As always, disclaimers are on the first chapter!
Well, here it is. The end. Thanks to everyone who followed from first post to last post! All your comments were greatly appreciated!! LURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRVES!! I hope to see your comments in other stories I write! Enjoy the end of Shifted!
Shifted
It had been years since Nyx left and he hadn't thought about her in all that time; or, at least, Nick had himself almost convinced that he wasn't thinking about her. Nick sat quietly in his room, staring at his reflection in the mirror across the way. Ever since he had seen Elena, pregnant with the newest addition to the Pack, his mind started to wander back to Nyx more and more often. Before she left, he thought he had started to feel something different for her. Something that he didn't feel for any other woman he had been around before. After she disappeared, he tried to put her out of his mind. Gone was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Yet, his mind always went back to "What if...?" What if she had stayed? What if he did want her as a mate? He shook his head, trying to rid himself of these thoughts. As he stared at his computer screen, trying to focus on the site he was designing, the memories crept back into his mind. He mentally replayed the year that she was with the Pack, from meeting her to their business trip. His mind always overplayed and added to the parts where they were in the woods during the trip to see the council. Luckily he was at home and didn't need to control that.
Then there were the last few memories. The ones where Nyx was taunting him, playing on his innermost fears. He believed those words, at the time. She knew so much about them without ever being told that they couldn't be anything but true. It wasn't until long after that he started to doubt them. Even after it was explained to him what happened, that the taunting was the creature feeding off of him, he didn't doubt the words. He saw Nyx speaking them, she was gone when he woke up. It was impossible that they were all fake.
It was easy to forget Nyx when he was sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she hated him and saw him as a powerless child. Doubt always had a way of creeping in, though. He dreamed of her every night for weeks after. They were always dreams of how he knew her, not how he last saw her. Then his certainty was shattered the night he overheard Antonio and Jeremy talking in the study of Stonehaven.
"I'm sure she knew better, Jer," Antonio had said quietly. "Not saying something isn't agreeing. It's just no answer."
"Sometimes no response is as good as agreeing."
"You were looking out for what was best for the Pack."
"She could have just let things be, taken the easy route and ran. There was no reason for her to help Nick. She should have been part of the Pack, Tonio..."
There was silence from Antonio. Sometimes no response was as good as agreeing...
Nick hated going on runs alone, but he did anyway that night. He needed to get away, clear his head, and re-sort out the things he had already come to conclusions on. The grounds of Stonehaven were perfect for a werewolf on a solo run. Nick could only remember a few trespassers that were easily dispatched by Clay and Elena. The farther he ran from the house into the woods, the more his mind seemed to shed the negative thoughts he was holding onto about Nyx. He was still unsure, though, when he stopped to rest. Curled up in a tight ball, his nose touching the tip of his tail, Nick drifted off to sleep.
He dreamed that he heard whispers. Three female voices talking to each other and ignoring his call.
"Is this wise, sisters?"
"What is wisdom but just a successful chance in the dark."
"Very true, sisters. Hopefully this is one of them."
Nick tried to call out to the voices, but none of them seemed to hear him. The next thing he knew, he was outside of a large house illuminated by the bright full moon. The weather was warm, too warm for New York at this time of year. He looked around at the greenery, slightly brown with neglect. There was concrete as far as the eye could see. Too much for any werewolf to be comfortable with, even a city-raised one like himself.
When he heard voices across the street, he peered out through the bushes at the porch. Nyx was sitting on the front steps, a woman who looked like she could be Nyx's sister was sitting down next to her.
"What is it?" Nyx mumbled.
The other woman leaned against her, resting her head on Nyx's shoulder.
"Lona, please... I just..." Nyx sighed and slumped a bit, obviously wanting to be alone but unable to say so.
"You're not crazy, you know," Lona said quietly. Nick saw her eyes tilt up as if trying to judge Nyx's reaction from the awkward angle she was in.
"Yeah, sure..."
"I know where you went. Taira found me while you were gone..."
Nyx pulled back from her friend and narrowed her eyes at her. "What?"
"Taira... Connected to some guy named Kenneth." Lona blinked at Nyx. "He—"
"You know who Kenneth's spirit guide is? You knew all this time and you didn't tell me?" Nyx scowled. "You knew it all and you left Brudder and Tyger in the dark? You—"
"Yes, I knew. I wanted you home. I wanted you home right then!"
"Lona, I was happy there! I was a part of something there!"
"You're a part of something here, Nyx! Part of us, part of this family, part of this coven."
Nick shifted his position in his hiding place, but stopped when Nyx looked over across the street. Her eyes darted up and down the street, as if looking for something. How like her. Nick smiled to himself, Always looking for danger. I wish I could just...
Nyx had turned back to Lona to continue talking to her. "I had a sense of belonging there. I felt like I had a purpose. I..." She stopped, as if not wanting to admit her next thought to herself or anyone else.
"You what, Nyx?" Lona put her head back down on her coven sister's shoulder.
"I met Nick," she mumbled, leaving it at that as if those three words held more meaning than what they were.
The two women were quiet for a long time, Lona's eyes distant as if she were considering her friend's words. "Then we'll find a way," she said finally, quiet enough that Nick almost didn't hear her. "We'll find a way to get you back, together, as a coven."
No, you don't need to go back. I'm right here! Nick scrambled to get up and climb through the bushes of his hiding place. He stopped when two men came out of the front door.
One of the men, tall with strawberry blond hair, sat next to Nyx and put his arm around her. She leaned into him and closed her eyes. Nick froze in his tracks, his heart beating hard in his chest. Who was that man? Why was his arm around Nyx? Nick had never seen her so comfortable with any man like that. Even when Nick himself rested against her, all those years ago, he was able to feel her muscles tense. Was this her boyfriend? A lover she never told him about? It had been a few years...
Nick sat back on his heels, watching as Nyx and the blond sat together quietly and the other two went back inside. He couldn't believe that he was feeling jealous. After all, he didn't have the right to, but he still felt it stirring deep in his gut.
When Nick looked back at the stairs, Nyx was the only one there. Where had the blond gone off to? He was about to give up and try to go home without bothering Nyx, but if she was alone... He stood up again, ready to cross the yard to greet her.
"Why the fuck are you spying on us, asshole?"
Nick spun around to find himself face-to-face with the man who was sitting with Nyx just moments before. Without even thinking, Nick put his hands up with palms out and took a step back from him. "Uhm..."
"Kata? What did you find?"
Nick turned his head to see Nyx coming across the yard toward them. He was used to being slick when a woman was around. This reunion was about as far from that as he could get. He grinned sheepishly at her, with a small wave of his fingers to match. "Hi, Nyx..."
Nyx blinked in surprise. "Nick?!"
"You know this guy?"
She didn't take her eyes from Nick's as she responded to Kata. "Yeah, I do... But... How...?"
Kata stepped back from Nick and around him to Nyx. "Who is he?" he asked her quietly.
"He's...a little difficult to explain right now."
Nyx's hazel eyes still had not moved from their spot, locked on Nick. Kata watched the two for a moment. "I'll be inside if you need me, sistah."
Nick looked up at Kata as he walked away, watching until he was sure that the other man was too far away to overhear them. "Who's that?" he grumbled irritably, slowly lowering his arms until his hands were at his sides.
"That's Kata," Nyx answered, her voice tight.
Nick frowned. "Oh..." he mumbled, followed by a sharp "OW!" He glared at Nyx after she had slugged him in the shoulder. "What was that for?!"
"Kata," she said again, stressing the name as she tried to remind him. "My brother, Kata."
"Your...?" Nick's eyebrows suddenly shot up in recognition and realization. "Oh!"
Nyx scowled at him. "Yeah, 'oh!'" She shook her head impatiently.
Nick flinched, the barb had hit a little deep. "I... Well... I didn't...I mean..."
She blinked up at him and suddenly smirked. "Wait, wait! You were..." her smirk spread into a grin, "Were you jealous??"
He stood up straighter, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "No! I'm not—" Suddenly the denial just seemed wrong. Nick let his head drop until his chin was against his chest, admitting defeat against his own emotions. "Yeah, I was jealous..."
Nyx was still grinning at him when he finally dared to allow himself a stolen glance at her. Her lips twitched a bit and suddenly she was laughing. It was a sound he had missed greatly in all the time that had passed, but remembered as if he has heard it just recently. The laughter ended in a bit of a sigh as she wiped a tear from her eye.
Nick frowned for a moment as he watched her, laughing at his jealousy. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe the feelings were only one-sided. Maybe... Maybe her lips shouldn't be so damn tempting. The hypnosis seemed to last only until she moved to wipe her eyes, and suddenly Nick felt himself closing the minute distance that separated them.
Her kiss was as sweet as ever. One moment he was surprised that he had Nyx in his arms again, then the next he realized that she was pressed up against him. Her scent, her taste, everything about her brought back those fond memories of when they were together. Her eager kiss washed away all the doubts that he ever had while she was gone. She was here, she was now, and she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Nyx pulled back from him reluctantly, a wide smile on her lips. Their eyes met and no words needed to pass between the two. Both knew it was one of those sappy, romantic movie moments that didn't need words for them to understand each other.
"Come on," she said quietly as she took his hand and pulled him toward the house. "Let's get you properly introduced to the others."
END
You're still here? Good! I have a little surprise for you!
Not long after finishing Shifted, I commissioned an artist to draw the final scene of the story! Dolphy did a wonderful job with the actually pretty minimal information I gave her. Mostly, she worked off the last few paragraphs and a really brief description of Nick and Nyx. Since you're still here, I'd thought I'd share! ENJOY!
http[colon]//dolphy[dot]deviantart[dot]com/art/Nyx-and-Nick-79080053
Uhm... Sorry for the strange way of putting the URL in. It wouldn't stick any other way. Just replace the [colon] and [dot]s with their appropriate symbols, and you're good!