Niklaus opened his eyes it seemed like it was still dark out, he checked the little clock on the end table by his bed, it read 4:03am.
'Thank god, I can keep sleeping!' Niklaus laid back down on the floor and shut his eyes again.
*Tap, Tap*
'The window? This is the second floor.' Niklaus stood and hobbled to the where he heard the tapping, rubbing his eyes to try and wake up more.
"Hey! Niklaus!" It was Morgan, she had two others with her but he couldn't make out any of their features
"What?"
"We're going for a run, want to come?"
'A run? At 4:00 in the morning?' Niklaus thought about how much he loved to run before, thinking maybe he'd enjoy himself but there was one problem..
"I don't have any shoes or clothes for a run."
"I know, that's why we bought you some."
"Alright, then yeah, I'll be right down."
"Cool, make sure you don't wake anybody!"
Niklaus quietly hurried down the steps and to the front door, barely making it to the handle before the inside light came on. Niklaus turned around to find Scarlett standing there with her arms folded.
"Don't let those three get you into any trouble, especially Neil." Niklaus' eyes turned sad hearing that name, it brought up all the memories of his family and how he wasn't there when they needed him. He nodded and walked out the door, he didn't feel up for a run anymore but thought he might go anyway to get his mind off things.
***
"I don't understand why we have to bring the new guy!?"
"We're bringing him because he's alone here and doesn't have any friends, plus I owe him one after hitting him in the back of the head."
"So? What does that have to do with me? Why'd I get dragged along?"
"You got dragged along because of Harper."
"Harper, really man? Why?"
"Because we found out we were mated two years ago and we still barely do anything together!"
"Oi." Neil rolled his eyes. "Whatever, look I'm gonna take a leak, come find me when the new guys here."
"Fine." Morgan was almost tempted to just leave Harper and Neil here.
(It's so annoying being dragged out here just to please our mate!) Blue pouted in Neil's head
(I know but we need our mate to be happy because when he's happy.. we're.. happy) Neil started smelling the air, a strange but somehow familiar scent pulled on his nose.
(You smell that Blue?)
(If you smell it, I smell it.)
(But, where's is coming from?)
(I think.. back.. home?)
(Let's go check it out.) Neil fixed his fly and walked towards the scent but all he found was Harper and Morgan talking to the new guy. It was him, the new guy, his scent that Neil could smell. Without thinking Neil got closer to the guy and grabbed his shirt to smell, so familiar but unable to place why. Harper was starting to get jealous and decided to pull Neil away.
"Babe? Why are you smelling him?"
"I-I don't know, something about that scent is just so.. familiar"
"What? Like you two have met before?"
"I think so..." Neil shot Niklaus a strange look, why was this new guy, whose name he didn't even know, so familiar?
***
Niklaus found Harper and Morgan waiting outside.
"Wasn't there a third guy?"
"Yeah, he's just taking a leak." Morgan responded with an annoyed look pointing towards the woods.
"Anyway.." Harper butted in "I'm Harper, good to meet you again!"
"Again?"
"I was with Morgan when we found you."
"Oh, so it was one of you two that hit me..?" The smallest of smirks formed on the edge of Niklaus' mouth. Suddenly Niklaus was grabbed by a strange person smelling him, he guessed that it was the one Scarlett called Neil, he could see Harper getting jealous and mouthed "Help" to him. Harper grabbed Neil's shoulders and dragged him away from the group although still visible to the others.
"That's Neil, right?" Niklaus watched as Neil shot him a strange look.
"Yeah, how'd you know his name?"
"Scarlett caught me sneaking out and warned me not to let him get me in trouble."
"Yeah.." Morgan snickered "Good luck with that one."
Neil and Harper walked back to the group and asked if they were ready for their run.
"Yeah, where are we running to?" Niklaus realized he didn't know the terrain here and wanted to start placing mentally where everything was, he decided to make the main house his map's center point.
"Just to the lake and back, we'll stay with you so don't worry about getting lost." Harper have him a reassuring smile.
"Can we go already?" Neil asked growing more impatient, he didn't want to be here in the first place and started towards the lake.
"Don't worry about him, he's always like that, although he's grown a bit since our pack found him. Come on, let's catch up."
"Yeah, let's go." Niklaus wondered what Morgan meant by "found" was that a joke or did they also just stumble upon Neil like they did him? So many questions were popping up and he didn't know who would have the answers but he would find them.
Niklaus and Morgan caught up to Neil and Harper at the lake.
"I thought you said we were staying together!?" Morgan smacked Harper on the arm.
"Don't hit me, Neils the one who started running first!"
Neil just shrugged his shoulders.
"It's fine." It really was Niklaus was just glad to be free again, he's almost forgotten what it was like. Then he noticed the three of them undressing. "What are you guys doing?"
"Changing to our wolves, duh!" It seemed like Neil didn't like Niklaus for some reason.
"Oh, I guess I'll just catch you guys at the house then." Niklaus felt embarrassed, it wasn't his fault that his wolf was gone but he still felt like bad about it because any five year old can shift into their wolf and here he was a 20 year old man who couldn't even talk to his.
"What do you mean you'll catch us at the house?" Morgan was confused, was he scared to change? Or embarrassed about taking his clothes off in front of them?
"Well- I-I.."
"You what? Spit it out!" Neil was impatient.
"I can't change into my wolf..." Niklaus sounded mournful and dropped his head.
"What do you mean you can't change?" Neil thought Niklaus was making excuses to not change.
"My wolf, Shade, he's gone."
"What do you mean gone?" Again Neil believed it's was just excuses and was growing irritated by this new guy.
"I mean gone! Okay? I can't communicate with him, he left! He left me alone when I needed him! He's just GONE!" Niklaus punched the tree next to him leaving a dent in the bark, he was angry and hurt and didn't know how to get his wolf back but he needed him, needed Shade's annoying guidance and annoying words of encouragement, Shade was his only friend in captivity and he left, or got lost...
or worse...
Morgan places her hand on Niklaus' shoulder giving him a look that told him she felt bad for him but he didn't want pity, he just wanted to be able to get better and go see his home for himself.
***
I didn't know what to say, I pushed him to this outburst and now he just looked defeated. I had my own problems growing up but at least my wolf never left me. Niklaus must've had it worse than I did if even his own wolf forgot him, I really wanted to know more now.
"What was your wolf's name?" Harper chimed in. To be honest I was about to ask myself.
"His name is Shade."
'Niklaus, Shade, these were familiar to me somehow. Even the way this guy smelled was familiar.' I wish I could remember my past, I barely know how I got to the Red Vine Pack but I'm glad I did find them because it led me to finding my mate. I know that it hurt him seeing me when I first appeared here because it hurt me having him see me that way. I don't know what happened to me or how I ended up outside their front door but it happened and it made me and Blue stronger and made Harper stronger too.
"I'm sorry Nik, let's just walk back." If I wanted to know who Niklaus really was then I had to get closer to him.
"Yeah, let's go." Morgan agreed and Niklaus nodded.