Henry's Book From Once Upon A Time Novels & Stories

******* My eyes snapped open. I blinked rapidly, willing my eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room. A warm, hard body pressed against mine. Henry. He was asleep already. Strands of dark hair streaked with gray fell loosely over his forehead and ears. He had one arm around me, pressing me close to his chest and another holding his book. A small smile graced my lips. God, he looked way too handsome for a forty-year old man. My gaze trailed down his lashes, then his nose—finally landing on…

"Penelope, why are you zoning out? Hurry up and bring the bucket over. I can't carry it myself!" Henry McGregor was my childhood sweetheart of 18 years. He stood about 30 feet away, holding two heavy bags of potatoes. The flood of messages kept bombarding my vision. [My poor heroine, please, don't touch that bucket!] [Run! Your face is identical to Mrs. Wright's. If it's ruined, you'll never be able to return home!]

“Dano! Dano!” Daniel sighed, setting his mug down. “I’m right here,” he called out, loud enough for his voice to travel. “God, what now?” he asked himself, Just as Henry his father stormed into the room, nearly tripping over the rug at the doorway. His eyes were wild, his blazer was half-off one shoulder, and in his hand was a white envelope he clutched like a winning lottery ticket. “I told you!” Henry said breathlessly, waving the envelope in the air. “I said it, didn’t I? I told you there was a possibility, and now… now we know!”

"Did you anticipate this situation? I saw you were so calm when the room went dark." "Yes, I've been too familiar with this trick." "Oh, so you've done this with the girls you've dated before. This trick is really tacky, you and the kid even have the same weird thoughts," Regina teased. "It's not my trick, but the women who do this for me," Henry replied casually. "Do you know what happens next?" "What?" Regina asked innocently. A grin appeared on Henry's face. He leaned in close to Regina's ear. "She'll kiss me passionately, and then we'll go to the bedroom and..."

"Why are you suddenly moody? What is wrong? Did they find out by any chance? Did_" "If you keep on asking like this, how do you expect me to answer you?" He cut me off and I pouted. "I'm sorry. I'm just in a panic right now. I almost had a heart attack thinking about what had happened." I said. "I met the Julianna Roberts you were talking about in the throne room. The Alpha had asked for samples of my handwriting." Henry answered and I gasped. "Could it be because of the letter? But they couldn't find the letter. It was supposed to be disposed," I said.

I pull the chair, and then Henry sits next to me. I look at him in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”, I ask, and he looks down at his hands that are now resting on top of the table. “I need to talk to you”, he says, and I grab my bag, pulling my notebook and my EarPods. I put them on putting play on my phone and with that Henry’s voice disappears in the background of my music. Henry pulls one of my EarPods off of my ear and I look at him not believing him. What an idiot.

Sort of, anyway. “Oh! Hey, Ophelia.” He smiled, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “We’re practicing household charms today! Did you study the worksheets Professor Merriweather gave us?” I nodded, then sighed. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy being partnered with Henry, I’d just been so agitated as of late. It didn’t help that any time he used magic, it exploded from him like an excited puppy dog. The only problem was rarely did it do as he commanded.

Henry is my everything, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure his happiness and well-being. As morning slowly arrives, it brings with it a sense of peace and contentment. I watch Henry sleep peacefully beside me, a smile spreading across my lips as I realize how much he has come to mean to me. The bond we share fills my heart with gratitude. I gently trace his jawline with my fingers, marveling at the strength and gentleness in his features. So much has changed in the last few months—from him being my mate to becoming the Rogue Prince, from the darkness that controlled his mind to the lingering threat of Dean, who still lurks in the shadows. A danger that we can’t ignore, but I know that

CLICK As the door opened, Henry took Emma’s hand again and then pulled her inside his study room. He circled Emma from behind and asked coquettishly, “Which one?” Emma stared at the bookshelf blankly, and then pointed at one book cluelessly, “That one.” Henry smiled and then letting her go, he marched to the shelf to retrieve the book she wanted. While this time, Emma searched his desk with her eyes and found a drive attached to his personal laptop, she didn’t need to think twice, she knew that was the one Leon had asked her to steal.

Lisa, the chocolate vendor, gave me too much for what I paid for and handed over a basket instead of a small box. See what I’m talking about? They are spoiling Rory with gifts. “I would never dare,” Henry hollered. “I’d like to keep my limbs intact, your majesty.” The sarcasm in his last two words made me groan. “Fuck off,” I shut my mouth when I heard gasps from the people who heard me. I glared at Henry, who shrugged his shoulders in return. “But seriously, though, I don’t think she would mind. But what will happen if you find your mate?”