Chapter 1: Shock

Liam should be here already. I have never spent more than ten minutes in this forest without him magically appearing, but tonight, it has been an hour.

The wind stings my eyes as I pace back and forth between the towering trees.

Then I hear cheers and people clapping. My heart beats louder, warning me that I have moved too far into the forest and no one would find me if something happened to me.

I contemplate going back to campus to take a nap while I wait, but I miss him too much and his phone is off, so a few more minutes of waiting won't hurt.

My curiosity gets the better of me, and I slowly walk towards the noise, while praying that it is not a cult whereby they celebrate making a human sacrifice.

I see Liam and Lucy and kissing as if it is a wedding ceremony, then the cheers get louder. I blink, hoping to wake up from this nightmare, but every time I open my eyes, I discover that I’m still in the dark and Cursed Forest dimly lit by the crescent moonlight.

I take a few steps back, and then Liam raises his head, and I feel goosebumps on my body. This time, it is the opposite of butterflies that I usually feel for him. His pupils dilate and his eyes turn dark as he looks straight in my direction.

My body stiffens, and I feel like I have stumbled upon some secret. I turn to run, but I bump into a gigantic wolf looking at me.

“Good doggie.” My voice shakes and tears threaten to come out. I try to remain calm in order to not let it smell my fear.

The wolf growls.

“Good wol...”

The wolf growls louder, as if I had just offended it with my words, and my instincts choose flight. I run until my legs feel weak, and I try to stop to take a breath, but I find the wolf behind me.

I stop while wincing at the pain in my chest and I decide that this is my fate. This is when I die. I close my eyes, and the wolf passes me at a speed of lightning, as if running away from something as well.

When I turn back, there is nothing, except the trees surrounding the forest, but Liam suddenly shows up next to me. His glare feels more threatening than the wolf’s growl. I look at him for any sign of affection in his eyes, but all I see is rage.

"Liam, bbbbbabe..." My voice trembles.

He doesn't say a word, and instead he is still glaring as if he is somehow possessed. Oh My God! The Carkeek Park might be really cursed.

I turn back around, and I run from him. I hear the rustling of leaves indicating that he is chasing me.

I try to pick up the pace, but I trip over a rock and fall with my palms touching the ground first. I sit on the ground, giving up my life for the second time tonight, and looking up as he approaches me.

“Willow, what are you doing here?” His rage has disappeared and he smiles while holding me by my waist to lift me up.

“I w...I wanted to surprise you. I have just arrived.” My heart beats faster as I try to stop my heavy breathing.

“What did you see?” His voice is cold and threatening.

“Nothing.” I vigorously shake my head.

“What did you see, Willow?”

“Literally nothing.”

“Really? Why were you running away then?” His voice is icy.

I contemplate telling him that his eyes were threatening when he saw me watching his marriage ceremony.

“I was running away from the large dog, but then I think it saw you, so it ran away and disappeared.”

“How did it look?”

I feel anger building up within me. "Why are you more concerned about how a dog looks than asking if I'm okay?"

He grinds his teeth and glares at me again.

“It was huge with a very dark fur,” I say dryly.

“Are you sure?”

I nod.

“Are you really sure?” He sniffs while looking at the ground and then looks at me suspiciously.

“Why are you sniffing like a dog?”

“What did you just say to me?” He snarls.

“I’m sorry, it was a joke. Why are you so touchy tonight?”

“It was a bad joke!”

“What were you doing there? Are you married to Lucy?”

“You said you saw nothing!”

“I watched you kiss a woman who hates me!”

“I’m going to do what I should’ve done ages ago. You won’t feel the effects of it, anyway.”

“What are you talking about?” I feel the fear returning. I won't feel the effects? Is he going to kill me? I take a few steps back, but he remains on the spot.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “Willow, I rej...”

Liam gets knocked to the ground, then the wolf comes into view again. Liam gets up and growls at the wolf, and it growls back, as if he can communicate with it.

They growl at each for about ten minutes. Seemingly in a huge argument.

“Is it your pet?” I glance at Liam.

The wolf snarls at me, and Liam laughs like I have just cracked the funniest joke on Earth.

"Yes, isn’t it cute?" He laughs.

"It is. Can you borrow me sometimes?"

"You can play with him anytime, baby."

It growls again, and we both laugh.

"I like its sense of humour. You taught it well."

“I have a specialty in animal communication.” He smirks.

The wolf shakes its head, and I wonder if what I saw is real or whether I imagined it.

"Baby, you have to go. It’s not safe here."

"I’m not your baby. I saw you kiss her! Are you really married to Lucy?"

“Willow, you have to leave. I will talk to you later." He glances at the place where I had just witnessed the marriage ceremony.

"I thought we were soul mates."

"We are babe."

The giant wolf growls at this.

“Dude, Willow is my girl, not yours." He says to the wolf. "Just leave, Willow," he looks in my direction.

I walk away, with the wind blowing my hair around my face, making me angrier. I call a cab when I get to the edge of the forest.

My phone rings as soon as I'm seated in the cab, and I smile when I see my older brother's name flashing on my screen.

"Marcel, it has been only seven hours since I left home. Do you miss me already?" I say cheerfully.

"Your brother and I are in an ambulance, and I don't know what to do, he asked me to call you, but he passed out again." My mom says on the other end of the line.

My heart drops into my stomach, "I'll be right there mom, hang in there."

I search the Internet for the next flight to Minnesota, and I book a plane that is three hours away. Damn! It's ten, and I will be at the hospital to tomorrow at five in the morning.

"Please wait here while I get my bag, I will pay extra." I say to the cab driver.

He nods, and I run to my room. I take my backpack and I pack essential needs.

When I open the door, there is a guy towering over me, raising his knuckles as if he was about to knock. His black hair is unkempt, and his piercing bluish grey eyes lock on mine.

"Can I help you?" I frown.

"Your life is in danger Willow, you need to stay away from Liam."

"Wow! Did Lucy send you?"

"Why would Lucy send me? I'm here to give you a serious warning."

"Look, I would like to stay and chat, psychic, but I have to go. Keep your warnings to yourself.” I lock the door and I try to walk away from him as he follows behind.

"Fine, I'll leave, but we both know that tonight, he would've killed you if he could. You saw it in his eyes." Then he disappears between buildings.

"Please take me to LKE,” I say when I open the door of the cab.

The words of the stranger replay in my mind for the entire trip. I sleep on the plane, and when I arrive at the hospital, I run to the waiting area like a lunatic.

"Mom," I pace to her when our eyes meet, and we embrace each other. I look at her puffy and red eyes, then I hold her.

"I'm a terrible mother," she cries.

"No mom, you will never be a bad mom, and Marcel is going to be okay. Go home to freshen up and let me stay here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, just go and take a nap. Okay?"

"Okay, I hope I'll be here when he wakes up."

"You will be." I offer a reassuring smile.

She gives me a faint smile, and then she gives me a hug before leaving.

I sit on the chair in the waiting room while trying to stop tapping my foot, and I get up when I see the doctor.

The doctor gives me a look that I know too well, and that is all it takes for me to scream.