Nyx:

"Just agree to whatever she asks of you. Do not stress her!" Were Nyra's words.

I made my way down towards her spot with a bag full of bakeries from Nyra. I could hardly understand this concern that I have for her. I had never placed a human in such an important place before. But my beast insisted although we knew nothing about her.

The leaves crunched beneath my feet as I savored the contentment in my natural habitat. This was the place that the humans tried to destroy. So why am I trying to save a human? But when I shut my eyes, Adhira's face appears before me. I just can't get myself to watch her die and not wake up.

There she lay on the ground unmoving.

But I could hear her steady breaths telling me that she had abruptly taken a nap. So I picked her up, brushed off the dust from her cheeks, and cradled her against my chest. She grabbed onto my frame to put her arms around my shoulders and wrapped her legs around my waist. And she was still asleep despite moving around. It was as if she subconsciously recognized me.

Supporting her bottom, I stepped toward my destination. There was a place I had in mind and I'm going to try my best today.

I stroked her hair and memorized her bold features. She's beautiful like a painting with bold lines for eyes with long lashes, a straight nose, a long neck, and full lips like a fish. She's softly built with generous curves and could fill my hands perfectly. Her long hair of luscious curls with a few framing her face. She smelled unique to me and her skin seemed to tempt my mating instincts.

I gritted my teeth, looked away, and picked up my pace. What was I doing? I quickly regained my composure.

She began to wake up after a couple of hours. She lightly moaned and I took a sharp intake of breath. She's in pain. What's wrong with me?

I grabbed a bottle of water, sat her up, and helped her drink. She looked rather dull and a little weak. I wiped her face with a little water. She placed her forehead against my chest, unaware of our surroundings.

"I'll give you what you want," I told her.

She lifted her head to look at expectantly, "You would."

"Yes but not today. I'll give it to you on the condition that you spend two days with me," I countered.

"Okay," she agreed without a fight.

She looked behind me with awe... probably the coast view of the enormous lake. She got off my lap and looked at me with stary eyes. I've never seen her look at me that way. It made me feel some kind of way.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked happily.

"I thought you'd like the change of place," I told her.

"I'm hungry," she told me sheepishly.

I let her eat some cookies and she began loosening up. As if by agreeing to grant her death, I may have lifted an enormous weight off of her shoulders.

She then slipped out of her sandals and wrapped her hand around my index finger. I eyed her small fist around my long finger.

"Shall we walk by the coast?" She looked up at me with a twinkle in her eyes.

My nod of approval had her grinning revealing a dimple on her cheek. She then attempted to drag me towards the wet, soft sand of the coast. She imprinted her footprints on the sand and playfully watched the water wash them away. She let go of my hand and got into the water to catch some fish by lifting the hem of her shirt. After an hour of splashing around with a carefree demeanor, she came back to me as I stood near the forest line.

Having gotten sopping wet, she pouted and asked me if I had any spare clothing. I shook my head in amusement and pulled out a dress that Nyra packed specifically for Adhira.

She attempted to grab the fabric and I pulled it away. I cocked an eyebrow at her, "You're getting this only if you aren't getting back in the water again."

She huffed, "I can't make any promises."

"You ain't getting this then-"

"Okay okay! Jeez."

So here she was walking around in a blue dress that stopped above her knees. She looked rather adorable as she continued to play with the waves by making imprints on the sand. Her hair caught the wind and seemed to dry up into a bunch of bouncy curls.

After she felt drained out, she reached her arms up towards me and climbed onto me without a second thought as if it were natural. She didn't even shy away from my touch on her bare skin.

She began to speak out, "I feel like I don't know anything about you. Tell me about your parents."

I sighed, "My parents... are dead."

She faltered and looked at me with visible pain in her eyes, "How?"

I stroked her curls and pulled her close before telling her, "The power for shifters comes from the heart of the forest. When humans began cutting down sections of them, we shifters had to split up to survive and I had to separate from them a few years back. Before the main massacre of humans, I set on a quest to find my parents only to find out that they lost their strength from the diminishing nature and were hunted down by humans at their lowest."

She looked at me with eyes full of unshed tears. She turned rigid as if she were almost afraid of me. I could see her overthinking it, probably feeling confused about my ironic actions.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I told her as I ran my fingers through her hair.

"You should," her voice trembled. "I'm also responsible for this."

I shook my head. Adhira is from the East. But my parents died in the Northwest continent. Adhira has got nothing to do with this.

"Tell me about your family," I told her as I brushed it off.

"My family is quite complex. We used to be a joint family. My uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews... they're all just as important to me as my mum and dad. I am an only child to my parents. They were open to my sexuality as well," she spoke somberly.

"Your sexuality?"

"Yeah I'm queer... bisexual," she told me.

I nodded understanding that humans had constructs or terms to refer to something as specific as this. In the shifter world, the preferences aren't labeled so specifically.

"What was your life like?" I asked her.

She pondered for a while with glazed eyes, "My life... Was a constant rush of responsibilities. I was given things that I never anticipated. It was just given to me and I had to step up to take it on. I was the perfect goody two shoes with perfect grades and perfect leadership qualities. I wasn't burdened or felt that I was people-pleasing. I was fine... I was good. My parents supported me no matter what. They didn't tie me down or question my choices. And with my choices came... a little popularity. The popularity of various kinds because I wouldn't shut up, quite literally." She giggled a little and let her words sink in.

And then her smile faltered, "I thought things were okay... they were getting better. But, look where we are. I never even got to experience a kiss or a romantic interest. I just kept hustling, negotiating, and working... I guess I just forgot to smell the flowers along the way."

She pursed her lips and gazed at me, "What's your life like? I would say that yours is going to only begin after this fiasco."

I frowned at her. Why is she so adamant about leaving? She just admitted that she hardly experienced life. Now, she wants to end all her efforts permanently. She's got a chance to smell flowers now and even experience a kiss, yet she's not willing to.

"Nyx, what's going on?" she asked me with a frown.

"Do you want to smell flowers?" I asked her.

She chuckled, "That was just a metaphor but okay... I'd like to."

"We do have a field of flowers behind our Pride's house. I could take you there," I told her.

"You do? Pride's house as in... your people. I think I'd rather stay here," she told me worriedly.

"They won't hurt you. We already have a human with us. Her name's Nyra and she's mated to a friend," I explained.

Adhira frowned, "How is she doing?"

"She made the cookies for you," I told her. "But if you don't want to go there, would you want to experience anything else?"

She teased, "I'd like to experience a kiss then."

I felt a little appalled at her bold answer.

She faltered and bit her lip, "I was just kidding."

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Were you now?"

She tried to free herself from my arms and insisted, "It was just a joke!"

I set her down, "Doesn't sound like one."

She held onto my hand and leaned into my frame. We just stood in comfortable silence under the shade of the trees as we watched the gentle waves of the lake. She looked up at me and seemed to ask, "Have you ever kissed anyone?"

As I shook my head, she clicked her tongue and complained, "You hardly ever talk and it's boring, you know?"

"How does it matter?" I asked her. "You aren't going to be around to listen even if I did."

"Hey don't flip this on me. You are generally boring with or without me. Do you ever express yourself?" she asked me.

I looked at her blankly, "Express as in?"

"As in, dress to feel good, talk about how you feel about something... You know, that kind of thing. I've never even seen you smile," she explained patiently.

"I don't see the purpose of it."

She frowned, "Do you ever talk to anyone? Like really talk to them?"

I shook my head subtly but she caught the gesture. To say that she looked surprised is an understatement. She stared at me as if to figure me out. When I glanced at her, she turned away biting the side of her cheek unable to meet my gaze. She struggled for words, "You probably should talk to someone... I don't even know how to help you in my state."

I placed a finger below her chin and raised her head to look me in the eyes, "You should probably stay then and help me out here." I told her although I knew that I needed no help.

I was just built differently. I grew up alone and resilient. My emotions seemed rather insignificant to me. Survival was all that ran through my mind, unable to show any weakness. I was just built this way. But Adhira's eyes showed more emotion than I'd have ever seen on my own face. It has begun to fascinate me somehow. I could see a whole new different world in her.

I watched her throat dip as she swallowed with her eyes wide and I most certainly heard her racing heart. I leaned down to brush my lips against hers and proceeded to gently kiss her. She shut her eyes and leaned in. I gently brushed her strands of hair and pulled her against me in an inescapable embrace. Rather than trying to push me away, she fisted the fabric of my shirt.

Carlos explained that this was a tactic to try and sway her mindset. But here I was lost in her scent, warmth, and my blood raging in my veins. This wasn't what I had in mind. I pushed her against a tree trunk as she struggled to catch up with me owing to my height and pace.

I cradled her bottom and picked her off the ground. She instinctively wrapped her legs around my waist. The excitement that my beast felt began showing up in the form of retracting claws and the growth of my incisors appearing rather sharp. I pulled away worried that I'd hurt her. She panted and leaned to bury her face against my chest in embarrassment while my claws aggressively scraped the bark of the tree.

I carefully supported her as she looked up to observe my eyes while being completely oblivious to my sharp claws. I wanted to kiss her again but I stopped myself from doing so. My senses seemed to glaze over as if my body were putting down its defenses before her.

I asked her as I regained my voice, "What are you looking at?"

"Your eyes... They're blue and your pupils look like a cat's," she murmured.

I hummed at her reply. The sun was setting. Our time was up.

My claws wouldn't grow down or retract. So I held her close and asked her, "Why don't you take a nap? It's late."

She frowned, "Why?"

"It's easier when you're asleep. I can't get myself to do it if you're looking at me like that," I told her as I looked into her doe-like eyes.

She gave me a sad smile, "You shouldn't get attached to me. It's not worth it."

I breathed out frustratingly, "Why not?! Adhira, I'm not letting you die."

"I tried my best. But I don't want to live. Now at this moment, I'm content but when a little time passes, I'll start to feel the pain again... it's going to be worse, affecting you while being bound to me. There's no point," she told me.

"If you think I'd let you go through that pain alone, you're delusional," I rebuked her.

She sighed, "I'm not worth it, Nyx."

It was getting dark and we couldn't waste any time.

"You better explain this tomorrow! If you can't give me a proper explanation, I won't listen to you any longer. I'll do as I please," I promised.

She glared at me, "You better not."

"Oh yes, I will," a growl vibrated through my chest. I had just busted the whole plan laid out by my acquaintances.

I put her on the ground and cupped her cheek. Such a stubborn kitten. I flipped her around and cupped her eyes with a hand.

She stayed quiet as I planted a kiss on her neck before snapping it with a rigid heart.

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