Chapter Twenty Seven

My heart quickened its pace as I took in Henry's silhouette, and the memories of our tangled past resurfaced.

His gaze met mine with a mixture of emotions, and the air crackled with tension.

I had to blink back several times before I realized it was really him.

"Henry," his name slipped from my lips.

I watched, unable to move as he left his drink and came towards me, until he was standing tall and towering over me.

"Alixandria," he straightened, a subtle tension in his posture.

He looked...fine. Unhurt. Put together... but different. He stood at least two to three inches taller than me, his skin was tanner, and his body looked more muscular beneath his jacket. His dark brown hair had grown slightly, it was tousled but kept in a nice trim, like his well groomed beard. He looked rugged.

Before I could say another word, Henry wrapped me into a tight hug.

I froze, for a moment. Henry was safe, he was alive! All our years of friendship and companionship suddenly floored me and I wrapped my arms around him.

"I was so worried about you," I mumbled into his chest, feeling a sting of tears in my eyes.

"I know, Alix." His jaw rested on the top of my head. "I just needed time. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Henry." I pulled away, still within his arms, but with enough distance to meet his eyes.

There was something in his gaze, something warm, that oddly made my heart palpitate.

"Henry, what happened that night?"

"A lot happened that night." He said, a sullen look crossed his eyes. "I—"

"Alixandria, is everything alright?" Camilla suddenly appeared beside me and Henry instantly released me from his arms, taking a step back.

"I'm fine." I nodded my head, but Camilla didn't seem convinced. "Really, Camilla, I'm okay." I said with more reassurance.

"Hey Camilla," Henry spoke.

Camilla turned her attention to him. "Hey Henry. You look...different."

He smiled, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Camilla rolled her eyes.

"Do you mind if I steal Alix for a moment?"

"Only if she's okay with it."

Both their gaze fell on me. I know it was our girls night, but there was so much I wanted to ask Henry. Months I had tried to reach him to see if he was okay and now he was standing before me.

"I'll be right back?" I told her.

"Alright," Camilla rolled her eyes, "But don't take too long." She walked away, heading back into the dancefloor.

I started making my way out of the bar.

Henry silently followed beside me, hands in his pockets. I could see a cheeky smile on his face from my periphery.

"What's so funny, Henry?" I stopped once we'd reached a quiet spot outside the busy nightclub.

"Nothing," he chuckled, "It's just...you look beautiful and I always wanted to take you out to one of these places but we were always so busy. And now here we are...albeit, under some really fucking unusual circumstances, but nonetheless."

"Unusual is putting it nicely. It's downright bizarre everything that has happened."

"I mean I'm a werewolf now." He scoffed, as if even he still couldn't believe it.

"God," my eyes widened, "So you really did turn?" My gaze dropped to the floor sympathetically.

I knew Henry had always been traditional. He was one of the few people who I knew liked his life the way it was and I couldn't imagine what it must have been like to have his entire life change. "How are you handling it?"

"Well, I've come to terms that I won't be able to lose my shit at family dinners anymore," He smiled and I laughed.

"But overall, it's getting easier, Alix." He sighed. His hazel eyes searched mine. "It wasn't easy, you know. I had this whole plan, and now, I can turn into a beast and I crave things, feel things stronger and it's...it's a lot, but also, it's pretty cool if I'm honest."

"Henry," I chuckled, but I knew behind his humor was pain. "You don't have to lie to me. I know things have changed between us, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. I know this is a big life change and I know it's not easy."

"You always knew me so well, Alix." He leaned against the wall, watching me with those golden brown eyes.

For a moment, I felt entranced, unable to look away or move as his hand reached out and graced my fingertips.

That odd warmth I felt inside the club came back.

"And what about you? Have you turned into a blood-sucker?" He smirked but I could see the pain behind his eyes.

"N-no."

His look turned into one of surprise and so I quickly added, "Not yet, I mean."

With a tilt of his head, Henry pushed off the wall. He was close, I had to tilt my head to meet his eyes. I froze once more, feeling the air grow static between us. His hand closed over my fingers and I was taken aback by the little sparks that ran up my arm.

This was starting to feel like the pull...just more subtle.

"Have you bonded with him yet?" Henry whispered.

"Um, Henry, I...I don't think that's an appropriate— Uh, wait have you not bonded with...with—"

"Amber? No," he furrowed his brows. "I told you, she's not my mate."

"But the pull."

His smile widened, wolfish and triumphant. "You're able to control the pull, Alix." He finally intertwined our fingers and a burst of warmth speared through me. I took a sudden sharp breath, trying to control it.

"So long as..." He trailed off, seeming lost in the feel of my skin. His breaths were starting to grow heavy and he took a deep inhale as if he were smelling my scent. Could he do that now? Was I giving off a scent?

"So long as what, Henry?" I pressed, hoping to steer us back in the right direction, but my voice shook, coming out low and breathy.

I couldn't understand what was happening.

I tried to pull my hand away, but Henry held it sternly.

His eyes met mine, "So long as—"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Idris appeared to come from the shadows, taking Henry by the shoulder and shoving him up against the wall. His fangs were shed into a snarl, yet to my surprise Henry did not seem to care. His golden brown eyes never left mine.

"I'm only letting her know that you can control the pull until you pick a mate," Henry moved his glare to Idris and gripped him by the collar, and in an inhumanly swift motion, turned, so that it was Idris who was slammed against the wall now.

"So long as you have more than one mate, Alixandria, you can control the pull." He smiled at me.

It took me less than a second to understand what Henry was implying, but by then, he had dropped Idris and walked away.

"Is it true?" I turned my attention to Idris.

With a sigh, Idris nodded his head, "It's rare, but possible."

I stood there in stunned silence. Too many conflicting thoughts crossing my mind.

"Did you feel a pull towards him?"

Fuck, is that what I had felt when Henry was near, when he touched me? Before I could answer, Idris seemed to draw his own conclusion. His jaw tightened, a darkness crossing his features. Fire boiled behind his eyes, but he swallowed the anger.

"I don't understand, Idris. I didn't feel that when I was with Henry."

"Because he was still human." His fists clenched in frustration. "Do you want to go to him?"

I shook my head instantly, stepping closer to him and taking his face in my hands. "This doesn't change how I feel about you, Idris."

"But you have a pull with him—"

"Not like I do with you." I silenced him.

His gaze warmed but he still looked unsteady, "I need to find Amber—"

"Alixandria?" Is everything okay?" Camilla came around the corner.

Idris slipped from my grasp and when I turned he was gone.

"What happened?" Camilla approached me, wrapping me in her arms as I began to cry.

Author Note: So I already have the draft versions of the following chapters up to the end, but I'm curious how you all would want this story to go from here. Our dear Alixandria has two mates. Would you want her to stay with Idris? Go back to Henry? Both maybe? This may or may not influence my ending as I can still make changes.

—A.K.