I didn't know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't this.

The name Weeping Forest already sounded strange, and I was expecting something more on the scary side. When Seamus dropped me off at the entrance, his only words were "If there is anyone I know that can come out of this alive and well, it's you. Come back soon Aella. For Jude." He left quietly after that.

I felt like I was in another part of the Pack that had lots of trees. There was a sound of trickling water cutting softly through the air like a perpetual echo. From where? I had no clue. It was eerie how close it sounded to multiple human whispers going off at once.

No animals were in sight, in fact, I couldn't sense any other living person aside from me.

The clothes Seamus had given me clung tightly to my body, like second skin. Seamus had already stripped me of my weapons. I had wanted to dig my nails into his arm when he did a swift frisk check in the van. Jamison had been in the van too, but he stayed clear from us, taking the corner of the vehicle.

I wasn't sure exactly what I was supposed to do. I didn't even know how long I had been walking until I realised the scenery looked the same. That couldn't have been right. I carved a x on some trees, marking them as I passed. The sound of water became an octave higher than it was. I restrained myself from morphing into my wolf. That would be my last resort. For now, I focused on my surroundings that still stubbornly appeared as if I was going in a continuous loop.

When I passed the same marked x on the same tree for the fifth time, I felt dread begin to grow in my chest.

Ice cold pricks danced across the nape of my neck, trailing along my spine like spindly fingers.

For some odd reason, my mind catapulted to the time I used to binge watch horror movies. It wasn't the best thing to do as a thirteen-year-old when their mum was out. I recalled the scene with the hero who ran through the towering maze, always glancing over her shoulder for the mysterious entity after her. That always chilled me to the core- that look of utter fear and helplessness etched deep on her young face.

A cool breeze tickled a loose strand of my hair against the apple of my cheek.

I came to a complete stop, wiping my palms dampened with sweat.

That was what I missed.

There hadn't been a breeze but there was one now, stirring my hair.

"I think I'm going to puke." I moved again, more than alert.

There wasn't anything to look for since the scenery was repetitive but there was no doubt something or someone would find me.

The sun had started to set, illuminating the trees in a dim glow that made the outlines of the trees seem softer.

The breeze stopped again.

My hands curled into fists.

What was I waiting for?

Was I truly alone in here?

Seamus had said that the others hadn't come out from the forest yet.

Had he lied to me?

Hours passed and the sun had long gone to sleep.

The breeze was back again, playing with the strands of my hair like it never left.

Strangely, it felt as if someone was combing their fingertips across the frame of my jaw.

I shivered at the thought.

I took rest upon a fallen log, finding little comfort in the firmness of it.

Was I supposed to do something?

Seamus had been vague about this place, even Kian.

I closed my eyes and let my thoughts lull into silence. I knew I couldn't over think. It would drive me crazy. I needed to be calm. Steady. Brave.

So far, nothing was leaping out of the bushes with sharp teeth. I couldn't detect the iron tang of blood or anything else for that matter. It was just the calming noise of water rushing everywhere and nowhere all at once.

I felt my eyes go heavy with fatigue after more time ticked by. My body grew limp and then I felt myself falling down into a deep, black hole where all my senses were abruptly snuffed like a blown-out candle.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in an endless field with nothing else in sight. The further I tried to look, the more my vision blurred. I felt incredibly small feeling the wind whip through my hair around and ruffle my clothes. I closed my eyes once more. When I opened them again, a big Birch tree slowly assembled itself before me like Lego blocks.

Shaking, I stared up at the looming tree. Blood slid down the trunk, seeping into the soil.

A thick branch stuck out and I swallowed the fear in my throat.

Someone was swinging from the branch with a noose wrapped around their neck and a sack over their head, but I saw the familiar pink highlights-

No. No.

I didn't think. I launched myself to the tree and climbed it, not caring that my nails were getting chipped off. I heaved myself up, my muscles straining as I swung towards the branch. When I was finally there, I crawled, ignoring the rapid pace of my heart hammering in my chest cavity.

I grabbed the thick rope, tugging it up with all the strength I could conjure. The branch creaked ominously between my thighs as I tried to calm my breathing.

"Please let this be some fucked up nightmare." I finally pulled Pen up, placing her over my lap. I struggled to untie the rope and yank off the sack from her head. I suppressed the gasp in my throat. Her eyes and lips had been sewn shut, with the skin pulling taut from the threads used.

"This isn't real. This can't be real." I closed my eyes against the sudden onslaught of tears.

When I opened my eyes, I was abruptly pulled into another place.

The sun was rising, and I stood on the highest point of the hill. Kian stood beside me, his hair flying everywhere in the breeze. He had his familiar fighting gear donned but there was a peculiar expression on his face, one I couldn't decipher.

"You shouldn't have come this far." He said.

"Kian?"

He kept his gaze locked into the distance, continuing as if I hadn't spoken a single word. He resembled a hollow shell.

"The Scouts shouldn't have found you. You didn't deserve to have a place here."

"Kian, look at me." I grabbed his arm, but his skin was brutally cold to the touch. His empty gaze languidly dragged over me. "You deserve to die." The words slipped from his lips in a toneless whisper.

He suddenly lunged at me, a dagger in his hand that I didn't see before. The point sliced across my stomach and a sharp sting coursed through me.

I was shocked from the attack. The material of my shirt dampened with blood, soaking my palms that I pressed against it.

Kian lunged again and I froze as his dagger sank into my heart. A cold smirk lined his lips as he stared at the wound with cool detachment. "There we go. You're no longer an issue."

The cruel image of Kian disappeared, replaced with Tatum. I recognised that we were at the Pack house. He was smoking a joint, shrouded in dark tendrils of shadows that criss-crossed along the broad length of his shoulders. Bookshelves surrounded him and a little light bulb flickered in the furthest corner of the room. The acrid scent teased my nostrils as he stood, patting the red bud of the joint against the ashtray. "You weren't what I was expecting." His voice sounded different. More callous.

I felt the wall for a light switch but there was none which only made Tatum chuckle. It was a haunting sound. Pinpricks popped up along my arms.

"What's happening? You're not real. You don't sound like him."

"Like who? Tatum? Your father?" The man cackled beneath a silk handkerchief he pulled from his breast pocket. "Wait, you don't call him that. What is he to you then Aella? Sperm donor?"

"You're not real." I heard my voice resonate.

"You don't sound too sure there Aella. You hardly know me. I'm The Eye. You don't know me as The Eye." He commented nonchalantly.

"This has to be part of the test. I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do yet."

"What test Aella? Don't be delusional." A wry chuckle escaped his lips.

I quickly glanced around the room, looking for anything that could help me out. All I could see were outlines of furniture and the glowing cinders of his smoked joint. The bitter scent of the cigarette still filtered the air, mingling with the stench of stale paper and aged leather.

"Don't bother Aella. You won't be able to get away from me." He smiled coldly.

That smile contorted until he was in his wolf form. He prowled slowly around the room, nostrils glaring.

I changed into defence mode, planting my feet firmly apart. I bent my knees just an inch and bunched my fists up with preparation. If a wolf could laugh, it would sound like his.

Low, cackling and eerie.

I had to figure this out.

The wolf launched towards me in the air but before his claws could skim my cheek, he abruptly dispersed into black smoke. A tickle of air kissed my cheek. My feet lost balance as the ground became unsteady. Nausea climbed up my throat as the floor beneath the soles of my feet found solid ground again.

Ma stood in front of me, smirking. It was a stark juxtaposition to her usual motherly grin filled with warmth. A cool sensation spread across my body as I took in the familiar surroundings of our home back in the Blue Cave Pack.

Emotions clogged my throat as I took in the little space we called home. I still had memories of when I was a little girl and would twirl around the room to nothing but the music in my head. Ma never castigated me for jumping around the room like a hyped-up bunny.

"Aella, what are you doing? Come home. You don't need to do this."

"You know why I'm here Ma. You know I want this for not only me but for the both of us. I've worked so hard to be here. We deserve better than what we had."

"But this is home Aella." Her voice was soothing, almost hypnotic as she approached me with vigilance. "Let's forget about it all. We like it here."

I shook my head, "Ma, don't say that."

"Is it the Alpha?" Her voice became cold. Distant. It had me reeling back into shock as ice enveloped my limbs, freezing me in an internal cage.

"No, it isn't." I replied.

Hooked on the wall, I saw a framed image of Ma and I. It was probably one of my favourites. Even after all the years that had passed, she still looked like she hadn't aged one day in her sky blue dress. A wide fedora hat sat on her head as dark strands of her hair danced along her shoulders from the warm breeze that day. Little me had my mouth wide open, frozen in a hearty laugh. The overalls I wore were pink and slightly big on my form. There was a chocolate ice-cream stain on my inner shirt and a soggy but crushed cone grasped between my pudgy fingers. The happiness I felt that day still made me smile in reminiscence.

"You know I worked hard to be here." I found my voice.

"Aella, you don't belong there."

Something inside me faltered. No, I couldn't let that thought take root.

I refused to let it sink.

But-

"Oh baby, come back home. That man doesn't love you. Come back to me."

Her words became a heady spell, but I couldn't hear the rest.

Soft murmurs fluttered against my earlobes, entrancing me into a cloudy haze.

Ma was gone when I glanced up, replaced by the solid form of Jude.

My beautiful Jude, standing near a window, glancing off into the distance through the tempered glass.

I scrambled towards him, but he held out a palm without a word. He didn't turn around, but I saw his reflection in the glass, watching me intently with those storm cloud eyes.

"You shouldn't have come here."

Despite the coolness of his tone, I squared my shoulders in preparation. For what? I'm not sure but if the last few interactions were an indication of what the Weeping Forest could do, I was beginning to understand what was happening. The jagged pieces were fitting together the more I analysed the changing events.

This wasn't a test of my own physical strength. Frankly, it wasn't my weakness.

The Weeping Forest was targeting my doubts and fears, forming them into a cruel, black reality in this timeless place.

No wonder Kian had been furious.

"And why shouldn't I have?"

The man, not my Jude but someone that appeared like him turned around, his face grim. "You don't belong here."

I pretended to think over his words. "You're right. I don't." I didn't belong here in the Weeping Forest. This place was where hope died a quick death.

His eyes widened a fraction as if in shock that I was accepting his intentional degradation. "Hmm, you're a strange one."

I paced the length of the carpet and idly examined the looming shelves sprawled from wall to wall, filled with different sized books. The familiar spine of 'Peter Pan' caught my attention. I slipped it out of its place and wiped away the dust with the edge of my sleeve.

An idea took root as I stroked the aged cover.

The question hovered on my tongue, but I held back, turning the thought over and over in my head.

Curiosity won out. "I know you're not Jude."

The fake Jude blinked but he didn't make an effort to respond.

"You don't make me feel the way he does." I stated. "And he would never say those things to me, just like the other duplicates you've reimaged."

"You're quick, a lot quicker than the others of your cohort."

"Are they okay?" I asked.

The man shrugged, "No one ever truly knows what really happens here."

It was so strange talking to this replica of Jude and not feel the urge to take his lips. There was nothing there. No connection. No bond. Just an eerie emptiness.

"That's not a straight-forward answer."

"If I were to give you the answer right into your palms, there would be no mystery little Enforcer."

"How interesting."

"I have one tiny message for you though before you depart."

I tensed, feeling his gaze hone on me. "He would sacrifice everything for you."

I didn't need to ask who he was referring to.

"I would do the same."

"Then return. He awaits you."

Iblinked and imposter Jude transformed into fine mist, leaving dark little spotswhere he last stood.