Adhira:

I couldn't remember when I ever came back or fell asleep. But I felt worse than ever as if I were waking up again from being dead. My breaths were shallow and opening my eyes seemed like quite a task. But I just knew that I was in Nyx's arms from the warmth that she radiated.

I just wanted to sleep a little longer but she spoke, "Hey you need to wake up. We don't have much time left."

She lifted my back and placed the surface of what seemed like a wooden rim of a bottle, "Open up and drink this."

Unable to lift my eyelids or respond, I opened my lips to taste the liquid. It tasted sweet and rich. I quickly gulped it down and felt a newfound energy return to my body. Once the bottle was empty, I sharply inhaled, shuffled to my side, and placed my forehead against Nyx's frame.

I groggily asked her, "How long was I out?"

"The sun is high up. We hardly have five or six hours left," she murmured. "Do you want some cake?"

I grimaced and told her as my stomach lurched, "I feel like I might puke. Don't mention food for a while."

"You look weak. We need to end this today. You seem to be dying at a faster rate than we thought," she told me the obvious.

I smiled humorlessly, "So, you knew."

She didn't respond to that. I hoped that she changed her mind about mating with me. Surely, the kiss last day was instinctive, probably even a pretense to make me agree with her. I quickly recognized it. Why would she kiss someone like me?

She just sat still running her fingers through my tangled, messy curls. I just couldn't wrap my mind around her behavior. I decided to play my final card.

"I need to tell you something," I spoke up and staggered to stand up.

I felt my eyes droop as I used the last of my strength to stand still, "Nyx, around three years back, the biggest section of trees were chopped off in Northwest America. You lost your parents during that time, didn't you?"

She frowned and watched me intently.

My chest began to hurt as I turned off my emotions. I internally cringed at the ridiculousness of my words, "Nyx, I was one of the people who believed that as humans, we had to make the world suitable for us to live. I was the one who started a petition for those trees to be cut down. Your parents' death... I was a part of it too and rightfully so. And, I loathe you for taking away everything that I had. No matter how much I try, I will always loathe you. I think you deserve the loss of your parents. If you keep me around, I will surely find a way to ruin your Pride's life. Every one of you deserves the worst for every minuscule pain that I feel."

She stood up and towered above me, her eyes glowing blue and pupils turning to slits. Her claws grew long and sharp. Never before had I tried to conceal my fear so desperately. Because I was close to pissing my pants, she looked livid.

"How dare you." She uttered with a terrifying stare, looking close to losing control.

This is it. I achieved what I wanted. Tongue-tied, I could do nothing out of the fear that gripped me. I could not look away as she stalked toward me.

She leaned in as if to kiss me and rested a claw on my cheekbone, "So, what do you want me to do?"

My lips trembled as I uttered, "Just kill-" She swiped her claw across my face and I fell back to the ground clutching my cheek. I felt something wet drip from my face. My hands shook as I saw the flow of my blood drip into my hands.

She squatted on the ground and her whispering voice shook from rage, "You thought you could escape this. Did you think I'd kill you so easily?"

Carlos:

I glared at the scene before my eyes as I crouched on the very same rock that Nyx always sits on. We hardly ever speak about Nyx's parents before her. Some don't speak about it out of fear and others out of empathy. We had wiped her world out... she could be talking out of spite but it told enough to figure out that Adhira wouldn't fit in with us.

I could hear Nyra's quick footfalls, "Carlos! I really want you to confirm which one is the Adhira we're talking about. There are so many profiles."

"Forget about it," I snapped upset.

She frowned at my behavior, "Carlos, just one look. Please. My eyesight is not that good from up here. I don't know what she really looks like."

I sighed and looked into the tablet she was holding. The very first profile looked like the Adhira that we've been watching. I pointed, "That one. But there's no point. "

She looked at the profile with a shocked expression, "You mean to tell me that Adhira is the Adhira who caused a worldwide movement against cutting down nature?! Like that one girl who managed to turn over an international decision??"

I felt perplexed at her comment, "What? No...."

She shoved her account in my face, "This is the one, isn't it?? If the greenery around this area still exists, it's because of her!"
She was right. That account was littered with images of wildlife and species saved.

"No... Oh no no no... She just lied to Nyx- Fucking hell! I can't believe- I gotta go. Stay away from the cliff, please," I panicked internally. I recklessly jumped from the height in an attempt to get to the tower faster.

The soil dented under my feet as I landed and I sprinted towards the tower. My heart was in my throat at the possible scenario. I know how Nyx is. She wouldn't hear me if I yelled. She was utterly focused on her prey right now. I am not about to let Temp lose the only potential love of her life.

Adhira, why do you cause so much trouble?!

Adhira:

I accepted my terrible fate. I was sure she'd torture me. After all, it was a sensitive topic that I commented on. But, I decided to rile her up more. I was going to tip her over the edge. I curled up to protect my abdomen and chest. It'd be more painful if she attacked there.

"They deserved it anyway. None of you deserve to live. You killed everything that I knew," I whispered knowing that she was on high alert and was listening solely to me.

Sadness filled me. I felt my chest hurt from the emotional strain. I was upset at myself for possibly ruining something meaningful between us. And yet, I knew we both were never meant to be. She growled and raised her hand with her claws glinting in the dim sunlight. I flinched and anticipated the impact.

But it never came.

I looked up to see Nyx faltering mid-air. Her features constricted into a painful expression. She looked rather defeated. She put her claws down and slumped on the ground, her shoulders drooped.

"I can't do it," she told herself.

She looked at me and grabbed my shoulders with a glare, "I'll change the way you think. I don't fucking care."

Tears filled my eyes at the change in her demeanor, "What would your parents think about this?"

She didn't pay heed. She tore her shirt through the middle and quickly took it off. She gently wiped the blood across my cheek and pressed it against the cut. I winced at the pain and blinked at the display of her nipples.

The blue glow in her eyes seemed to die down slowly, "They're dead. How would I know what they think about this? I will keep you. I'll even keep a close eye on you. If you think you can bring down the shifter population, you can keep dreaming."

My fight had died down. Never had I questioned myself so strongly, why was she doing this? I wiped my sticky, bloody hands down the fabric of my pants.

I spoke again, "What if I know-"

"Shut up or I'm going to punish you. You better consent to the mating. I'm not letting you die," she firmly told me.

I whispered with a shrewd expression, "The mating needs my consent. How about 'No'?"

She hummed and smirked, "I never thought you'd make me do this but here we are! You do remember that little boyfriend that you ran with at the beginning of this chase? He's alive, darling. But he won't be anymore if you don't consent to this."

I played dumb, "Which... boyfriend?"

"I believe his name is Vinu. Don't play this game with me. You're not going to win," she told me, surprising me with her keenness.

"You wouldn't," I murmured.

"I heard Bliss was taken into some pack too. Sweetheart, you'd be very surprised at the authority I have in this little world of mine. Nobody would stand in my way," she threatened me with astute conduct.

I quickly understood that I had lost this little tug-of-war. By foul or fair, she had won. I wouldn't say that Nyx was evil but her threat was a serious one. So, I consented, "Okay."

"Let's get this over with. You're going to need plenty of rest," she told me as she checked my cut.

She acknowledged a figure that I hadn't noticed before, "Carlos, you've been standing there for a while."

The person named Carlos cleared his throat, "Uh, I just came to check in on you both. You can just proceed. I'll talk to you later. And Adhira, shut your damn lies!"

With that, he left swiftly. Nyx looked at me suspiciously. But I was looking at the sun setting and thought I'd delay it.

So, I began, "I can explain-"

"No. I'm starting the chant. All you need to do is hold my hand and give in to this," she told me and I sighed at her quick intellect.

But I just watched her hold my hand and start to murmur something continuously. I couldn't catch on the language or the meaning but she sure was chanting something ancient. I couldn't focus for a while as I eyed her toned stomach and her unapologetic nudeness.

But, my eyes widened as a blue aura began to radiate from her and my chest began to glow golden. I proceeded to move closer to her in awe and embraced her closely out of curiosity. Despite the way her skin felt under my hands, I truly wanted to see how the colors would look combined.

The lights began to swirl up into the sky. It truly was a dreamlike and once-in-a-lifetime experience. I didn't care if I was being forced into this. I just lay my head on her shoulder and intertwined my fingers through hers. I was tired and needed this rest.

The lights began to spin like a whirlpool high above our heads. I didn't want to miss even a moment of this miracle. Soon, Nyx ended the chant and I watched the colors spread across the sky as if cleaning the canvas. It left a clear orange and blue sky with stars shining brighter than ever.

"It's done," Nyx whispered.

She waited for my response patiently as I waited for the confirmation. I watched the orange fade and saw the appearance of a clear night sky for the first time in a long while. And I understood that I was brought out of the loop. I can finally get a night of sleep. Tears gathered in my eyes and I sniffed. I didn't know where to start or what to do with my life anymore. I was lost.

"Your wound isn't bleeding anymore. But we need to get it checked," she told me.

"Yeah," I replied feeling rather conscious of the bold display of her skin. Was she going to walk back without a shirt?

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