The Alpha's Wayward Mate

Scarlett bunked down in a hollow tree she came across for the night. It would keep her dry and safe from the elements should they decide to turn suddenly.

As she lay there, she tried to ignore the itchy feeling once more that settled in her stomach. She knew what it meant, but there was no way she was going to act on it.

Her parents hated her for the mate that destiny seemed to provide for her. All in a matter of moments, she lost the only home and people she had known because of it, but gained unfamiliar people and an environment that she would not and could not be accustomed to.

As she lay on the cold, hard ground, Scarlett couldn't help but remember the look on her parent's faces as they turned coldly away from her.

She began to cry all over again. 'Why did this have to happen to me?' she thought sadly to herself.

Scarlett had a light meal of bread and cheese. She told herself she would buy provisions at the next village. Hopefully, there would be forest people like her, so she would fit in.

Scarlett tried to sleep the best she could after the light meal, hoping it would lull her to sleep with a full stomach. It did help, but it gave her strange dreams. In them, she saw a happy life, a family, and people who loved and adored her.

Meanwhile, at another camp site, Maverick had settled down as well, knowing he could travel no further in the night unless he wished to put himself and his horse in danger. Though he preferred to be out in the elements because, unlike where he was from with sun and sand, this place felt cool and refreshing lying upon the soft grass, surrounded by trees. He sat against a log as he stared into the fire burning before him.

He could feel the tugging sensation and the deep itch that told him he needed his mate by his side. Maverick ignored it. He knew it was only a matter of time before he found her. It was as if they were being drawn together.

Scarlett could run away all she liked, but what she didn't understand was that once a person's mate was discovered, it would be hard to get away from them. The drive to be together would keep tugging at them until neither could fight it.

Right now, it wasn't strong because they had little time to spend together, but once they were bonded, there would be nothing that could separate them except for death.

Maverick closed his eyes and had wonderful, peaceful dreams of the future. His tribe was healthy and hearty; his mate welcomed him with open arms, and they had little ones running around their feet.

In his dream, Scarlett was breathtaking. More so when he met her. She was dressed in a buckskin skirt, with her red hair pulled back into multiple braids that connected into one. Her skin was tan from the sun, making her blue eyes all the brighter. In the dream, Scarlett looked up at him while her arms were wrapped around his waist.

"I am so happy, my love." She murmured softly. His dream self could only smile before reaching down to kiss her softly on the lips.

Maverick was jarred awake by his horse sniffling and mouthing at his face. He quickly pushed the animal's face away from his.

"Ugh Titus. You woke me up at the best part of my dream, you sneaky beast." Maverick growled at his companion, but there was no real heat behind his words because of his affection for the beast.

He sat up and stretched. Maverick looked around for what might have caused Titus to wake him. He only saw the dying fire and the light of dawn peaking over the trees.

Maverick couldn't help groaning; now that he was awake, he might as well get up and start getting ready to leave. The sooner he got on the road, hopefully, the sooner he found Scarlett and brought her back with him.

Maverick only prayed that she was not awake yet or traveling already, or it would be his unfortunate luck that she would get even further ahead of him.

Luck was on Maverick's side because Scarlett, in fact, still slept in the tree she had discovered. Because she lay under the ground, the light did not wake her. It was not until she heard the sound of birds chirping that she woke and realized that she had slept in.

"Oh, my goodness. I am behind on getting up. If anyone is searching, I doubt they might gain ground on me."

Scarlett scrambled up and began packing her belongings that she used the night before.

After climbing upon her horse, she clicked her tongue, and the animal began moving slowly through the forest.

Scarlett sighed as she made her way to hopefully another clan like her. She just hoped they would welcome her, unlike her family.

Scarlett's thoughts turned to the hulking figure that should have been her mate. She couldn't help shivering as her thoughts turned more torrid.

'What is wrong with me?' She couldn't help thinking as she tried to shake away the tempting thought of the male she had briefly encountered the first time they met.

"He really was a fine specimen of a man, but I can't have anything to do with him, or my family won't have anything to do with me." Scarlett grumbled sourly to herself. The only one listening was her horse, which only twitched its ears in response.

"What do you think I am wrong for running away?" Scarlett argued with the beast as if it had given her an opinion on the subject.

"Foolish beast." She grumbled. "It is not my fault that the one tribe that my family loathes became the one that I happen to be mated with. Do you consider that my doing?"

Scarlett stood silently, as if waiting for the animal to talk. Her horse just flicked its tail and snorted softly. Scarlett took it as a sign to keep voicing her thoughts.

"Besides, there is nothing I can do now. I left, so all I can hope to do is move on and ignore this irritating feeling in my belly."

Scarlett didn't realize that maybe fate had other plans for her besides being mated to one of the other clans and that maybe she had been placed among the desert tribe for a reason. She didn't think of this because no one had ever suggested it.

Her mother and father had never believed in such things, even though they had mated. Scarlett's mother has been a Valley clan member, and her father is a forester. She supposed that they thought she would take them higher in status and not bring them lower.

"What a great disappointment I must have turned out to be to them. I don't want my children to ever feel this way."

Hearing her own words, it dawned on Scarlett that she would never have children because she could not mate with anyone other than her fated match.

Her mood turned sour and bitter as the realization of what she had done slapped her in the face. Lucky for her, she was unaware her other half was picking up on her trail fast. Maverick was gaining ground, and Scarlett was unaware of this, or she would have moved at a much faster pace than she currently had been.