"THE what?" I asked.
"The Forest of the Un," he had begun to say, but my glare sent him standing upright. He wiped his hands on the front of his pants and continued, "It's a haunted forest filled with creatures of the night."
"And why exactly do we want to enter it?" I questioned, standing on guard just in case something else decided to invade my personal space. "I vote we head back."
He sucked in a deep breath. "You can stay in the car if you'd like."
Wade continued to march forward in the forest. I stayed in place for a few moments before rolling my eyes and muttering, "Are you shitting me?"
"What?" He responded out of reflex before coming to his senses. "Oh shit. Sorry."
I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Add it to the list."
Shaking his head, Wade commented, "This list is getting quite long."
"Don't make me add that to the list as well," I smirked. "Don't think I'm above adding that, because—let's be clear— I'm not."
Taken by surprise, Wade looked at me and scoffed. "What did I do this time?"
Playfully glaring at him, I responded, "You complaining about the list."
"That does not qualify," he retorted, his mouth hanging open.
"Okay, Alpha," I taunted, my eyes widening. "What are the qualifications, then? Maybe we need to set up some criteria here."
"I agree," he shook his head. "As your Alpha, I think I should be the sole decider on whether or not we add anything to the list."
Blinking, unamused, I said, "We're definitely adding what you just said to the list."
"No." He crossed his arms over his chest while a warm, smug smirk washed over his lips. "Don't forget, I can give Alpha Orders."
Alpha Orders—in many packs—were not a thing to be taken lightly. An Alpha usually only resorted to Alpha Orders when their pack was being unruly or the Alpha him or herself was on a power trip.
It was easy to see Wade fall into the latter of the two.
Alpha Orders commanded any member of the pack lower in rank than the Alpha to heed the orders without an ounce of hesitation. While you might not want to do what you had been ordered, you were physically unable to do anything but enact the orders.
It was a control tactic, which was why the use of Alpha Orders had gone by the wayside in recent years. If a member of the pack did not want to listen to their Alpha, then there were other ways to remedy this point of contention before Alpha Orders were thrown into the mix.
I had never been under the influence of an Alpha's Order before. I had barely even seen Alpha Thames when he was in power, and I had met Wade only recently. I never had the opportunity to be under the spell of an Alpha.
Until now.
"The power has gone to your head," I declared as I took a step back, checking my surroundings as I did so I wouldn't encounter any more strange creatures in the forest.
"It was only a matter of time," Wade caved in, his shoulder drooping.
"True. I'm surprised you lasted this long," I wagered as the smirk on Wade's lips grew.
All around us, a thin layer of fog appeared around our feet. We continued to walk forward, through the fog. But the fog had made it hard to see anything. We stayed close to each other in case the fog grew in intensity, making us lose sight of one another.
Along with the fog, a subtle chill fell across the trees, and I sucked in a deep breath. We weren't in Bluestrike anymore, and I was out of my element.
"Keep an eye out," Wade warned. He tried to use a flashlight to see through the fog, but the fog was thick like a blanket, impenetrable.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I looked over my shoulder every few seconds. I felt like I was being watched like all eyes were on me—but whose eyes? I did not know.
Violet, he's just stringing you along. He doesn't actually want you in his life, a low wispy voice caressed. The voice filtered through my ears, echoing among the fog-covered trees.
Going completely still, I asked Wade, "Did you hear that?"
"What?"
"A voice," I scrutinized, my head tilting forward. Instinctively, I closed the small gap between Wade and me; if we were any closer, our bodies would be touching. Not that I would have minded.
After being so close physically to Wade during my heat, I wanted him close to me at all times. It was like my body called out for him, lusted after him.
"A voice?" Wade gave me a questioning look, and I jabbed him in the ribs.
"Yes," I exasperated. "A wispy voice."
He pressed his lips together in thought and then said, "An Unknown."
"Suddenly," I gasped. "I can see through the fog. You've given me such clarity."
He narrowed his eyes and explained. "An Unknown. They're the creatures—no matter their species—that inhabit this forest. They're called the Unknowns because no one knows what they are or if they even exist in the first place."
With the voice gone, Wade picked up his pace. I followed along but asked, "How do you know so much about this place?"
"I've had years to do research," he said, gulping. He scratched his neck and picked up his pace once again.
Once Wade was a couple steps ahead of me—farther away from me than I would have liked—the voice returned. He's had years to get over his first mate, but he chose not to.
Again, startled by the voice, I stopped in my tracks. I tried to collect myself. It was just some voice. I didn't know how—or what—the voice belonged to, but it wasn't real. What it was saying wasn't true.
Right?
"What is it?" Wade inquired when he realized I had fallen behind.
Whipping the sweat off the palms of my hands on my pants, I said a quick, "Nothing."
Wade nodded his head, waited for me to catch up, and then continued to trek forward, mostly unbothered by the forest around us.
You see, he didn't press any further. He doesn't care. He doesn't care about you, Violet. The voice continued to torment my mind, reaching into the inner depths of my brain, pulling out the doubts I had yet to come face to face with.
Shut up, I yelled internally, not knowing if this voice worked much like the mind link.
The sooner you realize Wade's heart is bound to another, the sooner you can move on, the voice continued in a sing-song tone.
The way he looks at you, he looked at her, too. She was his first. You'll never compete with that.
I don't need to compete, I gritted my teeth.
I wouldn't be too sure about that. Have you asked Wade why you're here in the first place? The voice laughed. He's going to get rid of you once and for all, Violet.
When I did react to the voice, it continued to hammer its point, He doesn't want you. He's just using you to get what he wants.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady myself and focus on the task at hand: navigating to our destination so we were not stuck in this god-forsaken forest.
Reject him and save yourself the pain, the voice snickered. Unless you want to end up like his first mate. Dead.
"Shut up!" I yelled out loud this time.
"Violet," Wade questioned. He placed a hand on my shoulder, and my body instantly relaxed. My breaths were still coming in hot, but they were stabilizing with each passing minute.
Looking at Wade, I couldn't help but ask, "Is it true?"
"What's going on?"
"Is it true?" I repeated, biting my lip. "Is it true?"
He looked at me, confused. Taking another deep breath in, I asked the questions on my mind, "Are you just using me? Is any of this real?"
"Where is this coming from?" His eyes were slanted as he looked over my face.
"Answer me, Wade," my voice shook. "Answer me."
"No," he was resolute. "No, I'm not fucking using you, Violet. I've tried my hardest to stay away from you, and when that didn't work, I tried my best to keep you at an arm's length away—close but not too close. When that distance began to fade, I tried my best to remain unmoved, but the truth is: you move me, Violet. You fucking make me feel things I didn't think I ever could. So no, I'm not using you, for fucks sake. You're my mate."
His words caused my heart to sputter and my mind to go blank. He had referred to me as his mate. He had never done that before. He had never so clearly admitted the connection between us.
I looked at him, and we stared into each other's eyes. All around us, the fog began to clear away, but it was minutes before we started to take in our surroundings.
We had made it to a clearing, a spot where the sun shined with no interruptions. Wildflowers lined the perimeter, the grass overgrown like it had never been cared for before.
But there was no cabin.
"We're here," Wade determined as he surveyed the area. Wade then muttered to himself, "It looks just as the pictures showed."
Stepping back into the conversation, I said, "Except, there's nothing here."
He agreed as he walked further into the clearing. "Something's wrong."