Chapter 26

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*Corey's POV*

Adan?

What was she talking about?

"Adan? Izabella, what do you mean?" Sean asked, glancing past her because she was still staring into the trees.

"Can't you see? It's Adan –" She tried to run forward, but Sean tugged her back holding onto her hand securely, his other arm moving around her waist.

"Izzy, there's no one there."

"He's walking away." She ignored what Sean said as she tried to pull away from him. "Sean. He's – Let me go. Adan! Wait! Why-why are you leaving?! Stay. Ad-an –" her voice cracked as she called out in a desperate cry before trying to try to shove away from Sean. "Let me go –"

She pushed against his chest, but he grabbed both her wrists.

"Izabella. Listen to me, Babe. Listen."

Izabella stopped trying to push away from her mate, but still looked over her shoulder, her breathing uneven and eyes wide and fearful.

"Sean – He's..." her voice faded as she looked back at Sean.

"Izabella, there is no one there," he repeated, carefully.

I glanced back towards where she had been looking. He was right. There was no movement, no rustling, nothing to see.

Izabella began to shake her head.

"No, no." Tears ran from Izabella's eyes now as her head shook rapidly. "He's right there! Can't you see –? Why can't you see him? He's-he's leaving – Sean, he's leaving. He can't leave again –"

She sobbed.

I felt my eyes sting and closed them as she continued to try to fight away from him, my chest tightening at how shattered she looked. It was like the first time she had found out all over again.

"Izabella –" Sean began.

"Trent?" Hayley's call drew my attention to her before my eyes drifted over everyone, trying to spot Trent.

"Where is he?" Kaden whispered.

I turned around to look further at our surroundings. He was gone.

"Trent?!" Jayden shouted.

"I'll be right back!" Trent's voice came from somewhere in the trees.

"I'll get him, stay here." I paused for a second, glancing at Jayden before quickly handing my gun to Hayley. Sean was occupied and Trent was gone, so they needed mine in case someone really was in the trees.

I left towards where we had heard his voice, walking through the trees until I spotted him. "Trent?" I spoke slowly, seeing him standing alone.

He was grinning as he looked into the trees ahead before he turned to me, his elated smile unwavering.

"She's here," he whispered. "I thought... I thought she was gone for-forever..."

"What are you talking about?" I glanced behind him. There really was no one around us.

'It's the forest.' Hearing Sean's voice in my head made my brows furrow.

'How are we linking right now?' I asked.

'I have no idea. It may be an oversight in the spell,' he replied. 'It's the forest.'

'What?'

'Remember those stories we used to be told about the forest that gave you what you wanted most? This is that forest. Izabella wants Adan and now he's supposedly here, but she's the only one that can see him because it's what she wants most,' he explained.

I nodded in realisation even though he could not see me. He was right.

'But those stories... Didn't they always end in death?' I linked back before being drawn from the link as Trent began to move. "Trent, wait!" I called to him.

"She's leaving. She wants me to follow." He looked at me with the most euphoric smile I had ever seen him give before turning back to the trees. "I'm coming. Babe."

Oh no.

'Don't let her follow Adan,' I linked Sean and bolted over to Trent to grab his arm.

"Corey, what are you doing? She's leaving. Corey, let me –" He tried to pull out of my grip, but even without our werewolf abilities, I was much stronger than he was.

I tugged on his arm to get his attention, but he didn't even look at me. His eyes stuck on what only he could see in the trees.

"Trent, it's not her," I said, figuring that there was only one thing he desperately wanted.

"What are you talking about? Come on, she's leaving – Corey."

He tried to pull his arm from my hand again and I felt my heart clench painfully at how much the reality of what was happening was going to crush him. I kept my feet planted, in turn making it impossible for him to move.

"Corey –"

"Trent, it's not her. You have to listen to me."

"Yes, it is!" he shouted. "She's right there, I know she is! I Corey, can't you see her?"

He stopped trying to step away and looked at me, his smile finally dropping slightly as he stared at me hopefully, torment quickly overtaking the hope in his eyes as if he already knew.

"You-you can see her, right?" his desperate voice trembled with the question.

I gulped down the tough knot in my throat, sniffing as I shook my head slowly.

I wished I had been able to...

"No... No, Trent. She's not there," I whispered. "It's just an illusion."

He looked back where he had seen her and let out an unsteady, choaked breath as his arm became heavy beneath my grip.

"No, no, no. It can't be. I felt – I felt her. I smelt her. I-I held her – her hand and it-it was warm and soft and..." his voice cracked. "I- I have to go after her –"

I held on as he tried to step away from me.

"I'm sorry... It's a trick. This forest does that. She's not there, Trent. She wasn't here," I said.

Trent shook his head, ripping his arm from my hand but he didn't argue or try to run. He just covered his face and let out another choked sigh before he literally attacked the tree beside us. I had to shove him away from it to keep him from breaking his hand as he punched it because it did not look like he was going to stop, even when he began to bleed.

"It's alright, Trent," I said.

What the hell was I saying?

"No, it isn't! 'It's alright'?!" he snapped, his face tear-streaked as he gave a dry cackle of disbelief.

"Trent, I –"

"What the fuck do you know?! You're just the fucking idiot trying to get rid of your mate when he's right –!" he was cut off by his own, frustrated shout. "Ahh! No, no. I – She-she was right there... I held her –"

I grabbed his fist when he was about to punch the tree again.

"Don't touch me –!"

"You're only going to hurt yourself and you will not heal out here. I'm so sorry. We need you. We can't have you hurting yourself when we need to take care of everyone. Please calm down," I said, pushing him further from the tree. "You're right, and I'll let you blow up and lash out, just not here. Not right now when we're in the middle of nowhere and you can't heal. Please, Trent, calm down."

He stepped away from me and ran his hands over his face before sighing and looking back into the trees.

We were quiet for a few minutes as his breathing became more controlled. I didn't know what to say, nothing said would be able to help him anyway.

Eventually, he spoke.

"Let's just get out of here."

I nodded and we walked back the way we had come, him trailing behind me while still trying to gather himself. Once we reached the others, I frowned as my eyes fell on Izabella who was still sniffling into Sean.

I had no idea she had been struggling... How had I not noticed? Why hadn't she told any of us how much she missed Adan? She must have still blamed herself for his death. She had never wanted to mourn in front of anyone because she felt like she didn't deserve to.

"We need to move. It's getting dark and we have to find somewhere safe to camp," Sean spoke up.

I walked over to them as he let Izabella go so Hayley and I could speak to her while we tried to comfort her.

My brows furrowed as I looked at Hayley when she slid the gun back into the holster I had. Why weren't the rest of us affected by the forest?

Did we already have what we truly wanted? Was it my car? My position as Beta? Was that really all I wanted? Or...

No. It's not that.

I glanced at Jayden who was speaking to Kaden softly. No... It wasn't him.

When Izabella was calm, I took in our surroundings again. There was nothing but trees and the faint sound of water... The river.

"There isn't a safe place to camp. We're probably still quite far from the peak. We're going to have to camp out here somewhere. I say at the river, and we'll take turns getting some rest," I said.

"Sounds great." Sean smiled.

"Then let's get moving." I swung my arms around the girls. "Carry me. That's an order," I joked, trying to lighten the mood and not using my Beta tone of voice to force them.

They both snorted and shoved me while we laughed, but we stopped when we heard a howl.

"Wolves?" Kaden muttered. "We can't shoot wolves!" he added wide-eyed.

"We won't have to. Just stay close and move fast," I said.

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By the time we reached the river, it was dark and cold, and everyone was beyond exhausted. We had gathered wood on the way, and I began to set up the fire as the others looked around and set the bags down. Being in a forest was not unusual because we camped out and hunted in our wolf forms at home all the time, the only difference – an absolutely huge difference – was not having most of our supernatural abilities.

"So... Kade, Izzy and I will stay up and watch for the first four hours and then you guys take over after that," Sean said.

"Fine with me."

I laughed as Trent just flopped down on the grass in his sleeping bag and pretty much fell asleep within seconds.

"There, I'm done." I sat back as the fire lit up.

"Maybe Jay should stay up with you gu..." Hayley drifted when her eyes fell on an already sleeping Jayden. "Never mind." She giggled.

I chuckled laying down not far from the fire and peeked past the flames to stare at my mate.

His ridiculously vulnerable and peaceful sleeping state was comforting. As though if he was content and safe, everything was okay. It was especially reassuring because I felt that, for some reason, it was going to be a long night. Seeing him look so carefree overpowered the anxiety and made me feel like there was nothing to worry about.

I bit my lip watching him as the noise died down around us, Sean, Hayley and Kaden spreading out and the others falling asleep. As the fire crackled between us, I thought back to that morning. I wished we could have just stayed there. Far from our packs, with no one else awake around us. Just him and me. The thought reminded me of Karaoke. We should have stayed longer, and sung more songs.

It was too late to turn back.

But I wished we could.

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