I woke up from my sleep with a choked gasp. I held my throat and glanced beside me. Relief immediately swept over me as I realised I was alone. There was no sign of a cinnamon haired man sprawled beside me, embracing me against a warm wide chest. I patted the surface of my mattress and huffed out a sigh when it felt cold to the touch.

Why did I have such a dream?

I fell back into my mattress and rubbed my temples. I probably needed to get checked out by McKenna. I wasn't sure what she could do for me but it wouldn't hurt to try. Maybe she had something for delusions.

I could not have sexy dreams about Jamison.

More importantly, he could never find out.

I spent the morning preparing for the day, although images of Jamison would infiltrate my thoughts at random intervals. After a long soak in the bath, I changed into a pair of worn jeans and a white tee. I twisted my hair into a bun and finally pulled on my combat boots.

The morning air was crisp as I made my way to the old cottage. When I pushed the red door open, it creaked as I pushed my fingers against it. I poked my head inside and scanned the dark room quietly. There was no sign of Jamison inside but his scent of cedar wood and citrus was very faint in the air. I was a little worried considering it meant that Jamison could've left the cottage a lot earlier than he should've in his state.

I shifted the curtains of the small two windows to the side to allow streams of lights inside.

The ingredients for the elixir were splayed on a counter. It looked like Jamison had organised them neatly in a row before he left.

The more I explored the cottage, the more I noticed that Jamison had not only organised the ingredients on the counter, he had taken the time to sort out the cupboards filled with equipment. There was a drawer with protective goggles, a hair net, gloves and even a mask. The items didn't look worn out either. They looked new but that couldn't be possible.

Did someone restock the place between the time Jamison left and I arrived?

I took out the bowls, tubes and other instruments I needed to make the elixir. Once I donned on my safety gear, I began prepping the ingredients.

I broke concentration when someone rapped on the door. Distracted, I called out for them to enter the cottage as I sterilised a glass jar.

"I'm here for the lights."

My thoughts scattered as I glanced up to see Jamison leaning up against the counter with his arms crossed against his chest. He looked freshly showered as he scanned the mess across the counter. He was dressed in his black Enforcer uniform, which did wonders to accentuate his athletic form. My attention dipped to the small plastic bag dangling from his fingers. I couldn't see what was encased in the bag but I had a feeling he had a new light bulb in there.

My damn eyes honed in on his lips without my consent. Dream Jamison's lips were soft and inviting. Real Jamison's lips were currently pursed in a thin line, making him look unapproachable.

I flinched when his gaze suddenly pinned me on the spot. "Looks like you started quite early."

I glanced at my watch, "I've been here since an hour ago."

Jamison nodded although he did look distracted.

"Are you ok?" I asked him before I could stop myself. Now that he was in front of me, I could see that he looked like he lacked sleep.

Jamison raised a brow but relented a head nod as he confirmed my thoughts. "I had little sleep."

I knew Jamison didn't say this to provoke some guilt from me. Jamison only stated the blunt truth, or at least, in my opinion, he has. I would have been more surprised if he lied to me to protect my feelings in some sort of way.

"Did the Alpha come by?" I asked. "I told him where you were."

Jamison nodded. "He took me home before sunrise. I don't really remember much since the remnants of the aphrodisiac were still lingering in my system."

"Maybe you should get more rest. Actually, I could fix the lights myself-" I reached for the plastic bag in his hand. Jamison dodged my fingers with ease and moved to the bulb in the centre of the room. "I can do it. Give me a few seconds."

While Jamison quietly worked on the lights, I returned my attention to the liquids I'd already boiled. I sealed them off and labelled them once they cooled down to room temperature. On my calendar, I marked the day the elixir would be ready to be mixed as a few of the ingredients needed time to ferment. I stored the glass vials safely away in a compartment where the sun wouldn't bother it.

I hadn't realised that Jamison had finished with the lights as he also sorted out the water and told me when I'd sterilised and put away the equipment I used.

"Thank you for that." I said, pulling off my gloves, mask and safety goggles. I could feel Jamison's stare on my face as I swept the strands of hair that fell from my bun and curled them behind my ears.

"Did you have a dream last night?"

My eyes widened at his nonchalant question.

Jamison's gaze narrowed, noting my stiff posture. "You did." He confirmed, sounding not in the least surprised by my reaction. It was like he had expected it.

"Why do you ask?" I steadied my tone although my thoughts were in a state of panic. There was no way we shared the same dream.

Would it even still be considered a dream if we both dreamt and remembered it?

"I had a dream of you last night." Jamison tilted his head to the side as his gaze swept over my face like he was trying to gauge my thoughts.

"That's...interesting." I replied despite the loud thump of my heart. "I dream of random people too sometimes."

"You're not a random person. In fact, I don't dream at all. You're the first person I've had a dream about."

"Maybe it's because you were with me before you had the dream. It happens."

Jamison crossed his arms over his chest, "Why are you trying to make it seem like me dreaming about you is not something out of the ordinary?"

"Well, it's not something to overthink unless something happened in the dream that I should know about?" I asked.

Jamison paused for a second. Then, he uncrossed his arms and crowded me against the counter. I frowned, confused by his sudden closeness. I froze when Jamison lowered his head until his lips were level my ear. His hand clung to the edges of the counter as he caged me between his arms. "Tell me something Mila. How is it that I know how your lips feel and the way you taste?"

I pushed Jamison away.

He let himself be moved. The strength I'd used hadn't been nearly enough to make him lose his footing.

Jamison smirked. "I see."

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"I don't know for sure but I know it has something to do with the aphrodisiac. I don't think it was a standard aphrodisiac. Considering we both drank it, I believe it might have linked our dreams in some way."

"No." I was in denial.

"This will be confirmed when you go to sleep tonight."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. I couldn't accept this. "But you said you don't dream."

"I don't. Last night was the first time I dreamt of something."

"This can't be real."

"We will know for sure when we both fall asleep."

I bit my lip in worry. Linking dreams with Jamison was not something I wanted. Surely, he didn't like it too but his expression was difficult to read.

"I have a meeting with Jude soon. I'll see you later." He moved to the door to leave.

I had nothing to say as Jamison left my sight.

***

"What are you doing out here?" Pen asked as she pulled away from Alexei. The man looked ready to protest but he stayed several steps away as Pen approached me with a smile.

I had planned to climb a tree and see the sunset but I also wanted to avoid falling asleep.

The more I thought about it, the more I realised that I wasn't bothered that my dreams may be linked with Jamison, but that something would happen in the dreams.

If our dreams were truly linked in some way, that meant Jamison had wanted to kiss me, even in his unconscious state of mind, he wanted me.

But his mind would've been addled by the aphrodisiac. He'd been in a state of lust when I left him in the cottage.

Tonight, if I dreamed, would Jamison still want to kiss me without the fresh effects of the aphrodisiac?

How long would this dream linking  last?

Maybe tonight I wouldn't dream of Jamison.

My answers could only be satisfied if I closed my eyes and let sleep take me hostage for the night. Although I somewhat dreaded the idea of finding sleep, I wanted the answers more.

"I just want to see the sunset."

"We do have pretty sunsets here." Pen smiled. "Maybe we can see a sunset together some time." She offered.

"Together?" I repeated.

Pen nodded, "Yeah."

"Oh, uh sure." I replied.

Pen snorted when I squirmed under her gaze. "You don't need to say yes if you don't want to. I won't be offended but I'll be curious."

"I'll think of a day and let you know." I offered.

Alexei sidled to Pen's side, pressing a soft kiss against the side of her head. His dark golden eyes spooked me as he watched me quietly. "Hello Mila."

"Hey." I stared at the man. I knew I was staring but I couldn't help myself.

Alexei was the perfect man I'd imagined Penelope to find a mate in.

I was oddly awestruck seeing them together and up so close, even though I'd seen them together a more than a few times in passing.

"I have to go." I told the couple when silence only lingered. Pen and Alexei nodded as I passed them and took a random path through the thick of the trees. I wasn't aware of where I was heading but I was experiencing some serious brain fart.

It always happened when Pen was around.

I didn't know why I didn't tell her who I was.

I thought she would at least remember my scent if she didn't remember my face since I'd aged the last time she saw me. I wasn't a little girl but when I first came across Pen in the mountains and she had pleaded for me to follow her back to her Pack, I'd recognised her on the spot.

Yet, Pen had no idea who I was.

I wondered why she didn't recognise me like I had done with her.

A little part of me wanted to know if she maybe thought it was impossible to see me.

Did something happen that I didn't know of?

I kept walking, ignoring the sudden shift of the air around me. I simply wanted to find a nice sturdy branch to watch the sun set.

I felt something cool brush my cheek. I shivered and held my arms, trying to fight off the frigid air.

I thought I knew where I was but the faint sound of trickling water gave me pause. It was like an echo.

I didn't remember the Pack having a waterfall nearby.

I finally took notice of the trees around me. There was something odd about them, like they looked almost identical to the next tree beside the next.

No matter the distance I walked, everything started to look the same, as if I was walking on an endless path, stuck with the same scenery.

I knew something wasn't right.

Instead of letting panic override my emotions, I tried to think about why this place was so eerie and familiar in a way that I felt like I had heard about the things I was experiencing.

I closed my eyes and took a breath.

I filtered through my memories until a discombobulated voice whispered 'Weeping Forest'.

My eyes snapped open as I took in my surroundings again.

"Fuck." I cursed.

I was in the Weeping Forest.

I'd heard Recruits who aspired to be an Elite Syndicate Enforcer for the Shadow Hunters experienced the tribulations in the Weeping Forest as their final test.

Other than that, not many people spoke about it.

A chill crept up my neck as I tried to form a plan but I couldn't think sanely. I didn't know what to expect and from what I knew, people experienced the Weeping Forest differently.

I heard people died in this place.

I brushed my fingers along the charm on my wrist, seeking comfort.

I didn't know what was coming but I knew I would have to brace myself for the impact of it. So when a pair of blood red eyes peered at me through the bushes, I tensed my body and prepared to fight.