Chapter 2

Evelyn took the basket before setting off to search for fruits and herbs. She must collect them and sell them in the nearby village market so she can buy clothes and necessities.

The forest provided her with food and water, but it could not provide her with blankets and shoes. She needed money for that. Earning money wasn't that hard for Evelyn since she knew where all the rare herbs grew. She could even cultivate them if she wanted, which was a plus of living in the forest.

The herbs are going to be costly around this time of year because winter is coming soon. She could use the extra money to buy a new blanket; the old one was torn.

She was contemplating staying in the treehouse until winter was over but then decided against it. She should move as soon as she gets the money and things. Finding a place to stay before winter comes can be a hard task, and she didn't have any time to waste.

***

It's been two days since Evelyn left the treehouse to find a new place, but so far, she hasn't had any luck. The cold is starting to bother her. It wouldn't be good if she caught a cold because she doesn't even have a place to rest.

The bag with her clothes and other things is starting to feel heavier as she takes each step. Evelyn wants to give up, but she doesn't know why she is still holding on.

Always running. Always hiding. Always living in fear. What was the point of living like this?

Sometimes, she really wanted to end it all, but something inside told her to hold on, whispering to her to be strong and patient—just like it was telling her now to keep walking towards the north.

Evelyn stuffed her hands into her worn-out jacket to warm them up. She regretted not buying gloves when she went to the market, as the cold was beginning to itch her hands.

She needed to find a place before nightfall. Spending the night in the cold would definitely make her ill. Falling ill in a forest without even a place to rest is a nightmare for anyone.

Evelyn looked around her. The distance between trees increased as she took each step. She knew she shouldn't go to clear areas; it's not safe there. But a clear place meant more sunlight, and Evelyn needed sunlight as much as she could get at the moment.

The sound of running water made her stop in her tracks. It wasn't that loud so that it couldn't be a waterfall or a river.

A stream, perhaps?

She slowly walked towards the sound, hoping to find a treehouse or even a tent. She desperately needed a place to shelter her for tonight.

The girl stopped, surprised, as she stared ahead at the abandoned cabin. She stood there for a minute, analyzing it. Who built a cabin in the middle of nowhere? Why did they abandon it?

The cabin looks fine. The roof was okay, even though the wood was cracked here and there. It even had a door.

Does anyone still come here?

She had a lot of questions, but she didn't have time to ponder them as the sun would be setting in a few hours.

She hurriedly ran to the cabin, making as much noise as possible so that if any animals were inside, they would know her arrival. She didn't want to scare any animals by barging in unexpectedly.

Evelyn slowly opened the cabin door. It wasn't locked since the doorknob looked almost broken. The cabin was pretty much empty except for a rusting iron table. The floor was dusty and covered with dry leaves. She would have to clean it so she could sleep on there.

Evelyn put her backpack down before walking out of the cabin. After a few minutes of trying, she made a broom out of tree leaves to clean the cabin floor.

The sun was going down. She had to clean and set up a fire as fast as possible before the cold became unbearable. The dry leaves would be hard to burn once it was cold.

After an hour, the girl successfully set up the fire. Evelyn sat there looking around. The place was beautiful and comfortable, but unfortunately, she couldn't stay for long. Open places like this meant people would come here often. She had to leave and search for another place tomorrow.

Evelyn took the iron table and placed it behind the door so it wouldn't open in the wind. The little fire she made kept the cabin warm.

She made a place for her to sleep on the floor and snuggled into her new blanket. Evelyn tried to sleep, but she couldn't get her mind free from all the thoughts running through it.

One of the biggest doubts Evelyn has right now is about her mate. Will she ever meet her mate? How can she meet them if she keeps hiding in the forest? What if they had already given up on her?

All those thoughts made her heart heavy. She didn't want to burden her mate. They deserve to be happy, and if she found them, she decided she would try her best to make them happy.

Maybe she can find her happiness too...

***

Evelyn jolted awake the following day, hearing shouts and murmurs outside the cabin. She frantically looked around her to see that the cabin door was still closed, but there were voices of people talking outside.

She took the blanket and stuffed it into her bag, ready to run if necessary. The girl slowly walked to the door to peek through the little hole beside it.

There were three men, two of them talking to each other while the other person looked around the cabin.

'I shouldn't have stayed here. I should've known it wasn't safe...I'm so stupid.' The girl internally cursed herself for her decision.

"Guys, I'm going to see who's inside," one of them said, taking a step toward the cabin.

They were all high-ranked wolves. One could quickly tell that by the way they looked and carried themselves. There's no way Evelyn could escape from their hands.

"Calvin, wait. Take out your gun." One of them shouted, making Evelyn tremble.

'A g-gun?' She clutched her bag, slowly moving to the corner of the cabin.

"There's no need for the gun. It's an Omega; I can smell them." The guy, who's named Calvin, replied, walking towards the door.

Evelyn could hear the heavy footsteps of the guy coming near and it made her heart thump in fear.

'This is it. They're gonna kill me.' Her eyes blurred as she hugged herself.

The iron table fell to the floor as the guy pushed open the door with force. The loud sound made Evelyn flinch.

The guy looked around before his eyes fell on the girl curled up in the corner. He called the others who were outside, ready to attack if needed.

The three men looked at the girl, trembling in fear. She was a little pale and had long blonde hair. The girl didn't look like a threat, but they couldn't just let her go, even if she was an omega.

"I'm going to link Alpha to tell him that we found a rouge Omega," one of them said, and the others nodded.

"Hey, what's your name? Where are you from? "one guy asked her, trying to stop her from panicking. He had brown skin and curly hair, which made his green eyes stand out.

He was gorgeous, just like the other two. They looked so powerful and elegant, which made Evelyn feel so small.

She remained silent, too afraid to say anything. The guy sighed, looking at the other. "What are we going to do with her? "he asked the guy named Calvin.

Calvin shrugged, uninterested. "I don't know. Let's do what Alpha says." He said, leaning on the wooden wall.

"Alpha is here," They heard the guy who went outside shout. The two guys straightened up their posture.

"Where's the Omega?" The new voice made Evelyn shiver. The voice sounded so deep and powerful.

'It must be the alpha.' She thought as the said guy stepped into the cabin.

Evelyn didn't have time to think because suddenly, she was engulfed in the strong scent of cinnamon and honey. She looked at the man who stood there towering over her.

He was gorgeous...He had midnight black hair and sparkling blue eyes.

Evelyn wanted to touch him, hold him, and be close to him so badly. Something inside her told her to go to him. She didn't know what was happening. The only thing she knew was that her heart was jumping in excitement, and she felt happy.

She felt happy and content for the first time in forever.

'What is happening? Why am I feeling like this? Is this what I think it is? Is he-Is he my mate?' There were a lot of questions in her mind.

Evelyn looked at the man's eyes, which were now a shade darker as he stared at her. He had an unknown expression on his face. She tried to smile at him but stopped when she saw him frown.

"Her?" He pointed towards her. His voice was laced with so much disappointment and disgust that it made the poor girl whimper.

She searched her mate's face, hoping to see even just a little bit of happiness, but there was nothing except pure frustration.

Evelyn felt her vision blur. The only hope she was holding on to was falling in front of her like a helpless sandcastle.

This is her worst nightmare......