It was surprisingly easy to track her mate by smell. She might’ve been surrounded by a forest of pine trees, but the scent of fresh cut grass was a tell-tale sign that she was going in the right direction.
Her mother had always said that she’d be able to pick out her mate even if their scent was covered up. Apparently her father, for instance, had a campfire and caramel scent; even if he stood next to a campfire burning sugar, it would still be distinctive to her mother.
Now Scarlett understood what her mother meant, following her mates scent all the way to a small cabin in the woods.
Scarlett was surprised to see it. She and her parents were really the only ones who braved living out in the forest. Even with patrols, rogues could be dangerous. The few cabins that dotted the forest were mostly for to give the Omega guards a place to rest when they patrolled in bad weather.
She could hear laughter from inside of it—her mate obviously wasn’t alone.
Still, he didn’t keep her waiting, slipping outside, waving off the people within as he walked straight towards where she was hiding.
“Scarlett,” he whispered.
She found herself smiling. “What, did you think I wouldn’t show?”
His eyes glowed with warmth. “Heh, I knew you’d come back.”
He glanced back at the cabin before pressing a finger to his lips, taking her hand, pulling her away. “Come on, this way, before my friends drag me back.”
She tightened her grip on his hand, and then they were weaving through the trees. Just like last time—only this time they were together instead of chasing each other.
Her heart was pounding just from the excitement in her veins. She had so many questions, so many things she wanted to ask, know… her curiosity was boundless.
“Hold on,” she said suddenly. “Take a left here, and we’ll end up near a creek.”
He gave her an appraising look before following her directions.
The creek wasn’t very big, but the sound of flowing water would be enough to muffle their voices. Scarlett was in no mood to almost get caught like last time, and judging by her mate’s expression, he wasn’t either.
“Your friends won’t be looking for you?” she asked, looking back towards where they came.
“No, they know I need time to myself. I have about an hour before they try to send search parties after me. Idiots think I’ll croak by tripping over a rock.”
“Ha! They sound like good friends, then.”
Scarlett smiled, taking a seat on a nearby boulder. Her mate did the same, sitting only a few feet away from her.
“Great ones,” he agreed before smirking.
She turned her head to drink in the sight of him—his strong frame, the contours of his face. He looked back at her with the same look of fascination, and hunger.
Finally, he chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.
“Are we going to do twenty questions, or just stare into each other’s eyes all night?”
“I mean, we could do both,” she offered with her own little grin, and his eyes crinkled in amusement. “First off, though—you know my name, and I think it’s only fair I know yours.”
It was an innocent question. And yet, Scarlett felt the mood shift.
Her mate’s body stiffened, and his playful expression slipped, replaced by something cooler. He wasn’t wearing a mask anymore, but he might as well have been, because the person she was talking to instantly changed into someone else.
“I… I can’t. I want to, but… it’s complicated.”
Her eyes widened, confused and a little hurt. He turned away from her, taking a breath.
“I’m not exactly supposed to be here, but I snuck out with my friends, and… well, I don’t want to throw too much at you this soon into our relationship.”
It was upsetting, but more upsetting was the fact that she understood. There were things they just couldn’t trust each other with. Scarlett wasn’t about to reveal she was a red wolf yet—there was too much risk.
And from the way her mate was talking he wasn’t some random commoner, either.
“I understand,” she said.
Seeing his shocked expression, she went on. “Oh, it sucks, don’t get me wrong.” She gave a tired smile. “But I’m not about to demand everything of you… will you do the same for me?”
“…Of course.”
“Then it’s a promise. One day, I’ll know all your secrets. But for now, twenty questions?”
He dropped his gaze to the ground, a laugh rumbling in his chest.
“Alright,” he said. “What family are you from?”
Oof. Scarlett winced slightly. He was definitely starting with the hard questions—and it didn’t slip her notice that he definitely wasn’t a civilian with a question like that.
“It’s complicated.”
It definitely was if he was really a noble—she didn’t think his family would take well to her being a commoner.
“Really? But you’re too pretty to be anything but a nobleman’s daughter,” He teased.
“Oh? Should I be insulted or flattered?”
“I’ve seen a lot of nobles, but none of them hold a candle to you,” he replied smoothly, making her blush.
“I’ll have you know, a bit of flirting isn’t going to sway me,” she warned him teasingly. “I’ve heard something like that before. You’ll have to try much harder to win me over.” She shot him an indulgent smile.
She was looking forward to what he would try, especially with that gleam in his eyes.
“Challenge accepted, then,” he said in a low voice. “I’m not surprised though, what man wouldn’t try to be with someone as beautiful as you? I’m no stranger to being chased, myself.”
“Oh, tsk tsk, a playboy, huh?”
“More like a bad boy—who doesn’t have a reason to tie himself down. Well…”
He looked Scarlett up and down, his gaze heavy as he took her in. She shivered, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
“’Didn’t’ have a reason,” he finished huskily.
“Is that so?” Scarlett murmured. “I hope you know I’m not some silly girl who’ll fall for the slightest bit of attention from a handsome man.”
“What I’m hearing though is that I’m handsome, and I can work with that.”
She giggled at his confidence, giving her own challenging look.
“You can try... You’re staring.” She told him, flushing at his intense look but she not turning away from him.
“I thought that’s what we were doing tonight? Talking and staring…” He trailed off, his eyes drifting to her lips. As if on impulse, he blurted out, “I want to kiss you.”
That one phrase was heavy with want, and it took everything in Scarlett to not just outright say yes.
She wanted him to… but not that easily.
“You want a kiss already? Do you think you deserve one?”
“I could deserve one,” he said, catching her drift. “You and me, right now, sweetheart. A race to the field from last night in our wolf forms.”
His every word made adrenaline and excitement build up inside of her—until he said that last term, and her smile vanished.
Wolf forms, where it would obvious just what color her fur was. The number-one thing she didn’t want to talk about or reveal.
This might be her soulmate, but she’d known him for less than a day—hell, only a couple of hours.
“I… I want to, but…”
“It’s complicated?” he finished for her. “I get it, it sucks, but I’m not about to demand everything from you.”
He repeated her words, and in a heartbeat, she realized that was all she needed to change her mind.
She knew that he would respect her wishes, even without an explanation.
She leaned toward him, the corners of her lips turning up in a smile. “Do you really think you can beat me?” she asked playfully.
“Well, we can find out…” he offered slowly, a grin appearing on his face as she nodded.
They both hid behind the trees as they disrobed. Scarlett felt her clothes slide off of her body and she carefully stepped out of them before shifting, trying not to get any paw prints on her clothes and tip off her mother.
She was really doing this. She was going to show a stranger—mate, certainly, but still a stranger—her shifted form. There was no mistaking her bright red fur, even in this low lighting.
It was a risk. It was dangerous.
But, in spite of that… she wanted to trust her mate, and how could she if neither of them took that first step?
So, even though Scarlett was scared—even though her lungs struggled for breath, head ringing with a million different warnings in her parent’s voices—she stepped out from behind the tree.