The Bigger Person

Chapter Sixteen

(Nyx's POV)

I stared her down. Didn't take my eyes off her for even a millisecond. Who knew, I could blink and she'd probably disappear from my life again. I was beyond angry. Shocked to see her after all these years but livid being the more consuming emotion.

I know I should be the bigger person at this moment in this situation. Give her the benefit of the doubt. Let her explain her side of things. And I will. Let her explain that is. But I won't be the bigger person. I believe I have the right to blame everything on the cowardly woman sitting before me. She's the reason I am the way I am. She's the reason I exist and the reason I was captured.

As I said, I know it's childish and low of me but I'm blaming the one person no one wants to ever convict as the main cause of their fucked up life. My damn mother. Growling I took a menacing step forward.

She looked mostly the same as she did years ago when I used to love her, except with the obvious age lines and grey hairs. She was a thin woman standing around five feet tall. Brown and silver hair entwined together sat loosely upon her shoulders. The same deep green eyes my step brother had reflected back at me. She wore a nice grey dress that stopped above her knees, a beautiful white scarf with see-through butterflies, and black heels to tie it all together. It seemed to me like she hadn't been missing a child for the past ten years.

'Bet the new replacement family treated her so well she forgot about her old one.' I thought bitterly.

"Nyxton?... Is it really you?" The she devil asked with such shock, tears appearing in her eyes, her hand cupped up over her mouth so as to keep in her cries of surprise and relief. 'Or possibly even her disappointment.' My thoughts raced. She put on a good act.

I just glared harder, praying her whole being would catch on fire. Or that she would at least become invisible to my numerous senses. I had not expected to ever see her. Even being free and back in the real world. I vowed to avoid seeing her retched self again. Even prayed to a god I never believed in to maybe just this once grant my wish and take pity on my already destroyed soul. But yet again he didn't fail to meet my expectations of ignoring me and my wishes.

Without a single word I turned to leave. I didn't want to wake the cub upstairs with the fighting that was no doubt bound to ensue.

"W-Wait!!" My mother cried. "Please don't leave Nyxton. I am so sorry. I've wanted for so many years to find you. I searched and searched. Phone call after phone call. Fliers, private investigators, friends. No one could find you. No one knew what had happened to you. I cried every night thinking I would never get my son back. That I'd never get to hug you or love you again. My life was a depressing mess after we found out you were missing. Eventually we had to turn the search over to the Navy. My husband, your stepbrothers' father, he was able to locate the facility you were found in. And with various favors, a little research, and help from the scientist who contacted us, we were able to finally find you. I was finally able to have you back, my baby boy. I'm so so incredibly sorry for everything that's happened. I've missed you terribly." She explained as she slowly made her way to embrace me, hands trembling.

I stepped back, a venomous growl slipping from my taught chest and up past my extended fangs. I put my clawed hand up to halt her from advancing towards me lest I let my rage get the better of me. I so badly wanted to tear her to shreds. But somewhere deep deep down inside me knew that if I succumbed to my actions I'd truly regret it.

"Your 'sorry' ? Your life was a 'depressing mess' afterwards? Bull shit! You decided to walk away. I didn't choose that. I was the one all alone. I was the one left with an abusive drunk. I was the one fending for myself every hour of every day. I was the one kidnapped. I was the one who got tortured for ten god damned years for what I am! And I was the one who lost my cub!!! Now tell me, who benefits?! Because it certainly wasn't me."

I watch as she cries harder, eyes red and puffy, overflowing with tears. Weston's wife, Clara, consoles her as Weston and River try to calm the situation and get me to stay and talk with my mother. It's no use though as I rip myself away from the situation and barge out of the front door to the safety of the outside world.

'But is it really that safe?' I ask myself. I was kidnapped from my own home and ever since being set free it seems that every person on this earth has decided that I'm a danger or that I should be feared. They hate me without knowing me. This world was never safe. At least not for my kind. 'Haha, I say that like I'm not the only one.' I think bitterly as I pass the cars parked in the drive way and continue walking down the street with no end location in mind.

Sniffing the air and hearing the loud footsteps I knew the two brothers were following me. God forbid I'm left alone and all hell  breaks loose. I ignored them though. Let them think I don't know they were there. I could care less at the moment. My fight with my mother sat heavier in my mind. I needed to let off some steam. Plus I was starving.

Not caring that I was in the open I shifted to my jaguar form. It was getting late and the sky was turning darker so this form blended better so as not to alarm the few humans that prowled around at night. Sticking to the shadows I trotted to the forest that sat just outside of town. Not caring if the navy brothers kept up or not I disappeared into the trees.

Twenty two minutes later and I was gnawing on the back left thigh of a deer I'd killed not too long after I'd entered the small forest. Rustling foliage to my left below me revealed Weston. "He's over here River. Looks like hes had dinner so no need to waste time meeting up with the boys and getting this questioning underway." He joked as River appeared beside his brother.

"We need to head out Nyxton. Wanna shift and come with us? We need to question you on everything you know about why you were taken and by whom. We have to head to headquarters to do that. I promise you don't have to meet or talk to our mom any more until your ready. Just Weston, the boss, and I."

"No males!" I shouted after I jumped down from the tree, shifting mid air. Puffing up my chest I took a threatening step forward. "Or I'll slice his throat out."

Their faces became stiff and serious. It wasn't a joke. My voice never wavered and my eyes never left theirs. Males and even females were a danger in my eyes. Only the cubs were safe to be around. Only them I could trust.

"Woah ok calm down. I'll see about other means of communication that doesn't involve us being in the same space as you. And if I can't then we will need to figure something else out. This is important because we didn't find the person in charge of that facility so they may still be at large and want you back. Besides, we wouldn't want you killing our dad now would we?" River spoke with a small smile.

Begrudgingly, with a slight nod, I agreed to follow the men. They led me back to one of their vehicles parked on the side of the road just at the edge of the forest. We got in and Weston drove us just a short thirty minutes to their HQ. As we walked inside the medium sized military building I slowed to a halt.

Numerous humans of varying shapes, colors, and size were revealed to be inside. Some practicing combat with others, some shooting weapons for target practice, and others just lounging about relaxing and socializing. To me it looked like the main place Rivers team resided when off duty, even those that weren't on his team as well. That made this my number one place to NOT want to be. 'Fucking humans are like ants. Billions of them swarming the earth. Too many for my liking.'

A shiver ran down my spine and you could practically see my fur standing up. I was on edge with good reason. I clearly told the brothers no other males. I'm sure that entailed no other humans or I was out. They should know how much I can't stand to be around people, especially when they are all gawking at me like they are now. Seemed like non of them had better things to do than look at the outcast. The beast...

A rumbling growl released its self from my chest. I felt just like I was back at the facility in my cage chained to the floor and being stared at by all the scientists. It was unsettling and I wanted to escape. I started to pant. Everything I'd just devoured felt like it wanted to crawl up my throat and be set free.

"Woah! Is that him? He's so much bigger than I thought he'd be."

"He looks really mean. You don't think he'll try and hurt us do you?"

"He's practically an animal. I wouldn't put it past him."

"Do you see his teeth? Are those real?"

"I think he's really hot! I mean look at his muscles and his eyes are gorgeous. I wonder if he's single?"

So many whispers floated through the air and I could hear every word of it. I could see the interrogation room on the second floor of the building and decided to shift into my tiger form and rush past the brothers up the stairs into the safety the enclosed room provided from all the prying eyes and their gossip. I waited with baited breath for this to all be over so I could leave back to the forest, back to MY safe place. Away from these humans and their town and their world. One I knew I would never belong. Not again anyways. Not after everything these past ten years. Normalcy went out the door the moment I was born.

River and Weston appeared not too long after I had. They sat across from me while another older male that looked just like them appeared on the other side of the glass that separated us from the room he sat in. With everyone here and cameras recording, they all turned to me. 'This is going to be a long night.' I thought bitterly while rubbing my hands up my face to grip my hair.

"Now, let's begin."