Note: As mentioned in Excerpt, text written in [square brackets] is a past memory from the story.

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My calling out his name made Donnie chuckle. Connie and Donnie were twin brothers, and it was not easy to distinguish between them, but I had figured it out since Connie, who was my teammate, had mentioned how his brother was an expert at hypnosis and I remembered that conversation during our first meet,

[I took his hand shaking it politely, “Nice to meet you, Connie. You are the mentalist, right?”

“Yes,” He answered, “but I specialise in dreams unlike Donnie, my brother, who specialises in hypnosis. Well, our powers complement each other when we use them together, you will know that as you get to know us more”]

When did Donnie hypnotise me? Plausibly the moment he met me here, sparing no time.

Donnie turned around with a grin plaster on his lips, “I did not expect you to figure it out this easily, usually people take some time before they understand something is wrong”

“Let me out of it!” I didn’t even know which part of the forest we were at, and this hypnosis was not in my favour for the win.

Donnie didn’t have any evil expression, but something dutiful towards his team. After all, everyone in the competition was here for one reason – to become the Beta! He pursed his lips and shrugged, “I am sorry Selene, I have nothing against you, unfortunately, I can’t set you free until Suzan has finished her task and crossed the finish line”

It all made sense. I was the only one who could keep up with Suzan’s speed, and holding me back was to their advantage. Running away would be dumb right now, as there was no saying of where we were in the timber. If it has come down to this, then I have no choice but to fight!

“Well, no hard feelings then Donnie, I have to fulfil my part as well.” My palms tightened into a fist and I charged at Donnie.

I had to be fast, or I might lose out on this chance. Becoming the Beta was important to me because it was going to give me easy access to pack member’s trust, not that it would be easy but there were other factors. A beta gets to interact with the public as a second face of the village after the Alpha and pay visits to the village elders. That was an important part. For bringing the pack by my side, there was no better way than becoming the Beta, a position of authority that is by default given some trust.

My fist caught up to him and punched his face. But that was not what exactly had happened. My hand went right through him while he disappeared right in front of me like smoke.

“I was never walking alongside you, Selene,” Donnie’s voice came from behind me and my feet sprinted towards him and punched his smoky image again. “It is all an illusion, Selene, I am nowhere near you” His voice resonated in the crowd of trees and hanging roots. I looked around frantically, still in a defensive stance, but there was truly no one here.

“Come out, coward!” I bellowed, trying to figure out his position.

But it was all opposite. Donnie chuckled, and it just resonated everywhere, as if every tree was speaking his words, “It is true I am a little weak at combat but don’t challenge my abilities, I am not letting you out of here”

I calmed myself down. There was no use in panicking or overstressing about the situation. Think about it, Selene, where could he be hiding!

My eyes scanned everything in the vicinity. The dense forest had given him enough places to take cover, and I barely thought he would have included his place of hiding in this hypnotised world. Something, anything that looks abnormal would do. There is no way he changed the world around me, just my perspective of it.

As I made my way past a few trees, my ears registered a rustling noise, followed by the crunching of dry leaves. I trudged to the source of the sound. Peeping behind the tree where the sound had come from, I saw his face, Donnie was standing there.

“Selene!” He shouted concernedly and ran forward towards me. Why was he heading towards me this recklessly? He was probably planning to catch up on me and make me unconscious.

But I had to do something or he would trap me in this circle of illusion, in this place, in this false reality. My feet bolted to him and he stopped in his tracks with his hands coming up in a surrender position. But I would not negotiate anymore. I had to knock him out and break out of this instantly. I screamed as my fist raised up, ready to hit him.

“Selene, what are you do-” Donnie ducked as my fist traced the air where his face was a split second ago.

Nothing was stopping me now, any werewolf can handle a little damage. My leg kicked the blonde man who was curled in front of me with hands that asked me to stop. “Let me out of this!” Donnie went tumbling back at the force of my blow. I walked ahead immediately and picked him by his collar. “Let me out of your stupid hypnosis right now!”

Donnie looked up, brows creased and mouth gasping for air. His face was cloaked with confusion. “What are you talking about, Selene? I don’t understand”

Still holding him by the collar, I swung him in the air before throwing him at the nearest tree. His back hit the trunk and he winced on the ground, holding himself in a coiled position while trying to get up. I did not want to hurt him, but he had chosen to play dumb, and it only irritated me. “Don’t fool around anymore! Better get me out of your lies or prepare for more damage”

My knuckles cracked inside my palms as I pressed against my fist. Donnie stood up, looking like a lamb cornered by the lion, a line of blood dripping down one side of his mouth, which he immediately took care of with the back of his hand.

He looked scared as if he had nothing to do with this and his palms raised ahead, “Stop Selene, there seems to be a misunderstanding” He certainly was not hostile but he wasn’t exactly being cooperative here!