~NYSSA
Henry had a problem.
I had no idea what it was, but something was seriously wrong with him. Because why the hell would he want to go to the Lycan King for help?
But most importantly, what the hell was he taking me along for?
As soon as the emergency council meeting ended and the members left, I marched over to him.
He glanced at me as I approached, his gaze steady as if all was well. I crossed my arms over my chest as I stopped before him, prepared to fight him out.
But before I could speak, Henry did first. "Hey. You good? I wasn't sure if you were okay or not, and I was so worried about you, dear."
His words were so tender and soft that I almost believed him. Then I remembered who I was speaking to.
The man who had been my best friend for over a decade. Who tore my heart out of my chest few hour's ago and stomped on it like it was nothing important.
He wasn't the Henry I knew and loved. Or maybe he was, and I had been too blind, too naive to see it.
I pushed those thoughts away and narrowed my eyes at him.
"You can drop the act, Henry. There is no one here to see you," I snapped. Henry sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Look…"
I interrupted him. I wasn't interested in listening to whatever it was that he had to say. "Forget it. Why did you send for me? Why am I following you to the Lycan King's pack?"
Henry shrugged.
"Why else? You are the best when it comes to negotiation. I need you to make everything go well."
Silence stretched between us until it was all I could think about, and when several moments passed, a sigh slipped past my lips.
He was right.
I might be mad at him. Hell, I didn't even want to have anything to do with him again, but he was right.
"Fine. I'll go with you. But if there's any funny business, if you try to do something stupid, you'll regret it."
Then without waiting for his response, I turned around and stormed back home.
By the time the light of dawn chased away the rest of the dark and announced that it was morning, I had managed to compose myself.
Henry and I would not be travelling alone. There would be escorts, and of course, guards who would accompany us. He would not have much time to try to talk to me.
Right?
But as we all set out, I realised that I had made a mistake.
Henry didn't give a shit about the people who were coming with us to visit the Lycan King. He didn't care that he announced his plans to get married to Alisa in front of everybody. I was in the parking lot, waiting for everyone to arrive, when Henry walked in.
He made his way over to me, and as he tried to make conversation, all I could think about was how I should have refused his suggestion and just stayed at home.
But how could I have done that, when this was a matter between life and death for the injured pack members?
"Come on, Nyssa. You surely are not thinking about driving with the guards and escorts, are you? Come with me. Ride in my car. It will be just like the old times."
His words were very persuasive, but I glared at him regardless. I didn't want to ride with him, and he knew it. Henry's gaze was trained on me though, and it was only a matter of time before the escorts caught up to us and saw us speaking.
I shook my head defiantly.
"No. I don't want to be in the same car with you."
My voice was resolute, and I crossed my arms over my chest to show him how serious I was.
Before he could respond, several footsteps filled the parking lot, and the escorts came into view.
Their steps faltered when they saw Henry standing so close to me, and my lips parted as I tried to speak.
But Henry beat me to it.
He straightened, his gaze turning cold and hard.
"I am not asking you, Nyssa. I am ordering you. You will ride with me to go over our negotiation plans, and that is final."
Then he gave me a withering stare that made my jaw drop open, before walking away.
What the fuck?
Has he always been this…two faced?
I didn't have time to think about how fast Henry switched from hot to cold. I made my way into this car, making up my mind to ignore him.
The drive to the King's pack was silent. Of course Henry tried to talk to me, but I refused his attempts at conversation by slamming my earbuds into my ears and blasting music at the highest volume.
When he saw how unwilling I was to talk to him, he eventually gave up. By the time we got to our destination though, all thoughts of me avoiding Henry vanished from my head.
I took a deep breath as I stared at the building before us, and a part of me was not willing to get out of the car. Why did I even allow Henry to force me into this?
Sparing Henry a glance, I wasn't exactly surprised to see that his entire demeanour had changed.
To say he wasn't on good terms with the Lycan King would be an understatement, considering what happened between them several years ago.
If anyone should be against this meeting, it should be Henry. But I guess his Pack meant more to him than his rivalry with the most powerful Alpha in all of our world.
"Come on. Let's go meet your best friend," I muttered and was about to get out of the car when Henry's hand snatched over my wrist.
I turned back to face him.
"Don't you ever call him that. Ever."
I rolled my eyes as I got out of the car, but he was right.
The Lycan King might have been Henry's best friend once upon a time. But not anymore.
A shiver ran down my spine as I tried to imagine how this meeting would go. It was as if we were about to enter a battlefield where the Lycan King and the hateful ex best friend — Henry — would be having a face off.
If this was a battle, who would win?
And as we walked into the mansion, I didn't feel even the tiniest guilt as I cast my lot with the Lycan King.
He might be the devil, according to the rumors, but at least he wasn't a two faced jerk like Henry.
The doors opened, and as a stern looking man ushered us in, I pushed those thoughts away.
It was time to meet the devil.