The Unwanted Mate

"Run... Hide! Stay a-away... from p-people," the man croaked out, blood gushing out of his mouth. Evelyn sobbed, lifting her father's head into her lap."No, I don't want to leave you! You're the only one I have!" She held the man close to her."Eve, y-you can't... You h-have to go... you're not safe h-here. G-go... I w-won't survive..." He coughed, trying not to choke on the red liquid."Don't say that! You can make it!" Evelyn cried. "I believe you can survive. There has to be a way! Please stay with me... I don't want to be a-alone... I'm scared, papa." The ten-year-old little girl grew pale at the thought of a future without her father."You w-won't be alone, Eve... When t-the time is r-right... y-you will meet your m-mate. He will l-love you and protect you f-from any d-dangers... until then y-you have to h-hide, okay?" He gripped her little hand. "Promise me.""But-""N-No, p-promise me... s-so I can d-die in p-peace." He strained with the last bit of his energy. Evelyn wailed helplessly, loud sobs falling from her lips."I-I promise, Papa..." She stuttered, making the man release a weak sigh of relief."N-Now... y-you must go!" He urged as his hands weakly pushed her to stand up. "Run... Run as fast as y-you can... T-They might come here anytime... " "B-but what about you?""I'll be f-fine... I'll be fine as long as y-you're... s-safe." He tried to muster up a small grin but failed miserably.Evelyn didn't know why this was happening to her. She did nothing wrong. Her father was innocent, too. Why were they attacking people who tried to protect her? What did they want? There were thousands of questions running through her mind.But she didn't have the time to waste worrying about them."E-Evelyn, go! I-I can hear them coming..." Panic took over her father's facial features. She looked at the dying man and more tears fell from her eyes as she leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead."I-I love you, P-papa." Her lips trembled as she wiped her face with her palms.The man tried to smile through the pain. "I l-love you too, Eve... Be s-safe and remember w-what I said, okay?" The girl nodded, trying to clear her vision by blinking away the tears. She turned to head towards the woods, taking slow, reluctant steps.Evelyn glanced back at her father once more as she reached the line of trees. She gave him a tiny smile before running deep into the woods. Even though she was afraid of the darkness, the woods gave her a sense of safety.A loud scream from behind made Evelyn stop in her tracks. She knew well enough what it meant, and it made her head spin. Her body convulsed violently, and she fell to her knees, lowering her head onto the ground.Her father... Her father was no more…***Evelyn gasped as she shot up in bed, eyes bulging wildly. Even though the night was cold, she was sweating profusely.The nightmare wasn't new to Evelyn. But despite haunting her for almost half of her life, the terrible dream never failed to disturb her this deeply.Peering out of the treehouse, she could tell the sun had risen. It was early in the morning. Rays of sunshine emerging through trees made the whole woods mesmerizing.The view calmed her disturbed mind.Evelyn liked it here. The treehouse, despite being empty, wasn't too bad. When she first came upon the little house, it was run-down, but nothing a little cleaning couldn't help. Now this place was her refuge.A small waterfall near the treehouse induced a lot of animals to come by. Evelyn loved these animals, and they loved her too. She had been staying in the forest for ten years but never got attacked by any of them.Squirrels and monkeys were the ones that amused Evelyn the most. They always brought her fruits and flowers. Why they did this, she had no idea. She was surprised in the beginning, but it became a regular thing. Wherever she went, she always received little gifts from them.None of the dangerous predators she'd encountered ever tried to bother her. Once, a big cat walked past her like she was invisible. She didn't know the reason why they behaved in this manner. She always assumed it was because she was a werewolf, though she didn't have an inner wolf.The animals made her feel safe, which is why she liked them. They kept her safe from the people who were chasing her. Safe from her own kind.Evelyn climbed down from the treehouse, walking towards the waterfall. She sat down on one of the big rocks, enjoying the sound of water and the forest.She should leave here soon. She's been here for too long. Comfortable as she was, it wouldn't stay safe forever. A pity, though. She liked this place a lot.Winter was coming. At this point, she wouldn't be able to survive here anymore. She had to move to a safer location and buy the proper necessities. For this, she usually went into the small villages for supplies. Those trips were always an exciting endeavor for Evelyn, being able to see and experience what other people were doing. But it also made her a little sad because she couldn't have a normal life as they did.She wanted to be like them, live like them. Laughing and enjoying their life with their loved ones.Loved ones…Evelyn didn't have anyone to love.She forgot what love felt like. Her only hope was finding her mate, but now she was losing sight of her beliefs…

Evelyn took the basket before setting off to search for some fruits and herbs. She had to collect and sell them in the nearby village market to buy clothes and other necessities.

Though the forest provided her food and water, it couldn't give her blankets and shoes. She needed money. Earning wasn't difficult business, though. Evelyn knew where all the rare herbs grew. She could even cultivate them if she wanted. Perks of living in the forest, she supposed.

The herbs were costly around this time of the year because winter was approaching. She could use the extra money to buy a new blanket. Her old one was torn.

Should she stay in the treehouse until winter blew over? Perhaps not. It was best to move out when she had enough money and supplies. Finding a place to stay before winter comes may prove to be a troublesome task. She didn't have any time to waste.

***

It's been two days since Evelyn left the treehouse. So far, she has had no l