Why Am I Not Shifting Novels & Stories

How did I come up with the response so fast? “Why?” he asks. “Because you sold me off.” “That has nothing to do with shifting,” he says, and he is right. If I had thought of shifting even once, I would have looked for a way. But circumstances. “It does,” I say calmly. “Explain.”

I can’t move; it's like I’m attached to Gideon and no amount of wiggling, thrusting or pulling is going to dislodge him from between my legs. “It's called a knot. It will go down soon; I didn’t think it would happen with you because you’re a human or I would have warned you.” Gideon speaks softly like he’s worried he’ll scare me off; it's not like I can go anywhere even if he did scare me. I try to process what he’s just said; his words are easy enough to understand but I have no idea what the hell a knot is or why me not being a shifter matters.

I smacked my lips. “I’m not going to shift,” I answered. “Why not? Because you can’t do it on your own?” I told him before that I wasn’t really able to. My body decided to do it on its own. I had to be in danger or so hurt that I wouldn’t be fixed. I struggled to sit up, arms practically glued to my sides. I tried to ignore the pain. “As a shifter, you should be able to do this whenever you want. No crazy circumstances.”

“You’re still training with Edwin and his brother, right? How is that going?” I shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. The last thing I wanted was to worry my mother. “It’s going okay, I guess,” I said. “I… I still haven’t managed to shift yet.” Claudia’s eyes studied me carefully. “You know it’s alright to give it some time, right?” I swallowed hard and looked away. “Yeah. I know.”

I’d always assumed she’d never shifted but what if she had and then she stopped? From my earliest memories, I recalled being told I’d never shift. That I was cursed, broken, no good. I’d been told it wasn’t even possible before I ever tried. But that wasn’t right. You couldn’t try to shift. The first shift happened. It wasn’t anything done on the part of the shifter. “If that’s the case, why didn’t I shift at the full moon like everyone else?” I asked. “Because you didn’t want to,” she said.

Nothing I had ever experienced before. "Jackson." I say. "Get up." One of the men said. So Jackson and I slowly got to our feet and I could sense Jackson right next to me but something else was off. "I can't shift." Jackson whispered. "What do you mean?" I asked. "I can't shift. Bronx isn't coming out. He's there but he isn't coming out." Jackson says. "How is that possible?" I asked. "I don't know." He says. "Shut up." The man yelled.

I just have to keep on running as fast as I could. Out of the blue, and just as I had expected, I soon came to a cliff. ‘Hah, please shift now, Eve! Please,’ I pleaded with my body. I tried to relax a bit and channel Eve inside of me, who had been thrashing about so violently, wanting to be let out, to take control. I imagined myself reaching my hands towards her. However, even in my imagination, I hit an invisible wall. I wanted to cry. Why can’t I shift? Why can’t I shift even when my life depended on it?

Just men standing in the rain, confusion spreading across their faces. “What’s going on?” one of the Enforcers demanded, panic edging into his voice. “Why can’t I—” “I can’t shift,” another said, his voice rising. “What the hell is happening?” My chest tightened. This wasn’t normal. “Try again,” I ordered, though I already knew. They did, we all did, and again, nothing. The connection was gone, completely gone. “Fuck,” Kade breathed from somewhere behind me. “What the hell did they do?”

"Ah, well. Yes and no. Your mother is a shifter, but.she can't manage her shift. Have you ever really seen her change shape, Alexander?" He blinked, his own enthusiasm faltering a little. Then, with a shake of his head, he replied, "No." Sharon stared at him. "Not once?" It was truly difficult to believe. The urge to shift was getting impossible to ignore during phases of the moon cycle, and the thought of going against that throughout her life pained her. A head shake again. "She never really discusses it." Sharon scoffed. Sharon still hadn't shifted. All these years? She thought Sharon was just denying the instinct.

“I’m not a big fan of shifting.” Kylan lifted his brows in curiosity, putting his phone down. He placed one arm behind his head and locked his eyes onto mine, waiting for me to continue. “When I shift, it’s not like how it is for others,” I explained slowly. “It’s…complicated. There’s something dark inside of me, something I can’t control when I shift.” “A darkness?” “Yes. It’s not always, but sometimes I feel like I don’t have control over my body,” I told him. “The voices become overwhelming, and I can’t block them out—no matter how hard I try. It’s why I avoid it whenever I can.”