Only two days later, Louis was back on his feet and his arm was fully healed and didn't hurt anymore. Still, Harry wouldn't leave his side. He made sure that Louis didn't lift any heavy things or that he wouldn't overstrain his arm. On top of that, he wasn't allowed to participate in today's fight training because they all wanted him to take it easy but luckily, the same applied to Zayn and Aria. So, the three of them sat back and just watched their team train.

While Zayn and Aria conversed Louis was heavily focused on watching Harry and there was nothing he could do about it. Ever since admitting his feelings for him to Zayn a few days ago, his mind wouldn't shut up and it was impossible to keep ignoring reality but he was still giving his best to do so. He didn't want his feelings to be so present and visible and obvious. He wasn't ready to accept these feelings for Harry because it would lead nowhere, no matter what everyone else thought. Yes, they were soulmates and romantically involved in other worlds but that didn't mean it had to apply here, in this world. Every world was different and there was no set-in-stone guarantee they'd end up loving each other in this life. Louis still couldn't see it. Or maybe he didn't want to.

Fine, he could see it if he really tried to imagine it, especially in these last few days full of Harry worrying about him and looking after him and all of that but it still felt so alien. Simply strange and unnormal for them. The thought that they maybe only needed to spend more time together alone crept into his desperate tries to label everything they had as platonic. He wasn't even sure anymore what he was so afraid of. That Harry only wanted him because he knew they were soulmates? Was that so bad?

Locking eyes with Harry and smiling at each other despite him training his fighting skills and being absolutely busy made Louis feel stupidly warm and hopeful. Seeing those adorable dimples making a rare appearance, Louis was determined to make Harry smile as often as possible to see them again. Those dimples were too cute to hide away. He wanted to see them all the time.

Okay, wow. He was definitely going mental. He was obsessing over two dimples on Harry's face. That wasn't normal behaviour and no feelings could justify his weird thought process.

"Are you planning your wedding in your head or what is that look about?" Zayn's voice cut through his freakish thoughts.

"Funny, Joey. Unique. I can barely contain my laughter" Louis deadpanned, giving him an empty look.

"Wait, did I miss something? Did he finally admit he's gone for Harry?" Aria's ears perked up in interest.

"Great. Did everyone know?" Louis felt so exposed.

"It's not like that. We've just witnessed your change in behaviour towards each other and saw you at the bar. We thought maybe something has changed. You are soulmates, so the chance was there" Aria tried to make it better but only made it worse.

"Can you stop saying that? It really doesn't take the pressure away to keep being reminded of that all the time" Louis massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming.

"Sorry, it must be a lot" Aria apologised wholeheartedly.

"It is. Sometimes it's too much to know this. Maybe it would have been better not to know we're soulmates because it puts us in a weird position. I mean, through all our fights and arguments we made it clear that we ignore this by now but can we really ignore it? Are we supposed to act on it? In which way? Should we just say fuck it and be a thing because fate said so? And if we realised we're into each other is it really us talking or a higher power making us feel that way because we're soulmates? Does it even make a difference or is it unimportant for which reasons we like each other?" Louis was starting to ramble, his pulse speeding up and his hands starting to shake. He knew an anxiety attack wasn't far away if he didn't stop panicking right this second.

"You need to breathe, Louis".

"Not that we like each other mutually. He doesn't like me, you know? He looks quite content with the guy he is shagging. But then again, he hasn't seen him in days, which doesn't have to mean anything but maybe it does. Maybe he found a new guy already? Another human or one of his wolves? Wolves he is gonna leave with very soon" Louis' focus got reduced to one single spot in front of him in a kind of tunnel vision and he wasn't hearing or seeing anyone else around him, except for that little bit of meadow by his feet.

His throat was clogging up and he had trouble breathing, feeling himself rocking back and forth in a pointless try to calm himself down. Then a warm feeling spread through him like medicine.

"Lou? Lou, come back to me".

The raspy voice of an angel cut through to him and brought him back. His vision cleared and expanded again while his pulse regulated itself and his lungs were able to take in breaths of much-needed air to cleanse his mind. Blinking a few times, Louis let go of his knees, he was apparently hugging to his chest, and was met with Harry's face right in front of him, worry lines visible on his forehead but a look of relief adorning his features now.

"Haz?".

"There you are" Harry stroked with his thumb over his cheek almost as if he were in trance. That touch made him realise Harry's hand was cupping his face, the other four fingers tracing gently along the part of his neck right beneath his ear. "Hey".

"What ...?" Louis coughed before he could bring an entire sentence out, being overwhelmed by everything but mostly Harry's still lingering touch. "What is going on?".

"I'm not sure, Lou. But I think you were having an anxiety attack over something. I could feel it the moment we were losing you and then I saw Zayn and Aria with you and it clicked. They tried to bring you back but you were just mumbling to yourself. I didn't understand a word but you looked like you were on the verge of crying. I just had to do something. I'm sorry if I overstepped and crossed a line" Harry reported to him what had happened and Louis wanted to feel ashamed that Harry has seen him like this again, worse than last time but he was touched. So touched.

"Thank you, Haz" Louis locked eyes with him, wanting him to know how sincere he was.

Obviously not expecting this response, Harry looked like a deer caught in headlights. It was adorable. "Always, Lou".

Suddenly feeling watched, Louis broke eye contact and saw Zayn and Aria simply watching their exchange. Right. They have been right there the entire time and knew why Louis has ended up having an anxiety attack. They knew that thing has been the reason but somehow Harry has been his solution. Pure irony.

"Are you alright, Louis?" Aria asked concerned.

"Yes, now I am" Louis smiled at her assuringly.

"Tell me again that he doesn't feel the same, Tommy?! He was by your side so quickly I had barely time to register it. And you responded to him immediately" Zayn smirked smugly at him.

"Be nice to me. I'm always nice to you when you had a panic attack, Joey" Louis full-on pouted now, not considering the people around them for even a second.

"He's watching you".

"Sure you're fine?" Harry's thumb stilled.

"Yes, I'm sure" Louis replied way too fast.

"What the hell were you two talking about again? Care to let us in instead of having your secret mind conversations?" Aria saw right through them, grinning amusedly.

"No, that's why they're held in secret" Zayn cackled idiotically.

Harry looked lost for a moment before his face morphed into an expression that resembled realisation and understanding. "Oh, you were talking to Zayn. That's why you were pouting".

"He was pouting? Damn it, I missed it" Aria laughed and Louis knew she did that on purpose to highlight that Harry has been watching him closely. The joke's on her. Louis didn't care.

"You're not watching him like a hawk" Zayn snickered under his breath but Louis was sure it was meant to be loud to enough for everyone to hear. His friends were idiots. Total nutcases.

"How about we do something fun when you're allowed to leave? Something to distract me from my reasons for this and for you to relax after this exhausting training" Louis suggested to Harry.

Blinking at him, a smile spread over his face. "I'd love to".

"Great. When are you off?" Louis ignored his friends and their wiggling eyebrows and smug smirks. Bastards, both of them.

"I already am. I was sent off when I came over. They knew I wouldn't come back before I knew for sure you were fine" Harry blushed endearingly. "Um ...".

"Then we can leave right away. Amazing" Louis jumped up, not commenting on what Harry had revealed.

Standing up so fast after his attack hasn't been a good idea. He felt his head spin and his sense of balance wasn't working yet. To his luck, Harry was right there to steady him by the waist. The touch wasn't on his face this time but it still made his face heat up.

"Got you".

"You do" Louis replied before he could stop himself.

"Where are you going? We could ...".

"Away from you. Both of you" Louis cut Aria off, sending his two friends an evil glare but it only made them snigger to themselves.

Not entirely sure where he was even heading, Louis led Harry away from the two immature idiots he called his friends and towards the portal. On the other side, he let go of Harry's hand and tried to come up with a place to go. The entire way out of the pixie woods he came up with nothing and the silence dragged out for a bit too long. It was uncomfortable per se but Louis knew Harry was curious. He definitely wanted to know what had made Louis freak out and Louis wasn't sure he was ready to tell him.

Suddenly he was hit with the perfect place to go. He had wanted to go there with Harry anyway but there has never been the right moment to bring this up. Before Harry knew what was going on Louis led him through the city and towards the bowling alley. This maybe wasn't the best idea with his arm but maybe like this, he could test out if he was really back on his feet for good. Completely.

Harry's eyes were sparkling from the moment they entered the building. Louis organised their bowling shoes and led him over to their lane, explaining to him how this was played. At first, he looked absolutely confused, which was the cutest thing ever but after explaining it a second time he seemed to understand. Which didn't mean he was good at this. More the opposite. He was horrible, which really wasn't a surprise. Harry was so clumsy and uncoordinated that bowling really wasn't in his lane. It was a lot of fun anyway and Harry was laughing the entire time.

"I didn't have one good 'throw', Lou. Please, help me" Harry whined when they had reached the end.

"You do remember we're playing against each other?" Louis cocked an eyebrow at him teasingly.

"Lou? Please? You won anyway" Harry pouted at him with big eyes and Louis really never stood a chance.

"Fine. Come here" Louis gave in, rolling his eyes fondly. He positioned himself behind Harry and put one hand on his waist. With the other, he covered Harry's hand on the bowling ball while resting his chin on Harry's shoulder. "Are you still with me, Haz?".

"Yeah" Harry brought out but it sounded strangled and a bit breathless. "What now?".

"Just follow my lead," Louis told him lowly, definitely way too affected by this entire thing. Shaking himself out of it, he led Harry's hand and together, they scored a strike. "Like that".

For a second, Harry just stared at the scene in shock but then he turned around in Louis' arms and simply hugged him tightly. Wrapping his arms safely around him, Louis melted into the hug and sighed contently. It felt so right to hug Harry.

But then Harry brought the tiniest bit of space between them and his smile was blinding. His eyes though, were so intense and Louis felt his entire body react to this gaze, so he cleared his throat and tried to come off as calm. "Hungry?".

Something undefinable rushed through Harry's green eyes before he answered. "Starving".

Bringing back their bowling shoes, they got something to eat but decided to eat outside. Ending up in the park with the stone bridge, they sat down on a bench and started eating their fries. Louis could feel the conversation coming up before Harry even uttered a single word. Maybe they needed to talk about it.

"The soulmate thing made me freak out earlier" Louis spoke up before he could chicken out, feeling Harry tense up. "Not in a bad way, Haz. I mean, also not in a good way. It was just ... I don't even know. Lately, everyone mentions it all the time as if it was normal and no big deal and I don't see why everyone is bringing it up so randomly. We're the only ones who should talk about this but we're not, which is fine but why are they talking about it?".

"I really don't know, Lou. It's really none of their business and ... sometimes I wish people wouldn't know. Maybe not even us. Not because I don't want you as my soulmate or I'm ashamed or ...".

"I get what you mean, Haz" Louis stopped his rambling softly. "I feel the same. It only caused us problems, ended in arguments and awkward situations and we deserve better than that".

"We do" Harry agreed with him quietly.

"But maybe we need to treat this differently" Louis blurted out but then decided it was best to let this out.

"What do you mean?" Harry frowned confused.

"I mean that I for example have been treating this information like it's poison. I said over and over again that I don't give a shit and that maybe wasn't fair to you. It scared me and I felt like if I accepted it I had to act a certain way around you but we weren't even friends. I don't know" Louis opened up to him.

"I wasn't any better. I tried to force this on you because the pack made soulmates out to be romantically involved like mates".

For a moment they just looked at each other in silence and Louis didn't know how to feel. Did that mean that Harry didn't think anymore that they could ever be romantically involved because their soulmate bond meant something different? Was he saying that he wouldn't want them to be anything else than friends? Like ever? Although he has been so insistent on it before?

"But we are romantically involved so many times" Louis' brain shut off. "Sean showed me different versions of us in other worlds and in most of them, we were a couple. He tried to help me grasp this entire soulmate thing but it only messed with my head. It made me feel again like I did something wrong in this world because we didn't really get along around that time".

Silently, Harry was only looking at him but then his eyes turned laser-focused before he spoke up. "He showed me that, too".

"Really? So, you saw all of our rom ...?".

"No, I didn't" Harry interrupted him with a sigh. "He mainly showed me how many times my other selves fucked up because I was struggling with ... I couldn't see how you could ever actually forgive me. I felt like I could never be good enough".

"But you are good enough, Haz" Louis took a hold of both of his hands. "Look at us. Right here, right now. Is this nothing?".

"No, it's everything and I'm so grateful but seeing all the times I've hurt you in other worlds wasn't easy to digest. Why do I hurt you in every single timeline?" Harry hung his head low.

"I don't know but you have seen all the times we made up and got through it, right?" Louis tilted his head back up and Harry nodded lightly. "And you know why? Because the two of us are meant to be in each other's lives and I accepted this by now".

"What ...?".

"Maybe we really need to accept this fact and quit acting like the s-word is evil. You and I are soulmates and maybe in this world it's only platonic but does it really matter? We have each other and by now, we can trust one another, right?" Louis needed to get this off his chest. He needed to know for sure.

"Right. You can trust me and I trust you with my life, Lou" Harry replied a bit delayed but determined. "But what does this mean for us? You said you don't want fate to force us into anything".

"And it's not, isn't it?" Louis tilted his head aside. "Look at us. We are friends and can talk about everything. Isn't that enough?".

"It's more than I could have asked for. More than I dared to ask for, to be honest," Harry confessed blushingly.

"I feel the same, Haz. We managed to leave the past behind and get to this point and I feel like I can tell you everything" Louis admitted shyly, only feeling a little bit bad for keeping his deepest feelings to himself but this was too important to ruin it.

"You can. I'll keep your secrets safe, Lou" Harry smiled at him.

"Same goes for you. Whatever you wanna talk about I'm right here" Louis smiled back at him but something was nagging on the inside, begging to get out. "Which reminds me we didn't really have a chat lately. Tell me what's new. How's Liron? How's that going?".

Way to be obvious, Louis thought to himself. His jealousy was so damn obvious, even to himself. If Harry couldn't tell by now he was stupid and he really wasn't. There was no chance Harry didn't know by now that Liron was bothering him big time.

"No idea. I haven't seen him in three days and I won't see him again" Harry told him nonchalantly.

"Why not?" Louis felt his heartbeat picking up.

"Because I don't want to? I called things off three days ago. It just didn't feel right anymore and I wanted to focus on more important matters" Harry let him know intensively.

"More important matters?" Louis croaked out.

"Yeah, the team. The mission, my friends" Harry listed, not breaking eye contact. "You".

"Me?" Louis felt the need to point at himself but didn't do it.

"Yes, you. You were seriously injured and all I wanted to do was look after you. It made me realise how unimportant Liron was to me. So, I ended things right away. Not that we ever were anything serious but still. It was only fair to him" Harry told him slowly. Every word was like balm to his soul and his aching heart.

"I felt similar with Luke even though it was different because he is really important to me, just not like that. I mean, we're not ... we never were ... you know?" Louis wrestled for the right words.

"I know. By now, I do. And I understand" Harry smiled warmly.

Before he could blurt any more bullshit out, Louis decided to change the topic. "While we're at it. How's the pack? Any news?".

"Not really. Abby is doing a good job at keeping everything under control but my Mum is visibly worried the longer we stay. And my father just won't talk" Harry sighed heavily.

Ignoring the ping in his heart, Louis tightened his hold on Harry's hands. "We'll make him talk and find the best solution for the pack. I promise. They'll be safe and in a new home soon".

"I hope so. They deserve some quiet and peace after having to endure my father for so long. He really did a number on them. They are all relearning how a normal pack works. Their dynamic is still a bit off but they're getting there. I wish I could do more" Harry lay his heart open in front of him.

"You're doing amazing, Haz. The way you took over and handled the entire situation was great. Is great. You'd be an amazing leader with Abby one day" Louis tried to encourage him.

"You really think so?" Harry sounded so small.

"I do, yeah. You'd be a great head a ... wolf. Your pack is lucky to have you, Haz" Louis almost messed up. "Abby as well. She is amazing. I can't believe your father didn't want her to take over".

"He has no respect for anyone who is different. It's hard when your parents can't accept you for who you are" Harry looked down. It hurt Louis to see him so sad. "My Mum does but ...".

"I wish I could say or do something to make you feel better but I don't know ... I never had my parents around. Jessica and Colin were great but it's not the same, so I can't relate to ...".

"No one should be able to relate to this but too many children can" Harry scooted closer to him. "Your situation is even worse".

"I don't think so. I could get my mother back and from what I've heard she is kind and accepting but what would I know? Maybe she isn't anymore" Louis lost his original train of thought.

"I'm sure she is and I'm sure you'll get her back. We will. We know where she is. We just need a solid plan and a way to defeat Josiah and his minions" Harry squeezed his hands. "And we need to find that freaking traitor. You were definitely right".

"Does anyone we know have a second name starting with a J?" Louis asked him randomly. It only earned him a puzzled look. "Did you not notice his minions all start with the same letter? Even Gwendolyn has a fitting second name. It's Jane".

"How do you know that?" Harry looked flabbergasted.

"It was my first question when we learned more about them" Louis chuckled, remembering that lesson.

"Of course, it was" Harry rolled his eyes with a smile. "But no, I don't know anyone except for Zayn and we can rule him out". (Remember? His second name is Jonah in my stories)

"Yeah, definitely. I would know by now" Louis agreed surely.

"And he got hurt as well, which seemed to upset Jelena and Jake. It was so odd" Harry recalled with a frown.

"We have to get to the bottom of this. Maybe Sean's lost memory can help us" Louis mused out loud.

"Maybe. Logan said he might have an idea to access it. He said something about our combined powers and finding the place the memory is bound to. Whatever that means" Harry let him know.

"So, we have to find out where whatever happened, happened? How are we supposed to get that information?" Louis threw his hands in the air in pure frustration.

"I have no idea but Logan and Sean are working on it. I don't know what we would do without Logan, Kida and our other coaches" Harry leaned against the back of the bench.

"Probably die" Louis clicked with his tongue.

"Don't say that" Harry couldn't help but giggle anyway.

"Sorry, just the truth. But don't worry. I won't let you die, Haz" Louis chuckled along with him but still meant it.

"And I won't let you get in danger for me, Lou" Harry countered way too seriously, the mood shifting again.

"Okay, how about we keep each other safe then?" Louis licked his bottom lip absent-mindedly.

"Sounds good to me" Harry seemed to get closer again.

"Guys, I need you at the academy. Right now" Aurelio's voice sounded out of nowhere, startling both of them and probably every single other guardian as well.

"Looks like we have to go" Louis stated the obvious, not wanting to move and break this moment they had.

"Yeah" Harry seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Come on then" Louis cleared his throat, standing up reluctantly.

"I hope whatever it is, is important enough to interrupt this".

In Aurelio's office at the academy, they all gathered together. He could feel the tension in the air before Aurelio could even explain why he had ordered them here. Something was definitely wrong.

"Thank you for coming so quickly. We have something to discuss. It's urgent" Aurelio stepped in front of his desk. "It's about Harrison".

"What did he do?" Harry groaned embarrassed.

"Your mother and sister had an unpleasant interaction with him a few minutes ago. They were trying to make him talk. We need to know what he knows, what Josiah has told him. But he just won't talk. He was ... disgusting to them and it made us finally give up. We need a better way to get information out of him because he won't talk to us willingly" Aurelio said dismayed.

"Are there ways to make him talk against his will?" Maribel asked the question they were all thinking.

"Technically, yes but it's tricky. Spells like that are dark magic and we don't go there, never. It's frowned upon by the magic council for obvious reasons but in extreme situations, they might make an exception. We would move into a grey area, testing our morals. I'm not sure he is worth it" Aurelio revealed to them bemused.

"Dark magic is never a good idea. There has to be another way" Àmbar was not even considering that option.

"Maybe we can trick him into telling us what he knows. He loves to play mind games. We can do the same" Louis suggested unsurely.

"We'd have to plan that out perfectly. He could see right through us" Zayn pointed out thoughtfully.

"We don't have time for that" Harry spoke up strongly. "Use whatever spells you need on him. He really doesn't deserve anything else. He is purposely keeping this information from us. It's a game to him and he is enjoying it. He loves the power he has over us. He won't give it up".

A stunned silence fell over the room, no one knew what to say. Louis could see the anger on Harry's face and he was able to detect the turmoil of emotion raging inside of him. He really hated his father by now and would let people torture him to get what they needed. It just wasn't the right way to Louis.

Suddenly the sky outside darkened and big, black clouds covered up the light. The next second a dark portal opened right in the middle of the inner courtyard and dozens of demons came through. Above them were Jelena, Jake, Gwendolyn and Josiah himself.

"Fuck".

In a flash, they all transformed and suited up before they dashed out the office door, ran through the academy and right outside. The other fairies, witches and guardians living in the academy were already fighting off the demons. Louis has never seen so many of them at the same time in the same place. Magical beings from all around the world were defending the academy.

Without thinking too much about it, Louis joined the others and started killing demon after demon. Their coaches took over Josiah and his partners. Out of the corner of his eye, Louis saw Bella, Abby and Luke joining the fight as well as they were capable of. What was Luke even doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be at work? He wasn't supposed to be part of this mess.

Louis flew over to him, killing demons on the way, and helped him and Harry's family. "What are you doing here?".

"I wanted to talk to you but then I heard how you were called into Aurelio's office, so I waited and then this happened" Luke let him know while slicing a demon in half.

"Wrong time to talk about anything" Louis stated the obvious.

"You don't say" Luke rolled his eyes at him.

For what felt like forever, they fought off the demons together but new ones always followed and there was no end in sight. Their coaches didn't seem to be doing any better. By now, Logan and Isaac were already knocked out and Kida and Amelia were both injured while Aurelio was kind of the last one standing. Mikayla was fighting off the demons with Harry and Niall and his friends...

Well, Àmbar and Zayn were fighting together just like Aria, Maribel and Liam but it wasn't looking too good. They needed to close the portal first and then somehow defeat the evil. Or at least make them leave, run away. Anything. But putting an end to the story right here was the best option. Louis just wasn't sure if they could. They weren't strong enough.

"Lew, we need to circle them. Make them vulnerable" Àmbar reached out to him mentally.

"Definitely. They're playing with us" Louis agreed with her.

"Obviously".

"Joey, let's circle them. All together, we can do this" Louis searched for his best friend.

"Okay, Tommy".

Flying away from Luke, Louis reunited with his friends and set their plan into motion. With a blinding ray of pure sunlight, Louis blinded Gwendolyn and made her lose her focus on a tornado she was controlling. Maribel and Liam joined their powers together and managed to relocate Jake. Now he was right by Gwen's side. Zayn and Àmbar took over Jelena and with Aria's help, she was next in line to get manoeuvred to where they wanted them to be.

Aurelio caught on to what they were doing and flew right over to them, causing Josiah to follow him ragingly. And just like that, they had all four of them in the same place. Creating a circle around them, the six of them and Aurelio grabbed each other's hands and focused on connecting their energies. They hadn't learned how to do a convergence yet but they had to try it anyway. Only together they could defeat them for good.

The light around them grew brighter by the second and fear was written on their assailants' faces. Their powers gave in and the tornado disappeared, Jake's illusions around other guardians vanished and the portal closed on its own. Louis could feel Harry watching him from the ground but before he could even glance at him Josiah let out a frustrated scream and literally exploded.

The bolts of his powers went everywhere and set the academy on fire. All around them people were screaming and running around in mere panic and fear and Josiah was enjoying every second of it. The bolts of darkness had thrown Maribel, Liam and Aria to the ground and now Josiah was fixated on him. Louis vaguely registered how Aurelio was fighting against Jelena, Àmbar was trying to get away from Jake and Gwendolyn wanted revenge on Zayn for some reason.

"Look who we have here. Jasmine's little boy" Josiah approached him dangerously, intimidating Louis quite a lot. "Too bad you didn't join me. Now you have to die just like your father. Revenge is bittersweet and sometimes a waste of unique powers. Well".

In horror, Louis had to watch how Josiah formed some kind of spell in between his hands and fired it right at him. With all his power, Louis tried to shield himself from it but the spell still hit him and threw him to the ground, crashing down brutally. Hissing in pain, Louis stole a glance around him. No one was close to him. Harry was pinned down by some demon, who was trying to kill him and his friends were also fighting for their lives.

A dark look spread across Josiah's face and he mumbled some words under his breath, creating yet another ball of pure power. His only attention being to end Louis' life over something that never happened. Out of anger towards his mother. How was life fair?

"No, please" Louis begged terrified, knowing it was pointless.

"You should have chosen me. Now die!".

Unable to summon his powers, Louis squeezed his eyes shut in hopes it would be over quickly. Then out of nowhere, he heard someone running in front of him. Tearing his eyes open, he just saw how Bella threw herself in between him and the deadly spell. They collided and Bella fell to the ground, her body limp and lifeless.

And just like that, everything stopped. Everyone stopped fighting. Good and evil. Everyone was just staring and gaping at the scene. Louis scrambled back onto his feet and knelt down next to Bella, not able to process what just happened. She had saved his life. Why would she do that? For what? She owed him nothing.

In the blink of an eye, Harry was right there and that made the weight of what had just happened sink in fully. His soulmate's mother had sacrificed herself for him. This would forever stand in between them now. From now when Harry looked at him he would always see the guy who was at fault for his mother's death.

"No!" Àmbar exclaimed somewhere close by, making Louis look back up.

Josiah had fired another spell at the academy, increasing the fire. With one last look, he and his minions disappeared into thin air and all demons vanished. Louis had no idea why they left but he didn't care right now. His soulmate's mother was still dead.

"Haz, I'm so sorry" Louis started crying. It was all too much.

"It's not your fault, Lou. It was her decision" Harry contradicted him way too collected for what just happened.

"If I didn't ...".

"It's not your fault, Louis" Harry cut him off harshly. "This isn't on you, okay? It's his fault".

Just when Abby fell down to her knees next to them Harry jumped up, his gaze hard and enraged. With quick and determined steps, he headed for the academy, which was still burning partly. The coaches were doing their best to dim the fire and extinguish it. Wiping his tears away, Louis blindly followed Harry because he had the feeling he might do something stupid.

To his horror, Harry ran down the stairs that led to his father's magic cell. Not understanding what he wanted down there, Louis went after him to make sure he was fine. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Louis saw Harry facing down his father.

"Your omega just died and it's your fault!" Harry was screaming at him. Louis has never seen him this angry.

"I did nothing" Harrison was totally unaffected by her death.

"Exactly. You did nothing. I know you knew about this attack. You knew they would come after us here, today. You knew and let it happen. And now your omega was murdered! Josiah killed her and you're still protecting him. For what? Did Mum really mean nothing to you?" Harry was trembling by now, so Louis rushed over and carefully took his hand. Of course, Harrison didn't like that.

"Hello, Louis. A pleasure to see you again" Harrison glared at him.

"Cut the crab and answer him. Not a single emotion over her death? I always knew you were heartless but this is ... I'm speechless" Louis balled his other hand into a fist.

"You wouldn't understand. You're not a wolf" Harrison only looked at him with a stone-cold face.

"Well, I am and I don't understand. She was your freaking omega and you don't seem upset at all. No pain? Oh, wait, of course not. She never marked you. You only marked her like the asshole you are. Of course, you're painless now" Harry glowered at him.

"It's almost cute how you're trying to understand Alpha and Omega dynamics as a beta. You will never understand any of this. You're a useless beta" Harrison didn't back down.

"Am I now?" Harry countered challengingly, confusing the shit out of Louis. What was that supposed to mean?

Harrison seemed just as confused as Louis but something settled on his face and something close to realisation rushed through his eyes when he glanced down at their joined hands. "Oh, I see how it is. You're even more of an abomination than I thought".

"You're the abomination for not giving a shit about the death of your omega, the mother of your children" Harry spat poisonously.

"Are you really surprised?" a voice startled both of them, making them turn towards the new sound. A guy was leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Louis had no idea who that was but he seemed oddly familiar. "He only ever cared about himself. Did you really think he loved any of you?".

"What the hell are you doing here, Kyle? How did you get here?" Harry's grip on Louis' hand tightened.

"I have connections everywhere. Did you really think you got rid of me? He got rid of me?" Kyle motioned towards Harrison. "He only kicked me out because his reputation was on the line".

"He banished you because you're a psychopath" Harry was shaking next to him.

"At least I don't mess around with humans and don't have a real second gender. That's pathetic and normal" Kyle shot back.

"What?" Louis felt so lost right now.

"Oh, the worthless human doesn't know? Interesting" Kyle's eyes glimmered evilly.

"If I were you I'd ...".

Before Harry could finish his sentence a shadow appeared on top of the stairs and suddenly the magic cell was gone and Harrison was free. In a flash, Kyle crossed the room and grabbed Harrison. Louis didn't know what he had expected but Kyle slicing Harrison's throat effortlessly before sprinting out of the room at werewolf speed definitely wasn't it. In shock, Harry stared at his dead father. Not knowing what to do, Louis transformed and flew up the stairs, following the shadow and Kyle but as soon as he was on top, both of them were gone and no trace was left.

By now, the fire was extinguished and everyone was gathered around Bella's body. Everyone except for Harry. Immediately, Louis went back downstairs and saw Harry exactly where he had left him. Harrison's blood was covering big parts of the floor by now and Harry was just staring down at him, frozen.

"Haz?" Louis approached him hesitantly.

"How did this happen? Did Kyle just show up out of nowhere only to kill my father?" Harry sounded far away.

"He did" Louis walked closer to him. "Who was he again?".

"Remember that my father banished a werewolf years ago for inappropriate behaviour?" Harry asked him and Louis nodded. He darkly remembered that. "Kyle was a rapist and got caught. My father had to banish him even though he didn't care. Kyle was worse than Aidan and his friends combined. Runs in the family, I guess. They're all mentally ill".

"Wait, Kyle is related to Aidan? Why do I not remember that?" Louis was shell-shocked.

"He's their cousin and I didn't think he would show his face ever again" Harry sighed out heavily.

"How did he get in here? Or any of them? The portals are secured for weeks. Only we can get in" Louis was thinking out loud. "The traitor went too far. Many people died today and for what?".

"My Mum" Harry whispered barely audible.

"I'm really sorry, Haz" Louis touched his arm softly.

"Please, don't blame yourself, Lou. You didn't kill her. She wanted to protect you and did just that. She can rest now" Harry placed his hand on top of Louis' hand.

"You wanna go upstairs and say goodbye?" Louis attempted a small smile but it felt all wrong.

"I should. Are you coming with me?" Harry's eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Always, Haz".

With a heavy heart, Louis followed Harry up the stairs and outside of the academy. The others were sending the other fallen guardians off in the fairy way. Resting his hand on the small of Harry's back, Louis tried to comfort Harry as best as possible. Seeing Bella like this made him tear up again. She didn't deserve this but it was too late to change the past. They had to say goodbye now, for good.

"Would you like to bury her or should we 'bury' her the fairy way like the other brave souls?" Amelia asked Abby and Harry.

The two of them shared a look and then nodded in sync. "The fairy way is fine. She deserves an honourable funeral".

"Like the saviour she is" Harry added cryingly.

Silently, Amelia and Aurelio squatted down and hovered with their hands over her body. Sparkles appeared out of nowhere and a bright-glowing light engulfed Bella's body. It started vanishing until only little sparks of light were left, that travelled all the way into the sky. A single star started shining brighter for a moment and they all smiled up tearfully, honouring a new angel.

"Like the night so dark. Like the stars so bright. Be guarded until you awake again".

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They acknowledged the soulmate bond but platonically? What now?

The academy got attacked and Bella died for Louis. Is Harry really not blaming him?