Abigail's POV

　　I felt like I had only been asleep for seconds; I could still feel Damien beside me on the sofa, having fallen asleep with him while watching some crime documentary. The distant sound of the tv echoed around my head, mixing with the strong beat of Damien's heart. I could feel him fidgeting to get comfortable, pulling me closer to his chest, the gentle lull of his breathing soothing my nerves as I let sleep take hold. I knew I should wake up and ask him to leave so he didn't get the wrong idea about us, but after my traumatic dream the night before, I subconsciously decided to stay safely wrapped in his arms. 

　　Visions of the luscious green fields surrounding my childhood home filtered through my mind. Beautiful fields filled with stunning white and yellow wild daisies and majestic horses. Had it always been this beautiful? I could have sworn this place once made me feel trapped and alone, feeling that the bordering fences I was never allowed to cross hid from me the beauty of the world beyond. I had walked these grounds a million times over the years, yet never had I felt such euphoria spreading throughout my body. Muscles I didn't know were tense started to relax, and I felt entirely at ease for the first time ever; I was at peace with myself in the home I had grown up in. No longer feeling like a prison but a sanctuary! 

　　Turning slowly in the luscious fields, my fingers running through the wild daisies, euphoria spreading through me seeing my mother open the door to our home; the smile that swept across her face at seeing me mirrored my own. I was about to call her when I froze, seeing the inside of the house cast in darkness. Narrowing my eyes, I squinted to see her better and sucked in a breath seeing the purple tinges to the emptiness behind her; even she seemed to be outlined in the ominous purple glow too, looking to the daisies around me as if seeing them for the first time I gasped realising that they too were tainted by the purple glimmer that I had seen twice before. In my nightmares!

　　"It's here, the darkness… watching!" I uttered, wanting to wake up, but as soon as I seemed to realise, I was transported to another dream. Running from Damien in a maze of trees and bushes, I could sense the excitement and thrill I got from him chasing me, but I knew it was more than that. I wanted him to catch me! Claim me! A thought that made no sense since I had only known him a few days; he was technically a stranger, one I had willingly invited into my life and home without so much of a background check! Had my mother's years of training had such little impact on me and my choices? or was I just completely naive when it came to men? Probably both!

　　As if my brain wanted to prove a point, I came to a dramatic stop sensing the larger-than-life aura of Jason, blocking the path I wanted to take and stopping me from going deeper into the maze. My body purred being this close to him; how had I let myself get into such a predicament that I was lusting after two men I hardly knew, who indisputably had enough issues between themselves without me complicating it further? I could feel Damien's eyes on me as he stopped behind me, but I couldn't take my eyes off the magnificent scene before me.

　　Jason shifted into his wolf, it had always seemed painful when I watched other wolves do it, but he made it look effortless! Painless even! Must be the alpha blood in him, I mused. Running my fingers through his thick fur, admiring his unique colouring, all browns and golds with hints of red here and there. Nodding respectfully to Archer, a coy grin crossed my lips. He was every inch as commanding as his human form, but I could sense something else hiding behind those dark eyes that shimmered metallic green. Jason was clearly not giving Archer the reigns entirely. 'Perhaps he doesn't trust him to behave,' I wondered, watching the fight behind his eyes, but a dark thought pushed at the outskirts of my mind, niggling at me relentlessly. 

　　"Maybe it's that he doesn't trust you!" The chilling voice whispered into my mind. My breath caught in my throat. The hairs at the nape of my neck rose eerily. Spinning quickly to look between both men, I realised neither had heard it; all thoughts of the sinister voice vanished, seeing hands of black and red pull at the forest, peeling back the leafy greens to expose the darkness behind the surface. A perfect circle appeared in the side of the forest, without regard for nature or the wildlife around it; I knew something as perfectly formed as that circle had no place in mother nature's garden. My eyes drifted to the hands that had once served in the pits of hell; unfazed by the blood dripping from their fingers, they continued to rip out nature's beauty to reveal a new path for me to take, one that felt like it would lead to nothing but evil and bloodshed. One I planned to avoid at all costs!

　　As if reading my mind and wanting to challenge me, desperate, heart-wrenching cries travelled through the air; I knew what lay at the end of that path:

　　Death and Destruction!

　　Just like I knew there was nothing I could do to change the outcome for those people, they would die unnecessarily for someone else's sick pleasure, but it didn't mean I would not try! The feeling of dread washed over me; I had no choice but to take the path of darkness and suffering and leave the safety of the men beside me.

　　There was no time to glance at either male that had come to stand by my side; my feet were already moving without conscious thought from me, the souls of my feet hitting the dirt hard, pushing my body through the pain as thorns tore at my angelic skin. What were a few cuts and scrapes that would heal compared to the loss of human lives?

　　The harder I pushed, the more resistance I found myself met with, those hands that had destroyed hundreds of years of natural growth when they tore at the forest now took pleasure out of groping and grabbing at me. The same chilling voice whispered into my ear, trying to break me, but my resolve never wavered. Not once. 

　　"You fool no one."

　　"You know you like hearing them beg."

　　"You are evil, like him."

　　"You want them to suffer."

　　"You did this to them!"

　　"Their blood is on your hands!"

　　 "They are dying because of you, for you!" 

　　"Admit it; you like the sound of their screams!" 

　　"Accept the truth… you're a monster."

　　"Like father, like daughter".

　　Realisation dawned on me; these were things I had said or thought to myself many times throughout my life when caught in a self loathing spiral. However I had never uttered any of these doubts to another person… Not even my Mother! 

　　So, I was still dreaming; and if I was dreaming… I could change the outcome for those people, or at least try!