Fake Penelope soon dispersed into little black orbs but her words remained like a haunting echo in my ears.

"Penelope would never speak like that to me." I told myself quietly but did that mean her words were any less true?

I gulped.

My wolf remained silent.

I closed my eyes, wishing I was already out of this place.

I was tired.

When I opened my eyes, there was nothing in sight but shimmering air. Uncertainty kept my feet frozen as I glanced around the void. The spot where it seemed like it moved in timid waves called out to me. I felt my body gravitate towards it. I mentally braced myself as my body slipped through the invisible wall.

On the other side, there stood Jamison. He stilled  completely as he took sight of me.

I hesitated.

Was this another encounter with fake Jamison?

I trudged forward on heavy feet, distantly aware that I didn't feel well. My eyelids felt heavy and my temples pulsed with an ache that I felt all the way to the back of my scalp.

This had to be another nightmarish version of Jamison the Weeping Forest decided to summon to plague my mind.

My thoughts became bitter.

"Mila." Jamison's voice was calm as he called for me.

He became a blur of colours in my vision as I slowly approached. "Stay away from me." The words spilled from my tongue with warning. I wasn't prepared to go through another mental beat down, especially not from this man.

There was only silence that met my words.

"Mila?" An all too familiar voice pierced through my murky thoughts.

My gaze lifted to the side, halting on Penelope.

An acrid taste soaked my tongue.

I did not want to see her.

How long was I going to be tortured by this place of nightmares?

Something suddenly swelled in my stomach, pulling upwards until my throat tingled. I collapsed to my knees as I heaved and expelled the contents of my stomach. I heard several people call my name but I had little strength to pay heed to any of their calls.

I was mentally exhausted. I felt my body sway lifelessly through the air but then a pair of steady arms caught my fall, jarring my thoughts. I felt myself being lifted against a sturdy chest as something warm brushed across my forehead.

"Sleep." The voice instructed firmly above me.

My body reacted in an instant as if cast in a bewitching spell.

***

I came to my senses when something warm brushed against my forehead in a fleeting touch that felt almost hesitant. Usually, my wolf would have reacted for me but I still felt sluggish. My eyelids flickered when I made sense of voices talking above me in low whispers.

Someone closed the curtains to keep the sun rays out.

"Mila?"

I blinked and waited for my scrambled thoughts to realign. I barely recognised Aella's voice but I knew her scent. "Luna." I greeted. The word tasted like ash on my tongue.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." I coughed. I tried to stop after the third but then there was suddenly an arm behind me, pulling me up so I was sitting upright. I haunched over, muffling my coughs with my palm.

"Fuck, do you need water?"

My head snapped to the side as I took in Jamison. He gave me a concerned look as he reached for something on the stand. He produced water in a glass and passed it to me wordlessly. I quietly accepted it and drew in several mouthfuls.

My throat ached as I drank but I ignored the slight sting to satisfy my thirst.

"Easy, too much too fast and you might start coughing again." Jamison instructed.

I nodded and drank slower. When I was done, Jamison took the glass away and studied me. "How are you feeling?" He asked with a slight tinge of caution.

"Good." I replied. I glanced around the room. I didn't recognise it but Aella was quick to explain. "You're in one of the spare rooms in the Pack House."

"I see." I knew I sounded wary but I wasn't certain that I wasn't out of the Weeping Forest. This could be another illusion. I gripped the thin sheet pooled at my waist. "I don't know..."

The words became stuck in my throat.

A hand gripped my jaw, turning it to the side until a pair of caramel eyes watched me. Instinctively, I tried to shake his hand off but he held on, pressing his fingertips into my jaw. His touch was surprisingly warm against my skin. "You're not in the Weeping Forest. You made it out. Nothing in this room is an illusion. You're safe."

His words were choppy but I was aware of what he was doing.

He was trying to make me feel at ease but it was almost impossible with his hand on me. From an outsider's point of view, they'd think Jamison was trying to choke me depending on the angle they took in the scene.

"Ah Jamison, I think you should let her go." Aella chuckled nervously.

Jamison didn't listen.

He simply stared at me with his hand cupping my jaw. His thumb swept over the pulse on my neck. I clenched my jaw to stop myself from letting a tremor travel through my body.

"I'm not in the Weeping Forest. I'm safe." I told him, repeating the words he had said slowly.

It was only then did Jamison release me and sink comfortably into his chair. He dwarfed it with his height, it almost tore a giggle from me.

The thought almost had me falling into another coughing fit.

I did not giggle.

"I'm so glad you're out of there." Aella said with relief. "We had McKenna look over you. She says you're mentally exhausted, which isn't a surprise. She had you sleep for two days so your body could heal as much as it could. The Weeping Forest isn't for the weak. I don't think you realise how bad this could've gone." She reached for my hand, squeezing it gently.

Oh, I knew how dangerous my situation was.

I just refused to believe it.

"I have a few questions for you though. You shouldn't have had access to the Weeping Forest. That area in particular is shielded off and only opened when Recruits for the Elite Syndicate Enforcers are invited." Aella explained. "There should have been no way you were permitted access."

"I didn't know that. I'd only been walking but then my surroundings had changed. I remember hearing running water."

Aella shuddered. "Please don't remind me. That eerie sound still haunts me sometimes."

"Tell me about it." The door abruptly opened.

Pen sauntered inside the room, holding a thin, elegant vase stuffed with a single, bright sunflower. She placed it at my bedside and basically shoved Jamison away, stealing his seat. "Are you ok?" She asked in a worried tone.

I froze. Words were lost. I didn't know what to say. It felt like my brain had short circuited.

My gaze found Jamison who stood off to the side. He glanced between Pen and I, narrowing his focus as Pen clasped my hands.

I whimpered. I hadn't meant to make that sound.

Pen paused. "Mila?"

I stared at our hands, trembling.

Was I even breathing?

"Something is happening to her. I think you might be a trigger." Jamison intervened, gently trying to pull Pen away but she clung onto me as her fingers brushed up against the charm on my wrist. She pulled my sleeve down and stared at the red sunflower against my skin.

I stiffened.

I could've shook her hand off but I couldn't get my hands to move fast enough.

For a moment, she didn't speak. She simply observed the charm, brushing a fingertip over the delicate design.

Then I saw her fingers tremble.

A gasp slipped from her lips as she tightened her grip on my wrist. Her wide eyes collided with mine in disbelief. "Meemee?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat as her eyes misted with each passing second I didn't speak.

Pen leaned closer, running her gaze along my features. I held still under her intent examination. She lifted a hand, brushing a lock of hair away from my left temple. I felt the moment her index finger traced along the small, barely there scar engraved in my skin. Her hand dropped to my charm once more. She traced the flower with a shaky finger. "I-I'm so confused."

"What's going on?" Jamison cut in.

"Who are you?" Pen asked quietly.

I filled my lungs with air and exhaled deeply. "You already know who I am." I said softly.

Pen made a choked noise as she lunged for me, fiercely hooking her arms around me. I groaned, feeling my body ache. Pen apologised and softened her embrace. I hesitantly patted her back when I felt her body shake with emotion.

When I met Jamison's gaze over her shoulder, the slight wrinkle between his brows indicated that he was confused about what was happening.

"I-I thought you were dead." Pen pulled away, holding my arms. "You have a grave. I went there."

That didn't surprise me in the slightest.

Dean didn't want anyone tracking me down.

No one would care whether an orphan was dead.

I pursed my lips. "Long story."

Instead of asking, Pen pulled me into another hug,"I'm so glad you're here."

I couldn't reply since I felt a lump settle in my throat.

Had anyone said something like that to me to the point I felt emotions swell up in my chest?

I blinked rapidly, feeling my eyes sting. I pointedly ignored Jamison's stare and buried my face into Pen's shoulder. I felt like a little kid again as she held me tight.

There were so many things I wanted to say to her but my lips remained sealed for this moment.

I would tell her everything.

And I would apologise.

***

"You didn't need to escort me back home." I mumbled.

We had only left the Pack House a few minutes ago but the awkward silence between us made me squirm in discomfort.

The stoic man kept walking, keeping stride beside me, despite my quickening steps.

He made my speed walking seem as if I was a waddling toddler who still could not yet coordinate their steps.

"I know you can make your way home without me." He kept walking.

I gave him a side glance.

Did he think I didn't notice how much he wasn't saying in that single statement?

"So why are you accompanying me?" I drilled him. A tinge of impatience had leaked into my tone but I wasn't in the mood to be polite.

The man refused to respond. This wasn't the first time I asked him. I'd refused his company back at the Pack House but then Pen and Aella had waved me off with the solemn Enforcer, ignoring my pleas to walk alone. I knew that they were worried for me and I'd been surprised that Jamison had volunteered himself.

I'd expected him to refuse but he had followed me when I tried to escape him when he'd been in the midst of talking Aella.

I was still planning to ditch him somewhere along the way home but it was difficult trying to lose him. It would be futile if I ran off in an attempt to lose him off my tracks. He would simply catch up and probably tell me I was too slow to run out of his sight.

It was maddening.

I stopped walking.

Jamison came to a stop and faced me.

Without warning, I grabbed his collar, fisting the material of his Enforcer uniform. Jamison didn't flinch from the sudden movement. I expected him to at least push me away or pry off my fingers. I was certain he'd seen the move coming before I even took hold of him. Instead, he just watched me from beneath his dusky lashes. He even had a little head tilt going on, as if silently asking what the hell I was doing with him.

"You. You're starting to piss me off Jamison." I glared up at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I don't know what you mean."

I snorted. Ungracefully. "Leave me alone. I get that you've been instructed to accompany me home by the Luna, but you can go now."

"I'm not here because the Luna told me to do this."

"Then why? You wanted to see me go home safely with your own eyes? Like a gentleman?"

Jamison shook his head. "No."

"Then what the fuck is going on? It seems like you suddenly can't leave me alone."

"You just experienced the Weeping Forest. Only trained Recruits go through that and most don't come out alive. You survived that. You're not trained. I suspect that your mind is still vulnerable. McKenna said to take note-"

"-why do you care?"

Jamison blinked, "Mila."

"Why do you care Jamison? You're acting as if you care for me."

"You're a pack mate."

"Bull. Shit." I hissed. "Don't cross the line Jamison. You're the one who drew it but I'll be the one to keep it there. Don't act like you fucking care about me."

I released him quickly and walked off.

I was relieved when I didn't hear his footsteps follow.