Just before the rogue fell on her, a howl pierced the air, making all of them freeze.
Scarlett didn’t recognize it—but neither, it seemed, did the rogues.
Scarlett and the rogues shifted nervously, waiting for the new player to reveal themselves. Was it an enemy? An ally? What was it going to be? All of them were waiting, weary. All but one.
Her mate turned his head toward the sound expectantly, his eyes flashing with triumph.
Before Scarlett knew what was happening, five wolves burst out of the tree line and joined the fight.
Scarlett leapt to her feet. They were skilled enough to sneak up on all of them despite announcing their presence, these guys weren’t your normal everyday shifters!
Right now, though, Scarlett didn’t care who they were because her mate obviously knew them, which meant they were on their side. Backup had arrived and they were not the ones in trouble anymore.
Seven against three was almost overkill, and Scarlett would’ve if they didn’t deserve it.
Seeing them run off jolted her out of her adrenaline and battle-ready haze. She needed to go now before they realized that the red of her fur wasn’t blood—before the mud flaked off and exposed her.
Praying that her mate and the new wolves could handle things, she darted off. She needed to get out of here, before anyone she knew saw her, or before more people she didn’t know DID see her.
Despite Scarlet’s attempt to get away from the aftermath, she realized moments later, to her horror, that her mate and those friends of his were trailing after her. Their pace wasn’t threatening like it would be if they were trying to attack her. They didn't try to join her, either, keeping their distance.
Still, she left for a reason!
At last, she came upon the creek. It was just big enough for her to wash the mud from her fur and quickly shake out her coat before darting behind the tree where her clothes were.
As she washed, she thought about the wolves her mate was with. They had to be the ones he left behind in the cabin. He must’ve been gone for too long and they came to find him, only to come to her aid.
They seemed like decent folk, and even better friends but Scarlett, she couldn’t afford to take the risk of trusting strangers, not after tonight. As much as she would like to come out, assuage her fears of her mate’s health and safety… she couldn’t.
With that, guilt in her heart but resolution in her soul, she gathered up her clothes into her mouth, careful of her teeth, and sprinted away, hoping this was the right decision and that her mate wouldn’t hold it against her.
The only good thing about running away was that her fur was dry by the time she was a decent distance from the flower field. She wouldn’t be waterlogged or dripping, evidence of her escapade, when she returned home to her mother.
She didn’t THINK she could hear her mate or his friends coming after her. They were probably gathering their own things—at least, she hoped so. Even with her paranoia on high, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to catch them tailing her.
Well, if there was ever a time for her mate to prove he was serious about not prying into her secrets, it was now. Hopefully, he and his friends would stay away and not make things more complicated for her.
Scarlett smoothed out her clothes, trying to remove any wrinkles and stray leaves. She couldn’t do much about her hair except run her fingers through it to try and get it under control, all the while making sure that she didn’t have any blood on her from the fight.
Then, all she could do was pray as she headed back inside her house.
She wasn’t surprised to see her mother there waiting for her to return, food in the microwave.
“Cutting it close,” called her mother.
Scarlett did her best to act normally.
“We had a lot to talk about,” she shrugged, going for the food in the microwave. “I did leave the Moon Goddess Masquerade super early yesterday.”
“Hmm…what’s on your back?” her mother asked suddenly.
“My back?”
Scarlett looked over her shoulder, trying not to show how much she was freaking out. Flecks of wood stuck to the fabric from where she had discarded her clothes behind a tree. “The bark must’ve been wet, I leaned up against a tree—did I stain my shirt?”
It felt like a weak excuse, and her heart pounded furiously. But all her mother did was hum.
“If it’s stained, I can clean it.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll take care of it.”
Scarlett didn’t dare breathe a sigh of relief. Instead, she ate her food then told her mom she was going to sleep.
Only when she was in the safety of her room did she allow herself to collapse down onto her bed.
That was too close! Way too close!
Her mother almost figured her out, and, somehow, that was scarier than the fight she was in. She could fight rogues, but even her father couldn’t win against her mother.
How did people deal with having secret boyfriends and lovers? It was exhausting.
*****
The next day, she waited until after dinner to retreat to her room and slip out, heading towards the flower field she first met her mate in.
She still couldn’t believe she had gotten away with what she did the previous night. Not just a secret meetup with her mate, but a full-blown fight against rogues.
And she had held her own! She WAS capable of being an Omega Soldier like her father!
Now, if only the man himself would acknowledge it.
The whole thing was admittedly exhausting, but it was a risk that she’d take again and again — because he was her mate, and, in a way, she already loved him. He was worth a bit of risk.
The weather was perfect, and Scarlett had truly been blessed at least in that area, since it allowed her to come back again tonight to see her mate.
He was already there, waiting for her, and she wondered if he was going to try making it a habit of beating her to places. But there were more important things to worry about then his competitive spirit, or how lovely he looked with the fireflies casting soft shadows on his face.
“Are you alright?” Scarlett fretted, hurrying to his side, not even saying hi. She noticed a bandage wrapped around his left arm, no doubt from that cut he got.
“I’m fine—it’s just a scratch. I was more worried about you.”
He pulled her into his arms and Scarlett hugged back, melting into his touch.
“You left so suddenly, I almost went after you, but I knew my friends would follow if I did,” he admitted. “Still, that’s no excuse to just…”
“No, no thank you. I’m glad you didn’t. I’m sorry I left you like that—I didn’t know who they were, and my fur—it’s… it’s just…”
“Complicated?”
“Too complicated,” she bit out, sighing. “I’m sorry I left like that.”
“Don’t worry. Those idiots are my friends—they won’t say anything, even if you DO show them just how beautiful you are.”
Scarlett giggled, rolling her eyes.
“Well, you sure know how to make a girl feel pretty. Do you have time tonight?”
“No one’s waiting for me tonight. I’m all yours.”
“Then…I suppose I should tell you some things, like why I’m so weird about my fur.”
“Is there something wrong with red fur? I think it looks quite gorgeous on you.”
Oh boy. She was surprised, given he was a noble, that he didn’t know about the red wolves, but then again, there was a reason they were almost wiped out. It wouldn’t be strange if even their history had been wiped out, too.
“We have a LOT to talk about.”