r 10 Nyx Unmuzzled 116 Finished The moon hangs full and radiant above Silvercrest , pale light spilling through the balcony doors of my chamber . I step outside , letting the cool night air brush my skin . Ever since my eyes opened this morning , the mark on my back has been on fire . I've tried to hold a soaked , cold cloth over it . I even had Brin brew me a broth for fever . But nothing has helped . A sudden caw makes me flinch . Rowan's raven perches on the railing , feathers slick and eyes burning like embers . It stares at me , head tilted . " Kah - kah , " it croaks , snapping its beak . Something in my chest shifts - I understand what it is trying to tell me . My eyes instinctively return to my diadem that lies on a pillow on my bed . Its sapphires gleam with a mystical glow . It recognises its true bearer - it urges me to shift . My breath catches . Six years . Six years since I last tried . Six years since I thought Nyx was gone forever . Doubt claws up my throat . What if she isn't ready ? What if I'm not ? Warmth stirs deep in my bones , slow at first , then spreading like fire . My knees weaken . ' Let me out , ' Nyx whispers , her voice no longer faint but fierce . I swallow the lump in my throat . My hands tremble on the balcony rail , then I step back . I turn from the keep , forcing my feet to carry me outside . The guards at the gate blink at me , startled , but no one moves to stop me . They can't . Not on a full moon . No wolf may be caged tonight . I walk uphill , toward the ridge I know too well . Kade brought me here once , when we were young , when I thought our love was unbreakable . The memories ache , but I push them aside . Grass sways under the moonlight . I strip , folding my dress across a stone , and stand bare before the sky . The air is sharp in my lungs . " Nyx , " I whisper , eyes closed . " Come forth . " Pain answers me . My scream tears the night as bone snaps , reshaping . Muscles burn , stretch , tear , then knit again . Blood roars through my ears , hot and dizzying . My body has forgotten this rhythm , forgotten what it is to break and mend in the span of a heartbeat . I drop to my knees , heaving , nails clawing dirt until they lengthen into talons . My consciousness stumbles back , retreating . The world finally steadies . 1/3 21:33 Wed , Oct 15 Chapter 10 Nyx Uopuzzled Finished I open my eyes , but they are not mine . The grass ahead glows golden , each blade edged in light . The scents strike sharp and wild - carth , night , blood , life . Nyx lifts her head , fur rippling , and the sound that bursts from her throat is not human . It is a howl , long and fierce , carrying into the night sky . After six years , we are whole again . [ NYX ] Nyx runs . The forest is hers again . In her eyes , everything's sharp and clear . Her ears pick every rustle , every snap , every beat in the air . The earth under her paws is cold and musky , the air in her lungs whole and fresh . She's alive again . There was nothing she hated more than that corner she'd been forced into . Her spirit was broken , her mind poisoned by that wretched herb . She couldn't reach her human , couldn't guide her . All she could do was watch helplessly as her human was humiliated . Now she's free . And powerful . The scent of prey cuts through the night . A hare bolts from the underbrush . Its pacing heart immediately wets her mouth . Nyx lunges , muscles coiling , body flowing like water over stone . Teeth snap . Blood fills her mouth , hot and rich . She drops the kill after a single bite , because she's not hungry - she's only proving she still can . She howls at the moon , calling to the Moon Goddess before leaving the body for the scavengers . Deeper she runs , until the gurgle of water calls her . She slows near a stream , paws sinking into cool mud . The water sparkles silver , carrying the scent of pine and ash . Nyx lowers her muzzle , drinks deep , tongue lapping the coldness , letting it steady the fire in her veins . Suddenly , something tugs at her . A pull , deep in her marrow . The bond . Her ears prick , body stiffening . She knows that presence . Him . Her lips peel back in a snarl . Her mate . The Alpha who caged her human , who let another woman steal her children . The one she should belong to - but does not . Branches snap . Wind shifts . And then she sees him . Emris . Towering , black - furred , a shadow that blots out the moonlight . His coat ripples with power ; his eyes burn with red fire . Alpha , through and through . Her mate , 2/3 21:33 Wed , Oct 15 Chapter 10 Nyx tamuzzled 116 Finished Nyx growls , fur bristling . Why does he move closer now ? When Freya , her human , has bled and starved under his neglect ? Emris steps forward . Nyx snarls again , snapping her jaws , daring him to command her . She waits for the weight of the Alpha's will , the order to kneel , to bare her throat . It never comes . Instead , Emris lowers his massive head and brushes his muzzle against hers in a soft touch . A nuzzle ? It's gentle when she expects chains . Nyx freezes , torn . Awe flickers in her chest , unbidden , unwanted . For one heartbeat , she does not move . Then rage rises hotter than wonder . She snaps her jaws again , teeth clashing inches from his fur . She will not soften . She will not yield . With another snarl , she spins and bolts into the forest , leaving him behind in shadow . But his scent lingers , carried by the wind , and it burns her as fiercely as it binds her . Send Gifts 1 3/3