moved until Jelena and Jake sent out a huge wave that knocked all of them to the ground collectively before they disappeared into thin air. Not giving a shit about them, Harry looked down at Louis in his arms. He still didn't transform back and was unconscious by now. He was barely breathing and Harry felt himself starting to panic.

"He isn't waking up or transforming back. Why is he still a bird?".

"I really don't know. Let me try" Àmbar came over to him.

"I'm not letting him go" Harry tightened his grip on Louis.

"You don't have to" Àmbar chuckled lightly for a reason Harry didn't understand. Nothing was funny here. "Watch".

Àmbar held her hand above Louis' unmoving shape and closed her eyes. Her hand started glowing like every time she used her healing powers and Louis started to change form. But he still wasn't human again. No, he was in his cat form now and still unconscious.

"What did you do?".

"I took away most of his pain but I can't do more. My powers aren't strong enough yet. She really did a number on him and broke some bones. The immediate reaction is to stay in that form. I was able to help him shift into his natural form" Àmbar explained to him what she had done as gently as possible.

"As a cat, he can recharge and gain his energy back" Harry remembered and felt his heartbeat calming down.

"Exactly. That's why his subconscious shifted into a cat and not a human. And now we need to bring him to Amelia. I don't know how to fix bones. And Zayn and Aria need her help as well" Àmbar shifted her attention back onto her injured girlfriend.

"We all do, at least a little bit" Maribel panted tiredly, scratches and blood all over her face.

With a flick of her wrist, Àmbar opened a portal to the academy nurse's office. To their luck, Amelia was already in, sorting through some files. As soon as she saw them she dropped everything and ran over to them. Zayn and Aria were carried onto some object that Harry still didn't know the name of. She tended their wounds and made them rest before she came over to Louis and him. He was still holding him in his arms, scared to let go.

"Would you let me take a look at him? I promise I'll be careful" Amelia asked him tentatively.

With all of his friends' eyes on him now, Harry felt stupid for still holding Louis and not letting anyone even look at him. He was being ridiculous but he couldn't help it. Seeing Louis being thrown to the ground after Gwendolyn had probably broken more than just one bone in his body like it was nothing had unsettled him beyond belief and he couldn't seem to leave him out of his sight.

"Um ... sure".

To his surprise, Amelia made no move to take Louis out of his arms. Instead, she gently touched his obviously twisted and broken leg and wrapped her glowing hand around it. Squinting his eyes against the bright light, Harry watched how Louis' leg looked less broken in mere seconds and his eyes grew big at the sight.

"I mended the broken pieces of his leg back together. Now his body has to do the rest. He needs a lot of rest. He'll probably stay like this for most of the healing process" Amelia told him what she had done, obviously to calm his nerves.

"But he will be okay?" Harry just had to make sure.

"Of course. As good as new" Amelia assured him lovingly. "You can lay him down now. He won't break. He needs the rest, Darling".

Feeling dumb again, Harry gingerly lay him down and looked down at his sleeping cat form. He looked so fragile, small and defenceless but Harry knew better than that. Louis was strong.

"What about Zayn and Aria? Are they fine?" Harry suddenly remembered his friends and felt horrible.

"They're fine. Aria got 'only' knocked unconscious and has a few bruises but nothing major. Zayn has drained himself of all of his energy and needs to rest and regain that energy. And the others have some scars but nothing too serious. Don't worry" Amelia calmed him down.

"Thank God" Harry breathed out shakily.

"You can stay here and watch over him if you'd like. I have to sort some things out but you're not in the way ...".

"I'll come back to that in a minute but I have somewhere to be. Someone to talk to. It can't wait" Harry felt a new determination flowing through his veins. He had something to do.

"Where are you going, H? Don't you think that can wait?" Niall looked so lost and confused. "Is he really more important than ...?".

"Right now, yes, Niall" Harry cut him off harshly. "I gotta go".

"To see Liron and he can fuck you while Louis is unwell? Really? Don't you think he needs you right now and your dick can wait a bit longer?" Maribel's voice sounded so accusing and as if she was horrified by the mere thought.

Avoiding Àmbar's and Liam's cold stares, Harry looked at his other two friends, whose accusations did hurt. "I have to go".

"H, what ...?".

"Let him go, M" Niall held her back and exchanged a meaningful look with Harry. He understood. "Go, H. I'm here".

"Thanks, Nialler".

And with that, Harry left the door, trying to suppress the looks of his friends. He understood where they were coming from and how this must look to them. First, he was freaking out like a maniac and as soon as he was told Louis would make it he was out the door to see his fuckbuddy. It looked really bad for him but he had his reasons. Important and life-changing reasons. A realisation of sorts.

Texting Liron on the way, Harry ran through the academy and right to the portal. He crossed it quickly and sprinted towards Liron's flat. He was let in without a question but when Liron was about to kiss him Harry stopped him and took a step back.

"Sorry, but I really need to talk to you" Harry panted out.

"What about? I thought your text meant ...".

"Not this time" Harry didn't let him speak. "I'm sorry but it will never mean that again. I want us to stop".

"What? Just like that?" Liron sounded actually mad.

"Yes? It's not like we're anything. All we do is fuck and it was nice but we both knew it would stop at one point. We never wanted it to be more" Harry blinked at him perplexed.

"Obviously not but I thought you were enjoying this as much as I am. What changed? Did you meet someone and now you suddenly want a relationship?" Liron raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not exactly. My life is a bit of a mess lately and things happened that made me realise what is important to me. You might have seen it on the news by now but I'm part of the guardian team at the moment and things are really bad. I have to focus on that ...".

"On Louis, you mean" Liron cut him off, crossing his arms.

"How do you ...?".

"I've seen you two together at the bar, remember? You might have left with me but you two seemed cosy and he was definitely bothered by my presence and you didn't like that he snogged that guy. You were different that night and I shrugged it off but it's him, right?" Liron interrupted him again, sounding a bit bitter.

"It's complicated but he is important to me. That's all that matters. We're not anything but I don't care. I need him and if he doesn't like you and you don't like him I have to choose one side. It's gonna be him. Don't let it come to that" Harry didn't know how to word this.

"It's too late for that. You came here to call things off because of Louis. You've made your choice and I have to accept it" Liron shrugged, burying his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"I'm really sorry, Liron" Harry felt bad for him somehow.

"It's fine. I hope he is worth all that trouble and chaos in your head and the lack of dick from now on" Liron smiled curtly.

Stifling a laugh, Harry smiled crookedly at him. "He is".

Nodding at each other without more words, Harry turned around and left the flat. Outside he let out a breath and it felt so good. He felt freer than before and lighter. Today's fight had made him realise something. He couldn't live without Louis, no matter what they were. He only wanted him to be safe and sound and fine and unharmed. From now on there would be no one else. Only Louis was important to him, now and forever.

Louis' POV

Blinking his eyes open, Louis felt a sharp pain shoot through his left arm and automatically moved his arm towards that spot, just to realise he didn't have a hand or fingers. No, all he saw were paws. Looking down at himself, he noticed he was in his cat form and apparently, in the nurse's office. And as hard as he tried he just couldn't transform into his human self for some reason, which made him panic.

"Sh, everything's fine, Louis" Amelia approached him slowly. "You need rest and peace. You're gonna be able to transform back soon. Give yourself some time to heal and recharge".

That sounded logical to him but he couldn't really remember what had brought him into this situation in the first place. He knew there has been a battle in the woods with Josiah's partners but all he could remember was Aria getting hurt. Everything else was a blur.

Aria! With a lot of effort, Louis lifted his head up and glanced around the room. He spotted Aria and Zayn close by, both of them sleeping and looking wounded. Àmbar was sitting right by Aria's side and Liam didn't let Zayn out of his sight. It was adorable to watch but at the same time, it made him realise he was alone. No one was there for him, no one was worried about his condition.

At that moment, a door opened in the distance and Louis heard someone entering the room. Immediately, he knew who that was. He could sense him before he could see him or hear him. What was Harry doing here? Where has he been? Was he okay?

"Look who's back. That was quick. Was Liron not in the mood or were you two that desperate?" Àmbar sounded unusually judgy.

The mentioning of Liron's name stung more than he was ready to admit. Harry had every right to be with him instead of them. Even if they had just survived a horrible attack and some of his friends were injured. Harry wasn't obliged to stick around. He was free to do whatever he wanted, even if that was Liron.

Then again, Louis couldn't smell anything other on him than the city air and a faint scent of Liron, which indicated they haven't been physically close in a while. There were no traces of lust, arousal or plain right sex on him. Nothing. All Louis could smell was Harry himself and his distress and worry and something new. Something he couldn't place but it felt strong. Maybe he was going crazy.

He shouldn't even be able to smell and sense all that in Harry's scent. He wasn't a werewolf, after all. But lately, his sense of smell has intensified a lot more and he could pick up on so much but only when it came to Harry. Everything else was still the same. It was a lot at times and Louis wasn't sure how to handle this. And right now, he wasn't sure how to feel. Why was he here?

"Hey, Lou. I'm back. I'm really sorry that I had to leave but I had some business to take care of. Everything is settled now" Harry was suddenly right next to him, sitting down in a chair. "I won't leave again. I promise".

"I'm glad you're back, Harry" Amelia rested her hand on his shoulder. "He was awake a few minutes ago and was obviously confused. I don't think he remembers what happened".

"Should I tell him?" Harry sounded unsure and hesitant.

"When he wakes up again, yes. But bit by bit. That might be enough for him to remember on his own" Amelia advised him. "And don't worry. He will be back to human soon. He's doing good".

That made Louis realise that they thought he was asleep. Closing his eyes, Louis gave into that illusion and just listened to everyone around him but his mind was stuck on Harry and his words. What business did he have to take care of? Was that code for a booty call? Or did he mean actual business? And why did he promise not to leave again? He could always just go. No big deal.

"I can literally feel you freaking out over there, Tommy" Zayn's voice sounded in his mind.

"Joey! Oh, God! How are you? Are you awake? I thought you were sleeping" Louis felt so relieved to hear his best friend's voice.

"My mind is wide awake but my body is still exhausted. I can't open my eyes but I hear everything" Zayn explained to him. "So, I know Harry was with Liron and I felt your reaction to it".

"I don't know what you mean. I don't care ...".

"But you do, Tommy" Zayn cut him off. "Why can't you admit that you have feelings for Harry? I know it anyway. I think one near-death experience is enough to remind us what is important and how short life can be. Too short to be scared".

"I don't ...".

"Tommy".

"Joey".

"You can't fool me. Be honest with yourself".

"Oh, fucking hell! Fine!" Louis gave up frustratedly.

"So?".

"I really like Harry and Liron bothers me. There, you happy?" Louis huffed and knew he would be pouting by now as a human.

"Very. You finally admitted your crush" Zayn sounded smug.

"It's not a crush, Joey" Louis contradicted him.

"Tommy, I thought we just ...".

"No, you don't understand" Louis talked over him. "I'm not taking it back. I like Harry but it isn't a crush. Not in the traditional kind of way. No nervous butterflies or tongue-tied moments. More the opposite. I feel comfortable around him and like I can be myself. By now, I think he sees me for who I am and I like spending time with him but my thoughts are not constantly circling around him. It's not necessary. I ... I can't really describe that feeling".

"That's beautiful, Tommy. A few months ago I would have never thought that was possible. I thought it was impossible for you to feel comfortable around him after everything and now look at you. It's a miracle and at the same time, it's not. I mean, you're sou ...".

"Don't say it" Louis stopped him from saying that word." Just because I like him now doesn't mean he feels the same. That thing means nothing and isn't a guarantee for anything. We established that we'd ignore the thing and I don't like him because of this. Not because he is my ... you know?! I like him because he is Harry and he really changed".

"Okay" Zayn simply accepted his argument. "What are you gonna do now? Tell him?".

"Definitely not. No way. I'm not gonna ruin the fragile friendship we have by blurting this out and reminding him of this bond thing. I'm lucky enough that he stopped mentioning it by now and isn't so focused on it anymore. We agreed to erase it from our minds and he did. He has something going on with Liron and that's fine. Well, maybe not for me but I have no right to be jealous. I don't even want him to like me back. I don't want to like him" Louis felt his anxiety kicking in slowly.

"Why not?" Zayn asked gently.

"Remember how he tried to force us together because of that thing? How will I ever know if our feelings are genuine or made up because we ... He obviously wouldn't want me for me but for the bond. Because fate wants us to be ...".

"But you like him for him, right? And not because you think you should like him because of your bond" Zayn interrupted him.

"Yes?" Louis wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Why should that be different with him? He might have been heavily focused on this before but he realised it was wrong and got to know you, the real you. Who says he can't like you for you now? Who says he didn't fall for you as you did for him?" Zayn made a pretty solid point but Louis couldn't stop overthinking everything.

"Because he didn't? Isn't that obvious? He's shagging someone else and even if he wouldn't he's gonna leave soon. Why bother with this if we can't work out anyway?".

"Did he say he will leave?" Zayn hooked in an odd voice.

"He didn't have to. He belongs to his pack and this pack won't stay here forever. They're already looking for a place to go. He won't stay here and let them leave without him and I wouldn't want him to. It's his family, Joey" Louis reasoned his assumption.

"But you're his soulmate" Zayn countered meaningfully.

"That means nothing" Louis dismissed him. "And now I should really try to get some sleep. I wanna be human again".

The next time Louis woke up he immediately noticed that he was in his body again. Arms, elbows, hands, fingers, knees, feet, toes. He felt well rested but his arm still hurt like a bitch. Glancing around the room, he saw Bella and Abby checking in on them. That made him smile to himself. It was nice to see how much they cared.

"Lou, hey" Harry's voice sounded softly right by his side. "Good to have you back. How are you feeling?".

"As if someone had ripped off my arm and glued it back on but otherwise, I'm fine" Louis joked in a hoarse voice.

"That's oddly close to what happened" Harry looked pale.

"Can you help restart my memory? I can't seem to remember what happened after Aria got hurt" Louis grinned sheepishly.

"Everything happened pretty fast but you faced down Gwendolyn for quite some time. Zayn tried to help and then you shifted into a bird to attack her from behind, I guess. But she saw it coming and simply broke your wing. I mean, arm. Whatever. I could hear it break and ran over immediately. I kept you safe and Zayn exploded in anger and somehow they left" Harry recapped.

"Just like that?" Louis wondered in disbelief.

"It was strange. Zayn got hurt and then they left and sounded upset. I can't explain it but I also didn't really care. You were hurt and needed help. Àmbar brought us here and Amelia healed your bones but ..." Harry trailed off.

"It still hurts but now that makes sense. Have I been a cat the entire time?" Louis checked to make sense of everything.

"After Àmbar took some of your pain away, yes. Amelia said it was a natural instinct to help you heal but I'm gonna be honest. I freaked out big time. I was so scared you might...".

"But I'm not. I didn't" Louis grabbed for Harry's hand. "I'm right here and almost as good as new".

"Thankfully but this was the third time in the past two months you've gotten hurt. You're gonna give me a heart attack before the end of the year" Harry tried to sound playful but Louis could clearly detect worry and concern, genuine concern.

"I'll try not to but only if you promise me to stay safe yourself. I can't guarantee I won't run into a fire to save you" Louis blurted out before he could rethink his words. That sounded ... heavy.

Blinking in obvious and understandable shock, Harry stared at him but squeezed Louis' hand. The one that was holding onto Harry's hand for no good reason. "I promise, Lou".

"Am I interrupting something?" Bella cleared her throat behind Harry, breaking them out of their moment.

"No, nothing" Harry dropped his hand as if he was burnt. "You wanna sit here? I wanted to call Niall anyway".

Harry switched places with his mother so quickly that Louis could barely follow what was happening. Jumpily, Harry took out his phone and retreated into a corner without looking back at him. Louis could feel himself frown at Harry's behaviour but he tried to shrug it off. Bella was right there, watching him after all.

"I'm sorry if my arrival was ...".

"It wasn't" Louis didn't give her the chance to blame herself. "This isn't your fault. He was ready to jump up and flee from the get-go and only needed a good reason".

"Louis, if he could he would never leave your side again. He called me on his way back here and was freaking out. He felt bad for even leaving in the first place but he had something to sort out. Whatever that meant. But he wanted to stay" Bella tilted her head to the side.

"That looked different just now" Louis had a hard time believing that. Liron has obviously been more important.

"It seems to me that it matters to you a lot if he leaves or stays" Bella stated observingly.

"It doesn't. Not more than any other of my friends" Louis felt his face heating up. This was Harry's mother, for god's sake.

"Sure" Bella looked way too smug. "How are you holding up?".

"I won't die. That's a good thing, I guess" Louis still felt weird. "But all jokes aside, I'm good. Still healing a bit but it's fine".

"Amelia said in your cat form you're the safest when it comes to healing. It was your first transformation, right?" Bella checked interested but with an odd edge to her voice.

"Yes, it was. Apparently, it's my natural form. Maybe even some spirit animal shit but yeah. Transforming into a cat takes no effort and sometimes it's easier to be a cat than a human. It helps with my anxiety and heightens my senses" Louis let her know. "Aurelio told me cat was my first word. It makes a lot of sense by now".

"It was?" Bella's eyes grew huge. "Of course, it was".

"What is it?" Louis crinkled his forehead in confusion, noticing how Harry came back over to them with a worried expression.

"Harry's first word was cat and no one understood why. He couldn't have known what a cat was because we don't have cats in the pack and he was too young to know anything else than wolves. Many werewolves have wolf-related first words or simple family members. It's based on instincts mainly. Everyone was shocked when Harry said cat with such determination at such a young age" Bella revealed to him, shocking him and obviously also Harry to the core. "Now it makes sense. It was your first word because it's your natural shapeshifter form. Of course, it was Harry's first word too. You're soulmates".

"I don't think ...".

"And then you transformed into a werewolf out of nowhere when you were fighting Aidan without knowing how you did it" Bella just kept talking. "Your souls really are connected deep in their roots".

Silence was what followed Bella's revelation and shocking conclusion. Frozen, Louis glanced up at Harry and he looked just as shocked as Louis felt. Even as toddlers their connection has been strong enough to ... Louis was at a loss for words and didn't know how to respond to any of this.

"Sorry, I was merely thinking out loud" Bella cleared her throat when the silence was dragging on for too long. "I'm glad you found your destiny, Louis. I'm happy you're alright and I don't ever wanna see you this hurt again, okay? We need you unharmed".

"I'll try but tell this Josiah and his clowns as well. They have it out for me" Louis shook himself out of his frozen state.

"It really looks like it" Abby piped in now. "They really wanna kill you the most or it looks like it".

"Wow, thank you" Louis snorted sarcastically.

"No one gets killed here. He's fine. He's safe and promised to stay out of trouble" Harry looked a bit disorientated.

"But will trouble stay away from him? It for sure didn't stay away from us or you guys today. I'm not sure the town is safe for anyone at this point" Abby pointed out, making Louis tense up at the implication of her words.

"What are you trying to say?" Harry eyed her sceptically.

"Nothing. Just ... This right here will happen again" Abby pointed at Louis, who squirmed under the attention. "I can feel it in the air. Something is coming. Or someone. I don't know yet".

"I can feel it too" Àmbar sided with her from the other side of the room. "Today was only a taste. We need to be better prepared".

"I thought we were but obviously we're not" Liam threw in.

"What can we possibly do to defeat them?" Harry asked in a panic-stricken voice. Immediately, Louis grabbed for his hand again and squeezed it lightly, effectively calming him down a bit.

"We need to study their powers closer and find a way to use their own powers against them or neutralise them but that will take some time. I'm not sure we have that time" Àmbar told them doubtfully.

"Well, today they left on their own. Maybe they weren't there to kill us. Something weird is going on here" Liam marked informatively.

"We have to find out what exactly is going on here but first, you need to rest and get better. Get back on your feet. The academy is the safest place for you" Àmbar sent him a warm smile.

"She is right. Rest, Lou. No one can hurt you here. I'll be right here when you wake up. I won't let any harm come close to you, Lou" Harry stepped closer and stroked some hair out of his face.

That touch made Louis close his eyes and he decided to simply enjoy it. He was wounded and could get away with everything. Why not fall asleep under the soothing touch of your soulmate?  

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Another battle but they just left? Why?

Harry dropped Liron for Louis. What does that mean?

Is Josiah really after Louis specifically?