Well, no one seemed to care enough to answer my question recently. So, I'm just gonna publish part 1 and 2 as one huge story here but I don't know how long that will take. I haven't even started part 2 yet although part 1 ends with Chapter 25. 

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Looking out of the window of this repaired classroom, Louis let his gaze drift over the academy. With all their combined powers they had all managed to make it look like it has never been on fire but the images were still burned into Louis' brain. He could still feel it. A veil of fear and concern was lying above all of them. Some of the guardians of other countries had died during this attack and now, their teammates were terrified and traumatised. Many people would give up now and turn their back on this life. Even though Louis felt horrible and he could still detect the fear in his bones he wouldn't give up now. They had lost too much to give up at this point.

"Here you are" Luke's voice sounded from behind him.

"Where else should I be?" Louis turned around to him.

"With your friends? At home?" Luke tilted his head aside with so much understanding in his eyes. "With Harry".

"I'm not sure that's a good idea right now," Louis said more to himself, burying his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Louis, what happened isn't on y ...".

"Does it matter?" Louis cut him off tensely. "It happened and it wouldn't have happened without me. So, in some way it is my fault. No matter what any of you say, okay?".

"Not okay" Luke contradicted him sadly.

"Whatever. Wasn't there something you wanted to tell me? Why were you at the academy to talk to me?" Louis changed the topic.

For a few seconds, Luke looked torn but then let out a defeated sigh and sat down on a table, facing Louis. "I wanted to tell you something. The city council contacted me yesterday".

"What? Why?" Louis walked over to him, stopping at his knees.

"Nothing bad" Luke assured him smilingly, taking both of his hands gently. "They want me on the council as an adviser".

"For real?" Louis' jaw dropped to the floor. Luke only nodded with a huge smile on his face. "Lee, that is amazing!".

"It really is. They said they liked how I handled the pack situation with them and how I engaged as a mediator between two kinds. It made them realise having only humans and one fairy on the council isn't good for anyone. From now on, they want me to help out when something werewolf-related happens" Luke beamed.

"And it will, definitely" Louis nodded along. "Wow, I'm proud of you. You're perfect for this job".

"I hope so. I'm scared to mess up at the very first chance and bloody embarrass myself" Luke admitted insecurely.

"You won't, You handled the last situation with grace and stopped a civil war between humans and werewolves with one single conversation. That's impressive. You are impressive" Louis grabbed his chin and made them lock eyes.

"Thank you, Louis" Luke leaned forwards, resting his forehead on Louis' chest.

"You're more than welcome, Lee" Louis caressed his back.

"I just hope the other werewolves will cooperate and not give me a hard time. I'm only trying to help" Luke mumbled into his chest.

"It will be okay. The bad influence on them is gone and they're thinking for themselves now" Louis started massaging Luke's scalp to calm him down. "Besides, they're leaving anyway. You won't have to deal with them. Only other werewolves".

At that, Luke looked up with an unreadable expression on his face, making Louis drop his hand. "You should really talk to him".

Immediately, Louis frowned. "Why?".

"If they're really leaving any time soon I need you to talk to him and clarify everything you have to. Don't leave any open issues behind. You will regret it when he is gone" Luke replied strongly.

"We don't have any open issues" Louis claimed high-pitched.

"Really?" Luke cocked an eyebrow at him unconvinced.

"I hate you" Louis grumbled poutily.

"Love you, too. And now go. Talk to him" Luke motioned with his head towards the classroom door. "About everything".

Ignoring the implication of that word alone, Louis pecked Luke's forehead before he left the room. Debating the options where he could probably find Harry, Louis found himself walking outside of the academy for some reason. Before he could question this instinct he spotted his friends by the fountain. From the distance, it looked like they were arguing about something. It looked bad.

"You can't convince me. I'm done with this" he heard Maribel say when he approached them.

"Don't rush anything, M. The last days were a lot. Of course, you're affected but we all are and ..." Niall tried to reason with her.

"No, I'm out. Sorry, guys" Maribel cut him off determined.

"Out of what? What is going on?" Louis drew attention to him.

"She wants to leave. For good" Liam let him know shockingly.

"Leave? As in ...?".

"Quit the team, yes" Àmbar confirmed his guess. "Give up and turn her back on us. Now that we need her".

"You should leave as well. As long as you still can. Before anyone else dies. I can't handle this any longer" Maribel looked at them curtly before turning around and heading off.

"M, wait!" Aria ran after her, stopping her exit. "Don't you think all of us are devastated because of what happened? Don't you think Harry and Niall should be the ones to ...?".

"Yes, they should leave. Just like me. Like all of you" Maribel cut her off, her gaze drifting past her and settling on Louis. "You most of all. Leave as long as you can".

"Me?" Louis blinked caught off guard.

"Yes? This wasn't the first time someone wanted to kill you specifically. Josiah is after you because you won't join him and he hates your mother. If you stay out of his way you might survive ...".

"I can't just run away now. Too much happened to be a coward now" Louis was shocked by her words. "You shouldn't either".

"Watch me" Maribel threw him a hard look before turning around again but Aria stopped her just another time. "What?".

"Don't leave, M. We need you. We're a team and we're only good together" Aria insisted pleadingly.

"Are we? I don't think so. We're not good. We're a disaster. We might win against demons but the real threat is so much stronger than us and you wanna know why? Because we're being kept in the dark" Maribel turned back around to them, her strong posture crumbling. "Everyone around us is keeping secrets from us and it's a disadvantage for us. We don't know what we're really dealing here with and it might kill us. All because they're dishonest".

"You're right. We don't everything we should and need to know but we're trying to find out what they're hiding. All of us together, M. We need you and your wit and your distrust and your challenging way of talking to higher people" Aria stepped closer to her. "We need you. Your family needs you. Please, don't leave us".

Tense, they were all waiting for Maribel to show any kind of emotion or reaction to Aria's words. She has been frozen in her spot for minutes, barely blinking or doing anything.

But then she finally seemed to awake. "Okay. I stay".

"Thank God" Aria exhaled relieved, falling into her arms.

"But we need to get that bloody memory and make our teachers talk. We need to know everything if we want to survive this shitshow" Maribel remarked, making them all chuckle.

"Deal" Zayn grinned happily.

"How about we get out of here and sleep this mess away and meet up again tomorrow to regroup and make a plan?" Niall suggested visibly tired and exhausted.

"Sounds like a masterplan" Maribel yawned right in time.

As his friends spread out and headed home, Louis stayed behind and sat down on the bench by the fountain. He saw Zayn glancing back at him and threw him a reassuring look that Zayn understood and made him leave without question.

"Lou?" Harry sat down next to him. "You don't wanna go home? Don't you wanna be with Zayn right now? Or Luke?".

"No?" Louis eyed him bewildered. "Why would I?".

"I don't know" Harry avoided looking at him. "I saw you talking a few minutes ago and thought maybe you two realised ...".

"Realised what? That we've been madly in love with each other all these years?" Louis raised an eyebrow at him teasingly. "No".

"Oh, okay" Harry's lip twitched for the split of a second.

"Haz, I ... I wish I knew what to do to make you feel better" Louis swallowed heavily. "I'm so sorry about Bella".

"You don't have to be sorry. I told you it's not your fault, Lou. And I mean it. Don't blame yourself. She decided to sacrifice herself at that moment. She wanted you to be alive and be with ..." Harry looked intensively at him. The unsaid me was definitely there.

"Maybe but if Josiah wasn't after me for revenge on my mother your mother would still be alive. If I were a better fighter she ...".

"No, none of that, you hear me?" Harry didn't let him speak. "I don't blame you. So, please, stop blaming yourself. This entire thing is bigger than us. Yes, I lost my Mum and it hurts but she made that choice. Not you. And I won't look at your face and think about her death every time I see you, okay?".

"I ..." Louis wasn't able to get any words out. How did he know that has been one of Louis' fears? Was he in his head now?

"You have been worried about that, right?" Harry realised sadly. Louis only nodded speechlessly. "Wanna know what I see?".

"Um ...".

"I see the face of the person my mother deemed worth all of this" Harry told him anyway. "She loved you, Louis. All she wanted was for you to be safe. In her own ways sometimes but still".

"And she did. She kept me as safe as possible. From the moment Travis tried to get me killed until now" Louis voiced his thoughts shakily. "I might have been angry at some point because she had kept my true identity from me but we've left that in the past a long time ago. She has been nothing but lovely to me. She was there to check on me when Gwen had broken my arm. She ... I ...".

"And after that she wanted you to stay unharmed. I had the feeling she would do anything to keep you safe after I told her I can't live without you" Harry revealed to him, paling on the spot.

"I can't live without you either, Haz" Louis placed his hand on top of Harry's hand in his lap. "I only want you to be alright".

"I will be" Harry covered Louis' hand with his other one.

"What about your father? That was intense and unexpected. I did not see that one coming. I mean, he was horrible but he was still your father" Louis dared to ask, his heart beating so loudly.

"It was a shock, to be honest. But I don't feel sad. He deserved it" Harry shrugged unconvincingly, so Louis only looked patiently at him. "Okay, a part of me is sad that my father is dead. But it's barely there and I'm more worried about Kyle than anything else".

"Do you think he will come back?" Louis hooked concerned.

"I'm not sure. He got his revenge on my father. His family is dead, so he has no one in this pack. I wouldn't take him back and Abby neither. He knows that. I just hope he stays away but I'm not sure he will. He had help and made it obvious he knew stuff no one should know. I don't know how he knows that" Harry startled ambling. Louis could feel how anxious he was.

"Hey, Haz. It's fine. We'll figure this out when it's time, okay?" Louis squeezed his hand soothingly. "But ... can I ask you ...?".

"You're confused about what he meant with me having no real second gender and my father calling me an abomination, right? You picked up on that. Of course, you did" Harry just knew what was going through Louis' head. He had been confused.

"I mean, yeah. But it's none of my business. If you don't feel comfortable telling me then that's absolutely fine ...".

"That's not it, Lou" Harry interrupted him, visibly scared.

"What is it, Haz? You can tell me everything?" Louis took a tighter hold on both of Harry's hands. What was going on?

"I've been meaning to tell you about this for a while but I was scared of how you would react. When we met ... After I found out I was about to tell you but ... It wouldn't have been a good idea. I just hope now it won't ruin things. I don't want you to get mad at me for not telling you or interpreting things wrongly ...".

"Sh, Haz. Breathe for me, okay?" Louis cut his rambling off. "I won't get mad. You had good reasons to keep things from me".

"Not this one because it kinda involves you" Harry bit down on his bottom lip, glancing up at him timidly.

"Well, now I'm really confused" Louis chuckled uncomfortably.

"Um ... remember how we found out about our prophecies? And how we ended up arguing about this soulmate thing when I first brought it up?" Harry still wouldn't look at him but Louis still only nodded like an idiot. "I think I once said that I had to sacrifice something for this bond but you were already angry at me and we never talked about it again because you had the worse outcome when it comes to this thing and I realised as much ...".

"I wouldn't say that anymore, Haz" Louis had to stop him. "I mean, yes. Life was horrible but in the end, we ended up here".

"Still, you only ended up at my pack because of this prophecy and the soulmate thing. You could have lived at the academy with Zayn. You could have had a happy life but instead, you had to live with us and endure many different forms of abuse. It's the bigger sacrifice and trauma and ...".

"Okay, fine. I had it worse than you" Louis just agreed with him. "But what were you trying to say? What was your sacrifice and how is that connected to what Kyle said about you?".

"Lou, without you in the picture I would have been born as an omega" Harry revealed to him, finally looking up at him.

And that ... that was not what he was expecting. Never in a million years would he have guessed that. Harry should have been an omega but due to being Louis' soulmate, he was born as a beta. That was a lot to take and digest. Especially with knowing how much Harry has wanted to be an omega all his life.

"Say something, please" Harry's silent plea brought him back.

"I ..." Louis was lost for words. He felt so bad. "I'm sorry".

"What the hell are you sorry for now?" Harry blinked befuddled.

"That I am at fault for literally changing your second gender? I know how much you wanted to be an omega and how much you struggled with accepting to be a beta. You forget that I overheard your conversation with Niall about this before I left. I know you always wanted to mate an alpha and have kids and ...".

"Louis, no" Harry shook his head vividly. "I left that behind me. I accepted my second gender and I'm at peace with it, I swear. I wanted all of that for years, yes. And it was a shock to get told I am an omega in a way but not enough to ...".

"Wait, you still are an omega?" Louis knitted his eyebrows together in absolute confusion.

"Yes and no. That's what Kyle meant. And my father. I think he realised what I ... He didn't know until ..." Harry was struggling to find the right words. "I'm a mix between both, in a way. I'm mainly a beta but I have some omega traits at times. It wasn't easy to understand what this even means but I'm fine with it now".

"So, does this mean ...?".

"Sorry to interrupt but Aurelio wants to talk to both of you" Abby came running over to them, cringing at her own words.

"It's fine. We were done with this anyway. I said everything I had to say and explained myself" Harry freed his hands and stood up so fast that Louis had trouble catching up. "You're coming, Lou?".

"Sure" Louis stood up absent-mindedly.

On his way to Aurelio's office, Louis' mind was swimming. This bond had really messed with their lives in huge ways. It wasn't fair, especially not to Harry. Having to live with a different secondary gender because of a soulmate was messed up. He could have had a family with an alpha without Louis in the picture. That was a heavy pill to swallow. Realising he had ruined the potential dream future of the guy he liked wasn't a nice feeling.

In the office, Aurelio only wanted to know in detail what had happened with Harrison and Kyle. So, Harry recapped the events and Louis added some details here and there, mentioning that Kyle had had help more than once. Aurelio assured them that they would look into it and find out who was behind this. He also promised to keep an eye open for Kyle to make sure he wouldn't come back to cause more trouble.

"While we're here I have to tell you something as well" Abby spoke up when they were done. "The pack and I are leaving tomorrow".

"So soon? Is everything ready?" Aurelio was taken aback.

But not as much as Louis. This information had hit him like a truck. Tomorrow, he would have to say goodbye to Harry for an indefinite amount of time. Maybe he wouldn't see him again for years. Or at all, depending on how their fight against Josiah would end. Maybe this would be their final goodbye tomorrow. Louis wasn't ready for that. He wasn't ready to let him go.

"Everything is ready and I know it's very short notice but with my mother dying, I feel like we really need to leave for a while. We need to find a different place to stay and ... my father is dead and our reason to be here is gone. Andrew is going to help us in the beginning. He knows somewhere we could go" Abby explained her reasoning behind all this and it did make sense but logic wasn't helping Louis' already aching heart.

"I understand. If you need anything we're all here and ready to help. And whenever you're back say hi, okay? We're gonna help with rebuilding your village" Aurelio offered her kindly.

"Thank you. For everything" Abby thanked him gratefully. "For now, we need a new start and find a way to move on".

"She's right" Harry agreed with her determined. "The pack needs to get away from here for some time. It's not safe for them. Now with Kyle out there even less. We need to go far away and figure out what kind of pack we are".

The way Harry was talking about them leaving tugged on Louis' heartstrings. He made it so painfully obvious he was leaving with them and that there was no other way. Louis had known that and tried to stay away but his heart didn't listen. And now it had to pay the price for its weakness. Harry would leave tomorrow and Louis had to accept it. He had to let him go and be with his pack.

"Take all the time you need. You know where to find us. Always. You have a second family with us" Aurelio smiled emotionally at them. "And this family will bid you goodbye tomorrow morning".

"You seriously need to talk to him" Zayn stood in his door frame with his hands propped up on his hips like a mad parent.

"Good morning to you too, Joey" Louis rolled his eyes annoyed.

"Don't give me that attitude. I know you've been lying awake all night unable to sleep. You forget that we're soul twins. I know stuff, if you want it or not" Zayn wasn't having any of this.

"Oh, wow. What a shock" Louis mocked him sleep-deprived.

"Louis. Come on, be serious. We're about to leave in a few minutes and you need to get your shit together ...".

"You're one to talk. Have you told Liam that you like him yet?" Louis sat up in his bed.

"That's something completely different" Zayn retorted huffily.

"No, it's not. We're both cowards. Own it" Louis stood up and walked over to his wardrobe to pick out some clothes.

"Liam isn't leaving today" Zayn pointed out matter-of-factly.

"And? Even more of a reason not to tell him. What do you want him to do? How do you want him to react to my confession? It's his pack and I can't expect him to stay. Not for me" Louis twirled around to him without a shirt on. "I have to let him go".

"So, you're gonna act as if it doesn't bother you at all. You're gonna pretend you're fine" Zayn eyed him closely.

"Exactly and you better play along. It needs to be convincing or he'll catch on. This farewell needs to go smooth, no more drama. We had enough drama and they need a new s ...".

"You know, Niall is staying. I'm just saying" Zayn leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Your point?" Louis only looked emptily at him.

"You need to fucking talk to him" Zayn repeated his words.

"No fucking way, Joey. I will say goodbye and that's it" Louis shook his head stubbornly, pulling on a red t-shirt.

"I hope you won't regret it later" Zayn gave up on him.

"I won't. It's the right thing to do. I'm doing this for him" Louis replied as determined as possible.

When he was dressed and freshened up, he met Zayn in the living room and opened a portal to the pixie woods. There, they crossed the portal to the academy and sprinted towards it. It was still dark outside because it was bloody early in the morning. They wanted to leave as early and undetected as possible. It didn't matter to Louis. He hasn't slept anyway.

At the academy, he was met with the last-remaining wolves of the pack and he felt his throat closing up with something he couldn't place. It affected him more than he wanted to admit. Not only Harry leaving, the entire pack leaving and that made no sense. The only one he would be missing next to Harry was Abby. Luke and his family wouldn't go with them and Maria and Paul would stay here in Domumley as well. They had their new lives here. So, why was this making him so emotional?

"I'm glad you came, Louis" Abby came walking over to him.

"I'll give you a moment" Zayn excused himself and left.

"I had to say goodbye, Abs" Louis' eyes started stinging.

"I'm really gonna miss you but we'll see each other again. We will come back but for now, we need this. After everything" Abby looked conflicted, explaining herself again to him.

"No reason to explain anything. I get why you're leaving and it's fine. It's for the best" Louis forced a smile on his face. "You're gonna be a great pack alpha, Abs".

"I hope you're right. It will be tricky" Abby doubted herself.

"I don't think so. They all look up to you and Harry. You got this. I believe in you" Louis encouraged her genuinely.

"Thanks, Louis. That means a lot" Abby smiled emotion-filled at him. "And to ease your mind. I don't blame you for what happened to my mother. It's not your fault. I hope my brother told you that".

"He did. More than once" Louis swallowed heavily.

"He's right. None of this is your fault, Louis" Abby insisted softly.

"Okay" Louis didn't know what to say.

"Well, I guess it's goodbye now, mh?" Abby cleared her throat and opened her arms for him. "Can I?".

"Of course" Louis walked right into her arms, hugging her.

"Take care, Louis. Stay safe, please" Abby mumbled into his neck.

"I promise to try, Abby" Louis' heart felt heavy.

"I take it" Abby broke free from the hug, flicking his chin lightly. "Till next time, Louis".

"Yeah" Louis shuddered out.

Sharing one last look, Abby walked back over to the pack and his friends, apparently saying goodbye to each one of them separately. Simply watching this brought him way too close to the edge of crying. He couldn't do this. It was too much. How in the world was he supposed to say goodbye to Harry without breaking down?

The answer was simple and clear. Not at all. So, that's why Louis stole a quick glance at Harry and sneaked away when he saw how Harry was talking to Aria and Zayn. Louis knew he was being a bloody coward but he couldn't do it. If he had to face him he would end up begging him to stay and that'd be selfish.

Hiding in a corner, Louis opened a portal quickly and went right through it. Closing it just as quickly, Louis breathed in the fresh air before even looking at the waterfall in front of him. He hasn't been here in too long. For months, this has been his place of retreat. His safe space. The waterfall was beautiful and sitting on the rocks closeby just watching it always calmed him down. He needed this now.

But he was too jumpy and itchy to sit down, so he simply walked up to the edge of one of the big rocks and stared at the peaceful waterfall. For the very first time, Louis considered flying down to the shore of that 'lake' where the waterfall flowed and ended. Maybe today was the day. Letting his wings appear, Louis flew down and landed right by the shore. Dozens of tiny rocks were scattered everywhere and some bigger ones were leading through the little stream. Louis followed them and stopped right in the middle, gazing up at the magnificent waterfall. Not for the first time, Louis was wondering where the water was coming from and where it ended but the between dimension he was in was endless. It could go on forever without any kind of source or end. It was magic.

"Where the fuck are you?".

"You know where I am, don't you?".

"Unbelievable. You really left?".

"I can't do it. Saying goodbye to Abby was already too much and we're not even that close. I can't face him".

"You're such a bloody coward, Louis".

"I know that. Thanks".

"He is looking for you everywhere. He looks devastated that he can't find you. You're hurting him with your absence".

"I will hurt him more if I have to face him and act like I'm fine. He will notice that something is off and might think I'm happy he's leaving. I can't ... No, I'm bad at farewells".

"He's your soulmate. Don't you think he deserves a proper goodbye?".

"I can't give him that".

"Running away won't make him stay. He'll be gone when you ...".

"I know and that's the plan. I can't watch him leave my life. I know it's not the right way to handle this but I'm not coming back until he's gone".

"You're gonna regret this".

And just like that, his head was silent. Zayn was gone. Louis knew Zayn was right but he couldn't face Harry. It wouldn't just break his heart. It would rip his soul from his body and shred it into tiny little pieces, unfixable until Harry would come back one day. And Louis needed his heart and soul to work if he wanted to survive the danger they were in. Being a coward was the only way.

Suddenly he sensed something close by and knew what it was before it was even close. Or he was. Shutting his eyes, Louis cussed Zayn out because he knew Zayn was behind this. No one else could possibly know where he was. Only Zayn knew. This motherfucking bastard. A merciless traitor. Such a good friend.

"Lou?".

Oh, no. His voice sounded so sad and broken and hesitant. This hasn't been the plan. Fuck, this was horrible. He wanted the ground to swallow him or someone to kill him right the fuck now. No, that thought was insensitive and disrespectful. Bad Louis.

Bracing himself, Louis turned around to him with his arms safely wrapped around himself. "What are you doing here, Haz?".

"I could ask you the same thing, Louis. Why are you out here and not at the academy like everyone else?" Harry looked sad and distressed, making Louis feel even worse.

"I think you know why" Louis looked down, realising he was still standing in the middle of the stream like an idiot.

"To me, it looks like you didn't wanna say goodbye but I don't understand why. Abby said you talked for a moment and said your goodbyes but then you were suddenly gone. I don't get it, Lou" Harry had a way too cute frown on his face.

"I ..." Louis couldn't come up with anything. His head was empty.

"Not being able to find you anywhere made me sad. I thought you forgot or simply didn't care that the pack is leaving but then Abby told me you talked and I got angry. Why would you just leave again without saying a word?" Harry looked like he was debating if he should come closer or not, considering he was pretty clumsy.

"Farewells aren't my thing. I'm bad at it, no matter who it is" Louis shifted his foot uncomfortably. "Wasn't personal".

"Are you sure? Because it feels personal to me. I mean, I get that your life in the pack was horrible and that you maybe really don't care that ...".

"That's not it, Haz" Louis had to stop him, looking up at him in panic. That made him realise the sun was finally rising and throwing a golden light over the waterfall and the creek. "Really".

"Then why the fuck did you leave? I wanted to talk to you about something before ..." Harry sounded mad now.

"Because I'm a fucking coward, okay?!" Louis exclaimed riled up.

For a second, Harry only looked at him. "Zayn said as much but I wasn't sure what he meant".

"Of course, he said that. He sent you here, after all," Louis wasn't even surprised. Naturally, Zayn meddled with their mess.

"What did he mean?" Harry stepped onto the first bigger stone in the stream. "What did you mean, Lou?".

Louis bit down on his bottom lip and averted his gaze back down to the stream. "I wasn't strong enough to face you earlier".

"Face me?" Harry sounded lost and confused.

"I wanted to say goodbye, I swear. But after talking to Abby I realised I can't do it. So, I did what I do best and left. I ran away from the situation because that's what I do, Haz" Louis confessed ashamed of himself.

"But why would you ...?".

"I don't want you to leave, okay?" Louis blurted out, looking up for a second before dropping his head again. The truth was out now. "The thought of you leaving makes me sick and I tried to get used to it and just accept it because I only want what's best for you but I'm a selfish prick".

"You're not ...".

"I am, Haz" Louis cut him off again, looking at him shortly. "I ran away instead of being strong and letting you go without drama. I wanted to act tough and make you believe I was totally okay with you leaving today but I'm not. I don't want you to go, Haz".

"Lou, I'm not leaving" Harry told him shockingly, making his head snap back up again. At that moment, Harry was coming even closer and wasn't falling head-first into the steam yet.

"What do you mean you're not leaving? Of course, you are. Your pack is leaving right this second, I fear" Louis wasn't following.

"They are. They left before I came here" Harry let him know.

"Then why are you here? You should be with your pack. They're your family and Abby ...".

"Abby knew I would stay and she's fine with it. She wasn't surprised when I told her" Harry gave him no chance to question any of this any longer. He was on the stone right in front of him.

"Well, I am. Why would you stay here when they're leaving? Your reason to be here has been handled and been taken care of. You're free to go and live a life far away from ...".

"You?" Harry tilted his head aside.

"You can't stay here because of me. I'm not worth it. Your pack needs you, Haz" Louis felt his head starting to ache.

"They don't need me. They have Abby. She's a great head alpha and doesn't need me. My pack is here. With you guys" Harry contradicted him calmly. "With you, Lou".

"You ..." Louis' heart was beating so fast. "We're your pack?".

"Well, at least, kind of? In a way, you are. You all are like a family to me and that counts, right?" Harry's confidence was slipping.

"It does" Louis assured him as fast as possible. "Um ...".

"In a family, you're honest with each other, Lou" Harry tried to catch his eye but Louis knew what he was getting at. "Why was the thought of me leaving so ...?".

"Would you prefer if I was fine with you potentially leaving?" Louis talked over him, not ready for any of this.

"No, that wasn't what I m ...".

"I thought we were friends, Haz. No one likes to see a friend leave for an indefinite amount of time" Louis tried to save his ass.

"I get that but why were the others all there to say goodbye? Why were they able to handle it somehow but you're not? They also didn't know I was staying. They thought I was leaving and that made me realise you thought I was leaving, which you did. But they were still there, unlike you" Harry didn't stop.

"They're not soul-bonded to you. Of course, it's harder for me" Louis cringed at his own words. Bad idea.

"Is that it? Our soulmate connection is making it hard for you?" Harry sounded disappointed and almost angry.

"Yes," Louis was an idiot. A lying coward.

"Okay. Good" Harry's face was emotionless when Louis looked up at him. Seeing his beautiful features so hard and almost cold made Louis swallow guiltily. "Glad we settled that, mh?!".

Before Louis could say anything to save this situation, Harry slipped on the wet stone he was on when he was trying to turn around and walk away. Louis saw how he lost his balance and was about to fall into the steam and jumped into action. He grabbed Harry's arm and caught him right in time before he could get hurt and wet. With more force than intended, Louis pulled him towards him and up onto the stone he was standing on, making them end up face to face with barely any space left between them and Harry clutching onto Louis' waist in search of something to hold on to and regain his balance. It made Louis freeze.

"Um ...".

"Thanks for ...".

"Haz, I ..." Louis stopped himself to catch his breath and collect his thoughts. His hand was still gripping onto Harry's arm. With his other hand, he cupped Harry's face gently. "I didn't want you to leave because I really like you, Haz. And the thought of being without you pains me more than I want to admit".

Blushing crimson, Harry tightened his grip on Louis' waist. "I ... Really? You like me? Like-like me?".

"Yes, Haz" Louis bit back a chuckle, scared shitless after he had lain his heart open for him to see. "I do".

And just like that, Harry's entire face lit up and his eyes looked like they were sparkling but Louis had no time to analyse that because Harry pulled him even closer into his chest and closed the last bit of space between them. The moment his lips touched Louis' lips his eyes fell close and his entire body relaxed, all tension falling away and leaving his limbs. Harry's lips were so soft and Louis felt like he was in heaven. And it got even better.

"I like you too, Lou" Harry mumbled against his lips.

Louis just had to kiss him again. Softly, their lips moved together and Louis felt like this was it. Nothing could ever be or feel better than this. The thought that it was meant to be crept into his consciousness for a second and it didn't scare him anymore.

"Is this really happening?" Harry panted out with red cheeks.

"It is, Haz. We just kissed and it was...".

"Everything" Harry finished his thought for him.

"Everything" Louis agreed whipped.

"Bloody hell. I can't believe this really happened. This wasn't what I expected when I came here" Harry looked cutely shocked.

"Me neither, Haz. I started the day with thinking I had to let you go and now look at us. Didn't see that coming but I'm happy it happened. I'm happy I told you, in the end, " Louis admitted bravely.

"Me too because I was too scared to tell you about my feelings. I was so afraid to scare you away. I mean, I had hope here and there sometimes, especially when I realised how much Liron was bothering you and ...".

"Ey, don't act like you weren't jealous of Luke" Louis laughed at their ridiculousness. Fuck, they were so similar sometimes.

"Maybe" Harry's face heated up. "My point was that I was terrified you'd find out about my feelings for you. I fought them for a while and told myself there was nothing more than friendship between us but then you got hurt so badly and I realised I can't live without you. I just couldn't tell you".

"Why not?" Louis was way too curious. He knew about his own reasons and was interested to see how similar Harry's were.

"I was scared I made that hope up in my head. I couldn't forget about how much you hated the thought of destiny forcing us into anything because we're soulmates and I didn't want to ...".

"Fuck, you're adorable" Louis blurted out, so touched by his words for some stupid reason. "That you considered that is ... Wow".

"How could I not? We fought so much because of this bond and only because I'm falling for you it doesn't mean you're falling for me as well, Lou. It could have been that you were still focused on proving destiny wrong or that you just simply didn't like me like that" Harry was so red by now it warmed Louis' entire heart.

"I see where you're coming from and I was struggling with this. With the thought of the bond being involved but I decided I don't care. Or I'm trying not to, if we're being honest. All I know is that I really like you and you're not alone with this. I'm definitely falling for you, Haz" Louis confessed to him anxiously.

That made Harry smile again. "What comes next?".

"We give this a fair try? A chance for us despite everything?" Louis suggested hopefully. So much freaking hope.

"I wanna give this a chance, us" Harry leaned closer again. "After all, I'm staying, mh?".

"Yeah, and only for me" Louis joked overly happy.

"Only for you" Harry brought out before Louis kissed him again. And again and again, until the sun was high up in the sky.  

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Happy now?

What comes next?